Hearing this, Xing Yu looked toward the little girl crouching nearby. She had two pigtails and wore a pink jacket. Her big, watery eyes were filled with curiosity as she stared at him.
Wen Yao felt like her heart was about to leap out of her throat. She knew Xing Yu wouldn’t recognize her, and he didn’t even know about Xin Xin’s existence—but she was still afraid.
Why did Xin Xin suddenly ask if he was her dad?
Enduring the sharp pain, she forced herself up from the ground and pulled her daughter into her arms. “Sorry, she got the wrong person.”
Only then did Xing Yu realize—she was the woman from the blind date… the one who had mistaken him for someone else.
“Your leg is injured. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“I’m fine, thank you for your concern.” Wen Yao held her daughter’s hand tightly and left without looking back.
Wen Xin turned her head to look at the man behind them, her eyes full of confusion.
Xing Yu stood where he was, watching her limp away. Since she didn’t want help, he didn’t insist.
But he still took out his phone and called Captain Lu.
“Captain Lu, there was a hit-and-run today—a scooter hit someone and fled. The victim’s leg injury looks quite serious.”
He also gave the scooter’s license plate number.
After hanging up, Xing Yu drove into Huating Residential Complex.
Wen Yao hadn’t expected to run into Xing Yu here. When she saw his car enter the complex, she wondered—was he here to see Professor Yu?
“Mom, who was that uncle just now?”
Wen Yao reminded her, “Don’t call strangers ‘Dad’ so casually next time, okay?”
Wen Xin asked in confusion, “But he looks a lot like Dad. Just his hair is different—his hair is a bit longer.”
Wen Yao was shocked. “How do you know what your dad looks like?”
Wen Xin replied, “I’ve seen Dad’s photo at Grandma Yu’s house.”
Wen Yao suddenly remembered—there was indeed a photo of Xing Yu at Professor Yu’s house, taken right after he retired from the military. Had Xin Xin overheard something during their conversations?
“He’s not your dad, understand?”
Wen Xin nodded. “Got it, Mom.”
Wen Yao led her daughter to a nearby bus stop, planning to wait until Xing Yu left before going in.
After sitting down, she rolled up the leg of her jeans, revealing her fair, slender calf—it was already starting to swell.
After getting out of the car, Xing Yu carried some gifts to Professor Yu’s door and rang the bell.
Soon, the door opened from inside.
Yu Qian was momentarily stunned to see Xing Yu standing there, then remembered they had agreed to meet today. She had thought it was Wen Yao who arrived.
“Professor Yu,” Xing Yu greeted.
Yu Qian stepped aside. “Xing Yu, come in.”
After entering, Xing Yu placed the gifts on the coffee table.
Yu Qian closed the door and came in. Seeing the gifts, she smiled. “You could’ve just come empty-handed—why bring gifts?”
“It’s only proper, Professor Yu,” Xing Yu replied.
Yu Qian poured him a glass of water and placed it in front of him, then sat down on the sofa.
After five years, she noticed that Xing Yu had become more mature.
Xing Yu looked up and went straight to the point. “Professor Yu, sorry to bother you. I came to ask about Wen Yao. I heard she took a leave from university, and that you helped handle it. Is that right?”
Yu Qian nodded. “Yes. She was ill at the time. Her parents had both passed away, so I helped her with the process.”
Xing Yu pressed on, “What illness did she have?”
“Well, didn’t she gain weight? It got to the point where it affected her health, so she had to take time off to recover.” Yu Qian never expected she would one day lie so casually in front of her student.
Hearing this, Xing Yu quietly let out a breath of relief. “Then do you know where she is now?”
“She went abroad to study.”
A trace of doubt flashed through Xing Yu’s dark eyes. Wen Yao’s family had been poor—how could she afford to study abroad?
“Do you have her contact information? There are some things I’d like to say to her in person.”
“…I don’t have her contact information. Why don’t you ask her classmates? They might know,” Yu Qian said.
