Chapter 517: Homecoming Chapter 510: Qi Ming

Qi Ming took a deep breath and dialed his father’s number.

The call connected quickly, and a middle-aged man’s voice came through: “Hello?”

Qi Ming nodded—it was Old Qi’s voice.

As a typical mid-level cadre within the system, Old Qi held conservative views and believed in the philosophy that “stability overrides everything.”

So he naturally disapproved of Qi Ming’s “naive ideas,” always criticizing him for being “heretical and irresponsible.”

Qi Ming, of course, didn’t like being dismissed by his father’s condescending rejection of his life plans and beliefs.

So when Old Qi started with, “If you don’t follow my plans, you’ll regret it later,” Qi Ming would always retort, “What can a deputy director even arrange? First, get your own life straight.”

Though their relationship was far from harmonious, they had been family for twenty years.

Hearing his voice after returning from the chaotic merged world, Qi Ming couldn’t help feeling a pang of warmth.

Qi Ming: “Old Qi, it’s me.”

There was a long silence on the other end before the voice asked uncertainly: “Xiao Ming?”

Qi Ming: “Yeah, it’s me. I haven’t contacted you for half a month for legitimate reasons—listen to me…”

He was about to explain when Old Qi’s roar erupted from the phone:

“You damn brat, you’re still alive?!”

“We couldn’t find you anywhere—I nearly went to the police station to cancel your household registration, do you know that?!”

“You vanish without a word—are you trying to kill me?!”

Hearing the decibel level rivaling a jet engine, Qi Ming thought his father’s health must be fine, and slipped back into their usual banter:

“Oh? So you’re about to die from anger?”

“Your psychological resilience as deputy director of the municipal bureau is pitiful—do you even deserve the heavy burden entrusted to you by the Party and the people?”

Old Qi: “You—you—you actually have the nerve?!”

“Couldn’t you at least leave a note saying you went to Africa to mine? Is your phone a brick? Did your fingers break so you couldn’t send a WeChat?!”

“I can see you’ve always been lazy, never studied hard, and now that you know you can’t pass, you’re playing ostrich and burying your head in the sand!”

“You’re over twenty years old—still pulling this three-year-old trick? Are you ashamed?!”

Qi Ming had “transcended” one night while studying late for finals; now that he’d returned, it was too late.

Half a month had passed—the school had already finished exams and entered summer vacation.

From the perspective of ordinary people, Qi Ming had skipped every exam, failed every course this semester, and ranked among the top slackers in college.

Qi Ming felt a pang of pain—he was confident he could pass the makeup exams, but failing meant losing his three-year scholarship and honors…

The cost of saving the world was truly heavy.

“Actually, I’m already twenty-two,” Qi Ming replied after a pause. “Don’t worry—I’ll definitely pass the makeup exams. You don’t need to stress.”

Old Qi’s voice rose several more decibels: “Am I just worrying needlessly? Do you even recognize me as your father?!”

Qi Ming: “I still have a little respect, otherwise I wouldn’t have reached out the moment I heard your voice.”

Old Qi spoke rapidly: “Respect my life?! You—you—you—”

The line went silent for a long while. Qi Ming wondered if he’d actually fainted his father, and hurriedly said: “Hey hey hey, Old Qi, you still alive? Don’t you dare die—I’m busy right now and don’t have time to organize a grand funeral for you.”

Old Qi, furious, wanted to hang up: “You—I how could I have given birth to such an unfilial son?! If you’ve got guts, never set foot in this house again!”

Qi Ming: “I won’t stay away forever, but in a few days I’ll probably ‘disappear’ again.”