"Qi Shaobai, don't be afraid. I'll ask him for you," Sheng Mumu said, as if encouraging Qi Shaobai. Qi Shaobai's gaze drifted toward his silent father.
Qi Mo laughed softly and asked directly, "Alright, what gift do you want?"
Qi Shaobai was stunned. Ever since he could remember, he had never received a gift from his father before.
Seeing that asking for a gift was working, Sheng Mumu's face revealed joy. She hurriedly nudged Qi Shaobai with her elbow. She strategized, "Quick, your dad agreed. Make a bold wish, ask him for a small goal first."
Qi Shaobai was skeptical, looking at his father, "Can I really choose whatever I want?"
The handsome, composed man's eyes gradually softened, his tone light but firm: "Yes, you can."
After hesitating for a few seconds, Qi Shaobai carefully said, "I want...a watch."
Qi Mo replied, "Okay, what kind of--"
"I want dad's first watch," Qi Shaobai interrupted Qi Mo before he could finish, expectancy in his eyes.
At the same time, a memory flashed in his mind--
A few years ago, he had accidentally seen his father's watch case.
There was a watch that wasn't the usual valuable brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Earl in the watch case.
But his father had solemnly placed it in a separate drawer.
Qi Shaobai suppressed his curiosity, simply remembering what that watch looked like.
Later, when flipping through a magazine, he saw an exclusive interview with his father.
In the inset picture, it showed his father leading the founding team of the group to ring the bell at Nasdaq.
In the photo, the watch on his father's wrist was exactly that seemingly unremarkable mechanical watch.
Qi Shaobai took the opportunity of his father's executive assistant coming to the school for a parent-teacher conference, and asked the executive assistant about it.
Having followed Qi Mo for many years, the executive assistant naturally knew the story behind the watch. He spoke admiringly,
"That watch, I remember Mr. Qi said it was the first watch he bought after earning his first pot of gold."
"In the years when Qi Group was just starting to grow, Mr. Qi would always wear it when attending important events."
"I guess Mr. Qi wanted to remind himself not to forget his original aspiration, and remember the hardships of building his career bit by bit. Mr. Qi is truly my idol in life!"
These scenes flashed through Qi Shaobai's mind.
His thoughts returned to the present, and he felt somewhat apprehensive.
Asking for this watch that held such great significance for his father as a gift, would that be inappropriate?
He had just blurted it out in the heat of the moment.
Now he suddenly regretted speaking too hastily.
Just as he was feeling remorseful, Qi Shaobai heard his father's deep voice.
"Alright, I'll bring it to you when I get home."
The teenager's eyes slowly widened, unable to conceal his excitement.
Sitting in the car on the way home, he was still full of anticipation, with no decrease in excitement.
Not wanting to appear too childishly happy, he put on his earphones and clicked on his high school English vocabulary playlist.
Listening to English would calm his excitement.
As he expected, it was quite effective.
After listening for just ten minutes, his eyelids started drooping.
He hugged himself, leaned back into the seat, tilted his head, and let his heavy eyelids fall shut.
Back at Xi Yu Yue Ting.
Qi Shaobai held the watch he had just gotten from his father, looking at it again and again.
He carefully tried it on his wrist, but was afraid of scratching it so took it off without buckling the strap, gently placing it in the cabinet.
He cleared out a separate drawer.
He put the watch from his father and the tie from Sheng Mumu side by side in the drawer.
Satisfied, he closed the drawer. From outside the door came a muffled knock.
Qi Shaobai's brows rose in puzzlement.
Usually when Sheng Mumu knocked on his door, it was two crisp, short sounds, very cheerful.
When Butler Zhang knocked, it was slow and accompanied by a "Young Master".
This knock now, with no voice and just one muffled sound, who could it be?
Opening the door, Qi Shaobai was a little surprised to see the visitor.
"Dad."
Qi Mo was no longer wearing the suit and dress shirt from this morning, but had changed into a light gray open shirt, with a black t-shirt underneath, standing casually at the door. His bearing was very different from his usual silent, stern image.
Qi Shaobai's gaze lowered.
He saw his father holding a six pack of beer cans.
The beer was chilled, with droplets rolling down the cans and falling faster toward the floor.
Just as the droplets hit the floor, a mellow voice said,
"You're an adult now, have a drink with me?"
Qi Shaobai suddenly raised his eyes, stunned for a few seconds. In the teenager's proud, bright eyes flashed a trace of hard to detect emotion.
Because of the surprise, his breath hitched.
His jaw angled up slightly, then lowered.
He nodded, responding in a tone between that of a teenager and a grown man, crisp and straightforward, "Sure."
With just this simple exchange, a certain tacit understanding rapidly formed between this "father and son".
Qi Shaobai knew this was the real coming of age gift his "dad" had prepared for him.
In the past, Qi Mo didn't have the habit of celebrating occasions, and rarely used certain actions to give special meaning to a particular day.
Until a few days ago.
One night before bed, he saw Sheng Mumu frowning at her phone, mumbling to herself,
"So hard to decide, what kind of gift would an eighteen year old brat like..."
"Can't not give him anything."
"But what to give? So hard to decide..."
Sheng Mumu rested her cheek on her palm, tapping her chin as she seriously pondered...
In that moment, Qi Mo suddenly realized.
As Qi Shaobai's "dad" now, shouldn't he also give something to mark this coming of age day?
To give the ordinary day a sense of ritual, like she did.
It was almost instantaneous.
He decided what to use as the gift.
Qi Mo thought back to his own eighteenth birthday.
On the day he came of age, his parents had gone out of town to take care of a sick relative, leaving him home alone.
On the way back, passing the small shop at the alley entrance, he had only wanted to buy a bottle of mineral water, but his attention was caught by the beer in the cooler.
When checking out, on impulse he grabbed two cans and put them on the counter.
Back home, he climbed up to the rooftop.
The rooftop of the old housing complex had the smell of dry cement bricks.
In the evening breeze, accompanied by the brick smell and scents of cooking drifting up from downstairs,
He drank the two cans of beer in one go.
Raising his hand to the pitch black night sky, as if toasting.
In his heart, he said to his parents and sister who had passed away,
"After today, I'll be eighteen. Don't worry, you don't have to think of me anymore."
Qi Shaobai closing his bedroom door pulled Qi Mo's thoughts back to the present.
The darkness in Qi Mo's eyes gradually dispersed, the corners crinkling up slightly.
He lifted his sharp, handsome jaw toward the second floor balcony.
Stepping forward, fingers loosely curled around the beer cans, he said to Qi Shaobai,
"Let's go, kid."
