Chapter 121: The Father's Visit

  Bai Wuxiao also noticed her father's unusual expression, and smiled: "Dad, as long as you like it, but this flute seems to have no special features, why do you like it? Your taste is really strange!"

  And added another sentence in her heart, with a gaze as weird as that damned Qin Lang!

  Bai Chengye frowned and said: "So, the gift wasn't personally chosen by you?"

  "How could it be, I chose it..." Bai Wuxiao said with a guilty conscience, but as she looked at her father's skeptical eyes, her tone gradually became more evasive. Her father was an experienced detective, and his own words had already given him away; she knew that further concealment would not escape her father's discerning eye.

  "It was one of my friends who helped me choose it."

  "What's up, friend?"

  "Dad, are you a nosy parker? Why must you keep asking and investigating?"

  "Hahaha..." Bai Chengye laughed, "I'll invite your friend over another day, I want to ask him what reason made him choose this flute that looks completely ordinary! He'd better not say it was random, because I won't believe it, hahaha..."

  Having said that, Bai Chengye asked Bai Wuxia to follow him to the study and took out a sealed large wooden box from the storage cabinet in the middle.

  She stared at the large wooden box with a puzzled expression, remembering that she had seen it when she was little, but hadn't seen it again since. As for what exactly was inside, she couldn't recall either.

  After opening the wooden box, it was a flute inside. Bai Wuxia was taken aback, this flute, no matter the color or material, even the size, seemed to be very similar to the one she bought. The two placed together looked like twins.

  "Dad, is... this a pair?" Bai Wuxiao asked uncertainly.

  "Hmm, this sheng was given to me by a fellow comrade who has long since passed away. Originally, there was a pair, the sheng and the flute, but unfortunately, I lost one of the flutes in an accident! The reason I'm fond of antiques is that I've been trying to find that lost flute through them. Of course, I know the chances are slim, but I've never given up!"

  "Dad, you're talking about that comrade, the one who's always on your mind, the one who saved your life before, Uncle Jiang?"

  "Hmm..." Bai Chengye nodded emotionally.

  "I've had this flute appraised by an expert, and it's a toy from the Ming dynasty imperial family, belonging to one of the princes. If I take this ocarina for appraisal as well, we'll know if it's genuine or not. But looking at it now, I think it's the flute I've been searching for all these years, no mistake! Bai Chengye put the flute and ocarina together again, excitedly saying: "Old Jiang, I finally found it! This is the precious gift you left me, I'll never lose it again!"

  ……

  On the taxi, Qin Lang thought back and forth, and just like that, he parted ways with Bai Wuchuang, it seemed a bit forced, wanted to call him to chat and ease their relationship.

  But then I thought about it and didn't think of a good way to say it, so as to ease the awkward atmosphere, I was afraid that the more I said, the worse it would be. So I gave up on this idea.

  He put the tripod back home and then continued to buy elixir medicine.

  Now that the alchemy furnace has been purchased, all that's left is to prepare the materials for refining the elixir. Unlike the Fourteen Sons Tendon Nourishing Decoction, the medicinal elixir Qin Lang is about to refine doesn't require too many complicated materials, mostly just some common Chinese medicinal herbs that are easy to obtain.

  However, to save trouble, Qin Lang did not go to those ordinary pharmacies, but instead went straight to the rich and luxurious pharmacy. After all, this is the largest pharmacy in the city, with a wide range of products, everything you need, saving a lot of unnecessary trouble.

  The entire process of purchasing the materials went very smoothly. With prior experience, the staff in the Chinese medicine section of the pharmacy seemed to have already recognized Qin Lang as a not-so-simple character. Not only were they enthusiastic in their attitude, but even Manager Zhang personally came out to receive him. If it weren't for Qin Lang's repeated insistence, Manager Zhang wouldn't have even accepted payment, truly giving Qin Lang a taste of special treatment.

  Returning to the old house in Nan Chen Alley, Qin Lang was about to push open the door when he unexpectedly found that the courtyard gate was ajar, and there were faint voices coming from inside.

  "Is anyone there?"

  Qin Lang furrowed his brow and pushed open the door, and the conversation inside came to an abrupt halt. Before him stood a middle-aged man and a woman in her thirties.

  Taking a closer look at the two people's appearance, Qin Lang's vigilant heart suddenly relaxed.

  Son.

  As soon as he saw Qin Lang, the middle-aged man became excited, opened his arms like a dragon and tiger, took a few steps forward, and tightly hugged him in his arms.

