When the family of three finally stopped horsing around and headed downstairs, Youyou was nestled in Qi Shifeng's arms.
Xu Tingyu held Youyou's hand and chatted with him.
Seeing this scene, Aunt Zhang, who was standing by the dining table, couldn't help her eyes welling up with tears again.
They were such a happy family. Why did they have to go through so much hardship?
She hoped that this time when they came back, they would never leave again.
Xu Tingyu spotted Aunt Zhang wiping her tears from afar. She whispered to Qi Shifeng, "Did I have a good relationship with Aunt Zhang before?"
Qi Shifeng had also noticed Aunt Zhang's actions. He smiled knowingly and pinched Xu Tingyu's cheek. "Don't rush. You'll gradually regain your memories."
He had already contacted the top brain experts in the country and would take Xu Tingyu for a comprehensive examination in the next couple of days.
Although Qi Shifeng didn't answer her question directly, Xu Tingyu got the answer. She gave a soft hum.
Halfway through the meal, Qi Ye's call came in. But Xu Tingyu didn't want to answer it.
For some reason, sitting in the Xu family's old mansion, she felt even more resistant to Qi Ye.
It was as if he had done something bad here.
The phone vibrated for a while and then fell silent. Two text messages came in afterwards.
Xu Tingyu ignored them all and just focused on talking to Youyou.
Qi Shifeng had been carefully observing her expression. Seeing that she really didn't want to deal with Qi Ye, he was naturally delighted.
So after the meal, when they went for a stroll in the garden, he couldn't help but hold her hand, squeezing it tighter and tighter.
Youyou had already run ahead. Suddenly, Xu Tingyu remembered the matter of Zhang Qiu. She said, "Do you have an extra car I can borrow?"
It was inconvenient for her to get around without a car.
Qi Shifeng thought she wanted to go out to search for her memories. He replied, "Yes, there are cars and drivers. Wherever you want to go, I can take you."
But Xu Tingyu shook her head and refused. "You go about your business. I want to take a look around on my own."
She still didn't know who had sent Zhang Qiu to that place, so she wouldn't tell anyone.
Even though subconsciously she didn't think it was Qi Shifeng, she still chose to keep it a secret.
Qi Shifeng thought for a moment.
The old man might leave at any time in the next few days. In case the media caught wind of it and took pictures of him and Xu Tingyu together, she would be pushed into the spotlight again.
So he said, "Okay, I'll arrange a driver on standby. If you want to use him, let him drive. If not, you can drive by yourself."
He knew that Xu Tingyu was sensible and wouldn't act recklessly, so he wouldn't force her to accept his opinion.
Xu Tingyu felt relieved and gave him a smile.
She knew it wasn't right, but she couldn't help comparing Qi Shifeng with Qi Ye.
Qi Shifeng was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Although he seemed like a domineering man, in fact, he basically wouldn't force others to do things his way.
Whether it was towards her or Youyou, he was willing to listen to what they had to say. Even if he didn't agree with their views, he would follow their wishes and then offer an alternative.
On the contrary, Qi Ye was warm on the outside but cold on the inside. He seemed gentle, but in fact, he was cold, domineering, and overly controlling.
If it was Qi Ye standing here now, for the same request, he would first ask her what she needed the car for and then insist that she must have a driver with her.
If she refused, he would definitely use reasons like she was pregnant and it was unsafe to drive by herself, or that he was worried about her, to persuade her.
If she still didn't agree, he would fall silent and not argue with her, but he would still arrange things according to his own ideas when she really needed to use the car.
And the driver he arranged would surely say, "Madam, don't make things difficult for me. It's hard for me to explain to General Manager Qi."
Yes, the people around Qi Ye only regarded her as an appendage of Qi Ye. So they didn't need to explain anything to her. They only needed to be accountable to Qi Ye.
She had all sorts of random thoughts, which finally turned into a silent smile.
Since Youyou was back in the capital, he naturally had to go to school.
So the family of three went their separate ways.
Qi Shifeng went to the company, Youyou went to school, and Xu Tingyu drove away from the Xu family's old mansion on her own under the pretext of taking a casual drive.
At first, she really just drove around aimlessly.
After all, she had to first make sure if there was anyone following her.
After driving around for half a day, she didn't notice any suspicious people. Then she drove directly to the address of the mental hospital provided by Aunt Tian's daughter.
When she arrived, she frowned.
There were few people around this place. At first glance, it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time and was in a dilapidated state.
The sign at the main entrance was also very mottled, clearly showing a lack of maintenance.
Xu Tingyu couldn't understand why Zhang Qiu would end up in such a place.
Just as she was sitting in the car sizing up the hospital, the guard in the security room noticed something strange. He walked over warily and knocked on the car window.
"What are you doing? You can't park here."
This place was deserted, and hardly anyone passed by for a long time. Why couldn't she park here?
Obviously, the guard was afraid that Xu Tingyu was a disguised reporter or something. After all, this hospital was not a regular one.
Xu Tingyu had already prepared for this. She rolled down the window halfway and stuffed two packs of cigarettes into the guard's hand.
"Big brother, I heard from someone that you can treat internet addiction here, right?"
"I have a stepson who is seriously addicted to the internet. I'm really worried about him. I just wanted to come and see if this place can help. If it's suitable, I'll send him here."
The guard glanced at the cigarettes. Greed flashed in his eyes, but he didn't reach for them immediately. Instead, he continued to look at Xu Tingyu warily.
"Your stepson is addicted to the internet? You don't look that old. How could you have such a big child?"
Xu Tingyu gave an embarrassed smile.
"You're right, big brother. He's not my biological son. He's my husband's son. I'm his stepmother."
"Precisely because I'm the stepmother, there are many things I can't easily interfere with, which is why he's become like this."
"If he were my own child, I wouldn't need to send him here. I'd just discipline him at home."
"Sigh, now my husband's relatives think I've indulged him and say I have ulterior motives."
"I'm really wronged. It's just that being a stepmother is so difficult. No matter what I do, people can always find fault."
"So I thought, since it's not appropriate for me to directly discipline him, I'll find a reliable place to send him. At least I've fulfilled my responsibility towards him. Am I right?"
This speech was improvised, but the words flowed out smoothly. She even fake-wiped a tear, as if she really had such a troublesome stepson.
Hearing that it was a stepmother who wanted to send her stepson here, the guard had already relaxed a bit.
But he still probed, "As you can see, the environment here is not good. You're well-dressed. Your husband's family must be wealthy, right?"
"Would they be willing to send their child to this place? Don't wealthy families usually send their children abroad directly?"
Only then did Xu Tingyu remember the car she was driving today. It was the most low - key one in Qi Shifeng's garage, but it still cost over a million.
"Hey, I won't hide it from you. I'm pregnant. This child doesn't like me. He always scolds me and says he doesn't want me to have the baby. I'm really scared."
"I heard that your place has very strict management. Unless the parents come to pick them up, they won't be allowed to leave easily. That's why I'm interested."