The Vanishing Lover

The sun hung directly over the park. Noon. The temperature had risen considerably. Scalding sunlight poured over Qin Guan's head, his whole body.

He felt feverish all over, as if being roasted.

"Dad—Dad—"

Qin Guan's hand clutched desperately at the left armrest of the wheelchair. He twisted his body, using it to shield his kneeling knees. He didn't want anyone to see him kneeling and begging, yet he couldn't truly let go and allow his father-in-law to leave.

Children ran in the distance. A young couple walked hand-in-hand, laughing.

Qin Guan struggled to undo a button at his collar—he was drenched in sweat.

His palms were sweaty too—his hand gripped the wheelchair armrest with all its might, trying to halt its forward movement.

"Dad!"

His voice trembled; every cell on his face trembled. "Dad, I will truly change, I swear! I've already ended it with her... Please, please give me one chance. For Little Pear's sake, okay? She's only three! She needs a complete family, she can't be without her daddy..."

The child was his last bargaining chip.

Though, deep down, he knew that at this point, no bargaining chip would work anymore.

"Not needed!"

His father-in-law was resolute, not turning his head. "Having a father or not doesn't affect her upbringing. I will cherish her! My daughter will cherish her! Don't trouble yourself! Let go!"

Sure enough, even the child was useless.

Little Pear, his father-in-law's beloved—in Jiayuan Community, there were children of old neighbors whose parents were divorced. His father-in-law had often lamented how pitiful children from single-parent homes were. Yet now, he was willing for his granddaughter to grow up in one.

Leaving no trace of affection. Giving no shred of hope.

"Dad—Dad—listen to me! I know! I know you kept Qi Min a secret from Ruyi all this time! You... you were worried Ruyi would be hurt! Worried she'd find it shameful, scandalous, humiliating if it got out! I know! I... I'll fire Qi Min when I get back! Dismiss her! I'll make her leave this place, leave forever, so you and Ruyi never have to see her again! Okay, Dad?"

Qin Guan pleaded, squeezing out every possible solution his frantic mind could conjure. "Don't worry about her blabbing either, I... I'll definitely seal her lips! I can do it! Trust me, Dad! I can! As long as you don't tell, I don't tell, Ruyi won't know! She'll never know! I... I'll be twice as good to her! I can buy her gold, diamonds, take her to the Maldives! I can do it all! With my own money! I have savings, a lot saved up! I made a hundred and seventy thousand just from that last case! That's not even counting the books! Dad, I really can! I can give Ruyi a better life! Believe me! Give me one more chance, please?"

His father-in-law listened silently. He stared at Qin Guan, his eyes growing colder, more alien, inch by inch.

"Let go!" His eyelids lowered with disgust.

He wasn't listening. He wasn't accepting this—Qin Guan's tongue tied—if he didn't let go now, things would only get worse.

But how could Qin Guan let go?

He had strived his entire life. He had clawed his way out of that barren, destitute mountain. He had escaped those absurd, disgraceful parents—all to attain the life he desired: a spacious, bright home in the big city, a comfortable life, a respectable job, a respectable wife and in-laws...

He had done so much, so much for all this!

How could he lose it? How could he watch it all vanish?

"Let go or I'll shout for help!"

His father-in-law was truly angry. The wheelchair, held by Qin Guan, couldn't move forward. He tried maneuvering it a few times, but couldn't break Qin Guan's grip.

"Ruyi! Ruyi!"

He called his daughter's name loudly.

Qin Guan looked back in terror. He didn't see Xu Ruyi.

By this time, Xu Ruyi would have taken their daughter home to cook. She cooked meticulously and focused; she wouldn't come out midway. If the food was ready, she would only call him.

"Dad—I truly just want you to give me one chance, just one..." Qin Guan didn't dare pull the wheelchair harder. He shuffled forward on his knees for two steps, the hard, pebble-strewn ground grinding painfully into his kneecaps. He ignored it.

Someone passed in the distance—a young man wearing headphones, walking hurriedly, not even glancing their way.

"Dad—please... I truly regard you as my own father—" Qin Guan's plea was heart-wrenching. If he could, he would kowtow, kneel forever.

If only his father-in-law would forgive him this once.

But his father-in-law was terrifyingly cold. "If you don't let go now, I'm calling the police."

The words "calling the police" struck Qin Guan like a bolt from the blue, hitting him precisely where it hurt most.

His pleading stopped instantly.

His throat dried up. He couldn't utter a word.

His father-in-law looked at him calmly, with revulsion. At this moment, his face was unfamiliar and distant in a way Qin Guan had never seen before.

The only thing connecting them now was the wheelchair handle Qin Guan clutched so tightly.

"Let go!"

His father-in-law tried to move the smart wheelchair forward again. It stopped because of Qin Guan's hand. His father-in-law turned his head. "Don't bother pleading. It's pointless! Today, I've seen you for what you truly are. Since you force me to say it, I'll tell you: the only regret I have in my entire life right now is..."

"...raising a beast."

He bit the words out, lightly, clearly.

But Qin Guan knew—these six short words were heavier, crueler than any curse—his father-in-law, cultured and gentle his whole life, had never used such harsh words to describe anyone.

There was no hope left.

Like rocks tumbling down a mountain, the ground collapsing, a volcano erupting—the last thread of hope in Qin Guan's heart snapped completely at this moment.

His father-in-law hadn't believed a single word he'd said. Not about Qi Min. Not about his mother-in-law.

His father-in-law had seen right through him.

His father-in-law would definitely tell Xu Ruyi when he returned.

Today, Xu Ruyi would learn about his affair with Qi Min—Xu Ruyi seemed fragile, but Qin Guan knew her. In matters of the heart, she tolerated no impurity. She would choose divorce.

Then, father and daughter would inevitably investigate what happened three and a half years ago with her mother—his father-in-law said she had gone to see a lawyer. Although the lawyer had confirmed it long ago and mentioned her agitation that day, they would reinvestigate. If they dug deep enough, they would soon find the hotel diagonally opposite. Even if the surveillance footage from that day was gone, they could trace the room registration to Junjun. And once they found Junjun, Xu Ruyi would know why her mother had suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage.

Junjun would lead to Shi Jie...

The evidence would pile up, irrefutable.

Yes, his mother-in-law was long dead. They couldn't use that to put him on trial.

They also had no proof he had "stood by and done nothing."

But the moment the truth came out, everything Qin Guan had would vanish—divorce, thrown out on the street.

His job? The firm's shareholder was his father-in-law's friend. The house? Bought by his in-laws before the marriage...

He would be instantly reduced to nothing.

His reputation would be ruined—he hadn't fully established himself in this city yet. Much of what he enjoyed relied on his father-in-law's connections and circle. His own network was sparse and weak. Once his father-in-law's friends learned of this, Qin Guan would be disgraced in the legal profession. No one would dare hire him.

He would have nowhere to go. He might even return to the impoverished mountain village he despised, his hometown.

Those he had once mocked would cackle back at him with doubled venom: "Oh? Qin Guan? Didn't you fly up the branch to become a phoenix? What? Back in the old village?"

"You, Qin Guan, were always destined to be a barnyard chicken! The spawn of a drunkard father and a crazy mother—what good could come of that? See how you strut now!"

The wheelchair struggled forward another small distance.

Qin Guan's hand still gripped the handle. He stared dazedly at this handle—the handle on which he had pinned all his hopes.