Chapter 235 - Mrs. Qing Is A Job

Qing Lok was awakened by their grandmother, telling him it was time to have lunch with their father. 

"I want to sleep some more please," he answered and threw a pillow over his head. He felt a sharp jab on his side, hard enough that he suspected it would bruise later. "Ouch!"

"Get. Up." Xie Changying could be more intimidating if she wanted to. Her eyes were glaring at Qing Lok. "Now."

Qing Lok pouted and wrestled with his blanket, thinking that his grandmother would go away when she saw that he was moving. She did not. "Grandma, you've got trust issues."

"Only with you. Wash up!"

Qing Lok sighed and accepted that he would not be getting back to sleep. He had been on the phone all night with Liu Meilien. If he was calculating right, they were talking until four in the morning.

"You need to get back to your doctor." He teased his grandmother. "Your face is falling apart, grandma."

He quickly got out of the way and locked himself in the bathroom even before his grandmother could raise her fist.

His father had already announced about this meal through their grandmother, but seeing how things ended the last time they were all together—with him pulling three guns for them to kill each other with—he was not exactly thrilled to be in the same room with his brothers. 

That was why it was such a surprise that when he got down to the dining area, he found that everyone was already there. Wuming was wearing a sleeveless top and his hair was wet. Qing Chen was also there in a neatly pressed polo shirt—it was not often that he saw his brother out of a suit.

Qing Chen he expected to be there, but Wuming? He wondered which one of the oldies pulled him out of whatever he was doing.

"What's going on?" he asked when he saw that their long table was full. "Are we going to feed a city?"

"Can't I have some nice lunch once in a while?" his father smiled at him from the head of the table.

Qing Lok took his seat. "Father, you have a better chef than the president. What are you saying once in a while?"

"Is this a special vacation?" Wuming asked already munching on a piece of pork. "Why do we need to celebrate so much?"

"Well," their father glanced at Qing Chen who was taking small portions of the dishes to his plate. "I didn't say this the other night at the party, but… I'm going to retire."

Qing Lok felt something wedged on his throat. "What do you mean? Why are you going to retire? You're not that old!"

"It means, you would have to learn more responsibility because once you're through with college, you're going to sit in corporate meetings."

He scratched at his neck. He wanted to say something but didn't want to argue with delicious food in front of him. He would deal with The Kingly when the time comes. Who knew, maybe he would build his own tech company.

"Retirement?" asked Wuming. "Why?"

"Can't I retire?" chuckled Qing Zihao. "I'm old enough. I'm going to have fun while I still can. Do you expect me to quit work only when I'm in a wheelchair? How am I going to spend money that way?"

Wuming eyebrows raised. Point taken.

"Another thing," Qing Zihao turned to Qing Chen. "I have some news for you. Feng Lizhao is also retiring from the mafia. He wants to focus more on the developments on our current projects. Once those plans are done, we're going to have a boy's night all day."

"What?!" Qing Chen asked more loudly than he wished. 

"Don't say anything to your wife. But I think he was calling her for lunch today."

As if on cue, he felt a vibration from his pocket and he read the message from his watch:

Dad called for 911 lunch!! (stressed emoji) I hope things are good there. I'll see you at home later (kiss and heart emoji)

What is happening? He thought in his head.

And as if he said the question aloud, his father answered, "You're in full control of the mafia and The Kingly now. You can share that with your wife. You're already running the papers that would give her the Dai stock?"

"Gee, Father," said Wuming, sipping on soup. "Mrs. Dai had not even reached her grave yet."

"Well, she's dead already. End of story. Her family's shares had to belong to someone. Feng Xuan is buying it?"

Qing Chen rubbed on his eyebrow. "I guess she has to now. But no worries. It will be done."

"Good. Majority shares must always remain with the family."

"What about the mafia?" asked Qing Lok.

"It had always been run by me and Feng Lizhao. For now it will be Qing Chen and Feng Xuan on the top of it. You can get your part once you're done with schooling. Whatever side you may want to be involved with."

Qing Lok's jaw almost dropped open. Was he hearing it right? His father just said 'whatever you want'? "Are you okay, Father?"

The question silenced everyone at the table but Qing Zihao immediately answer. "Do you want to spar with me, boy?"

He shook his head quickly. "No."

"Grandmother, you're quiet," observed Wuming said.

"I'm old," Xie Changying answered. "I've raised four boys and you're wondering why I aged too fast? I can't get peace and quiet from the lot of you. I am just going to get it from myself."

"You're okay with Feng Xuan stepping into Enigma?"

She sighed and her line was set on a line. "It was not like I have a choice and neither does she. Being a Mrs. Qing is a job. I think she'll enjoy it better than I do."

**

While the Qings were in the middle of lunch, Feng Xuan was also eating with her father.