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Chapter 60: Subtle bragging
You're already this amazing—would I dare lie to you?
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
The elderly couple was so choked up that they couldn't speak.
As expected of the daughter of an influential family—she spoke of the deputy mayor as if he were merely a village chief.
Qin Feng said, “Should we settle the bill first?”
Shao Xiaomei suddenly remembered, “I almost forgot.” She handed the money to the server. “Include Engineer Qin’s as well.”
Qin Feng quickly said, “I should be the one treating you. It was rude of me not to be present when Mayor Cheng visited that day.”
Shao Xiaomei replied, “Let’s just pay our own shares.”
The cashier recognized her—she was the distant niece of Chef Du in the back kitchen. Following her lead, the cashier took her money before accepting Qin Feng’s.
Qin Feng tentatively asked, “Shall we meet again another day?”
Shao Xiaomei gave a slight nod, then noticed the young boy beside him and furrowed her brows.
Cheng Shixu followed her gaze, and his eyes lit up. “Engineer Qin, are you married?”
Qin Feng was momentarily stunned. Seeing Cheng’s gaze fixed on Miaomiao, he chuckled and said, “Not yet.”
Cheng Shixu frowned slightly. “Then who is this child…?”
Please don’t tell me he’s not your son.
Madam Zhou, fearing that the deputy mayor might misunderstand her son as an irresponsible scoundrel, hurriedly explained, “This child has had a tough life.”
Shao Xiaomei grew intrigued.
She never minded whether she played the lead or a supporting role because acting was just a way to experience life. But she had another identity—a writer.
Lately, she had been wanting to write a spy novel. Her grandfather had worked in espionage, so if she wrote about it, she wouldn’t even need to do much research. However, in recent years, commissions for family dramas had been more frequent, so she wrote those instead—just to earn money to raise her child.
Noticing that Qin Feng’s father seemed to have something to say, Shao Xiaomei glanced at Cheng Shixu.
Cheng Shixu sighed helplessly, “You shouldn’t exercise right after eating. Auntie, let’s go sit over there for a while.”
Qin Feng’s mother was eager to build rapport with the deputy mayor and also wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about her son. Ideally, she could even gain his sympathy and have him introduce a well-rounded and outstanding daughter-in-law—someone like Shao Xiaomei. So, she quickly followed Cheng Shixu.
Qin Feng frowned. “Mom!”
“I ate too much just now. I need to rest for a bit.” Madam Zhou waved him off and took a seat across from Cheng Shixu.
Qin Feng turned to his father.
Fu Qingyun tugged at his pants.
Qin Feng lowered his head.
Fu Qingyun whispered, “The TV drama Grandma was talking about—it’s this auntie who acted in it. I think I’ve seen it too. Can I ask her for an autograph?”
Qin Feng instinctively wanted to say yes but then paused to ask when he had watched it.
Then, he suddenly remembered his son's interest in the arts.
Last year, during their class’s New Year’s Eve event, Fu Qingyun had performed an erhu piece. It was Qin Feng himself who had taken the time to get him an erhu.
In the book, Fu Qingyun was said to have a strong talent for performing. Now that he was a teenager, he probably had a clearer sense of his own interests.
But Qin Feng had never told him that there were schools specifically for training actors. Maybe he hadn’t dared to, or maybe he thought Fu Qingyun wasn’t aware of them yet, so telling him wouldn’t make a difference.
Although Shao Xiaomei wasn’t a top-tier actress, from what she had just said, acting seemed to be more of a hobby for her. However, given her family background and the fact that she was associated with Cheng Shixu, if Qin Feng’s youngest son ever entered the entertainment industry, just mentioning that he knew her would likely be enough to keep people from pushing him around.
The problem was that Qin Feng was only acquaintances with Shao Tian’er—they were schoolmates and friends—but he had never met Shao Xiaomei before, let alone become familiar with her.
It would be too abrupt to say, “Hey, my son is interested in acting. Could you guide him?” Shao Xiaomei would probably turn around and complain to Shao Tian’er, “Is your friend crazy? That’s way too forward.”
Qin Feng whispered, “You can ask for an autograph, but don’t just blurt things out. If you want anything else, let me know—I’ll call Shao Tian’er later.”
Fu Qingyun couldn’t help but blink.
