The three generations of grandfather and grandchild chatted for a long time. It was only when Old Master could no longer hold out and had to return to his room to rest that Huahua followed Dad out.
They did not go down the mountain. Instead, they settled into the room next to Old Master’s.
The moment Huahua entered, she stared around with her little mouth open. The room was even larger than Grandma’s entire house.
“Dad’s house is so big and beautiful!”
Holding Huahua in his arms, Li Xiuzhe could feel the child’s astonishment and curiosity the entire time. With a smile, he corrected her, “Dad doesn’t usually live here. After the banquet is over, I’ll take you back to Dad’s house.”
“Mhm, mhm.”
He raised his wrist to check the time, then called a maid to help Huahua take a bath.
The old residence kept children’s clothes on hand all year round, so there was no need to worry about Huahua having nothing that fit her. Once he had confirmed that everything was properly arranged, Li Xiuzhe went to another bathroom to wash up.
He could not stop thinking about his daughter. After hurriedly finishing his shower, he came out and found that Huahua still had not emerged. He sat on the sofa and waited. When the bathroom door finally opened, he saw the little girl slowly dragging herself out like a wilted cabbage. She looked utterly pitiful.
His brows drew together, and he strode over. When he had closed the distance to a meter, he heard the child calling for her mother in her heart.
Realizing that she was missing her mother, Li Xiuzhe relaxed. He looked down at the little bundle on the floor and called, “Huahua.”
Huahua immediately raised her head. The instant she saw him, her little face brightened, and she called in a soft, clingy voice, “Dad.”
Feeling his daughter’s wholehearted dependence on him, Li Xiuzhe was in an excellent mood. He bent down and picked up the little bundle, then asked, despite already knowing the answer, “What are you doing?”
“Huahua was thinking about Mom. Mom always gives Huahua her bath. Dad, why did you argue with Mom?”
After a brief moment of thought, Li Xiuzhe knew that this was that woman’s excuse. He covered Huahua’s head with one large hand and ruffled her hair twice.
“You don’t understand grown-up matters. Don’t meddle.”
Huahua pouted and persisted, “Then when are Dad and Mom going to make up?”
“When you grow up,” Li Xiuzhe replied perfunctorily.
“But Huahua misses Mom. Huahua hasn’t seen Mom for a whole day.”
Li Xiuzhe did not know how to comfort a child, so he gave his final verdict. “Then start getting used to it from today onward. It’s late. Don’t think about it anymore. Dad’s taking you to your room to sleep now.”
Children’s attention was easily diverted. Huahua stood on the bed, which was worth a hundred thousand yuan, and played at bouncing on it, laughing with delight.
Li Xiuzhe sat beside the bed, thinking about how he would care for the child in the future. His parents had many social engagements as well, and it would be difficult to guarantee that no one would take advantage of the situation.
The best solution would be to find a full-time nanny to stay with her around the clock. But Li Xiuzhe had been left with a psychological shadow after being poisoned by a nanny as a child. He did not trust outsiders enough to leave her with them, and he found himself in a dilemma.
Just then, a weight landed on his back, and the milky scent of a child drifted into his nose. Huahua lay across his back and wheedled, “Dad, it’s story time. Huahua wants to hear a princess story.”
He turned around. Huahua had already burrowed into the blankets and settled herself down, gazing up at him expectantly with her big eyes.
Li Xiuzhe kept his handsome face stern and said nothing. Huahua gradually grew disappointed, but soon cheered herself up and comforted her inexperienced father.
“Dad, Huahua knows how to tell stories. How about Huahua tells one to Dad?”
Touched by his daughter’s thoughtfulness, Li Xiuzhe’s cold eyes and brows shifted slightly. He played along and said, “All right.”
Huahua told him to lie down in the blankets, saying that the story could only begin that way. Mom always did it like that.
Li Xiuzhe hesitated for a moment, but obediently climbed into bed. His daughter, soft and milky like a little ball of cream, patted his chest with her tiny hands and imitated her mother’s tone.
“Once upon a time, there was a little princess….”
Fifteen minutes later, Li Xiuzhe looked at the little bundle in his arms, who had soothed herself to sleep with her own story. Amused, he stroked the child’s face and was once again charmed by how adorable his daughter was.
That woman had raised her very well. For that alone, if she came looking for him, he would double the amount he had originally intended to pay her.
He stared for a long while at the face so similar to his own. Then Li Xiuzhe kissed Huahua’s forehead before putting away the gentle expression he never showed during the day and returning to his room to sleep.
Only after his door had quietly closed did the audience finally bring themselves to break the warm atmosphere.
