Of course, Song Yao couldn’t just admit to being his daughter so quickly.
Otherwise, wouldn’t she just be serving herself up as bait?
Right now, she looked the part: still shaken, with her guard up as high as it could go.
She was the very picture of a poor child who had just escaped death, only to be betrayed by her own father.
Several times, Mr. Shen wanted to lean in closer, or ask, "Maybe... I’m your dad."
The question danced on the tip of his tongue several times, but in the end, he forced it back down his throat.
The words reached his lips, only to be swallowed again.
’After all, in this girl’s mind, her own father is the one who wants her dead!’
Mr. Shen’s heart sank, and a slow burn of anger began to rise within him.
’If it turns out this girl really is my daughter, I’ll personally flay alive anyone who dared to hurt her in my name!’
’What if... what if heaven has finally taken pity on me and sent my lost daughter back?’
The mere thought made his nose sting with the urge to cry.
But he quickly stamped out that soft emotion.
’Now is not the time to be sentimental.’
"Don’t be afraid, kid."
Just as the car passed through the main gate of the military base, Mr. Shen finally found a chance to speak.
"You’re on military grounds in Nanhui City now. Even if someone wanted to cause you trouble, they wouldn’t be able to get in."
Song Yao leaned listlessly against the window, glancing at the guard posts and barracks outside.
She said weakly, "But those people... they’re just like you. I had to steal a vehicle to escape all the way to Nanhui City."
The moment she said that, it wasn’t just Mr. Shen who was stunned.
The driver shot her a look in the rearview mirror.
’Steal a vehicle?’
’With her tiny frame?’
Mr. Shen’s brow furrowed. "You... you’re not lying to me, are you?"
Song Yao hummed in affirmation.
"I even left the vehicle parked on the outskirts of Nanhui City..."
She subconsciously touched a tear in her sleeve, her knuckles turning white.
Afraid they would think she’d committed a crime, she quickly waved her hands and explained.
"I really didn’t mean to steal it! But they were chasing me, and I would have died if I didn’t run! It just so happened they were in total chaos, so I saw an opening and drove the vehicle out of there..."
Mr. Shen & the driver: "..."
Neither of them spoke right away.
After a long silence, Mr. Shen finally spoke, his voice slow. "You know how to drive?"
His tone sounded casual, but Song Yao’s ears perked up. She immediately sensed something was off.
’This wasn’t concern. It was a test.’
’And not the first one, either.’
’Here we go again.’
’My so-called father is probing me again.’
The young woman blinked, her face a mask of confusion.
"What’s so hard about it? Anyone can figure out how to start the ignition and shift gears just by watching a few times, right?"
’Learned just by watching?’
The corner of Mr. Shen’s eye twitched.
’The nerve!’
’Daring to start up a transport vehicle without any training?’
’That was no ordinary civilian car.’
’They’re complex to operate, with strict procedures. The slightest mistake could have serious consequences.’
’How could she say something like that so casually?’
’Does she take me for a three-year-old, so easy to fool?’
His gaze darkened, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slowly.
The little bit of warmth he’d felt, born from the hope that she was his daughter, instantly cooled. Suspicion reared its head once more.
’There’s more to this than meets the eye.’
"We’re here. Get out."
After entering the base, Mr. Shen still had someone take Song Yao to have her wounds treated.
A guard quickly led the way down a brightly lit corridor toward the infirmary.
Song Yao obediently followed the doctor.
As they passed a guard post, the two soldiers at the entrance exchanged a look.
Once she had disappeared around the corner, the soldier next to Mr. Shen leaned in and whispered.
"Did you find anything out, sir?"
Mr. Shen replied without expression, "Hard to say."
His gaze remained fixed on the direction Song Yao had disappeared.
"Huh? That’s it?"
The soldier raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
"Have some people keep an eye on her. Don’t let her leave the designated area."
"Understood!"
"Where’s the operations room? Take me there."