Did his dad figure it out?
Impossible!
He had never once said he wanted to be an actor.
Seeing the unease on his son’s face, Qin Feng immediately confirmed his suspicion—his third son wasn’t truly interested in an autograph but was just looking for an excuse to get closer to Shao Xiaomei.
This little rascal didn’t even consider his own age.
Small in size, big in ambition.
Qin Feng didn’t give him a chance to explain. “Let’s hear what your grandma has to say first.” With that, he walked toward his mother.
His mother didn’t have much to say either.
Qin Feng hadn’t dared to make up too many details, fearing he wouldn’t be able to keep the story straight later.
Madam Zhou simply told Cheng Shixu that Qin Feng had met Miaomiao’s mother abroad. That woman had been attracted to his looks, clung to him for a few days, then left.
When she later found out she was pregnant, she didn’t bother looking for Qin Feng. She gave birth to the child, regretted it, and abandoned him.
Luckily, Miaomiao’s master happened to find him. Otherwise, with the late winter cold right after the New Year, the child might have frozen to death.
At the mention of “death,” Madam Zhou became genuinely upset, her eyes turning red.
Shao Xiaomei handed her a handkerchief while subconsciously sizing up Qin Feng.
If he were both handsome and a philanderer, her sister would have at least mentioned him.
Anyone who could take a photo with her sister had to have a good relationship with her.
And if Qin Feng were truly an unprincipled man, he wouldn’t have completed his studies and resolutely returned to the country.
Qin Feng smiled and nodded. “That’s more or less how it is.”
Sharp-witted Shao Xiaomei immediately sensed there was more to the story—Qin Feng was too indifferent, as if he were recounting someone else’s tale.
However, since she wasn’t close to Qin Feng, she couldn’t ask even if she was curious. Instead, she consoled Madam Zhou, “Auntie, don’t be sad. The child is doing well now, isn’t he?” Then, she smoothly changed the topic. “What’s his name?”
Madam Zhou replied, “Miaomiao.”
“Meow?” The young boy, speaking with a coastal accent, made Shao Xiaomei uncertain. “That’s a really cute name.”
Qin Miaomiao couldn’t help but correct her. “It’s ‘Miao’ as in ‘small and distant.’ That’s my nickname. My full name is Qin Jingzhe. You can call me Qin Jingzhe, Auntie.”
【渺渺 (Miaomiao): 渺 means "distant" or "small," suggesting something that is subtle, refined, or delicate in a more mature or elegant sense. This name is still soft but more neutral and refined】
Shao Xiaomei looked at him—so serious, yet still full of childishness, trying so hard to act grown-up. She couldn’t resist teasing him. “Little classmate, are you shy? Alright, I’ll call you Qin Jingzhe.” Then, she casually asked, “Who gave you the name? It sounds nice.”
Madam Zhou’s tears dried up instantly.
Jingzhe—Awakening Insects? And she thought it sounded nice?
Old Master Qin couldn’t help but say, “It’s just a solar term.”
Qin Feng explained, “Miaomiao’s master picked him up on that day.”
The older and younger family members all turned to look at him.
Qin Feng blinked innocently. “Didn’t I mention that?”
His father cursed, “Mention my ass! If you had, would I be pestering you every other day to change his name?”
Qin Miaomiao nodded, proving that Grandpa was right.
Qin Feng half-heartedly said, “I must’ve been too busy and forgot.”
That one word—busy—left the whole family with no way to argue with him.
Shao Xiaomei felt the conversation couldn’t continue like this, or the grandfather and grandson duo might actually start fighting. So she quickly changed the subject. “Are these your younger brothers or nephews?”
Fu Qingyun’s mouth moved slightly, but when he saw Cheng Shixu, he didn’t dare to speak rashly. He was afraid of offending him and causing trouble for his father.
Qin Feng said, “They’re my adopted sons. Your sister, Shao Tian’er, should have mentioned that a few of us went abroad on public funding, and some stayed there after finishing their studies. One of them was their father.” He glanced at Gu Wuyi and Gu Qingkuang. “Their mother is also over there. They were essentially abandoned. Their grandfather was my mentor.”
