Feng Qian didn’t know how long he had been crying.
It felt like he had been transported back to the day his wife passed away.
He sat curled up in the corner, head bowed, clutching the rope tightly in his hands.
“I’m sorry…”
He murmured the words, barely audible. It was unclear whether he was speaking to himself or soone else.
Feng Qian had always worked tirelessly, pouring himself into his job. Sotis he was so busy he couldn’t spare the ti for a proper al. All he wanted was to create a good environnt for his child.
Not trusting anyone else, he had pleaded with his late wife’s sister to care for his daughter.
He thought it was the best solution.
Now, guilt weighed heavily on his chest, burning into his heart.
He couldn’t bear to imagine the look on his daughter’s face when Zhang Xinrou tied her up with that rope—the helplessness in her eyes.
Every ti he called ho and his daughter said she was fine…
Feng Qian’s fingers dug into his hair, and he wanted nothing more than to tear it all out by the roots.
“I didn’t… protect her…”
He muttered, as if speaking to his late wife.
The world seed to plunge into darkness once again.
Suddenly, he felt sothing wrap around him.
Slowly lifting his head, he looked at the person embracing him.
It was just like seven years ago.
A grown-up Feng Shuyan, still so much like the little girl she had been at three, stood before him, offering him salvation once more.
“Shuyan…”
His voice was hoarse, like a blade scraping against glass, raw and painful.
Just as his wife used to comfort him, Feng Shuyan rested her small face against his and whispered softly in his ear.
“It’s okay, Daddy…”
In that mont, Feng Qian couldn’t hold back any longer.
He let go of the rope and wrapped his arms around Feng Shuyan, repeatedly murmuring, “I’m sorry… I didn’t take care of you… I’m sorry…”
Standing outside the bedroom, Liu Changqing observed the scene silently.
Despite her cold deanor toward Feng Qian at the restaurant earlier, the bond between father and daughter was undeniable.
Feng Shuyan hadn’t touched the food served to her, staring at her cup of cola with a troubled expression instead. The atmosphere had been heavy.
Liu Changqing had put down his chopsticks and packed up the food instead.
Now, following Feng Shuyan’s lead, he and Liu Xiazhi had co to her ho.
At the door, he noticed the security door had been left ajar.
So much had happened today.
Liu Xiazhi’s eyes shimred with complex emotions as she gazed at the tearful embrace between Feng Qian and Feng Shuyan.
Then, she glanced up at Liu Changqing.
Unaware of his daughter’s gaze, Liu Changqing quietly entered the kitchen. He rummaged through the cupboards until he found a few intact plates and used them to arrange the packed food.
He also unpacked the rice he had brought along.
Setting the plates neatly on the table, he placed bottled water beside them, along with the suitcase of money.
Liu Changqing chose not to disturb the father and daughter.
Instead, he gently closed the door and left the apartnt with Liu Xiazhi by his side.
Liu Changqing gently closed the security door, standing for a mont as he stared at it.
His thoughts were deeply stirred by the events of the day.
Suddenly, he noticed sothing unusual.
Turning his head in surprise, he saw Liu Xiazhi’s small, flushed face.
She looked awkward and hesitant—sothing Liu Changqing had never seen before.
Her tiny hand was clutching his fingers, her head lowered.
Her lips moved slightly, opening and closing as though she wanted to say sothing but couldn’t find the words.
In the end, she blurted out in a resigned tone, “I’m hungry!”
Turning her head away, she refused to et his gaze.
She could feel Liu Changqing’s warm, amused eyes on her, and it made her feel unusually self-conscious.
It seed… she wasn’t the only one affected by what they had just witnessed.
A wide smile spread across Liu Changqing’s face.
Taking a deep breath, he said warmly, “Let’s go eat my little princess’s favorite food today!”
Looking at her tenderly, he added, “You can have whatever you want, my darling.”
An Yuanyao lay on her sofa, carefully tilting her head to keep the face mask she had just applied from slipping off.
The cool sensation on her face was wonderfully soothing.
She gently pressed down the edges of the mask where it hadn’t adhered properly, then shifted to a more comfortable position.
Monts ago, she had seen Liu Changqing’s ssage on the novel website.
However, having been disconnected from the world for so ti, she wasn’t familiar with the “QQ” chat app he had ntioned.
She didn’t even have a QQ account.
After seeing the QQ number Liu Changqing had left, it took her quite so ti to register an account using her phone number.
When prompted to choose a userna, she spent so ti picking a poetic and elegant one:
[Jun Zui Xiang Si] (Drunken in Longing).
How artistic, how aningful!
An Yuanyao couldn’t help feeling proud of herself, grinning like a child.
But her joy was short-lived.
She saw the personal details section asking for her age…
A woman’s age is always a secret.
The delight she had felt monts earlier vanished. After a brief pause, she entered “26.”
Close enough, she thought, convincing herself it wasn’t much of a stretch.
After completing the setup, she entered Liu Changqing’s QQ number to send a friend request.
No response.
Unfamiliar with QQ, An Yuanyao didn’t understand why Liu Changqing didn’t imdiately appear in her contacts.
Does he need to approve it first?
With this thought in mind, she decided to relax and apply a face mask to take care of her skin while she waited.
Finding a comfortable spot on the sofa, she glanced at her phone again.
Setting up QQ and figuring out how to use it had taken her a while. She checked the app, but Liu Changqing still wasn’t listed in her contacts.
Her mood soured.
What a heartless guy! After all the money I’ve given him!
Frustrated, An Yuanyao tossed her phone aside, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
One second. Two seconds…
She reached for her phone again.
Still nothing?!
Her irritation grew.
Even if he does accept later, I’m not going to reply right away! she thought stubbornly, clenching her teeth. Let him wait!
She tossed the phone aside again and began humming a tune, trying to distract herself.
But her large eyes kept darting toward the phone, betraying her impatience.
Before long, she grabbed the phone again, unable to resist.
“This idiot!” she muttered, feeling both annoyed and flustered.
Ding!
Just as she spoke, a new contact appeared in her list: [Neighbor Old Liu] (Ge Bi Lao Liu).
For a mont, she froze.
Then, inexplicably, a wave of joy washed over her.
It must be him!
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