Qi Lei gave a chilly smile as if he was looking at Qi Qiming like a funny clown.

"How long are you going to keep thinking of me as a fool? My mother is dead, but do you think I'd just do whatever you say without my mother protecting me?" Qi Lei asked.

Qi Qiming's eyes darkened instantly when Wang Qin was mentioned. "Qi Lei, I don't mean that."

"Stop pretending already. Since we're talking about our family, let's discuss things between us."

Qi Lei felt disappointed. No matter how he acted like he did not care, he still could not help but feel sorrowful. He always knew that he was not important to Qi Qiming, and he felt like escaping every time he had to face this issue.

Sometimes, he even doubted if he was actually Qi Qiming's son. He then demanded as he gave Qi Qiming a sharp glance, "Am I really your son?"

Qi Qiming's heart sank when he heard the question, and he nodded. "Of course, your mother has only been with me, so who else could be your father?"

He knew that although Wang Qin had someone she fancied before, her pride would not allow her to keep in contact with that person after she was married to Qi Qiming, and the only man she had ever been with was only Qi Qiming.

Qi Qiming was afraid to tell Qi Lei that Wang Qin got pregnant with him because Qi Qiming had forced her…

Perhaps, from then onwards, he felt a little different towards both of them.

If Wang Qin had been slightly gentler to him or at least respected him as a man, he might still have been able to treat her kindly, and maybe she would not have passed away so early.

However, she had never prioritized Qi Qiming because her heart was already dead from the day she married him.

Why would Qi Qiming care about a woman who did not love him?

"Do you hate my mother? And is that why you hate me too?" Qi Lei continued with his questions.

"Of course not—" Qi Qiming answered instantly.

"No? But everything you did was enough for us to hate you. Why do you have to push your wife and son into a corner? Do you know that I really don't like you? I thoroughly hate you. I'm a realist who will treat you however you treat me."

Qi Qiming took a deep breath and went to the pantry corner to grab himself a glass of water. He took several sips before sitting down again.

"You weren't even there when my mother died. She was your wife and your son's mother, yet you didn't even see her for the very last time. You've never given her happiness. My mother was worried that no one else would help me when she was on the verge of dying, so she grabbed Xi Xiaye's hands and asked her to take care of me. Xi Xiaye promised my mother that Mu Yuchen and her would treat me like their younger brother, and until today, they're keeping their promise."

Qi Qiming had no idea about that, so he was not sure what to say at this moment.

"I don't know what's family kinship, but I know what's good, and they look good to me. Compared to my so-called family who is always plotting something behind my back, I feel much superior to all of you. I can understand why you'd want to transfer me externally, but I'm telling you now that I won't leave this city—"

Qi Lei slowly got up. He put his palms on the table and stared at Qi Qiming right in the eyes. "Because I'll have nothing left once I leave here. I'll lose everything that I care about. I have nothing to lose anymore. I don't want to lose these feelings and memories too. I don't think I have a family anymore, so I don't want to lose my friendship. If you're forcing me to make a choice, I'd choose them over you right away!"

Qi Qiming's expression looked terrible and his face darkened instantly.

"What did you say?" His breath got shorter as he clenched his fists.

Qi Lei stood up straight and flipped through the document again before throwing it back onto Qi Qiming's table. "Did I not make myself clear enough? I won't leave City Z. If you're forcing me to make a choice, I'll choose to stand on Mu Yuchen's side. I'll do so even if you force me out of Qi Kai. Getting angry now? I don't care how you look at me. At least, with them, I can feel the warmth that you'll never be able to give me."

Qi Lei took a deep breath as he pushed the chair behind him away.

"This document is invalid from this point onwards. I'll leave it to you." He then walked towards the door—

"Come back here! I'm your father. It's not up to you to decide whether we're related or not! If you really do that, I won't call you my son ever again!" Qi Qiming yelled at him.

Qi Lei halted his steps instantly with a bitter smile on his face. He took a deep breath and replied without even turning over, "Finally, you said it. You must've been longing for this moment, haven't you?"

"Whatever! I always knew that I wasn't important to you. Do you understand about friends who've been through a lot with you? Or about kinship? You don't understand any of them! Without me, you still have your other amazing son with you, but if I lose these, I'll have nothing left!"

Qi Lei soon disappeared out of the door.