Xing Yu had come to Professor Yu full of hope—only to be met with even greater disappointment.
Did Wen Yao really have the money to study abroad?
Where did she get the money?
A classmate of Wen Yao?
Xing Yu drove away from Huating Residential Area.
Only after seeing his car leave did Wen Yao hold Xin Xin’s hand and walk into the neighborhood.
Although Wen Xin was confused about why her mother hadn’t gone in earlier, she didn’t ask.
After pressing the doorbell, Yu Qian opened the door. Seeing Wen Yao outside, it had only been a short moment between them—who knew if they had run into each other.
Wen Xin threw herself into Yu Qian’s arms and said in a soft, childlike voice, “Grandma Yu, I missed you so much.”
That one “grandma” melted Yu Qian’s heart. She picked Wen Xin up. “Oh, I missed you too.”
Wen Yao said, “Teacher Yu, sorry to trouble you these next couple of days. I’ll be going now.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Xin Xin.” Yu Qian said to the little girl in her arms, “Quick, say goodbye to Mommy.”
Wen Xin waved her hand at Wen Yao. “Bye, Mommy! Come pick me up early!”
“Mm, Mommy will come get you as soon as she’s done.”
Wen Xin was Wen Yao’s whole world. This was their first time being apart, and she felt deeply reluctant—but she still had to leave.
She bought a high-speed rail ticket, and by the time she arrived at the station, the timing was just right.
After a three-hour journey, Wen Yao went straight to the hospital.
In the ward, only her grandmother lay there. Her wrinkled face was pale and lifeless.
“Grandma, how are you feeling?”
Ge Chunxia saw Wen Yao and tried to sit up, but she didn’t have the strength.
“Yao Yao, you’re back. I’m fine, it’s just a fever.”
“It was a high fever.” Wen Yao reached out to touch her forehead—it was still very hot.
Not seeing Xin Xin, Ge Chunxia couldn’t help asking, “Why didn’t you bring Xin Xin back?”
Wen Yao replied gently, “Grandma, you’re sick and need someone to take care of you. Xin Xin is still young and also needs care, so I left her at her teacher’s home. I’ll bring her back to visit you next time.”
Hearing this, Ge Chunxia felt it made sense—she just missed Xin Xin.
That night, the high fever finally subsided.
The worry that had been weighing on Wen Yao’s heart finally eased. She bought pork chop noodles near the hospital. Since her grandmother didn’t have much appetite, adding a bit of spice helped her eat a little.
Ge Chunxia hadn’t eaten all day and was indeed hungry now. She finished almost the entire bowl of noodles.
Wen Yao took out a tissue and wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth.
“How have you been lately?”
“I’ve been doing well.”
Ge Chunxia looked at Wen Yao and felt she had grown thinner again. “Have you met anyone suitable at work? If you have, try dating. Having a man by your side means you won’t have to work so hard.”
“I know, Grandma.” Wen Yao responded outwardly, but in her heart, she understood all too well.
Who would be willing to raise someone else’s child?
People always say it’s hard to find a partner when you have a child.
But she didn’t regret choosing to give birth to Xin Xin.
After Xing Yu left, her classmates became even more brazen in bullying her, which led to her developing depression.
Xin Xin was her salvation—and gave her hope for life.
As for relationships, she chose to leave it to fate.
First and foremost, the person had to truly like Xin Xin, not treat her as a burden.
Ge Chunxia was discharged the next morning. After returning home, Wen Yao cleaned the house and took the blankets out to air in the sun.
Looking at the somewhat worn-down house, she knew she had to work hard to earn money, buy a home as soon as possible, and bring her grandmother to live with her.
Through his connections, Xing Yu obtained a list of Wen Yao’s classmates from the school, along with their contact information.
After taking about a year off, Wen Yao returned to school. Her previous classmates had already graduated, so she ended up with a new group.
He called each number on the list one by one.
“Hello, I’m a student from University A. Do you remember a classmate named Wen Yao?”
“You mean Wen Yao? Of course I remember her.”