Dad?
Was he being called?
He Huaiqin's back stiffened, a strange tremor instantly seized him.
He almost subconsciously reached out to hold the fair, tender little hand. The soft, warm, tiny touch felt like a weak current, traveling from his fingertips all the way to his heart.
In just those few seconds, the corner of his heart that had been forcibly frozen seemed to be quietly melting.
"Dad... take me to see Mom..." The little person on the bed turned over, released his finger, smacked their lips, and mumbled indistinctly again, "I miss Mom..."
So it was just sleep-talking.
An indescribable emotion, a mix of loss and self-mockery, surged into his heart, scattering the unfamiliar softness that had begun to form in He Huaiqin's chest.
He slowly withdrew his hand, clenching it into a fist. The lingering warmth on his fingertips seemed to become a little too hot.
He Huaiqin did not sleep that night.
Wen Zhaoning had also been up all night. Qing Ning had a recurring high fever during the night. She gave her fever reducer every four hours, constantly using physical cooling methods in between. By dawn, Qing Ning's fever had broken, and only then did she fall into a drowsy sleep.
He Huaiqin got up and walked out of the bedroom. He saw the little girl standing alone in the second-floor corridor, teasing a small bird on a treetop through the window.
Hearing footsteps, the little girl turned her head alertly. Seeing it was him, the child smiled sweetly.
"Uncle, good morning." Her voice was a little hoarse, clearly her throat wasn't completely comfortable yet.
He Huaiqin nodded and walked to her side, "Where is your mother?"
"Mom is still sleeping. She took care of me all last night and didn't sleep well, so she's catching up on sleep now."
He Huaiqin hummed in response.
He wasn't good at interacting with children. The adult and child stood facing each other in the corridor, and suddenly there was no topic of conversation.
The child's big eyes, so similar to Wen Zhaoning's, were clear and bright. She blinked and looked at He Huaiqin, making the experienced He Huaiqin inexplicably flustered.
He turned to go downstairs, but the child reached out and carefully took his hand.
That soft, warm little hand once again enveloped his fingertips. The same tremor as last night swept over He Huaiqin again.
"Thank you for saving me, Uncle. Thank you for taking me to see Mom." The child was very polite and sincere.
He Huaiqin looked at her tender little face, and for the first time, softened his usually cold and hard voice, asking her in what he thought was his gentlest tone, "What's your name?"
"My name is Lu Nianchu, and my nickname is Qing Ning."
Qin Ning?
He Huaiqin's heart churned. He squatted down, held the child's shoulders, and without even having time to switch his voice to a softer mode, quickly asked, "Which Qin? Which Ning?"
Qing Ning was startled by him, but calmly replied, "Uncle, I'm in the small class at kindergarten. I don't know how to read, so I don't know how to write those two characters."
He Huaiqin was about to ask something else when Wen Zhaoning woke up, hearing the commotion.
She walked out of the guest room and saw He Huaiqin kneeling on one knee in front of Qing Ning. Her heart tightened, and she quickly went over and pulled Qing Ning into her arms.
"Baby, why did you come out without telling Mom?"
"I saw Mom was sleeping, so I didn't want to wake her."
"You're so thoughtful, baby. Thank you, baby." Wen Zhaoning stroked her daughter's small face. "How is it? Does your throat feel any better?"
"It still hurts when I swallow."
"Then let's go back inside quickly, Mom will spray some medicine for you."
"Okay."
As Wen Zhaoning hugged her child and turned to go back to the guest room, He Huaiqin grabbed her hand from behind. Wen Zhaoning's alarm bells went off. Was this man crazy? The child was still here, and he was pulling and tugging at her. What if the child saw?
"Lawyer He..." she pleaded with her eyes, hoping He Huaiqin wouldn't say or do anything inappropriate in front of the child.
He Huaiqin looked at her. After a moment, he let go of her hand.
"What's for breakfast? I'll have someone send it over."
Wen Zhaoning breathed a sigh of relief. "Porridge, please."
After Wen Zhaoning sprayed medicine on Qing Ning, Qing Ning said she wanted to watch Peppa Pig. Wen Zhaoning's phone was almost out of battery, so she took Qing Ning downstairs.
In the restaurant downstairs, He Huaiqin was making coffee.
"Lawyer He, can I borrow your television to watch a cartoon?" Wen Zhaoning asked.
"The remote is on the coffee table."
"Okay, thank you."
Wen Zhaoning put on Peppa Pig for the child and then went upstairs to wash up.
After a chaotic night of taking care of Qing Ning, she hadn't had time to tidy herself up. Fortunately, when He Huaiqin had someone send breakfast, they also brought a few sets of clean clothes for her and the child.