“These two shorter ones are Qingyun and Lingyun. Originally, they were my sister’s adopted sons. Her in-laws valued sons over daughters, and since she couldn’t bear a son, she adopted them. Later, when she got pregnant, she didn’t dare to abandon them outright, so she dumped them on my parents. We didn’t want to let her off easy, so we directly transferred their household registration under my name.”
Shao Xiaomei was dumbfounded.
Feeling embarrassed, Madam Zhou immediately added, “We’ve cut ties with her.”
Shao Xiaomei blurted out, “Good riddance!”
Madam Zhou secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Cheng Shixu had always thought his own snobbish parents were extreme, but this was even worse. “Engineer Qin, if you don’t mind me asking, what does your brother-in-law do? From what I know, city workers are only allowed to have one child.”
Gu Wuyi turned to his father.
—It’s not what I think it is… right?
Qin Feng chuckled. “No need to overthink it. He’s just a small-time businessman with a couple of storefronts.”
Cheng Shixu nodded slightly in understanding. “Business has been booming these past few years, and the market’s a mess. Some don’t even know what a business license is. The relevant authorities should take a closer look.”
Gu Wuyi’s mouth opened slightly.
—So it really is what I thought.
Qin Feng smiled. “My brother-in-law, Wang Genbao, is a petty schemer, narrow-minded, and jealous of me, but he also believes everything I say. My eldest maternal uncle runs a small restaurant in the city. Before it even opened, he had all the necessary permits. I helped him get them.”
"Wang Genbao never completely cut ties with my eldest uncle. If he found out about this, he’d definitely go behind the scenes to get all the necessary paperwork done. The only reason he didn’t abandon Qingyun and Lingyun was that I scared them by saying abandoning children is illegal."
Shao Xiaomei couldn’t help but comment, "That Wang Genbao sure is a sneaky one."
Qin Feng replied, "He’s not an honest person. Now that we’ve severed ties, without my help, he’s bound to stumble sooner or later. I’m in no rush. Life is long. Today it’s cloudy and rainy; tomorrow the sun will shine. Plenty of people enjoy success in their early years only to end up miserable in their later years."
Shao Xiaomei studied him carefully.
Qin Feng instinctively replayed his words in his mind—he hadn’t said anything wrong.
Shao Xiaomei said, "My grandfather—who was also my maternal grandfather—used to say something similar. So, during the Cultural Revolution, when he was placed under surveillance, while others were panicked and restless, he remained calm, eating, drinking, and sleeping as usual."
Qin Feng thought to himself, I can’t compare to your grandfather. The old man survived real bloodshed and hardship, while I just happened to be luckier than most.
"Can I trouble you with something?" Qin Feng asked.
Shao Xiaomei nodded. "Go ahead."
Qin Feng gestured toward Fu Qingyun. "Could you sign something for this kid?"
Shao Xiaomei almost didn’t react. "My signature?" She pointed at herself, unsure. "I’m neither a pop star nor a household-name actress."
Qin Feng smiled. "But you’re the only person we know who walked out of a TV screen."
This reasoning made sense to Shao Xiaomei—people in her hometown had said similar things. "But I don’t have a pen."
Qin Feng glanced at Gu Wuyi and signaled with his eyes. "The cashier’s counter should have one."
At the counter, they found a brand-new notebook. Gu Wuyi simply bought it as a makeshift autograph book for Fu Qingyun.
Qin Feng handed the notebook and pen to Shao Xiaomei. "Could you write a little more? Maybe something like ‘Wishing Fu Qingyun all his dreams come true’ or ‘Wishing you success in your studies.’"
Shao Xiaomei nodded and wrote down a message of blessing.
Fu Qingyun couldn’t help but lean forward for a peek. He was surprised by her handwriting—it was in standard script, just like the calligraphy practice sheets he used.
"Have you practiced calligraphy?" Fu Qingyun asked.
Shao Xiaomei nodded. "Engineer Qin should know, right?"
Qin Feng nodded. "I’ve seen your sister’s handwriting."
"Is this good enough?" Shao Xiaomei had written quite a long passage.
Qin Feng took the notebook and handed it to Fu Qingyun, subtly signaling him with a glance.
Fu Qingyun bowed slightly in gratitude.
Shao Xiaomei smiled. "No need to be so formal. Engineer Qin, we still have some things to do."
Qin Feng immediately stood up. "Then let’s meet again another day."
