Gentlemen's Friends

Chapter 42 Part 2: Three ([-])
Qu Tongqiu could only change the subject: "By the way, little P picked you up in the car that day. Who is he? Boyfriend?"

"You mean Le Xiao? That's not true. He is Uncle Ren's nephew, so he is familiar with him. Just like him, hmph."

With his father's sensitivity, Qu Tongqiu felt that his daughter's "hmph" was not really disgusting, but a bit ambiguous, thinking that he was eager to break the relationship with Ren Ningyuan, but it was complicated. Getting more anxious, he asked, "Do you really want to live with me?"

"Of course, Dad."

"Then stop contacting Ren Ningyuan?"

Qu Ke let out a "huh" and asked him back, "Don't you want to associate with Uncle Ren anymore?"

Qu Tongqiu was a little embarrassed: "He and I... can't get along."

"If there is anything wrong, Uncle Ren can correct it." Qu Ke paused, "He misses you so much. If we live together like before, he will be very happy."

Qu Tongqiu could only reluctantly say: "I don't want to live with him. I don't want to meet him again."

Qu Ke didn't insist anymore, she just walked silently for a while and said in a low voice, "Uncle Ren is so pathetic."

Qu Tongqiu was a little surprised, and after a while he realized that Qu Ke and Ren Ningyuan already had a very deep relationship.The two of them had been fairly close before he "died".

He believed that Ning Yuan did not rob him behind his back, and Qu Ke's filial piety and miss for him were also very sincere.

It's just that Qu Ke didn't even need to know anything, and she naturally defended Ren Ningyuan, not him.The goodwill and closeness between those two people was instinctive.

When he thought of the words "blood is thicker than water", it was as if someone had punched him hard in the chest, making his insides shake.

He hated that Ren Ningyuan lied to him, and he also lied to Qu Ke.

He knew in his heart that Qu Ke's life with him would not include luxury houses and famous cars, but a damp basement, clothes that would never dry in the hallway, mixed neighbors, and a father who set up a stall to get by.

And he didn't even dare to let her have the chance to choose. He made her think that he was her father, and that she could only accept this kind of life.

Like Ren Ningyuan, he couldn't help but deceive others in order to get what he really wanted.

And when the truth comes to light, maybe Qu Ke will hate him as much as he hates Ren Ningyuan.

"Actually, Uncle Ren has always been very kind to us. When you were away, Uncle Ren volunteered to be my guardian. He treated me like his own family and helped me arrange everything. No matter what I did wrong, he never gave birth to me. I'm so angry. No one will take care of me like him except Dad."

Qu Tongqiu suddenly felt, can he really hide it?Maybe in five or ten years, Qu Ke won't find out, but in those 20 years, what about a lifetime?
Or, even if Qu Ke never knows, can he really win the nature of father and daughter?No matter how much he pretends to be her father, as she grows up, she will instinctively feel that Ren Ningyuan is better and closer.

"Dad, what did Uncle Ren do wrong? Didn't you like him very much before?"

"..."

"You taught me to repay him from a young age, and you were always happy when we were together," Qu Ke thought for a while, "I know, Uncle Ren may not be a good person in the traditional sense, he will do some things. It's not easy for you to accept, Dad, but, Dad, have you ever thought about trying to accept it?"

"..."

"People like Uncle Ren, if you miss it, you won't be able to meet them."

"..."

"With Uncle Ren, you can feel like a family, don't you think, Dad?"

Qu Tongqiu looked at Qu Ke, feeling a little far away in a trance, and the sun was also dimmed. He was still leading her to walk forward. While walking, he felt "clang, clatter" shaking inside his body, as if something was broken. same.

"I'll take you back after dinner."

"dad?"

"It's more suitable for you to live with Ren Ningyuan."

Qu Ke was a little at a loss: "Father..."

Qu Tongqiu suddenly said, "I'm not your father."

Qu Ke opened her eyes wide, didn't make a sound, as if holding back, after a while she said cautiously, "Father, don't be angry with me, I'm just talking casually..."

"I'm not talking out of anger." When I said this, my eyes were blurred.

Qu Ke's eyes widened.

"I can't give birth to you," he said as if something was stuck in his throat, "I am type AB, and your mother and I are both very common positive blood."

The little girl turned pale and stared straight at him, speechless.

"Your uncle Ren, he is your father."

Qu Ke stared at him with wide eyes, thinking it was just a joke, but the man's eyes were already red, and tears gradually flowed from the corners of his eyes with fine lines.

