Sometimes Forgiveness Equals Self-Harm

"Who is he?" The five-year-old boy, dressed in a proper suit, looked up at his mother.

Tailors these days are really good at business. The price of this little boy's outfit, which is suitable for formal occasions, is almost equivalent to a similar-quality adult men's suit.

If you don't go to a tailor, you can hardly find clothes that fit well in stores. Children of this age, teenagers before adulthood, are always growing, and their size will change every two or three months.

This has led most well-known brands to avoid entering the children's clothing market, as it could damage their brand image. If you want to find a suitable formal outfit for your child who is growing rapidly, you have no choice but to have it custom-made by a tailor.

A five-year-old child dressed in a little formal suit looks like an adult turned into a minor, which is very interesting and cute.

Vera changed into a more suitable outfit and dressed up a bit. It was fortunate that Lin Qi had taken her away from the company early, otherwise the mealtime might have been postponed.

"That's Mom's boss. He pays our salaries, which is why we have the good life we have now," she explained in a little more detail. This explanation was indeed more specific than simply stating a name or job title, and she didn't want her child to misunderstand anything.

The little boy looked at Lin Qi with some surprise, then at Vera, "So, is he the new dad?"

Vera blushed instantly, while Lin Qi burst into laughter. He couldn't help but laugh, even though Vera's explanation seemed perfectly reasonable to an adult.

Only through hard work can one gain the boss's approval. Only with the boss's approval can one receive a generous salary. With this enviable salary, even a five-year-old child can afford to have a new suit made every three to five months, even during this economic downturn, which may never be worn.

Well, that's not quite right either. He'll definitely be wearing new clothes at the opening ceremony.

In short, without this money, a woman in such a historical context simply could not afford the expensive living expenses.

Everything she received in her community, including the nanny in her household, was paid for.

But these words take on a different meaning for children—the father is responsible for supporting the family. This is something children often encounter, people in society say it, and schools also instill this idea.

Don't assume that the existence of Feminism Movement means that women have truly stood up. The things that reinforce men's dominant position in a patriarchal society are instilled in people from childhood.

Whether it's cartoons, fairy tales, short stories, or anything else for children, the main characters are always male! So now that Lin Qi is paying Vera a salary so they can have a good life, isn't Lin Qi doing the kind of work only fathers do?

This surprised the child. Vera did not tell him the whole truth after Gepu was arrested, which was also Gepu's own idea. After all, going to jail is not a glorious thing. She even transferred the child to another school because of this, just to prevent the child from knowing that he had a criminal father.

Even if this makes the child feel that Gepu abandoned them, it's still much better than him knowing he has a criminal father, which is a social problem.

So he felt guilty, both towards himself and Vera, and at the same time hoped for some change, if it were Lin Qi...

He stole a glance at Lin Qi's handsome face and the infectious smile on his face that made others want to smile involuntarily, and felt that he was not a difficult person to approach.

"Don't worry about me, I think he's a good match. I'll listen to you and get along well with my new dad..." the child said excitedly.

After the initial awkwardness Vera quickly calmed down. She looked at her child and shook her head. "No, that's not it. You've got it wrong. I'm his employee, and he's my boss. That's all we are. There's nothing more to our relationship, understand?"

She looked at the child with a serious and earnest expression. What had just happened had embarrassed her, and the blush on her face was slowly spreading, taking on a special beauty under the light.

Just then, the waiter began serving the dishes. He was a young waiter who started serving from Lin Qi's side. He first called out "Sir" and then began serving Vera's dishes, but he suddenly froze.

He glanced at Vera, then at Lin Qi, and then at the child sitting between them, and suddenly realized he might not know how to address the lady at the table.

If she is called "Madam," it means she is the wife of another man, but it is clear that Lin Qi is too young, while Vera, although she looks young, is over thirty.

She no longer possessed the naivety of a young girl, but rather the mature charm of a woman. And that child, who looked no more than a few years old, didn't seem like their child, unless the man was only a teenager when he was born.

Think about it... why is it suddenly so exciting? "Madam..."

Lin Qi's sudden remark resolved the waiter's embarrassment and pulled him back from his wandering thoughts. He breathed a sigh of relief, bowed slightly, and said, "Madam..." while serving Vera food.