Shao Xiaomei raised an eyebrow—smart guy! No wonder he and her sister became friends.
"Goodbye, Auntie, Uncle," Shao Xiaomei said, taking Cheng Shixu’s hand and waving at the elderly couple.
Madam Zhou said, "I’ll walk you out."
Shao Xiaomei smiled and nodded, letting her follow. As they reached the car parked beside the gate, she gestured to it. "We drove here. Would you and Uncle like a ride?"
Old Qin spoke up first. "No need. We still have to buy some things for the kids staying at school."
Shao Xiaomei waved to Qin Feng before getting in the car and driving away.
Madam Zhou instinctively waved back, but when she caught sight of what Shao Xiaomei was holding, her jaw dropped. "She—she—"
Qin Feng chuckled. "You’re not mistaken. She’s holding the steering wheel."
Madam Zhou closed her mouth but, after a moment, couldn’t help but sigh. "That young woman is really impressive."
Old Qin said, “Just look at whose daughter she is. Back in the day, she’d be called the descendant of a distinguished military family.”
Qin Feng chuckled.
His father glared at him. “Did I say something wrong?”
Qin Feng shook his head. “I was just thinking, you don’t need to say ‘back in the day’—even now, she still is. You all know her grandfather was impressive, but do you know her father is even more so?”
The five brothers turned to Qin Feng in unison.
Qin Feng didn’t keep them in suspense. “You know the chief commander of the Yangcheng Military Region, the one near Hong Kong? Do you know his surname?”
The old and the young instinctively shook their heads—then widened their eyes in disbelief.
Qin Feng nodded. “He’s only in his early fifties. At his level, he can serve until he’s sixty-five.”
Old Qin couldn’t help but ask, “But Yangcheng is a major military region. Where else could he be transferred?”
Qin Feng pointed upward.
Gu Wuyi muttered two words, “The capital!”
Qin Feng gave him an approving look—smart!
Gu Wuyi finally understood the past rumors about Lin Xiaobo. If people believed he had been eliminated, then how unreliable were those rumors?
Madam Zhou patted her chest. “My heavens!”
Qin Feng laughed. “Let’s go home.”
Madam Zhou grabbed his arm and examined him from head to toe. “Are you really my son?”
“What do you think?”
Madam Zhou swallowed hard. “H-how do you know so many powerful people?”
Qin Feng: “Is it really that many?”
Madam Zhou was momentarily speechless.
His father turned his face away, not wanting to engage.
The five brothers couldn’t help but shake their heads.
Qin Feng chuckled and asked, “Am I bragging? Most of my classmates and alumni are just starting their careers or entering politics. Give it another twenty or thirty years—by then, my classmates will be CEOs of state-owned enterprises, and my friends will be high-ranking officials. That’s when you can say I ‘know a lot of powerful people.’”
His mother blurted out, “Yeah, right. Keep dreaming.”
Old Qin tugged at his wife’s sleeve. “He might not be exaggerating.”
Madam Zhou didn’t immediately understand.
Old Qin explained, “Think about his school.”
Madam Zhou nodded. “I know, but—”
Qin Feng interrupted, “Mom, you really don’t know. Get in the bus first. Let Dad explain it to you on the way home.” Then, he turned to his sons. “Do you all understand?”
Miaomiao, completely lost, shook his head.
Qin Feng took his hand. “That’s because you’re still young. What about you guys?” He looked at his older sons.
Gu Wuyi felt like he should understand.
But the thought of attending a business summit twenty years from now—where half the attendees would be his classmates and the other half would be absent because they were in the Great Hall of the People—felt too surreal to believe.
Back at home, Fu Qingyun stared at the neatly written signature, still feeling like he hadn’t woken up from a dream.
Qin Feng noticed his four older sons were unusually quiet and felt a little concerned. “What’s wrong with all of you?”
Gu Wuyi opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.
He had once thought that the Chu family, with their billions in assets by the late 90s, was incredibly powerful. He had assumed that Lawyer Chu, who had connections with the provincial governor’s top secretary, was an impressive figure. But just now, his father had been chatting and laughing with the future governor’s wife, and the person he once regarded as a mysterious big shot was, in his father’s eyes, merely a friend’s parent.
This feeling—Gu Wuyi couldn’t quite put it into words.
