Return: My Hell and Heaven
Chapter 93: Little Pearl’s Side Story
- Song Shu and Qin Lou had been married for two years, yet they showed no signs of wanting children—a fact that greatly worried Old Master Qin Liang. He knew that directly addressing the issue would likely backfire. Moreover, having grown closer to Qin Yuzheng’s family over the past two years, the old man began to drop hints about having children whenever they visited.
At first, Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan weren’t particularly concerned. However, by the third year of Song Shu and Qin Lou’s marriage, they started feeling uneasy—especially after seeing the daughter of their neighbor, the Lao Qu family, welcome twins.
When Qin Lou and Song Shu returned home for a visit, Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan began steering casual conversations toward the topic of children.
However, both Qin Lou and Song Shu were seasoned negotiators, adept at deflecting conversations with ease. Each time the subject was broached, they would either feign ignorance or lightly brush it aside, leaving the elders bewildered yet unable to pin them down.
As the third year of their marriage drew to a close, Qin Yuzheng, Mei Jinghan, and Old Master Qin Liang finally ran out of patience.
The three convened a “crisis meeting” and decided it was time to “address the matter directly.”
Following the meeting, Qin Yuzheng immediately called Qin Lou, instructing him to bring Song Shu home that evening for an important discussion.
That night, as Qin Lou and Song Shu stepped into the house, they were greeted by the sight of Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan sitting rigidly on the sofa in the first-floor living room.
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After a brief pause, Qin Lou lowered his gaze and said calmly, “Dad, this has nothing to do with Song Shu. It’s me—I don’t want children.”
Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan weren’t surprised. Instead, their expressions conveyed a clear “we knew it”.
Having confirmed their suspicions, Qin Yuzheng frowned. “Explain your reasoning.”
Qin Lou looked up, his voice steady. “Because we don’t need them.”
Qin Yuzheng’s eyebrows shot up—a telltale sign of impending anger. “Don’t need them? Do you think children are tools to be evaluated based on usefulness?”
Qin Lou lowered his gaze again. “No matter what they are, we don’t need them. Having each other is more than enough for us.”
Qin Yuzheng opened his mouth to argue further, but Mei Jinghan raised her hand, signaling him to hold back.
Mei Jinghan turned to Qin Lou. “Qin, we understand how much you care for Song Shu, but having children doesn’t diminish your relationship. You don’t need to let concerns about that stop you from having a child during your prime years for parenting. Missing this period wouldn’t be good for either of you.”
Qin Lou hesitated for a moment before responding. “I’ll be honest, even if it’s hard for you to hear. I’m selfish. I want to monopolize all of Song Shu’s affection. I’m already jealous of the emotional ties she has with others. I can’t bear the thought of a child entering our lives and becoming her closest bond. No matter how different that love may be, I can’t accept it if it belongs to Song Shu.”
“Xiao Qin, this is—”
Both Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan’s expressions darkened.
Their upbringing and self-control kept them from saying anything harsh at that moment, but their eyes betrayed their deep disappointment. It wasn’t just anger—they felt genuinely disheartened.
They had known before the marriage that Qin Lou’s personality was unusual, and they had made efforts to accommodate it. But they never expected his possessiveness over Song Shu to reach such an extreme.
For a fleeting moment, they even regretted allowing Song Shu to marry him.
Noticing the tension, Song Shu sighed inwardly and spoke up. “Dad, Mom, may I say something?”
“Go ahead,” they replied, pulling their conflicted gazes from Qin Lou to focus on her.
Song Shu hesitated briefly. “Both Qin Lou and I grew up in unhappy families. Because of this, we don’t trust the bond created by blood relations between parents and children. We’re also afraid we’re incapable of raising a healthy child, which makes the idea unappealing.
“Qin Lou was right, though his words might have come across too harshly and upset you. But the truth is, we don’t see a necessity for having a child.”
Song Shu’s gentle tone eased the tension in the living room. After a few moments of silence, Mei Jinghan nodded slightly. “Go on.”
“Materially, we don’t need to worry about financial issues like elder care. Emotionally, we are fulfilled and don’t feel the need for the kind of bond between parents and children…”
“But we’ve lived through life longer, Nannan,” Mei Jinghan interrupted. “I understand what you’re saying, but consider another perspective. First, the difficulties you faced in your own families could actually make you better parents—more empathetic and protective than most. Second, you may not feel the need for this kind of bond now, but are you certain that won’t change in the future?”
Song Shu fell silent.
