Chapter 59 Dad, stay.

The father and daughter, one looking at the other's painting, the other looking at the other.

Father Shen's eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if he were thinking of something.

Lu Zhenyu squeezed the pencil in her hand. "You're not going to Jing Si's engagement banquet either?"

Father Shen nodded, "That kid will handle it."

This statement was ambiguous, leaving Lu Zhenyu with doubts. "Does my godmother... know you're leaving?"

When his wife was mentioned, Mr. Shen slowly shifted his gaze to his daughter in front of him.

Lu Zhenyu's biological father sacrificed his life in the line of duty when she was eight years old, and afterwards she could only remember him through the photos that remained.

But people's memories fade with time, just like later, even though she knew the person in the photo was her father, she still felt like a stranger.

After that, whenever she heard the word "father," the first person she thought of was the one standing before her.

His posture was always so upright, with broad shoulders, a strong spine, and powerful arms, capable of lifting her up and holding her in his arms anytime, anywhere after school.

At that time, Shen's father was also busy with work, leaving early and returning late every day.

But whenever I have the chance to leave work early, I always come back immediately to have dinner with them and help them with their homework.

The father and daughter have been together for over twenty years; they understand each other perfectly with just a glance.

For decades, this man, whose image in the hearts of his wife and children had always been tall and imposing, finally broke down at this moment and embraced Lu Zhenyu.

"Daughter, I'm so sorry."

Just last night, the man, who is usually very attached to his home, unusually stayed out all night during his rare days off.

It wasn't that he was angry with his wife, nor was he trying to escape.

It is self-blame, guilt, dissatisfaction and anger towards oneself.

He used to consider himself powerful, with the Shen family behind him, and was respected and revered wherever he went.

But now he is suddenly told that his current status and prestige are all due to the sacrifices of his wife and children.

For a man who has always shouldered responsibility, such a truth is immense and irreversible.

The man was dejected and frustrated.

But he has to hold on, he has to keep moving forward, and he has to get back everything he has lost.

Why did Lu Zhenyu uncontrollably shed tears?

She didn't know, but she said, "Dad, stay."

His imposing back trembled slightly, and Shen Zhen'an looked at her in shock. "What did you just call me?"

Lu Zhenyu smiled, her lips streaked with tears, and said, "I hope you can stay, Dad. You, Godmother, and I will witness the most important moment in my brother's life together, okay?"

Shen Zhenan's eyes turned bloodshot in that instant, and hot tears streamed down his face, one of them landing heavily inside Lu Zhenyu's coat.

He looked so excited, "You called me... Dad?"

"Yes!" Lu Zhenyu smiled through her tears. "You have always been my father. Our family has been separated for so many years. From now on, let's not be separated again, okay?"

She was tired and couldn't walk anymore.

If this short yet turbulent life is truly coming to an end, Lu Zhenyu wants to spend the last moments of her life with her family.

A simple "Dad" is enough to give a father who has been feeling down a renewed sense of motivation and determination.

That was his daughter, whom he had cherished since she was a child. When she was sick, he would leave his work to take care of her every step of the way, and he would look at her every night before going to bed after work.

Does it really matter if someone is your biological child?

He would rather have tied his son to a marriage alliance than sacrifice his daughter.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Shen Zhen'an gently rubbed the head in his arms, his voice trembling:

"Okay, we won't be separated anymore. Dad will stay with you three. Our family will never be separated again."

Knowing that her husband was leaving, Chen Jie stayed in bed all day, without eating a single bite of food or drinking a drop of water.

Everyone says that Mrs. Shen is very tactful in her dealings with people, gets along well with everyone, is popular, has high emotional intelligence, and knows how to advance and retreat.

But no one knows that once upon a time, she was just a girl who liked to quietly paint in her own backyard.

It was because she met the man she fell in love with at first sight and wanted to have something happen with him that she gradually stepped out of her comfort zone.

In order to be with him, for their home, for their children, she forced herself to become the smooth-talking Mrs. Shen.

Her husband's words from last night still echoed in her ears. In fact, she didn't need him to remind her; Chen Jie had been living in endless self-blame and regret for years.

But she had no way out and didn't want to repeat the same mistakes she made back then, so she hid Chen Jie in the dead of night, under the covers.

Five hours have passed since the car started up downstairs; it seems all traces of my husband's presence in this house have vanished.

Chen Jie then propped herself up to sit up, quickly washed up, and went downstairs.

"Aunt Lin, how's the soup coming along?"

When the kitchen staff saw Madam Chen come out, they wiped their hands and quickly went to greet her. "The soup for Miss Beizhen is almost ready, but Madam, would you like to eat something first? How can a person go a day without eating?"

Looking haggard, Chen Jie shook her head. "I'm not eating anymore. Next month is the engagement banquet for both families. I'll just treat it as a way to lose weight."

She went in to check the soup and felt it was a little undercooked, so she added some seasonings and cooked it for another half hour.

"I'll come back in a bit."

Feeling cold and tired, the person walked out into the living room, their gaze involuntarily falling on the single sofa.

At this time of day, Shen Zhenan would usually sit there listening to international news. After a long day of taking care of the household, she would be pulled into his arms and gently massaged.

At first, it was every day, then it became a few days a month, and finally it was only a few times a year when I came back from vacation.

The family of four started by eating together around a round table, then got married, established their careers, and went their separate ways.

Everyone is busy and striving for this family.

In the end, her family fell apart; her husband left, her children were gone, and she was left all alone.

So what's the point of doing all this?

She can't think about it anymore; after all, time is running out and she can't afford to lose another day.

The woman lowered her head, wiped the moisture from the corner of her eyes, and went upstairs.

He hadn't taken two steps when he stopped, and then turned back...

Shen Zhen'an, wearing a coat, stood at the door, still dressed in the same clothes he had worn when he prepared to leave during the day.

A brown-red suit, a meticulously tailored gray tie, and a loose-fitting black overcoat accentuated his tall and upright figure.

The man stood under the crystal chandelier, the years having given him a calm and dignified demeanor. His once unruly short hair had been transformed into a slicked-back style, but the fire in his eyes remained unextinguished.

Looking at her husband like this, Chen Jie stood there, rooted to the spot.

"You weren't..." She paused, speechless, before taking a breath, "...didn't you already leave?"