Lu Rao rushed forward.
But she only saw Gu Yucheng and another person leaving through the opposite exit.
“Xu Jia?”
Lu Rao stared fixedly at the middle-aged man beside Gu Yucheng—wearing a suit vest and carrying a medical case.
Then she smiled.
A smile as cold as frost.
This man was Xu Jia, the Lu family’s private doctor—her father’s best friend!
“No wonder Father was ambushed… it wasn’t just because Gu Yucheng suddenly got capable. It was very likely Xu Jia who betrayed him!”
Betrayal from the closest friend was always the most impossible to guard against.
Her father had always been so loyal—how heartbreaking it must have been for him at that time!
Only then did Lu Rao understand why such a capable man like her father had been imprisoned in that basement for ten whole years!
And this Xu Jia… was the uncle of the male lead, Xu Zhengyang, in the novel.
“Good. All of you just wait.”
Lu Rao quickly dealt with the guards at the entrance, tossing them into her space before slipping into the secret chamber.
Right now, nothing mattered more than her father.
At that moment, Gu Yucheng, who had just turned the corner, suddenly frowned and touched the back of his neck.
“Why do I suddenly feel a chill?”
Xu Jia was in a bad mood. Now that Lu Fengtang was dead, the location of the Lu family treasure would no longer be known.
He only glanced at Gu Yucheng coldly and reminded him, “Dispose of Lu Fengtang’s body immediately. Otherwise, if the Lu family elders find out, they’ll suspect the treasure has already been taken. You won’t be able to escape responsibility.”
Gu Yucheng’s heart tightened. He quickly said he would send someone to handle it.
“You handle it yourself,” Xu Jia said impatiently.
Gu Yucheng gritted his teeth and agreed.
“Jianjian, watch the outside for me.”
Lu Rao gave a mental instruction and slipped into the chamber.
The moment she saw the man lying on the stone bed, tears instantly fell.
Was this… her father?
The once tall and imposing man was now nothing but skin and bones, curled up motionless. His limbs were thinner than hers.
Lu Rao rushed over, her fingers trembling, afraid to touch him.
Afraid that if she did, her father would shatter.
“Dad… I’m Rao Rao.”
“Look at me… I’m Rao Rao… I’m here.”
She held back her tears desperately and tried to check his breath.
Her face instantly turned pale.
“No… no way.”
“Dad is so strong… he wouldn’t give up. There must be a way… there must be…”
“Right, the spirit spring! Jianjian!”
The system had already prepared a cup of spring water.
With a thought, the cup appeared in her hand.
But Lu Fengtang couldn’t swallow on his own.
【Waaah what do we do!】
Even the system panicked.
Suddenly it shouted.
【Host! He still has a heartbeat! Don’t give up! Slowly pour it in—he can swallow it!】
It was like hearing a lifeline.
Lu Rao carefully fed the water into Lu Fengtang’s mouth, gently stroking his throat to help him swallow.
Finally—
His throat moved.
Lu Rao’s tears broke instantly, continuing to feed him the spirit spring.
Luckily, he could still swallow.
She watched his face closely.
Ten years in a dark basement had left him ghostly pale, and now he looked like he was on the verge of death.
But as the spirit spring took effect, his complexion slowly improved—still weak, but the corpse-like yellowish tone faded.
“This is enough.”
As long as he could live.
Lu Rao didn’t dare imagine what would have happened if she hadn’t obtained the space and spirit spring.
Afraid that Gu Yucheng might return, she waited until Lu Fengtang stabilized slightly before preparing to carry him away.
But the moment she lifted him, her nose stung.
He was too light.
A man over 1.8 meters tall now weighed about the same as her.
Suppressing her emotions, she quickly left the chamber and entered another hidden passage.
“Jianjian, monitor those people in my space.”
【Don’t worry, Host. I’m watching them.】
【They lost consciousness as soon as they entered the space. No abnormalities so far.】
“Good.”
Lu Rao had only just obtained the space and wasn’t fully sure of its effects yet.
So she didn’t immediately place her father inside.
Instead, she decided to observe the guards she had stored for at least half an hour first.
With the system helping her, she focused entirely on saving her father.
She took out a blanket from the space and wrapped him gently, her heart aching again.
That beast Gu Yucheng hadn’t even given him proper clothes.
It was almost December—frost was forming outside—but Lu Fengtang was still wearing a tattered single layer of clothing, filthy and blackened beyond recognition.
Lu Rao couldn’t imagine how he had survived ten years like this.
She wiped her tears away and used her space to prepare hot water bags and a hot-water bottle, carefully placing them around him to warm his hands and feet.
Then she fed him a life-preserving pill from her grandfather’s secret collection, followed by ginseng tea from Wang Ma, spoon by spoon.
A few minutes later—
Lu Fengtang’s eyelids finally moved.
“Dad?” Lu Rao knelt beside him, holding his hand gently.
Through the haze, Lu Fengtang seemed to hear his daughter’s voice.
“Rao… Rao…”
His daughter.
His precious daughter needed him.
A strong will to live surged through him, breaking through the darkness.
He opened his eyes.
“Dad!” Lu Rao rushed into his arms in joy.
His gaze slowly focused, finally seeing the tearful girl in front of him.
At one glance—
He recognized her.
His Rao Rao.
His precious daughter.
Ten years… and he finally saw her again.
He didn’t doubt it was a dream.
He had survived all these years only because of the belief that he would see his daughter again.
Now that she was here—how could it be a dream?
“Rao Rao…”
Lu Fengtang gave a weak smile.
His voice was hoarse from disuse, but filled with warmth.
“Dad is sorry… for making you suffer.”
Lu Rao could no longer hold back her tears.
She hated crying.
Lu family members didn’t cry.
She hated it.
She hated it deeply.
And she hated those bastards even more.
“Dad, we’re out of that basement now. I’ll feed you something and take you away.”
She quickly explained the situation while feeding him porridge, only mentioning that the Lu family was in trouble and about to face upheaval.
Lu Fengtang looked at his daughter—so calm, so composed.
Pride and heartache welled up at the same time.
“Our Rao Rao has grown up.”
Lu Rao wiped her tears and looked at him pitifully.
“Dad… did I turn out wrong?”
Lu Fengtang gently patted her head.
“Of course not. You were Dad’s pride before, and you still are.”
His daughter… was the best.
Lu Rao finally smiled through tears.
She wanted to tell him she had never slacked off for a single day.
Let others say what they wanted.
As long as her father said she was good—she was still his proud daughter.
But Lu Fengtang’s body was too weak. After a few bites, he drifted back into exhaustion.