Qin Yuzheng frowned and added, “Your mom and I didn’t think we had emotional needs either, and we never pressured you to have grandchildren. But this year, the house felt so quiet and lonely. Then we’d hear the three kids from the Lao Qu family playing and laughing behind their house, and suddenly, we realized something was missing.
“We still have you, but when you reach our age, with friends and family far away, and your parents no longer here—when all you see is emptiness around you—can you honestly say you won’t feel like something is missing? By then, you won’t have the option to change your mind.”
Song Shu’s emotions wavered visibly under Qin Yuzheng’s words, but she knew Qin Lou’s inner struggles too well. She couldn’t speak for him.
The two elders sighed, realizing the impasse lay with Qin Lou. Mei Jinghan concluded, “Take some time to think this through. When you’re ready, we can discuss it again.”
Song Shu nodded. Qin Lou, on the other hand, kept his eyes lowered, his handsome face betraying no emotion but exuding a cold indifference.
Once Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan left the living room, only Song Shu and Qin Lou remained.
Qin Lou sat stiffly for a long time before finally moving. Slowly, he reached out to hold Song Shu’s hand. His voice was low as he murmured, “Are you planning to ‘defect,’ Clam?”
Song Shu couldn’t help but laugh softly, though her heart ached for him. “I’ve already told you—if you don’t want children, we won’t have them. I’ll follow your lead.”
“…” Qin Lou stayed silent for a while before leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to the ring on her finger.
“I’m sorry for being so selfish.”
“It’s fine. I accept all of you.”
“They’ll say I’ve spoiled you too much.”
“Let them talk. As long as my lunatic is at peace, nothing else matters.”
“…”
- No one expected the breakthrough to come from Luan Qiaoqing.
By then, Qin Lou’s stubbornness had left his parents at a loss. Song Shu, meanwhile, supported him unwaveringly, refusing to pressure him in any way. With the situation deadlocked, the elders were out of options.
During a visit to the Qin household, Luan Qiaoqing confidently patted her chest.
“This is simple. Leave it to me.”
She was visiting with Chu Xiangbin. Hearing this, the man raised an eyebrow and smirked faintly. “I wasn’t aware you were so capable.”
Luan Qiaoqing shot him a sidelong glance. “Just watch. I’ll show you.”
Chu Xiangbin gestured grandly for her to proceed, and Luan Qiaoqing grabbed her phone, marching proudly to the adjacent tea room.
- Even Chu Xiangbin hadn’t expected Luan Qiaoqing to succeed so quickly.
Within just one day, Qin Lou personally informed his parents that he agreed to the idea of having a child.
Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan were stunned. They immediately called Luan Qiaoqing, eager to find out how she had pulled it off. But she dodged their questions with vague responses.
After hanging up, Luan Qiaoqing’s smug grin was hard to hide. She was just about to leave the room when the man in bed behind her scooped her back up effortlessly.
“Let me go!” She struggled, but her resistance was easily subdued. Frustrated, she kicked at Chu Xiangbin’s leg.
He allowed her to vent her frustration and then kissed her until her face turned red. Smiling, he asked, “What exactly did you say to that madman Qin Lou to make him change his mind so easily?”
“…Nothing much.”
Blushing, Luan Qiaoqing hesitated before huffing, “That guy might be crazy, but his weak spots are obvious. The Qin elders just approached it the wrong way.”
“Oh? You mean Song Shu?”
“Exactly.” Luan Qiaoqing paused, then decided to be honest and snuggled into his arms. “Talking to him about the future or the child itself wouldn’t work. He doesn’t care about anyone or anything except Song Shu.”
“What did you say to him?”
“I only said one thing.”
“And what was that?”
“…”
Luan Qiaoqing sighed softly.
“I said, ‘The vows at your wedding were so true… But if one day something happens to you, would you rather leave Song Shu to live all alone in this world, or force her to follow you in death?'”
“…He knows better than anyone what it feels like to live a life worse than death. He wouldn’t want my sister to endure that.”
“…”
Chu Xiangbin fell silent for a moment before letting out a helpless laugh. “You’re really consistent in your style—brutal as always.”
“—How am I brutal?!” Luan Qiaoqing frowned, looking up at him. “I was just being honest.”
Chu Xiangbin nodded. “It was honest, yes, but it’s also your signature ruthlessness—unintentional, yet cutting.”
“Excuse me? Care to elaborate?”
“…”
That day, no matter how much Luan Qiaoqing pestered Chu Xiangbin, she couldn’t get him to explain why he said that.
- Song Shu’s pregnancy and preparation for the baby went exceptionally smoothly. Fully aware of how much Qin Lou valued her, she worked with a top-tier care team to ensure that every potential risk was mitigated scientifically.