  Qin Lang was as stiff as a wooden puppet, his entire body completely rigid. The moment he was held in the man's arms, the bag he was holding fell to the ground, revealing the vacuum-packed medicinal herbs inside.

  "Son, I just got off the plane and went to school but couldn't find you. Your phone is also unreachable, so I came here directly. If you don't come back, Dad will worry to death." Qin Fengyang said anxiously.

  Qin Lang's stiff body slowly relaxed, feeling the man's undisguised concern. He said softly, "Dad, I'm going out for a bit, so I've been taking a leave of absence from school and haven't been attending classes. You don't have to worry about me, I'm doing very well now."

  Qin Fengyang loosened his arms and used both hands to grasp Qin Lang's shoulders, his gaze falling directly on his son's body and face. At this time, the changes in Qin Lang's body became apparent in his eyes.

  "Huh, son, how...how have you changed?"

  For a father and son who have been together for over a decade, Qin Fengyang was naturally very familiar with his own son. So the obvious changes in Qin Lang's physical condition couldn't escape his eyes.

  Qin Lang didn't plan to explain, and pretended to be confused: "Lately I've been feeling my body getting better and better, but I don't know why. Some changes have appeared, could it be that I haven't developed yet? Now suddenly I'm developing?"

  His voice was loud and clear, and Qin Fengyang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  The woman standing beside him also giggled non-stop.

  "You little stinker, are you kidding me? If humans developed like you did in their third year of high school, wouldn't the whole human race be messed up?"

  Qin Fengyang smiled on one side and shook his head, but his eyes couldn't hide his surprise.

  After all, Qin Lang's current state and the changes in his body are all showing a good trend. As parents, who wouldn't want their child to be well?

  "Director Qin, I think Xiao Lang's not only physically improved, but his mind is also clearer than before. It's really a blessing, Director Qin, you can rest assured from now on." The woman said with a smile.

  "Yes!" Qin Fengyang nodded and said emotionally: "Perhaps this is Xiao Lang's mother blessing him."

  As he spoke, he looked around, this was where he and his late wife had weathered many a storm together.

  Perhaps his wife had left, but she was still worried about her son, so in the underworld, her son would return to this place, and then, her son's body slowly recovered.

  When his gaze returned to his son, Qin Fengyang's eyes were slightly moist. This was the last gift left by his beloved wife, also his last thought. His son getting better was more exciting and heartwarming than earning any amount of money.

  "Aunt Ting."

  Qin Lang called out to the woman.

  Her name is Ding Yihong, and she is Qin Fengyang's secretary. Since the early days of Qin Fengyang's entrepreneurship, she has been following him diligently for over a decade, working hard to assist his work. It can be said that half of Qin Fengyang's current success should be attributed to her.

  Qin Lang had a very good impression of Ding Yihong, because in the memories left by Qin Dabian before, Ding Yihong never treated him as a fool, but showed genuine care and love, which was in stark contrast to his stepmother.

  Ding Yihong lovingly responded with a sound, took a step forward, and unceremoniously brushed aside Qin Fengyang's hand that was grasping Qin Lang's shoulder, then also pulled Qin Lang into her arms.

  Qin Fengyang smiled and watched from the side, his eyes filled with warmth.

  Relaxing her arms, Ding Yihong took a close look at some changes on Qin Lang's body and happily said to Qin Yang: "President Qin, Little Lang is getting more and more like you."

  Qin Fengyang smiled shamelessly and said: "A tiger father has no dog son, who else can I be like if not me?"

  He couldn't help but burst out laughing after saying that.

  Qin Fengyang had two sons, but only the one born to his late wife looked like him. Unfortunately, this son was frail and not very intelligent, so the resemblance in appearance did not extend to his temperament.

  But now, Qin Lang's entire person has undergone a tremendous change, and this change has further enhanced the genetic similarity between Qin Lang and his son, Qin Yang.

  "But, Director Qin, I think it's still necessary to take Little Lang to the hospital for a thorough examination. Although Little Lang seems much better now than before, who knows if there are any underlying problems left from before, so it's always better to be safe than sorry." Ding Yihong suggested.

  Qin Fengyang nodded and said, "That's right, we should take Little Lang for a thorough check-up."

  "No need for a check-up, then." Qin Lang refused without hesitation, "I'm clear about my own body. Besides, even if there's really something wrong, it'd be hard to detect with the hospital's limited capabilities."