"Yes, sir! This way..."
Inside the infirmary, a doctor was disinfecting her wounds.
The antiseptic stung the wounds, making her hiss in a sharp breath as her face scrunched up in pain.
"Kid, these are some nasty wounds. Who would do something this vicious?"
The doctor sighed, trying to be as gentle as possible.
’She doesn’t look like a trained soldier. How did she end up in such a sorry state?’
Song Yao said nothing, only offering a quiet, "Thank you," with red-rimmed eyes.
Once she was bandaged up, the doctor told her she could go.
Song Yao stood at the door and asked hesitantly, "So... when can I leave?"
The doctor shrugged. "That’s not for me to say. You’ll have to ask the higher-ups."
"Oh..."
Her voice trailed off.
The air smelled of antiseptic, mixed with the metallic tang of iron bed frames and the scent of old books.
The moment she stepped over the threshold, she saw a soldier standing right outside the door.
He stood ramrod straight, his hands pressed flat against the seams of his trousers.
Seeing Song Yao emerge, he spoke immediately. "Comrade, the commander has instructed me to escort you to your quarters. Please come with me."
Song Yao’s heart skipped a beat.
’Just as I thought. Courteous on the surface, but surveillance in reality.’
’My so-called father doesn’t trust me, but he doesn’t plan on kicking me out, either.’
She nodded without a word and followed him.
The corridor wasn’t long, its walls adorned with military maps and safety regulations.
The soldier walked quickly, but she could tell he was controlling his pace to make sure she didn’t fall behind.
’This proves it. Even if my origins are a mystery, as long as I wear the face of his daughter, I can stay.’
The Nanhui Base’s layout wasn’t complex, but security was tight.
There were guard posts at regular intervals, with patrols constantly on the move.
Her room was on the second floor of a small building on the east side.
It wasn’t far from the main administrative building—not a remote location, but not central either.
’Looks like this identity really is useful.’
Inside, the room was simply furnished.
’But then again, how much space does Shen Shuangshuang really occupy in her father’s heart?’
’From the looks of it, Mr. Shen wasn’t rushing to claim me as his daughter, but he hadn’t sent me away either.’
’This lukewarm attitude was the most troublesome kind.’
’No rush. I’ll figure it out slowly.’
She sat on the edge of the bed, took off her shoes, and pulled her feet up to sit cross-legged.
Her mind began to sort through all the information she had gathered over the past few days.
’Shen Shuangshuang may have been his daughter for eighteen years, but Mr. Shen was stationed at his post year-round.’
’You could count the number of days the father and daughter had actually spent together on one hand.’
’That was to my advantage.’
’And what I needed to do, before returning to the Shen Family, was to quickly get close to this so-called father of mine—to build a real connection.’
’Not by acting, but by guiding.’
’Guiding him to unconsciously accept the fact that I am his daughter.’
’Ideally, we’d move from strangers, to a period of testing, and then to him slowly opening his heart.’
’Staying at the Nanhui Base was the best opportunity to do just that.’
’Mr. Shen is a busy man, which gives me the perfect opportunity for frequent interactions.’
Night had fallen, but the lights in the temporary operations room were still on.
It was pitch-black outside the window, save for the flickering lights of a distant watchtower.
Mr. Shen sat in the head seat, a pen in his hand. The ashtray in front of him held three or four cigarette butts.
After a full day of work, Mr. Shen was only now getting a moment to breathe.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
After the third knock, a crisp voice reported from outside the door.
"Reporting!"
Mr. Shen’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up straight.
"Enter."
The door swung open, and a uniformed soldier strode in.
He stopped two paces from the desk and saluted.
"Sir, regarding the matter you asked us to investigate, we made the trip. Here is the photo of the vehicle."
The young soldier handed over a photograph. It showed a truck with a glossy paint job.
The license plate number was clearly visible.
The background looked like some kind of transport depot, with a few blurry figures visible at the edge of the frame.