Finally, Wu Ji was slapped several times by Zheng Shufen, his cheeks becoming red and swollen. Several blood marks were also scratched onto his face, and a large clump of his hair was pulled out.
Qin Yi, holding his shoulders, saw this scene and felt a bit too embarrassed to lay a hand on Wu Ji himself!
A few minutes later, Zheng Shufen tired from hitting him, finally stopped. Wu Ji was now unrecognizable.
"Get out, get out of here..."
"Don't let me see you again in this lifetime!"
Zheng Shufen gave Wu Ji a final push towards the door.
By this time, Qin Yi had already let go of Wu Ji, so the latter staggered a few steps towards the door. After regaining his balance, he didn't stop for a moment and immediately ran out.
Qin Yi wanted to chase after him, but Zheng Shufen stopped him. "It's okay, Xiao Yi, let him go!"
Qin Yi looked at Zheng Shufen with complex eyes and asked, "Mom, who exactly is he? He treated you like this, and you're still protecting him?"
"And how did he know my name?"
Zheng Shufen turned away, her back to Qin Yi, and after a few seconds of silence, she stammered, "He, he's an old friend of mine! Before I met your dad, I almost ended up with him..."
Zheng Shufen no longer hid anything from Qin Yi. She told him truthfully about Wu Ji and her relationship with him.
It turned out that Zheng Shufen and Wu Ji were high school classmates and had known each other since they were teenagers.
At that time, Zheng Shufen was beautiful, and Wu Ji was also quite handsome. They were both in their teens, so they developed feelings for each other.
Because of these feelings, they were very good friends during high school.
Later, after graduating from high school, they went their separate ways and ended up in different places. Their feelings for each other gradually faded, but they still kept in occasional contact.
It wasn't until Qin Zhanlong appeared, Qin Yi's father, that Zheng Shufen and Qin Zhanlong fell in love at first sight. After they got together, Zheng Shufen completely cut off contact with Wu Ji.
Recently, Wu Ji suddenly came back to find Zheng Shufen, pursuing her and saying he wanted to make up for past regrets. After Zheng Shufen repeatedly refused, she never expected Wu Ji to do something so despicable today!
One of the reasons Zheng Shufen disliked Wu Ji, besides him pestering her like a persistent leech, was her suspicion that after so many years, he had returned to pursue her only after hearing that Qin Yi had found a wealthy girlfriend. He had likely come for the money!
Qin Yi understood everything after listening.
No wonder Zheng Shufen was protecting Wu Ji; he was Zheng Shufen's crush from her youth!
"Alright, for your sake, Mom, I'll let him go this time. But if he dares to harass or bully you again, I won't be so polite!" Qin Yi said.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Shufen quickly cautioned, "Xiao Yi, you've only been out for a short while. Don't do anything impulsive! Mom doesn't want you to get into trouble again!"
It was clear she was worried Qin Yi might do something extreme and end up back inside!
"Don't worry, Mom, I know what I'm doing!"
Qin Yi helped Zheng Shufen to sit down. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "By the way, Mom, if you have feelings for someone, you can go pursue your happiness! Xiao Lei and I won't object, and we'll fully support you!"
In Qin Yi's memory, Zheng Shufen had raised him and Qin Lei alone for decades, and she had been single all that time!
To be honest, Qin Yi saw it and it pained his heart. If Zheng Shufen could find someone she loved and have someone to accompany her in her later years, he would be very happy to see it!
Zheng Shufen rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, "What nonsense are you talking about! My heart only belongs to your father!"
Qin Yi sat beside her and asked, "By the way, Mom, what exactly is our dad's situation? Did he pass away or what happened? Why have you never mentioned him to me and Xiao Lei since we were little?"
Zheng Shufen fell silent, a hesitant look on her face, as if she was debating whether to answer Qin Yi's question.
After a moment, she finally replied, "As for your father, I actually don't know where he went..."
Qin Yi: "???"
"Your father disappeared mysteriously the day I gave birth to you. After more than twenty years, there's been no news!"
Qin Yi blurted out, "Did my dad have an accident outside and pass away?"
Zheng Shufen shook her head. "I don't know! But I don't think so; he should still be alive!"
"You think?"
"Yes, just a feeling!" Zheng Shufen nodded firmly.
"But if Dad is still alive, why hasn't he come to find us for over twenty years? Could it be that he has another woman and intentionally abandoned us?"
"Absolutely not!"
Zheng Shufen looked directly at Qin Yi, her tone suddenly becoming somewhat agitated. "Your father is not that kind of person!"
Uh...
Qin Yi was stunned.
He hadn't expected her to become so agitated just from a casual remark.
It seemed she loved his father dearly, and their relationship was deep!
But the more it was like this, the more confused Qin Yi became. If his father was still alive and had a deep relationship with Zheng Shufen, why did he suddenly disappear, and why on the day Zheng Shufen gave birth to him?
And no news for so many years?
Qin Yi was baffled!
However, if he couldn't figure it out, he didn't dwell on it. He then comforted Zheng Shufen and deliberately changed the subject!
Because Qin Yi could see that Zheng Shufen's mood soured whenever his father was mentioned!
Later, as Zheng Shufen cleared the dishes, Qin Yi walked out of the house and pulled out his phone to make a call.
The person he called was none other than Fang Zheng'ao.
As the foremost force in the Shenzhou martial arts world, supported by official backing, the Order Hall had formidable intelligence-gathering capabilities. Therefore, he called Fang Zheng'ao for one reason: to have him use the Order Hall's resources to help him find information about his father, Qin Zhanlong.
Fang Zheng'ao listened and confidently assured him that he would help him find out.
About half an hour later, Qin Yi received a call back from Fang Zheng'ao.
"Qin Yi, that..."
"I'm truly sorry, but we couldn't find the person you mentioned!"
From the receiver, Fang Zheng'ao's voice came, full of embarrassment and awkwardness.
"What, even your Order Hall couldn't find him?" Qin Yi was surprised.
"I'm truly sorry!"
"However, if you want to investigate this person, our Order Hall will continue to keep an eye out. As soon as there's any news, we'll inform you immediately!"
"By the way, who is this Qin Zhanlong?"
Fang Zheng'ao asked Qin Yi again.
"It's nothing, just an old acquaintance of mine," Qin Yi replied vaguely, not intending to elaborate further. He hung up the phone.