  Qin Fengyang saw that his son was resistant and had a reasonable conversation, so he didn't force him anymore. He nodded and said: "You're all grown up now, you can make your own decisions, Dad won't force you, but you mustn't be careless, your body is the capital of everything."

  Qin Lang nodded.

  At this time, Qin Fengyang saw the scattered medicinal materials on the ground and picked them up in surprise: "This is... Chinese medicine?"

  Qin Lang nodded and said, "Yes, I bought it."

  Qin Fengyang furrowed his brow and said seriously, "Son, I almost forgot to ask you. Before you came back, I and your Aunt Ding took a look around the house and saw that your kitchen was filled with all sorts of empty food packaging bags and unfinished instant noodles. Also, there's an additional bronze cauldron, and you're skipping class again, buying Chinese medicine... what are you doing? Are you just relying on those instant noodles to fill your stomach every day?"

  Qin Lang knew it was hard to explain, so he simply made up a half-true and half-false excuse. The gist of it was that he didn't like the school atmosphere, so he hadn't gone to class. Additionally, he had bought Chinese medicine and a bronze tripod because he wanted to learn about the ancient method of alchemy, which he had recently become interested in.

  Qin Fengyang couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. His son was actually interested in ancient people's alchemy, was he going to become a Taoist?

  But for this son, he didn't take it seriously and blamed him severely. Moreover, although Qin Lang's explanation was far-fetched, he himself gave Qin Lang a reason to fill in the gaps.

  He thinks that his son was weak in the past, so now he's getting better, and he has become interested in Dan medicine, a kind of treatment that can cure diseases and even has a bit of magical quality.

  "He shook his head and said, 'Son, it's not that I'm scolding you. You're still a student now, always asking for leave and not attending classes, how can this do? Even if you're not used to the school atmosphere, you have to try hard to adapt. Besides, you're already in your third year of high school, at least put on a good show.'"

  Qin Lang nodded and said, "Mm, I'll head back to school in a bit to put on an act."

  Hearing this answer, Qin Fengyang was amused.

  But he was clear about his son's grades and didn't plan to let him get good grades, so pretending was just pretending, who made his son not lay a good foundation in the past.

  "In any case, can't you stop eating those convenient foods? Otherwise, your father will have to arrange for a nanny to take care of you." Qin Fengyang said.

  Qin Lang murmured an "uh-huh".

  "Hey, take a look at this!" Qin Fengyang seemed to feel that his tone was a bit too heavy, and suddenly pulled out something from his pocket, smiling as he handed it over to Qin Lang.

  Qin Lang was taken aback, and it wasn't until he took a closer look that he saw his father had pulled out a photo.

  He immediately remembered that his father had told him when he was in Germany, he specially took the time to help him get an autographed photo of a star.

  Taking over the photo, Qin Lang's heart felt warm, although it was just a simple photo, but it was full of a father's love for his son.

  He didn't have any feeling for the beautiful woman in the photo, nor was he moved by the signature on the back of the photo or those encouraging words.

  But he solemnly kept the photo close to his body, for it was the first gift from his loved ones in this life and the last.

  "Dad has something to attend to with Aunt Ding and needs to go to the company, so I won't stay with you for long. Come home for lunch tomorrow and Dad will have a good chat with you."

  Qin Fengyang patted Qin Lang's shoulder and left with Ding Yihong.

  Qin Lang watched as the two figures disappeared into the alleyway, but the warmth in his heart lingered for a long time.

  "By the way, about that thing..."

  Qin Lang suddenly thought of the shady business of his stepmother, he had just forgotten about it, now that his father was back, should he reveal a little wind to his father?

  After some deliberation, Qin Lang still dispelled this idea.

  Even if this matter is told to Father, it can only bring harm to Father. Moreover, since the evidence is currently insufficient, even if it is revealed to Father, it will not be of much significance. It's better for him to quietly resolve the issue with that woman and the person who colluded with her.

  He now has the ability to easily kill an ordinary person, so that cheap stepmother in his eyes is just a tiny ant that can be pinched to death at any time.

  After all, this woman is his stepmother, the wife of his father, and he should take care of his father's feelings. So he doesn't plan to take action against this woman immediately, but instead give her one last chance.

  If she stops here, then so be it. But if she still doesn't know what's good for her...

  Qin Lang's face turned cold and gloomy, with a murderous aura lurking in his eyes.