Qin Tian drove home with Xia Nuannuan.
Inside the room, Tang Xiuxia and Qin Hongwen, hearing the commotion outside, their faces lit up with surprise. They hurried out of their room to the doorway.
Xia Nuannuan alighted from the front passenger seat first and greeted Tang Xiuxia.
"Auntie, good evening!"
"Ah, Nuannuan, you're here!"
Tang Xiuxia nodded with a bright smile.
Xia Nuannuan glanced at the middle-aged man standing beside her. She simply smiled and nodded, acknowledging his presence.
It wasn't that she was impolite, but rather that she had to completely stand by Qin Tian's side at this moment.
Qin Hongwen understood this and responded with a smile and a nod.
He had already heard about this girl's general situation from Tang Xiuxia and did not form a bad first impression due to Xia Nuannuan's perfunctory greeting.
On the contrary, he felt it was even better, showing how protective the girl was of his son.
At this moment, Qin Tian also got out of the car.
He didn't even glance at the unfamiliar father, only turning his head to say to Xia Nuannuan, "Let's go inside!"
Xia Nuannuan obediently replied with an "Mm" and walked over, taking his half-open palm.
Qin Tian clasped her hand in return and led her to his mother.
"Xiao Tian..."
"Don't misunderstand, I just want to figure out what exactly happened between you two back then."
Before Tang Xiuxia could say anything, Qin Tian interrupted her curtly.
He gazed into his mother's eyes and said earnestly, "Mom, I could understand and respect you for not telling me before, and I know it was for my own good. But now that he has suddenly appeared, I have the right to know everything."
"Alright, I'll tell you everything."
Tang Xiuxia nodded vigorously, her eyes reddening.
Then, the four of them entered the room.
Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan sat closely on the sofa. Tang Xiuxia sat beside Xia Nuannuan, while Qin Hongwen sat alone on the other sofa.
Tang Xiuxia first poured two cups of tea and handed them to the two children.
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Xia Nuannuan took them with both hands, placed one cup in front of Qin Tian, and then took her own.
"Speak, I want to know everything."
Qin Tian was not in the mood to drink tea and gestured for them to get straight to the point.
Xia Nuannuan became a little nervous and reached out to place her small hand on his.
Tang Xiuxia looked towards Qin Hongwen.
"Then I'll speak first. Given that your mother has concealed everything about me, I feel it necessary to introduce myself. My name is Qin Hongwen, and I currently work at a national-level research institute in the capital."
Qin Hongwen first briefly introduced himself.
Xia Nuannuan looked surprised.
She didn't understand much, but she knew that a national-level research institute was not something just anyone could enter.
Qin Tian, on the surface, remained impassive, but he was also slightly surprised.
Qin Hongwen began to speak at a leisurely pace.
"Since you said you want to know everything, it has to start from how your mother and I met..."
From their first meeting, to their growing affection, to him taking the initiative to express his love and leave his phone number under the influence of alcohol and with the encouragement of a few brothers.
When he didn't receive a call from Tang Xiuxia for a long time, he felt disappointed and sad. In the end, he regained his courage and went to confess with flowers.
After that, the two began to date sweetly.
While recounting this process, Qin Hongwen occasionally looked at Tang Xiuxia, his eyes revealing a genuine and sincere tenderness and affection.
The story should have ended here as a romantic and happy tale of a talented man and a beautiful woman.
Qin Tian frowned and gestured for him to continue.
The more it was like this, the less he could understand why his mother would return to her hometown alone while pregnant with him.
Qin Hongwen nodded, a hint of darkness flashing in the depths of his eyes, and began to talk about his mother.
During this, Tang Xiuxia also interjected with a few sentences from time to time.
Even though Tang Xiuxia still held good intentions, she had omitted some of the excessively sharp and harsh words spoken by the other party.
But Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan were not fools; they could clearly feel how much difficulty their mother had endured at that time.
When he heard that the person brought a so-called engaged "daughter-in-law" and found his pregnant mother, treating her like a mistress, and offering her a million yuan to leave the capital, Qin Tian's suppressed anger completely erupted.
He raised his right index finger, pointing at Qin Hongwen, and gritted his teeth, "What were you doing? Did you let them humiliate my mother like that? And you have the nerve to come looking for us now?"
"It's all my fault."
Qin Hongwen nodded guiltily, making no attempt to shirk responsibility or make excuses for himself.
"Xiao Tian!"
Tang Xiuxia frowned and reprimanded him.
Qin Tian reluctantly withdrew his hand, his eyes fixed coldly on Qin Hongwen.
Xia Nuannuan's hand reached behind him, gently stroking his back to ease his anger and frustration.
"What my mother did was all done by her without my knowledge. But it's true that I didn't do well enough and failed to communicate with her properly. I can't escape the responsibility."
Qin Hongwen continued to say with a serious expression.
"Heh heh... That sounds nice, you didn't communicate well? You should know your mother's personality and what she would do for your great future best, shouldn't you?"
Qin Tian questioned with a cold smile.
Qin Hongwen lowered his eyes and remained silent.
"I think you should leave quickly. Don't wait for your mother to find out and come looking for us again. I can't guarantee what I'll do then. This virtue of respecting the old and loving the young also depends on who it is."
Qin Tian threatened.
"Xiao Tian, that's enough, don't talk nonsense!"
Tang Xiuxia frowned.
"My mother... passed away from liver cancer a few years ago."
Qin Hongwen said solemnly.
Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan were both stunned to hear this.
When a person dies, grudges disappear!
Even so, Qin Tian still felt uneasy.
"So, your mother died, and you think you can come find us, have a family reunion, and everyone live happily ever after?"
Qin Tian asked again with a playful smile.
Qin Hongwen shook his head and said earnestly, "After your mother left the capital, I've been looking for you. But your mother only ever said her home was in Yuchen. I've been to Yuchen many times over the years, but I couldn't find you."
"Are you kidding me? Yuchen isn't that big. If you really wanted to find someone, wouldn't you have found them? Then how did you find us this time?"
Qin Tian expressed his doubt.
"It was the news about you being the top scorer in the college entrance examination."
Tang Xiuxia answered for him.
Qin Tian was taken aback and frowned, "That news was from over half a year ago."
"My work at the research institute is very busy, and I'm basically alone. I basically stay in the research institute all year round. When I went back for the New Year, my sister showed me that news, and I recognized you immediately. I rushed over as quickly as possible," Qin Hongwen added.