This smooth sailing continued all the way to the delivery.
When Qin Yuzheng heard that his grandchild was about to be born, he eagerly arranged for a world-class obstetrics team to assist. After a thorough pre-delivery check-up, the team reassured the three anxious elders via Qin Liang’s translator:
“The baby is in a perfect position, and the delivery should be straightforward. There’s virtually no risk, so you can all rest assured.”
The elders breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Just as the doctor was about to enter the operating room, Qin Lou, who had appeared the calmest, suddenly stood up and approached. Speaking in a foreign language, he said something to the doctor.
The doctor, hailing from Country R, spoke a language the elders didn’t understand. But facial expressions and body language are universal—
They could clearly see that after Qin Lou spoke, the doctor froze in place.
After a long pause, the doctor nodded with a complicated expression and walked into the operating room.
Qin Liang, baffled, turned to the translator. “What did Qin Lou just say?”
The translator hesitated before answering with a conflicted expression, “Mr. Qin said… ‘Save the mother, no need to ask. Save the mother at all costs.'”
The three elders: “…”
- Despite Qin Lou’s heavy anxiety and unease, their baby was born healthy and without any complications.
The only unexpected twist was that the baby everyone had assumed was a girl—already nicknamed “Little Pearl” by Song Shu during the pregnancy—turned out to be a boy.
This only made Qin Lou more irritable.
The professional team Qin Liang hired took excellent care of “Little Pearl,” and within a few days, the baby became as plump and fair as an actual pearl.
Though mostly under the care of the professional team, the baby was brought to Song Shu’s recovery room daily for bonding time.
During these visits, Song Shu couldn’t help but notice that Qin Lou, who usually hovered around her attentively, would immediately focus on the baby with an odd mix of hostility and wariness.
Strangely, the baby, despite its young age, seemed delighted by Qin Lou’s fierce demeanor. Whenever Qin Lou glared at him, the baby would giggle happily, oblivious to the tension.
The more the baby laughed, the more intense Qin Lou’s glare became—so much so that it seemed he might hurl the baby out the window if given the chance.
Song Shu found their interactions both exasperating and amusing.
Finally, one day, as Qin Lou stared daggers at the baby yet again, Song Shu couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “What are you thinking?”
Grinding his teeth, Qin Lou replied, “I’m imagining how he’ll compete with me for your attention when he turns thirteen.”
Song Shu: “…”
With a resigned smile, she teased, “You’re really planning ahead. I thought you were figuring out how to secretly send him away by the time he turns three.”
Hearing this, Qin Lou’s eyes lit up. He turned to her, “Do I really have to wait until he’s three? Can’t I send him away now?”
“…”
- Song Shu’s teasing reached Grandpa Qin Liang through the care team, and the elder was furious. His great-grandchild—whom he hadn’t even dared to hold out of guilt—and Qin Lou wanted to send him away?
Frustrated, Qin Liang called an urgent family meeting with Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan.
Afterward, Qin Yuzheng managed to pull Qin Lou away from Song Shu’s side for a brief discussion. They proposed taking care of the child until he reached school age.
To their surprise, Qin Lou hesitated. “I’ll need to ask her opinion.”
Caught off guard, Qin Yuzheng said, “You actually like this child, don’t you? If you can’t bear to part with him, just say so—”
“I don’t like him,” Qin Lou interrupted without hesitation.
He frowned. “But Song Shu probably… likes him. I’m afraid she’ll feel sad if I send him away.”
As he finished, standing by the window, Qin Lou’s profile—despite being a father now—seemed as lonely and melancholic as a child’s.
Both elders noticed this. Before they could react, Qin Lou had already turned back and reentered Song Shu’s recovery room.
Through the thick glass, they saw him stop by her bedside. Looking at her peacefully sleeping form, his expression softened into something tender and utterly vulnerable.
Mei Jinghan sighed softly.
Qin Yuzheng turned to her. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said with a faint smile. “I’m just a bit moved. Qin Lou is truly a madman. Sometimes, when I see how he speaks or hear stories from Qiaoqing about his past, I think he’s terrifying. But most of the time, as long as he’s with Nannan, I feel at ease. No matter how big his temper, he always manages to rein it in around her.”
Qin Yuzheng relaxed his brows and smiled wryly.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” Mei Jinghan asked.
Qin Yuzheng replied, “If I didn’t, how could I have entrusted Nannan to him?”
“Watching how he treats Nannan, he really does seem like the madman Qiaoqing described,” Mei Jinghan mused.
