Xiao Youzi had seen Jiang Yu’s photo before.
Sometimes, her mother would stare at that photo, lost in thought for a long time.
But that uncle not only had other aunties around him, but he was also very fierce.
“Mom, are you going to abandon me?”
Her little head looked up at her, tears welling up in her eyes, ready to fall at any moment.
If she hadn’t sensed that her mother was about to hand her over to the uncle in the photo, Xiao Youzi wouldn’t have felt such panic and fear.
She immediately clung tightly to her mother’s leg, lifted her head, and pleaded earnestly:
“Mom, please don’t leave me behind, okay?”
“I won’t bother you to buy cakes and chocolate anymore. I won’t laze in bed in the morning either, and I’ll never drag my feet again.”
“Mom, please, don’t leave me behind.”
The tender, fearful pleas tore at Lin Ting’s heart.
When she crouched down to hug her daughter tightly, she felt utterly helpless.
Mother and daughter embraced each other, weeping together.
It took a while before Lin Ting found the strength to wipe away her daughter’s tears.
But after she died, there would be no one left to wipe her daughter’s tears.
She forced her choked voice to sound calmer and gentler, “Mom won’t leave you. How could Mom bear to leave you? Mom loves Xiao Youzi the most.”
But this time… she was going to break her promise.
She had never broken a promise to her daughter before.
The first time she broke her promise, she would be leaving this world, abandoning her daughter in this cold, indifferent world, leaving her all alone and helpless.
The next day, Xiao Youzi transferred to a new school.
As a middle-class kindergarten student, she had long passed the stage of separation anxiety when starting school.
In the past, even when changing schools, Xiao Youzi could adapt quickly.
But this time, after completing the enrollment procedures, when the homeroom teacher was about to take Xiao Youzi to class, Xiao Youzi kept looking back every few steps.
Finally, she stopped and turned around, looking at her mother with worry in her eyes.
“Mom, will you come pick me up after school this afternoon?”
At that moment, Lin Ting’s nose stung, her throat tightened, and she felt so overwhelmed she could hardly breathe.
Xiao Youzi was still afraid that she would abandon her.
She nodded firmly.
“Yes, Mom will be the first one here.”
“Mom also promises you that as long as Mom is alive in this world for one more day, Mom will stay with you for one more day, and we will never be apart.”
She just didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.
Xiao Youzi immediately seemed to have taken a calming pill, breaking into a smile.
“Mom, you’re so gentle and kind. You’ll definitely live to be a hundred years old, and then we can be together forever.”
Even though she had warned herself not to shed a single tear in front of her daughter for the rest of her days, hearing her daughter’s words about “living a long life” suddenly brought tears to Lin Ting’s eyes.
Throughout the day, Xiao Youzi performed exceptionally well at school and was very happy.
But just before school ended, Xiao Youzi was taken outside the classroom, where she saw a tall, slender, and imposing figure. The smile on her face instantly froze, replaced by caution, wariness, and unease…
Didn’t Mom say she would still be the first one to pick her up today?
Why was it the uncle from the photo?
Oh… no, he was her father.
The person she had always wanted to meet in her dreams, but whose first meeting had made her mother so sad.
She didn’t like him.
But still, she politely greeted him, “Hello, Uncle!”
When Jiang Yu crouched down to approach Xiao Youzi, the oppressive feeling brought by his tall figure seemed less intense.
But Xiao Youzi still took a step back, her little face full of wariness as she stared at him.
“Uncle, what do you need from me?”
Jiang Yu retracted his outstretched hand slightly. Seeing Xiao Youzi so nervous, he didn’t try to hug her again.
He asked softly, “How about Uncle takes you to the playground outside the classroom to play for a while?”
“…” Xiao Youzi stared warily at Jiang Yu, her little mind racing.
This uncle… oh, no, Daddy—he wouldn’t try to take her away, would he?
Seeming to sense her worry, Jiang Yu added, “Don’t worry, just for a little while. I’ll leave when your mom comes to pick you up after school.”
“Okay,” Xiao Youzi reluctantly agreed.
And so, a big hand took hold of a small one, and they stood up to walk outside.
The tiny hand in his large palm seemed tense, held stiffly.
When they reached the slide, Jiang Yu tried to make his voice as gentle as possible, even gentler, so as not to frighten the child. “Go play, Uncle will watch you.”
