CHAPTER 181: STRONGEST BACKER

"Grandma." Qi Jianyi greeted softly, her voice carrying a mixture of warmth and hesitation as she quickly climbed down from the bed. Her hands reached out for the bowl in Grandma He’s grasp, eager to accept what her grandmother had brought for her.

Grandma He’s lips curved into a gentle smile as she willingly placed the bowl into her granddaughter’s hands. With the patience and tenderness of the elderly, she followed Qi Jianyi across the room and lowered herself onto the couch.

Qi Jianyi carefully set the bowl of meat buns upon the coffee table before taking her place beside her grandmother, close enough to feel the comforting presence she radiated.

When Grandma He noticed Qi Jianyi picking up a meat bun, she extended her hand and tenderly brushed her palm over the young girl’s head, as though trying to soothe the restlessness hidden within her heart.

"Are you still mad at your grandfather?" she asked in her familiar, timeworn tone.

Qi Jianyi, clutching the bun in her hands, shook her head lightly. "I’m not mad at him..." she whispered, her voice soft and uncertain.

In truth, Qi Jianyi was still caught in an inner struggle, unsure if her reaction earlier had been justified. Could she truly claim she was angry? Did she even have the right to say such a thing? While Qi Jianyi wrestled with her thoughts, Grandma He had already perceived the hesitation woven into her words.

With gentle fingers, she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her granddaughter’s ear before speaking again, her voice carrying the weight of explanation.

"You know..." Grandma He exhaled slowly, as though steadying her emotions.

"Your grandpa never meant it when he sounded like he disliked Xiao Feng. In truth, he has always held deep affection for that child." Qi Jianyi lifted her head, her eyes filled with puzzlement as she gazed at her grandmother, unable to immediately grasp the meaning behind those words.

"Do you still remember, seven years ago, when you were caught in that terrible car accident?" Grandma He did not elaborate further on her previous statement. Instead, she shifted the conversation toward that distant and painful incident.

Qi Jianyi’s brows knitted with confusion, yet she nodded faintly.

"Back then, I was there. I witnessed everything. I saw with my own eyes how Xiao Feng collapsed when he heard your last words. He fell to his knees, utterly broken. His eyes were empty, vacant of all light. No matter how desperately your grandpa called out to him, urging him to rise, to wake from that daze, the boy would not respond. He remained unmoving, as though all the strength in his body had already left him." Qi Jianyi’s eyes widened with surprise. She had never heard of this from Miss Qi.

After all, she had awoken only days later, her memory blank concerning the moments following the accident. The entire ordeal of her rescue had remained a mystery to her until now.

"That child had already surrendered long before your fate was determined," Grandma He continued, her tone heavy with sorrow. "Your grandpa resented him for that weakness. At that time, we did not know you were not our Xiao Yi. We only saw a boy mourning our granddaughter before her condition had even been declared. To us, his despair felt like abandonment, and we could not accept it. Yet we had little time to dwell on it, for our only concern then was your survival." Grandma He drew in a deep breath and slowly turned her gaze toward the window. The glass reflected the dim light of the room, but her eyes saw only the shadows of the past, the painful memory still vivid and cruel in her heart.

"And after Xiao Yi was rescued, Xiao Feng stayed in the hospital, waiting for her to open her eyes. Who would have expected that the very moment Xiao Yi awakened, he turned his back and never returned?" Grandma He let out a light laugh, though there was bitterness hidden beneath it.

The memory resurfaced with sharp clarity, recalling how furious the entire family had been at his sudden disappearance, as though he had never shared any bond with Qi Jianyi at all.

"Your grandpa was livid when he realised Xiao Feng never once came to visit Xiao Yi afterward. What baffled us even more was how she never sought him either. It was almost as if there had never been any relationship between the two of you." Qi Jianyi’s lips curved faintly, and she smiled at the thought of everyone’s bewildered expressions when they realised that she and Song Chengfeng had so suddenly parted ways.

"It must’ve been confusing," she whispered, her voice almost lost in the stillness of the room.

Grandma He nodded firmly, her aged eyes reflecting the weight of those years.

"Of course, it was confusing. Xiao Yi changed without warning, becoming cold and distant once more, pushing us all away. And Xiao Feng, on the other hand, behaved as though he no longer knew you at all..." Her tone softened, carrying both sorrow and regret as she continued.

"After we came to know the truth about you, Xiao Yi told us she was the one who had stolen your life. We were heartbroken for you. Ling’er and Jingxuan wept until their voices cracked. They could not forgive themselves. They blamed themselves for what had happened to you." Qi Jianyi sat silently, listening as Grandma He retraced those painful confessions, recounting how Miss Qi had revealed her existence to them.

"Especially when we came to understand the reason Xiao Yi so desperately wished to live in your world," Grandma He murmured, her head lowering with melancholy.

The truth was a wound that refused to close, one that had pierced deeply into the hearts of her daughter and her husband. Both Mr. Qi and Mrs. Qi had once believed that their daughter had finally forgiven them, that at last they might mend what had long been broken and reconcile with her.