Wen Zhaoning went into the guest room bathroom and took a shower.
Steam filled the bathroom.
Just as she finished showering and was about to blow-dry her hair, she heard a "click" as the bathroom door was pushed open.
"Baby, did you finish already?"
Wen Zhaoning thought it was Qing Ning. When she turned around, she saw He Huaiqin had entered.
"Why are you here?" She subconsciously clutched the bath towel at her chest. "Get out!"
"This is my house, and you want me to leave?" He Huaiqin walked closer to her. "Go where?"
Wen Zhaoning couldn't answer.
Yes, this was his house. Now she and the child were just visitors.
He Huaiqin's gaze was locked on her.
She was only wrapped in a soft white bath towel, which barely covered her vital areas, outlining her graceful curves. Startled, her chest rose and fell slightly, revealing a hint of her cleavage.
He Huaiqin's morning arousal reached its peak at this moment.
He placed both hands on the marble countertop of the sink, trapping Wen Zhaoning within his embrace.
"What are you doing?" Wen Zhaoning was flustered and helpless. He Huaiqin's gaze was too intense, so hot that the water droplets on her body seemed to be evaporating.
"What's your daughter's name?" He Huaiqin asked.
"Lu Nianchu."
"What's her nickname?"
"Qing Ning."
"Which Qin? Which Ning?"
"The 'Qing' from green, and the 'Ning' from lemon."
He Huaiqin paused.
So it was this Qing Ning, not the two characters he had imagined.
"Why are you called Nianchu? Why are you called Qing Ning?"
Wen Zhaoning hadn't expected He Huaiqin to be so perceptive, to be able to find a clue in her child's name.
Yes, when she named her child, both "Nianchu" and "Qing Ning" carried her personal sentiment for that first love. However, she couldn't let He Huaiqin know.
He Huaiqin hated her. His desire for her to be his lover meant he only wanted a purely physical relationship. Children represented the deepest emotional bonds in the world, and they didn't need such an emotional connection between them.
"'Nianchu' was the name Lu Hengyu chose. As for 'Qing Ning,' it's because I went into labor next to a lemon tree. To commemorate it, her nickname became Qing Ning."
"Perfect. A seamless explanation." He Huaiqin gazed at her. "If that's the case, why do you only dare to call her 'baby' in front of me, and never use her name?"
Wen Zhaoning thought she was being cautious, but her caution had become a flaw in front of him.
"Because I'm used to calling her baby. Is there a problem, Lawyer He?" Wen Zhaoning's heart pounded, but she didn't show any guilt. Instead, she raised her head to meet He Huaiqin's gaze. "Lawyer He, you've been asking about my daughter's name. What are you trying to prove?"
He Huaiqin looked directly into her open gaze and suddenly felt utterly ridiculous. He must have been crazy to search for evidence of her past love for him in her and someone else's child.
If she had truly loved him, why would she have abandoned him so decisively to marry someone else and have children?
"Once the child recovers, send her away." He Huaiqin said coldly. "I don't accept a buy-one-get-one-free transaction, and I don't want the child around to disturb my mood when I'm in bed with you."
Transaction.
In bed.
His mood.
He Huaiqin was reminding her, over and over, of her current situation. She was nothing more than a plaything she had sold herself for.
Wen Zhaoning suppressed the ache in her heart and nodded. "Don't worry, Lawyer He. Even if you didn't say it, I would send her away. After all, I don't want my child to see me selling myself out of desperation any more than you do."
Hmph, "selling herself out."
He Huaiqin snorted coldly, walked out of the bathroom, and slammed the door shut with a "bang," leaving her alone in that private, humid space.
After that day, He Huaiqin never visited the villa again, but he sent meals on time every day.
Under Wen Zhaoning's careful care, Qing Ning quickly recovered. On the weekend, Wen Zhaoning sent Qing Ning to their hometown in Youshan.
Of course, Wen Zhaoning was extremely reluctant to be separated from her daughter, but she still had a tough divorce battle to fight with Lu Hengyu. If Qing Ning stayed in Shanghai, Lu Hengyu might target her again. She didn't want to experience the fear of losing her child again; she had to ensure Qing Ning's safety.
In their hometown in Youshan, Wen Zhaoning's mother and uncle's family were all there. They could help take care of Qing Ning. Wen Zhaoning's cousin's son was a year older than Qing Ning, and the two siblings had a good relationship, often playing together.
Qing Ning was happy about going back to Youshan, but she was also a little anxious about leaving Wen Zhaoning.
"Mom, I'm going to miss you so much." As they parted, Qing Ning hugged Wen Zhaoning's neck, unwilling to let go. "What will I do if I miss you?"