Then there are the "Little Gentleman," Vera's children; the restaurant has a whole system for addressing different guests.

Perhaps the title "Madam" had some special effect, because Vera didn't explain anything to Lin Qi, and the happy dinner began.

At the dinner table, Lin Qi talked a lot about Nagaril. For women and children growing up in the traditional society of the Federal in this era, adventure is always the most attractive story, which is why various adventure and escapade themes began to become a trend.

But none of those stories were as exciting as Lin Qi's. He was very good at organizing his words and recombining potentially boring and uninteresting story segments into thrilling and exciting tales.

For example, when he chases lions on the prairie and is chased by lions, the two people, one big and one small, will constantly let out low gasps of surprise as Lin Qi narrates these stories, to express their strong emotions.

Laughter and exclamations became the main theme of the meal, so much so that neither of the two people except Lin Qi wanted the dinner to end so soon.

There's an old saying that goes, "Even a stone can be gnawed to its end," let alone a sumptuous and delicious dinner. With the Little Gentleman reluctant to leave, dinner finally came to an end.

After dinner, Lin Qi drove the mother and son back to their current home. The community looked pretty good. After the first and second waves of bankruptcy, many people moved out, while some new residents moved in, making the place look less desolate and empty.

The guards at the gate were still working as usual, and there were also security teams patrolling the streets.

After Vera coaxed the child to rest, she returned to the Living Room. "I don't know how to say it, but thank you so much. I haven't been as happy as I am tonight in a long time, and neither has he!"

She was referring to him as her child, and he hadn't been as happy as he was today since he moved back from his grandparents' house.

This long-lost joy seems to be quietly changing some of her and her child's emotional issues, which is what she feels most deeply about.

"It's what I should do. You've worked so hard for me, and all I did was treat you and the little boy to a simple dinner and tell you a few stories. In fact, I'm the one who should be thanking you," Lin Qi, as gentlemanly and humble as ever.

He then changed the subject, "I heard you hired a maid, but now it seems..." He looked around, "I don't think I see your maid."

"I fired her and found a new part-time worker through the community." Vera sighed as she spoke. "I found out that the previous live-in maid was stealing, so I fired her for my and my child's safety."

Vera did not call the police. The maid repeatedly begged Vera to forgive her, claiming that she stole only to earn some money to support her family.

Kind-hearted Vera ultimately did not call the police, but simply dismissed the maid.

Lin Qi frowned after hearing this. "When did this happen?"

Vera didn't take this matter very seriously, but she still thought about it for a while. "It's been more than a week. Actually, I'm not sure if that was the first time. It's possible that it happened before, but I just happened to find out about it that time."

After listening, Lin Qi frowned slightly. "You should tell the police about this. It could put you in danger."

Seeing Vera's seemingly unconcerned expression, Lin Qi explained briefly, "If that was her first time stealing, the problem isn't too serious. You discovered it in time and stopped her, preventing her greed from growing."

"But if that wasn't her first time stealing, and she used to have a stable extra income from stealing, now that you've fired her, her financial problems will suddenly become complicated."

"If she can't find a solution, she'll eventually turn her attention to you."

Lin Qi looked around. "She knows this place exceptionally well. She knows what time you leave in the morning and what time you come back in the evening. She knows what time your children go to school and what time they come out of school every day. She even picks them up and drops them off herself."

"When she desperately needs money but has no way to legally obtain it, you become her best option."

"She can kidnap your little boy, she can infiltrate this place based on your habits, and once she gets what she wants, there's a high chance she'll..."

"Because you know her, you know who she is. If you call the police, she won't be able to escape!"

Before Lin Qi mentioned these things, Vera didn't think there was anything scary about it; it was just about firing a thieving housekeeper.

But as Lin Qi talked about these things, she suddenly broke out in a cold sweat and grabbed Lin Qi's forearm helplessly, as if asking him what she should do.

As if hearing her voice, Lin Qi offered her a solution that would put her mind at ease. "I'll stay here tonight, and tomorrow I'll find you two suitable people, possibly recent female soldiers. They're safe and reliable..."