As if the tears were scalding her, Qu Ke suddenly withdrew her hand, took two steps back, then turned around and ran away desperately.

It was already dark outside, and the room was dimly lit. Qu Tongqiu was sitting in front of the table, looking like a dark figure. She still didn't take the little pendant she bought for Qu Ke, and his happiness since last night was over. are gone.

Someone knocked on the door, and then the half-hidden door opened, and it was Ren Ningyuan who came in.Fortunately, he didn't get lost in the maze of clotheslines.

Qu Tongqiu was devastated, and now he was numb even facing him, and he didn't even want to avoid him.

Ren Ningyuan looked at the man's eyes swollen like peaches: "Why did you tell her?"

The man said in a thick nasal voice: "She has the right to know the truth."

"I would have helped you hide it from her. As long as you don't tell me, she won't know."

The man was a little excited: "Why did you lie to her? Does she have to come to my age to regret it and hate me?"

"It's a good thing to lie to. Don't you want her to call you Papa forever?"

The man gasped: "Then I can't lie to her, I'm different from you, you have no heart!"

Ren Ningyuan looked at him: "You are too stupid."

"..."

"If you really love someone, you have to try to lie to him. You have to be careful to lie to him for the rest of your life, so that he will always be happy." Ren Ningyuan paused, "Lying is not necessarily bad, telling the truth is not necessarily bad." Not necessarily good."

"You bullshit!"

"After Xiao Ke went back and asked me, she refused to eat anymore and locked herself in the room without seeing anyone. I don't know how long it will take her to think about it."

The man fidgeted again as if his heart had been scratched.

"If she doesn't know the truth, she will be much happier now, and you can live together like you used to."

"..."

"Which one do you think is better?"

"..."

"Sometimes the truth is not the most important thing. Do you understand?"

Qu Tongqiu was left in a daze by the words, regrets and conflicts tormented him again, until Ren Ningyuan came to hold his hand: "You follow me back to see Xiao Ke, let's go and clarify with her."

Qu Tongqiu was pulled by him, and his fingers touched together, he panicked: "I don't want to be with you..."

Ren Ningyuan grabbed him tightly, and said in a tone that could not be refuted: "This is not just about me and Xiao Ke, nor about you and Xiao Ke. It is about the three of us."

As a father who wanted to be responsible, Qu Tongqiu got into the car anyway, and Ren Ningyuan reached out to help him fasten the seat belt when he was in a trance.

"Think about it first, what are you going to say when you see Xiao Ke?"

"Um……"

"Children at this age are very sensitive. I have persuaded her, and you have to let her know that you love her no matter what, so don't stress her out."

"Um……"

Before I knew it, it became a conversation between the two fathers, and I forgot all the avoidance and resistance to Ren Ningyuan. This is their common daughter, so they naturally worry about it together.

The grievances and grievances in the adult world are left behind when it comes to facing children.

Qu Tongqiu followed Ren Ningyuan upstairs, except for a servant, the house was very quiet.Qu Ke's bedroom was still tightly closed, Ren Ningyuan knocked on the door first: "Xiao Ke, your father is here."

Qu Tongqiu leaned over nervously, leaned against the door and said, "Xiao Ke, it's me."

After saying it several times, there was still no reaction in the room, Qu Tongqiu was slightly disappointed.Ren Ningyuan knocked again, frowning and reached out to turn the doorknob...

It was okay not to turn, but after turning it, it turned open smoothly, knowing that something was wrong, so he hurriedly pushed the door and went in.The room was empty.

Qu Tongqiu stared at the wind blowing up the curtains, and was stunned for a while: "Where's Xiao Ke?"

Ren Ningyuan also immediately turned around and walked downstairs, raising his voice as he walked: "Le Xiao, Le Xiao!" There was no response.

Qu Tongqiu could see his slight teeth grinding: "What, what's wrong?"

"Le Xiao is used to escaping," Ren Ningyuan began to dial. "It's probably because Xiao Ke had the idea of ​​leaving. Not only did he not persuade him, but he took advantage of the trend and left home together. Young people are full of vigor."

After dialing several sets of numbers, Ren Ningyuan frowned and put down the phone: "I can't get through, they are all turned off."

The man's face turned pale: "Then..."

"I'll send someone to look for it right away. But don't worry too much. Le Xiao is very experienced and can handle everything. With him by his side, Xiao Ke should be fine."

Qu Tongqiu thought for a while, and became more anxious: "But he is a man."

"Ok?"