Truthfully, he just wanted to come see Xiao Youzi.
Playfulness is a child’s nature.
Soon, Xiao Youzi let herself go freely.
When she went to climb the rope, Xiao Youzi slipped from about a meter off the ground and fell.
“Careful!”
Jiang Yu instinctively reached out to catch her.
But the little figure nimbly scrambled to her feet.
Only then did Jiang Yu realize he had been badly startled, his heartbeat irregular.
The small child in front of him patted the sand off her clothes and looked at him with a bright smile. “Uncle, I’m fine. Mom says if you fall, just get back up and it’s okay.”
Jiang Yu couldn’t imagine how Lin Ting had managed all these years raising the child alone.
The child had been raised by Lin Ting to be strong and brave.
And she looked just as delicate as Lin Ting did when she was little.
Only, the little girl’s clothes were a bit worn, though cleanly washed.
A pang of sorrow immediately rose in Jiang Yu’s heart.
If Xiao Youzi really was his daughter, then five years ago, had he wrongly blamed Lin Ting?
Noticing the hearing aid on Xiao Youzi’s ear, Jiang Yu paused in surprise. “What happened to your ear?”
Xiao Youzi pointed to her right ear. “This one can’t hear anymore. Uncle can talk to my left ear!”
A sudden, inexplicable anger flared up inside him.
“What kind of mother is Lin Ting?”
In his anger, Jiang Yu didn’t even notice his voice had risen.
To Xiao Youzi’s ears, the sound was even louder.
It frightened her, making her whole body tense up again.
Realizing this, Jiang Yu felt guilty, and his voice immediately softened. “Sorry, Uncle will speak more quietly.”
Xiao Youzi frowned unhappily. “It’s not my mom’s fault. Back then, Mom and I were in prison. I had a fever that got really bad, and we couldn’t get to the hospital in time, so my ear got damaged. You can’t blame my mom.”
No one was allowed to criticize her mom.
Her mom was the best mom in the whole world.
“What are you doing here?”
When Jiang Yu turned around, Xiao Youzi had already rushed over to Lin Ting.
“Mom, you finally came to pick me up from school! I’ve been waiting for you for so, so long.”
“Sorry, something came up and I got delayed.”
Behind them, Jiang Yu watched the mother and daughter and spoke up. “Lin Ting, let’s find a place to talk.”
Lin Ting responded, “Here is fine. It’s convenient.”
Jiang Yu nodded. “Alright then.”
So, Lin Ting told Xiao Youzi to go play on the slide for a while longer.
Both of them watched Xiao Youzi’s figure as she ran off to play again, their gazes never leaving the small, bundled form.
Then, they fell into a long silence.
Jiang Yu didn’t speak, and neither did Lin Ting.
Once, they had endless things to say, endless conversations to share. As long as they were together, even when sick, their faces would be lit with happy, sweet smiles.
But five years apart had long since changed everything.
It was Jiang Yu who broke the heavy silence. “Is Xiao Youzi really my daughter?”
Pulling his gaze away from Xiao Youzi, he looked at Lin Ting beside him:
“Lin Ting, tell me the truth this time. Are you playing me again?”
These past two days, he had been reflecting.
Lin Ting dared to entrust Xiao Youzi to him, and even confidently gave him her hair for a paternity test.
Could it be that he had wronged her about what happened five years ago?
If so, then his loss of reason in pain the night before last, his sarcasm and bitterness toward her, were the actions of a scoundrel.
He would owe her an apology.
The trajectories of his life, hers, Lin Weiwei’s, and Xiao Youzi’s might all be rewritten.
This concerned everyone’s fate.
All he wanted was one honest word from her.
Lin Ting didn’t answer directly. Instead, standing in the sunset, she asked him in return, “Well, Mr. Jiang, have you gone for the paternity test?”
The address “Mr. Jiang” brought a flicker of pain to Jiang Yu’s refined, handsome face.
“Lin Ting, I just want one honest word from you. If what you say is true, I can let go of everything you did in the past. I’ll make it up to you about the child. But if you dare play me again…”
Before Jiang Yu could finish his sentence, Lin Ting cut him off firmly:
“Mr. Jiang should still go for the paternity test. Wait until the results come out before making any decisions.”