Chapter 74 You Still Want to Leave This Family?

Chapter 74: Do You Still Want to Leave This Family?

The Ling family had never had any furry pets, so Ling Jue had no idea whether Qi Manjun was allergic.

But the moment Ling Mufeng finished speaking, he rushed out in a panic, so flustered he even lost one of his slippers.

Ling Jue followed with a grim expression.

When the father and son hurried deep into the garden, they found Qi Manjun standing there perfectly fine under a tree, playing with an Alaskan Malamute, tossing a toy ball for it.

She looked over in surprise, as if puzzled by their panic.

Ling Jue looked her over closely. "Are you allergic to dog hair?"

If that were true, he would never have brought Caesar home in the first place.

But Qi Manjun frowned slightly and shook her head. "No, I'm not allergic. I'm perfectly healthy."

Ling Mufeng, who had arrived right behind Ling Jue, was incredulous. "But you clearly said before..."

Qi Manjun’s cool, clear eyes calmly met his gaze.

The rest of his words suddenly caught in his throat.

Qi Manjun had indeed said she was allergic, but that was during their cold war, spoken in a fit of anger—it might not have been true.

His voice grew strained. "So... you just didn’t want the things I gave you."

The allergy had always been nothing more than an excuse.

Qi Manjun smiled faintly. "What else? Should I have gratefully accepted something someone else picked over?"

Ever since Ling Mufeng left Qi Manjun on the day she gave birth because of Tong Xiaoya, their relationship had frozen over completely.

Later, in an attempt to win her back, Ling Mufeng tried all sorts of ways to please Qi Manjun.

One of them was trying to give her a pet.

At the time, he had chosen two dogs—a Samoyed and a Golden Retriever.

He thought having more living creatures around would make the home livelier.

Someone like Qi Manjun, who studied art, would surely appreciate such warm, affectionate animals.

But somehow, Tong Xiaoya found out.

Using the excuse that her husband had died, her father was imprisoned, and her life was lonely, she took the Golden Retriever from Ling Mufeng first. Afterwards, she even made a point of "thanking" Qi Manjun in person.

Perhaps Ling Mufeng merely thought it was just a dog—giving one away first wasn’t a big deal, since he could always find Qi Manjun something better. But in Qi Manjun’s eyes, it was a provocation and a test.

If it was a dog today, what would it be tomorrow?

Furious, she drove both Ling Mufeng and the dog away. To stop him from pestering her, she outright claimed she was allergic to dog hair.

Ling Mufeng, treating it as a serious threat, had the entire house thoroughly cleaned and ordered that no one was ever to bring pets into the old residence again.

Later, Qi Manjun once saw Tong Xiaoya walking the dog.

Although Tong Xiaoya had taken the dog with an ulterior motive, she hadn’t mistreated it.

As they watched a group of dogs in the distance playfully fighting over food, Tong Xiaoya urged her to divorce.

"My family and I were ruined by the Ling family. Ling Mufeng dated me, yet he couldn’t protect me, didn’t care about me at all, and let the Ling family arbitrarily decide my future—using a windfall to lead my once harmonious and striving family to ruin. My life is already like this; I will definitely cling to Ling Mufeng and suck him dry.

You’re the eldest daughter of the Qi family. You have everything. Why stay here, wasting your time, fighting me for the empty title of Mrs. Ling—something you don’t even need?"

Qi Manjun asked herself the same question.

Why?

Perhaps because she had always sailed smoothly through life and had never suffered such humiliation. It was Ling Mufeng who made the first move—why should she be used as a tool and then neatly step aside for them?

Or maybe it was unwillingness. They had genuinely cared for each other at one point; it seemed like they had loved each other. But how could two people who loved each other end up as strangers?

Like a cake that had fallen on the floor—you don’t want to pick it up again, but you can’t help glancing at it resentfully.

When people get stuck in a mental rut, they don’t rationally calculate sunk costs or make decisions based on logic. They just struggle in the quagmire, sinking deeper and deeper.

By the time she came to her senses, it was already too late.

Unexpected events always arrive before plans.

Her memories, just as they were about to touch the edge of pain, she forcefully pulled back.

"Leave the dog at the old residence. I promised to help you look after it, but that’s only on the condition that it doesn’t affect my health. You can rest assured."

Qi Manjun didn’t spare a glance at Ling Mufeng, whose face was pale and eyes filled with anguish. She only explained to Ling Jue.

Ling Jue pressed his lips together.

"If you feel any discomfort at all, don’t force yourself."

He had to admit—when Ling Mufeng said Qi Manjun was allergic, his own heart skipped a beat.

The meaning of a mother might be that you don’t have to be close, but whether she is there or not makes a world of difference.

Qi Manjun was also his only remaining family in this world.

He didn’t want her to end up like Qi Wanting—a handful of lifeless, weightless ashes.

Qi Manjun smiled and bent down to pat the Alaskan Malamute’s large head. "I’m glad you brought it back. Caesar is very likable."

Ling Jue gave a slight, wry smile.

Standing to the side, looking utterly lost, Ling Mufeng stared at the long-absent, relaxed smile on Qi Manjun’s face. For some reason, he felt an empty, unsettled panic.

Ever since Qi Wanting passed away, he always felt that Qi Manjun had grown even more distant.

She seemed to have shed many of her emotions and let go of many responsibilities, giving off an elusive sense that she might drift away with the wind at any moment.

...

In the end, the three of them still sat down together for dinner.

A servant brought out the cake with its lid removed. Qi Manjun paused. "Where did this cake come from?"

The servant replied respectfully, "Madam, the master brought it back."

Ling Mufeng stared into her eyes. "Have you forgotten what day it is today?"

Qi Manjun looked at him suspiciously. "What day?"

Ling Mufeng could tell she wasn't just trying to get a rise out of him.

Yet, he felt even more disappointed.

After a moment of silence, he smiled wryly at himself. "Nothing. Just take the cake away."

Today was their wedding anniversary.

...

A rare family meal with all three present passed in rare, strained silence, the food tasteless.

After dinner, as Ling Jue prepared to leave, Ling Mufeng stopped him.

By now, Ling Mufeng had sorted out his chaotic thoughts, resuming his calm, authoritarian role as head of the family.

"I heard you went on a blind date? Shi Qilan is your mother's pick. Her taste—your mother's, I mean—is reliable."

Before Ling Jue's cold sneer could fully form, Qi Manjun set down her teacup and said in a leisurely tone, "I introduced Shi Qilan, but not for the purpose of getting them together."

Ling Jue clearly still had lingering feelings for Qin Shuyi, and the two of them still had unresolved issues. Qi Manjun didn't want to stick her oar in.

Shi Qilan had volunteered for the role, even bringing a business proposal with her at the time.

Since the date was just going through the motions and wouldn't amount to anything anyway, it was better to give the opportunity to someone who needed it more.

Ling Mufeng didn't have the same nerve with Qi Manjun around. He just turned to Ling Jue and said with dissatisfaction, "Regardless of the initial reason, since you've made contact, there's no harm in giving it a try."

Just not Qin Shuyi.

Remembering how, right after their conversation at the cemetery, he had merely threatened her verbally, and that woman immediately turned around with those dewy eyes and tattled, Ling Mufeng felt infuriated. He was saddled with the blame for something he didn't even do, with his son and wife coming after him one after another.

The corner of Ling Jue's mouth lifted in a cold curve. "Was forcing you out of the company completely not enough? Or perhaps you'd like to step away from this family as well?"

It was unclear which part of the statement struck a nerve.

Ling Mufeng's face turned extremely unpleasant. He slammed the table. "What kind of talk is that?!"

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