They thought time had granted them a chance to amend their regrets. Yet the cruel truth mocked their fragile hopes.

No, they were never given that chance.

Their daughter, the very child they once called a blessing, had harbored only resentment toward them, a resentment carved into the depths of her heart. There was no path back.

Miss Qi, once the Qi family’s daughter, had turned away, allowing the weight of guilt to consume her parents while she longed for a family that was not her own. The knowledge of this left the couple in utter devastation, stripped of even the faintest glimmer of solace.

Qi Jianyi lowered her gaze as she listened in silence. She could not bring herself to judge Miss Qi’s actions. With the fragments of memory she carried and the knowledge of how the young Miss Qi had been neglected and forgotten by her own parents, Qi Jianyi felt that very pain surge into her, a cold current rushing straight into her heart.

She was no longer the naïve, immature Qi Jianyi who once believed that family must be cherished no matter the suffering endured. Now she understood the weight of Miss Qi’s sorrow, and she realised she had no right to question what Miss Qi should or should not have chosen.

And Miss Qi had already decided. She longed to live in Qi Jianyi’s world, to share in the warmth of her family. And in the same way, Qi Jianyi yearned for Miss Qi’s world, for the chance to be with Song Chengfeng.

Their choices, though made separately, had unexpectedly converged, aligning with one another’s deepest wishes, again. And now, all that remained for Qi Jianyi was to treat Mr. Qi and Mrs. Qi with kindness. For Miss Qi had never wished for her resentment to be carried forward, never wanted Qi Jianyi to bear her bitterness in her stead.

After all, the truth remained unchangeable. They were two different people.

"Jianyi, we accept you with our whole heart. You are not Xiao Yi, and we are well aware of it. You are yourself, and we will never mistake you for her. You are a good child, how could we ever despise you? In truth, it is we who must work harder, so that you may one day accept us as your family." Grandma He’s voice trembled, breaking slightly as she pleaded earnestly with Qi Jianyi, her words carrying both sincerity and sorrow.

And how could Qi Jianyi bring herself to resent them? Such a thought had never once crossed her mind. She had never nurtured hatred toward them.

With a slow shake of her head, she set the bun back into the bowl before gently reaching forward to clasp Grandma He’s hands.

"Grandma, I never thought of hating you, nor anyone in the family. I only wish for you all to accept me and Song Chengfeng." Her lashes fluttered as tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill.

With a trembling whisper, she added, "I like him. Far more than I ever imagined. At first, I thought I could forget him easily, that once I returned to my world, I could carry on as though nothing had happened. But each night, when I closed my eyes, I was haunted by the guilt of causing him needless pain. Pain that I could have spared him, had I not given him hope to begin with."

A faint, bitter smile flickered across her lips, mocking her own naïve confidence.

"For seven long years, I forced myself to stay away from him, never allowing his name to enter my thoughts. I buried myself in work, day and night, as if drowning in endless tasks could protect me. Because I was afraid..." Her eyes drifted shut as she relived the fear that once held her captive, her voice carrying the weight of those hidden years.

"I was afraid that if he returned to my mind, I would yearn to return here. Back then, I could not abandon my family, and so my fear of leaving my world far outweighed my love for him."

Grandma He released a long sigh and pulled Qi Jianyi into her arms, embracing her tightly as though to shield her from the torment of her own memories. With a tender hand, she patted her granddaughter’s back in steady reassurance.

Through quiet sobs, Qi Jianyi’s words continued to spill from her trembling lips. "I love him, Grandma. I love him so deeply that even the thought of leaving my world no longer frightens me. My family there has given me their blessing, urging me to pursue happiness. And now, I hope that the family I have here will also support the decision I have made."

She raised her head at last, her eyes glistening with tears, gazing at her grandmother with a pleading look so rare that it softened even the hardest of hearts. That fragile gaze melted Grandma He instantly.

Nodding again and again, she tightened her hold on Qi Jianyi’s hands, her own eyes moist with emotion as she gave her promise.

"Jianyi, do not worry. Grandma will always support you in being with that child. And should anyone dare to oppose you, I will cast them out of this family without hesitation. Even if it is your father or your grandfather, they will face me first!" Grandma He’s voice rang firm and resolute, her declaration sharp with authority.

In that very moment, she bound herself as Qi Jianyi’s strongest backer, the shield that would stand against any who dared wound her granddaughter’s heart. Hearing such resolute words, Qi Jianyi could not hold back the small laugh that slipped past her lips.

Her chuckle was soft yet bright, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. Relief swept over her features, as though a heavy burden had at last been lifted from her shoulders. The playful smile that followed carried a childlike charm, making her appear all the more endearing in Grandma He’s eyes.

Seeing the joy that her vow had brought, Grandma He felt her heart ease. She silently promised herself that once the time came, she would teach both her husband and children a harsh lesson.

Never again would she allow them to utter words that might wound Qi Jianyi, not when she had chosen to embrace this family as her own.