Because Shao Xi’s words were truly a bit bizarre, Shao Qihai was too stunned to agree immediately. This made Shao Xi very unhappy.

  He frowned. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Or were you just saying that for fun and you aren’t actually sincere about raising us?”

  Shao Xi glared at him. Was he counting on them to provide for him now? Did he have the same notion as Zhao Lan and the rest? If that was the case, he definitely wouldn’t tolerate it.

  Seeing that Shao Xi’s expression was off, Shao Qihai quickly replied, “No, no. I wasn’t saying that for fun. I will do it.”

  The children didn’t refuse. It should have been a good thing, but somehow, he felt that something was amiss.

  No matter how he thought about it, it seemed like their actions were too extreme. A moment ago, they had directly refused, but now, they’d said that the more he gave them, the merrier.

  Both of these extreme attitudes made it feel like they were taking revenge on him or something. Shao Xi’s eyes were burning with rage as he looked at him.

  Shao Qihai was listless. He would never have thought that this would happen. They didn’t huddle together in tears, nor did they appear happy. In the end, they didn’t even call him ‘Daddy’.

  Yes, he had noticed it. It was impossible for him not to notice. After all, none of the children had called him ‘Daddy’, or rather, they had deliberately not done so.

  Shao Qihai wanted to ask if they had misunderstood anything else, but the children didn’t give him the chance to speak. “If there’s nothing else, we’ll go look for Mommy now.”

  After saying that, they scurried out. Shao Qihai stretched out his hands but couldn’t stop them.

  Shao Qihai paused for a moment to calm down before coming out. He planned to talk to Shao Qiyang and ask about the children.

  He and Shao Qiyang had a good relationship. He had missed his younger brother very much. The last time they had met in Ocean City, they hadn’t been able to have a good talk. This time, he finally had the chance.

  Shao Qihai thought that even if that weren’t the case for other people, Shao Qiyang would definitely be happy about his return.

  While he had been gone, Shao Qiyang had taken care of the children and Mu Jingzhe. He had done all this for the sake of his older brother, him.

  \r \r \r

  Shao Qihai came out feeling heartened at the thought of Shao Qiyang. He looked at Shao Qiyang, who was still standing in the courtyard, and stepped forward to pat him on the shoulder. He reached out and hugged him. “Qiyang, thank you so much for protecting the children and your second sister-in-law. If it weren’t for you, I dare not imagine what would have happened.”

  Shao Qiyang’s entire body was stiff, so Shao Qihai didn’t feel the warmth of a hug. Upon hearing his words, he gave him a strange look and finally spoke in a hoarse voice.

  “If you were not dead, why didn’t you send news back?”

  “The situation was special. For your safety, I couldn’t send back news. Furthermore, at first… I was in a coma.” Shao Qihai found it difficult to speak.

  “Then shouldn’t you have sent back news when you woke up? Or do you not trust me?” Shao Qiyang was very hurt. If his second brother had trusted him a little and let him know earlier, he might not have fallen so deeply into this mess.

  What was this? He had been heartbroken and guilty for a long time. Now that his feelings for his sister-in-law had deepened, he had returned?

  Since the husband was back, who the heck was he, the younger brother-in-law?

  Relationships weren’t like other things that could be taken back as and when one liked. Now that he had fallen for his sister-in-law, how was he going to clean up this mess in the future?

  Shao Qiyang’s eyes were red. Shao Qihai was shocked. “Qiyang, I didn’t do it on purpose. I…”

  “Forget it. What’s the point of saying so now? You must have had your own reasons.” Shao Qiyang knew Shao Qihai well and knew that he wouldn’t do such a thing for no reason. However, even though he understood, he still felt uncomfortable and tired.

  “I’m tired. I don’t want to talk to you for the time being,” Shao Qiyang said before walking straight to his room.

  “Qiyang, are you angry too?” Shao Qihai followed him. He wanted to ask for an explanation, but the door was closed ruthlessly in front of him and then locked.

  Shao Qihai, who had nearly been hit by the door, was speechless. “???”

  What was wrong with Qiyang? Why hadn’t even Qiyang welcomed him?

  Shao Qihai stood in the courtyard in a daze. Meanwhile, the kids went to the Mu Residence to look for Mu Jingzhe.

  Mu Jingzhe was talking to Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi. Mu Han had gone to the capital two days ago to continue earning money.

  Shao Qihai’s return made Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi feel very conflicted. In the past, they would have been glad. At least, their daughter wouldn’t have to be a widow anymore.

  However, the situation was different now. Their family was in a much better state than before. Furthermore, Jingzhe had become very capable and outstanding now. Even Ji Buwang, the heir to some big clan or corporation, was courting Jingzhe despite knowing she was a widow.

  It didn’t matter if she was a widow, for she still had plenty of better choices. They’d all been thinking of making Ji Buwang their new son-in-law, but Shao Qihai had suddenly returned.

  Shao Qihai used to be the most promising person in Great Eastern Village in the past, but that was only in Great Eastern Village. Now, things were different. Their horizons had already broadened beyond Great Eastern Village. In combination with the influence of Mu Jingzhe, their thoughts had become much broader.

  With a better choice like Ji Buwang, Shao Qihai now looked quite meh, especially since he didn’t know how to buy sunglasses or anything like that.

  Therefore, when Shao Qihai returned, Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi didn’t feel any delight. Instead, they felt like Shao Qihai had come back to botch their daughter’s marriage.

  “What should we do now? His return was so sudden… Jingzhe, if only you had remarried earlier.” This way, it would have been useless even if Shao Qihai had come back.

  Mu Jingzhe: “Mom, it’s not that bad.”

  “Then what are you going to do now? Are you going to continue being Shao Qihai’s wife? No, no, Mommy hasn’t thought it through properly. You shouldn’t think about it either. Maybe you shouldn’t go back today. Just stay at home.”

  Before Mu Jingzhe could answer, the five kids arrived in a row.

  “Mommy wants to stay at home? Then we’ll stay with Mommy,” Shao Xi immediately replied. “Grandma, we can just sleep on the floor in Mommy’s room.”

  Mu Jingzhe, Li Zhaodi, and Mu Teng: “Uh, this isn’t appropriate.”

  “Why not? We’ll be wherever Mommy is.” Shao Nan indicated that what he had said previously wasn’t just for show.

  Little Bei and Xiao Wu also nodded vigorously, their little hands already tugging at Mu Jingzhe’s clothes.

  Mu Jingzhe, who was originally a mess, suddenly felt moved. Sob, sob. Shao Qihai had come back to snatch the children from her. Fortunately, the children still had a conscience and hadn’t forgotten all about their mother after seeing their father.

  Although Mu Jingzhe really wanted to be impulsive and ignore Shao Qihai, directly living with the children in the Mu Residence and snatching them away, she knew that it was impossible. In the end, Mu Jingzhe followed the kids back to the Shao Residence.

  Escaping wasn’t a solution. She had to solve the problem.

  When he saw them return, Shao Qihai’s eyes lit up before he heaved a sigh of relief.

  He had been truly afraid just now. Although the kids hadn’t been gone for long, Shao Qihai had felt very tormented. He had even started to suspect that the kids and Mu Jingzhe had abandoned him and run away. He had been wondering if he should chase after them.

  Fortunately, Mu Jingzhe and the kids hadn’t run away. Shao Qihai, who was overjoyed, heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s good to have you back. No, let’s eat first.”