Qin Feng turned to Gu Xiao’er.
Gu Xiao’er also didn’t know what to say.
So Qin Feng turned to Fu Qingyun.
Fu Qingyun felt ashamed, realizing how small-minded he had been. A once-popular celebrity fading from the entertainment industry had left him unsettled and nearly made him lose composure—blurting out his desire to become an actor.
Qin Feng then turned to Fu Lingyun.
Fu Lingyun let out a long sigh.
Qin Feng glared at him. “Speak normally!”
Fu Lingyun sighed again. Seeing his father glare at him once more, he quickly said, “You’re too amazing. Give us some time to process it, okay?”
Qin Feng was skeptical. “Really?”
Fu Lingyun replied, “You’re already this incredible—would I dare lie to you?”
Qin Feng thought about his life in this timeline. He was only slightly more accomplished than in his past life. “It’s alright, I guess.”
Fu Lingyun instantly regretted responding.
Gu Wuyi couldn’t hold back and asked, “Are all you academic elites this humble?”
“We?” Qin Feng was curious about the “we.”
Gu Wuyi explained, “Lin Xiaobo used to say the same thing when talking about grades.”
Qin Feng shook his head. “It’s not that we’re being humble; it’s just that we’re really just ‘alright.’ Think about how many students my alma mater admits each year. Shao Tian’er is my schoolmate—does that mean she’s not someone else’s schoolmate too? Decades from now, when top talents across various industries are either my friends or my friends’ friends, does that mean they won’t be someone else’s friends too?”
“But there are so many people in the country!”
Qin Feng replied, “And I don’t know all of them, nor have I interacted with them. Should I instead say that the people who studied abroad with me are all super impressive? But aside from their family backgrounds, some of them weren’t much better than me.”
Gu Wuyi took a deep breath. “Stop, Dad. I’ll only understand when I’m as accomplished as you. Right now, the more you talk, the more I feel like you’re subtly bragging while pretending to be low-key.”
Qin Feng nodded. “Alright, I won’t say any more. Let’s talk about your friend—has his admission letter arrived yet?”
Miaomiao couldn’t help but say, “Why not just call and ask?”
Qin Feng looked at Gu Wuyi.
Thanks to Madam Zhou, Lin Xiaobo had stayed over at Gu Wuyi’s place nearly ten times and had gone to and from school with him at least thirty times. They had gone from having nothing to say to having no secrets between them.
Gu Wuyi made the call, but the person who answered wasn’t Lin Xiaobo—it was his nephew, who had just started middle school.
The child, in his young voice, told him that his uncle had been admitted. However, he sounded confused as he added that the admission letter still hadn’t arrived.
Remembering that last year his maternal uncle—Qin Feng’s younger cousin—hadn’t received his admission letter until late August, Gu Wuyi reassured the child that since the school was far away, the letter was probably still in transit.
Hearing this, Qin Feng couldn’t help but ask as soon as the call ended, “What’s going on?”
“A kid answered. Lin Xiaobo probably went to sell watermelons with his older brother.”
Qin Feng thought about the admission cutoff scores for that school. “Did he score over 600?”
Gu Wuyi nodded. “Out of 710 total. If he didn’t pass 600, he wouldn’t have dared to apply to a national key university.”
Gu Xiao’er couldn’t help but ask, “Did the college entrance exam scoring change?”
Gu Wuyi: "They changed it starting in 1990."
Gu Xiao’er, recalling that the total score was 750 when he took the college entrance exam, asked, "It won’t change again in a couple of years, will it?"
Qin Feng: "It wouldn’t be surprising if it did. When I took the college entrance exam, the total score was only 400. For English majors, there was an additional English test, bringing the total to just 500."
Miaomiao couldn’t help but click his tongue. "Just like rising prices, the college entrance exam scores keep going up too?"
Qin Feng was momentarily stunned by his words. After processing it, he was left speechless but also amused. "Don’t talk nonsense."
"But it’s true," the boy argued defiantly.
Qin Feng didn’t want to argue with the little rascal. "Aren’t you tired? Go upstairs and rest for a while. I’m heading to Grandma’s house."
"Changing the subject again," the boy muttered, shooting him a glance before grabbing Gu Wuyi’s hand. "Big brother, do you feel like playing mahjong? I can play a few rounds with you."
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