“Normal people are selfish. Even the deepest emotions always come with some reservations—only those who are not truly insane can love someone to this extent,” Qin Yuzheng shook his head. “Fortunately, not everyone is required to love to that degree. Such closeness is too easily damaging, both to oneself and to the other person.”
Mei Jinghan smiled, “Don’t worry, they won’t be able to part with each other.”
Song Shu nodded. In the end, “Little Pearl” was handed over to his maternal grandparents. Song Shu and Qin Lou only returned for a few days each month to visit him.
Occasionally, they would run into Old man Qin, who couldn’t help but “drop by” their home. In those cases, Song Shu and Qin Lou would simply pretend they hadn’t noticed him.
—Over time, if they bumped into each other every time with this kind of confrontational attitude, it would be exhausting for everyone.
Qin Lou, now “well-behaved” under Song Shu’s guidance, had grown accustomed to ignoring Qin Yuzheng’s presence. Most of the time, he could simply not acknowledge him and even manage a few words without hostility.
At the first New Year gathering with “Little Pearl” present, Qin Lou coldly greeted Qin Liang with a simple “Happy New Year,” his tone indifferent.
But Song Shu noticed clearly: The old man paused for several seconds, and when Qin Lou had already walked away in impatience, he finally responded with a low, murmured reply.
Then the elderly man’s eyes began to redden.
In the blink of an eye, seasons passed, and “Little Pearl” reached his first birthday celebration.
Only their closest family was invited, and each person brought a gift for the baby. The gifts were arranged on a long table in the Qin family’s old home. “Little Pearl” was carefully carried to the table by a member of the nursing team.
The table was filled with various items, ranging from the practical to the peculiar.
Among them was a small golden abacus. “Little Pearl” crawled over to it, touched it briefly, then withdrew his hand as if displeased by the coldness of the object.
He continued to crawl forward a bit more and paused in front of a set of heavy books—Ancient and Modern Mathematical Thoughts, a complete four-volume set, which was undoubtedly taken from Qin Lou’s study, where an entire stack of books could crush someone if it fell.
“Little Pearl” seemed intrigued by the books, but being so small, he struggled to lift the set, using both hands and feet, even nearly attempting to gnaw on it.
Qin Lou stood nearby, sneering, “No talent.”
Song Shu glanced at him helplessly, while Luan Qiaoqing made a face, “It’s not about talent, it’s about sheer brute strength.”
“…” Qin Lou shot a glare at his son, which made Luan Qiaoqing promptly stop talking.
Finally, after circling the table a few times, “Little Pearl” stopped at another item. After hesitating for a moment, he reached out, grabbed the square object, and hugged it tightly, laughing gleefully.
Qin Lou’s face darkened instantly, and he turned to look at everyone, “Who put this here?”
“…”
Everyone avoided eye contact, pretending to be oblivious. Only two people stood out:
Song Shu looked at “Little Pearl” in surprise, then, after several seconds, laughed softly.
Meanwhile, Luan Qiaoqing looked just as displeased as Qin Lou. After a long sigh, she muttered, “Great, another ‘freak’.”
—The object “Little Pearl” had grabbed and was now hugging so happily was none other than the six-stage Rubik’s Cube that Song Shu had given to Qin Lou as a wedding gift.
As it turned out, Luan Qiaoqing’s prediction was spot on: “Little Pearl” showed an abnormal level of intelligence, equal to or even surpassing his biological father.
By preschool age, he had passed an intelligence test and entered a renowned international high-IQ club. Soon after, “Little Pearl” made multiple appearances in the local news, drawing considerable public attention.
Qin Lou, as the “mysterious biological father,” was bombarded with interview requests. When asked how he planned to educate such a genius child, he gave a short and dismissive reply: “Being a genius isn’t necessarily a good thing. We’ll give him a normal childhood environment.”
The reporter was outraged by his response and angrily researched Qin Lou’s background. But after seeing the IQ test results, the reporter quietly decided to keep quiet, and in his news article, wrote the following:
“We must admit that the power of genes and heredity is truly incredible.”
Qin Lou followed through with his promise.
When “Little Pearl” reached school age, he personally took him to his alma mater—Q City No. 2 High School’s affiliated elementary school.
The teachers at Q City No. 2, who had been haunted by the “shadow” of Qin Lou for years, deeply appreciated the trust Qin Lou had shown.
—The thought that they might again witness the growth of another “little devil” brought tears of gratitude to their eyes.
Sansukini: Well, that’s the end of the main story. There will be more extras.
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