"Xiao Ke is not sensible yet, the two of them are together, lonely and widowed..." The father's concern for his daughter continued unabated, "Does he like Xiao Ke?"

Ren Ningyuan felt a little embarrassed, and coughed: "Although Le Xiao wants to call me uncle, I am a cousin of his mother a few floors away, and there is no direct blood relationship. Let me tell you, she is my uncle My brother's daughter is actually—"

Qu Tongqiu was in a hurry: "It's not about blood relationship, how old is Xiao Ke! Even if she grows up and becomes an adult, and she runs away with a handsome boy, are you not afraid that she will be taken advantage of? Are you a father like this? You really..."

It was the first time he had the guts to criticize Ren Ningyuan, and Ren Ningyuan also listened quietly, with a little tolerance.

After a series of accusations, Qu Tongqiu felt a little embarrassed when he thought about it, as if the child's mother was scolding the child's father.

Ren Ningyuan was still looking at him, the man didn't dare to look up for some reason, he just looked at the ground and said, "Where did they go?"

"If Le Xiao makes the decision, it's a bit uncertain. If it's Xiao Ke's idea, the scope is much smaller. Let's sit down and think about it first, and let people look for it separately."

"Um……"

"The slowest thing is that there are credit card records that can be checked. They probably don't have much cash. As long as I swipe the card, I can let someone track their whereabouts."

"Can you find it?"

"do not worry."

"Um……"

"They're just childish, they just go out to relax. Have a drink first," Ren Ningyuan poured hot tea for him, "I'll arrange it, don't worry."

Holding the tea in his hands, Qu Tongqiu finally took a sip. This familiar yet unfamiliar feeling of being comforted made him both at ease and uncomfortable.

The credit card records came sooner than they thought, and the two bought the plane tickets with their cards. As soon as they received the news, Qu Tongqiu hurriedly followed Ren Ningyuan to the airport.

The ticket is to C city.

Thinking of her daughter leaving but returning to her hometown, Qu Tongqiu felt even more distressed.

"Xiao Ke is really wronged by following me," she was about to say, and only Ren Ningyuan was listening, "No matter how much I love her, one person can't compare to two people. She would ask her when she was young. Where did my mother go? She never asked again when she was sensible. The children in other families were clamoring to buy things at home. She never talked to me... She just wants a stable home now. How can I even do this? I can't do it..."

Ren Ningyuan listened quietly, and only said: "You can."

It was already late at night after leaving the C city airport, except for the staff and the taxis waiting outside, everything seemed to be in a dream.

"Let's find them again tomorrow, and give them some time to rest. Don't push too hard," Ren Ningyuan added, "Le Xiao is not that kind of person, so don't worry."

Afraid of not being able to hear from Qu Ke in time, Qu Tongqiu could only stay in the hotel with Ren Ningyuan.

He has to work very hard to earn even a bowl of noodle soup. It is really painful to live in this kind of place where one night is equal to the rent of his basement for several months.He didn't bring any money with him at all, and he couldn't afford the rent, so he could only tell Ren Ningyuan, "I will pay you back when I go back."

"I'll pay for it."

Qu Tongqiu said stubbornly, "No, I have money."

Ren Ningyuan looked at him, and said after a while: "I understand. Well, in fact, you can just book one room. I will pay for my rent. You can save money by sleeping on the floor, and you don't owe me anything." .”

Qu Tongqiu really wanted to share a room with each other, but the high consumption he couldn't afford forced him to find a compromise in the face of reality.

The weather was already hot, and it was quite comfortable to sleep with a thin quilt on the carpet.Qu Tongqiu was thinking about Qu Ke, and listening to Ren Ningyuan's breathing in the same space, he couldn't sleep all night, until he was extremely sleepy and fell asleep when it was almost dawn.

In the dream, he dreamed that someone was watching him, because it felt gentle and not scary, but instead he slept more peacefully.

Woke up to the sound of rain outside the window.

The glass with good sound insulation effect can't block the sound of the rain. It can be seen how heavy the rain is. Qu Tongqiu moved and looked out the window.

"morning."

Qu Tongqiu hadn't had enough sleep yet, but he knew it was getting late, so he got up in a daze: "Morning..."

"Going down for lunch, or calling in?"

Only then did Qu Tongqiu come to his senses: "No need, I'm not hungry." He wanted to save the meal money desperately.

Ren Ningyuan looked at him, and didn't force it. Before going out, he said: "Those fruits and milk tea bags are free, I don't need them, you can eat them, don't waste them."

(End of this chapter)