【A tough man with a tender side—I can’t resist it when a handsome man shows such a gentle expression! I’m sold!】
【Huahua is so adorable. She even knows how to tell stories.】
【Why didn’t he sleep with Huahua? What if she needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night?】
The audience’s words proved prophetic.
In the middle of the night, Li Xiuzhe heard knocking at the door, along with a child’s soft, delicate calls.
“Dad…. Dad…. Li Xiuzhe….”
The child’s clear voice brought a hint of horror to the silent night. The great CEO sat bolt upright and yanked open the door, carrying all the murderous irritation of someone whose sleep had been disturbed. A soft little body immediately crashed into his legs.
At last, she had found her father. Huahua lifted her little arms high.
“Dad, carry me.”
She had woken because she needed to pee. When she opened her eyes, she had found herself in an unfamiliar place with no one beside her. Everything around her was so large that it frightened her.
Feeling the child’s unease and fear at being in an unfamiliar environment, as well as her instinctive dependence on him like a fledgling seeking its parent, Li Xiuzhe realized that he had not considered things carefully enough.
He sighed, carried Huahua to the bathroom, and somewhat awkwardly helped her put her pants back on and wash her little hands. Then he carried her back to bed and lay down with her beneath the blankets.
“You’re not allowed to wet the bed.”
Huahua sniffed, burrowed into her father’s arms, and pressed her little face against his. Her eyes curved into happy crescents as she smiled.
“Huahua won’t wet the bed. Good night, Dad.”
“…Good night.”
Huahua’s clingy, sweet manner dispelled all of Li Xiuzhe’s irritation. Although he was unaccustomed to sleeping with someone else, he still closed his eyes while holding his daughter, who smelled like milk. He had thought he would be unable to sleep, but before long he drifted off.
Elsewhere, however, countless people were unable to sleep.
Sleeping alone, Mu Qingrou stared at Huahua’s little pajamas and cried through the night.
After returning to their respective homes, the Li family members called a family meeting that very night to discuss their plans for the future.
At the same time, in a luxurious villa in the outskirts of the capital, a delicate-featured woman asked the nanny, “Have you found Mu Qingrou?”
“Yes, Ruiyue. She just moved out of a small hotel, and our people are already following her. We won’t let her slip out of our control again. But we didn’t see her daughter. That’s a little strange.”
Shang Ruiyue’s eyes, lined with exquisite eyeliner, widened.
“How many times have I told you not to call me by my name? Are you trying to make other people suspicious?”
When she saw the disappointment in the nanny’s eyes, she felt intensely irritated inside, but comforted her aloud. “Oh, Auntie Liu, I’m sorry. You know that we can’t let anything slip. You’re a servant, and I’m the Shang family’s beloved daughter. Would it be proper if someone heard you addressing me by my name?”
Liu Yan quickly suppressed the disappointment in her heart and looked at the other woman with eyes full of affection. She reassured her, “It was my mistake. It won’t happen again.”
Shang Ruiyue nodded with a smile and continued the earlier topic. “The child may be in the hospital. That isn’t important. Arrange for someone to drive her back to the countryside as soon as possible. I won’t allow her even the slightest chance to appear in front of my parents. Not the slightest chance!”
Liu Yan hurriedly replied, “Yes, yes, I know. I’ve already arranged it. That little wretch won’t be able to survive in the capital for more than three days before obediently returning to the countryside. When the time comes, we’ll have Wang Fang marry her off somewhere far away as soon as possible. She’ll never have any dealings with the Shang family for the rest of her life.”
Shang Ruiyue finally smiled with satisfaction, one corner of her mouth lifting. Her expression softened as she said, “Thank you for your hard work, Auntie Liu. I’m a little tired. You should go rest too.”
Liu Yan nodded timidly. Before leaving, she conveniently made Shang Ruiyue’s bed and laid out the clothes she would change into later. Only then did she smile and say, “Eldest Miss, get some good rest.”
The luxurious, dreamlike princess bedroom now held only Shang Ruiyue.
Sitting before the vanity, she slowly removed the heavy makeup from her face, revealing a plain, unremarkable face. Only the air of a girl raised in wealth lent her appearance a little more color.
Shang Ruiyue stared at the face in the mirror, which looked nothing like the members of the Shang family. Her fingertips tightened slightly around the cotton pad. It took her a long while to calm herself and suppress the anxiety in her heart.
Then, as if she had thought of something, she sneered again, a venomous light glinting in her eyes.
“Mu Qingrou, since fate has arranged things this way for us, then you can keep sinking in the mire.”
“Forever and ever. Don’t even think about coming back.”