"If you miss Mom, just video call me." Wen Zhaoning, holding back tears, urged Qing Ning, "Listen to Grandma and Great Uncle, take good care of yourself, and when Mom finishes her business in Shanghai, I'll come back to be with you."
"Mom, are you going to divorce Dad?"
"Who told you that?"
"I heard Grandma say it before. Grandma said divorce means Dad and Mom separate and never see each other again. It means Dad doesn't want Mom and Qing Ning anymore and is going to have a son with another aunt."
Wen Zhaoning hadn't expected her mother-in-law, Zhao Manli, to have discussed divorce in front of the child. She was furious. "What does Qing Ning think?"
"I support Mom and Dad separating and never seeing each other again. Anyway, Dad rarely comes home, so I won't miss him at all." Qing Ning hugged Wen Zhaoning's neck tightly and whispered a secret in her ear, "Mom, actually, that night, I saw Dad hit you. He threw an ashtray at your head, and you bled a lot..."
As Qing Ning spoke, her young mind replayed the memory, and she couldn't help but cry in fear.
Wen Zhaoning was stunned. So Qing Ning had seen everything that night.
What kind of fear must this little person have endured to hold back her tears, and then act as if nothing had happened the next day?
"Qing Ning, since you saw it, why didn't you tell Mom?"
"I knew Mom didn't want me to know, so she kept wearing a hat and mask. I didn't want to make Mom sad."
Wen Zhaoning's heart ached as she listened.
Qing Ning was precocious. It was precisely because she was so sensible that Wen Zhaoning felt even more heartbroken.
"Mom, I hate Dad. Divorce doesn't mean Dad doesn't want Qing Ning and Mom; it means Qing Ning and Mom don't want Dad." Qing Ning nestled in Wen Zhaoning's arms, her small hands cupping Wen Zhaoning's cheeks. "Mom, you have to take good care of yourself in Shanghai. Qing Ning doesn't want to see Mom get hurt again."
"Okay." Wen Zhaoning choked back tears and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Qing Ning, you have to take good care of yourself too. Mom loves you."
"I love Mom too."
On the way back to the city, Wen Zhaoning couldn't stop crying.
They say love is always feeling indebted. She loved Qing Ning so much that she often felt she owed her child too much. The truth about her parentage that she couldn't reveal to Qing Ning, the incomplete family she couldn't give Qing Ning – these were all unerasable pains in her heart. And now, mother and daughter even had to face this separation...
Fortunately, children forget quickly. Before Wen Zhaoning even returned to Shanghai, her mother, Yao Dongxue, had already sent a video of Qing Ning happily playing with her brother.
"Ning Ning, you focus on handling your business in Shanghai. I'll definitely take good care of the child." Her mother said.
"Thanks, Mom."
"It's Mom who should thank you. You've carried so much for the Wen family."
Wen Zhaoning looked at her mother's message and didn't reply.
All she hoped for now was to divorce Lu Hengyu quickly, to make He Huaiqin tired of her soon, and to return to her mother and daughter as soon as possible to start a new life.
As the car entered Shanghai, Wen Zhaoning's phone rang.
It was He Huaiqin's call.
"Hello," Wen Zhaoning answered.
"Did you send the child away?"
"Mm."
He Huaiqin didn't ask where she sent the child, only said, "Come to the law firm now."
"What's wrong?"
"Let's talk about your divorce lawsuit."
"Okay."
Wen Zhaoning rushed to the law firm without delay.
Familiar with the place, the receptionist didn't even ask the usual questions this time and directly let Wen Zhaoning in.
Wen Zhaoning walked to He Huaiqin's office, gently knocked on the door, and after being granted permission, pushed it open and entered.
After a few days apart, He Huaiqin looked unchanged. He was still in a crisp black suit, his tie perfectly knotted, exuding a cold and distant aura.
After Wen Zhaoning entered, he didn't look up at her, not even lifting an eyelid. He simply said, "Sit," and continued to reply to client emails with full concentration.
Chen Yi came in and brought Wen Zhaoning a cup of coffee. Wen Zhaoning drank her coffee and waited. After a while, He Huaiqin finished his work and looked up at her.
As their eyes met, He Huaiqin instinctively remembered the bathroom that day, recalling her fair skin and graceful body under the light.
He hadn't seen her these past few days because he was intentionally restraining himself.
Unexpectedly, upon meeting her again, that strange yet familiar fire surged up.
He Huaiqin cleared his throat and began, "I will personally handle your divorce lawsuit. I will ask you a few questions next, and you need to answer them truthfully."
"Okay."
"You've been married to Lu Hengyu for six years. During these six years, was your marital life harmonious?"
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