But to his surprise, when he heard news of her again, she had already passed away many years ago, and he would never see her again in this life...

Thinking of this, his eyes were filled with sadness, regret and remorse for missing out on her.

If he had been more rational and calm back then, perhaps he and Lan Yin would not have separated and missed each other, leading to their current eternal separation.

After hearing what he said, Rong Qingqing couldn't help but look up and scrutinize him.

His chiseled, handsome face was etched with helplessness and desolation.

She suddenly realized that Lan must have regretted missing out on such a man back then.

"But you probably don't know how badly my mother is doing, do you?" Rong Qingqing suddenly said softly. She felt that Lan Shi loved Xiao Zhen. In ancient times, women valued chastity more than life itself, but Lan Shi was with Xiao Zhen before marriage and even became pregnant with his child. How much courage and determination did that take?

She couldn't think of anything else but love.

But she didn't know why Lan would choose to marry a hypocrite like Rong Shiqing.

What exactly is her predicament?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhen's tall figure swayed slightly, his eyes filled with pain and sorrow.

Is she not doing well?

"Be careful!" Rong Qingqing saw this and quickly reached out to support him, her expression worried.

Xiao Zhen snapped out of his daze and looked at the girl looking at him with concern, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

His daughter is so grown up, yet he only learned of her existence today.

He raised his hand, placed it on her hair, and gently stroked it.

Seeing that she didn't reject him, he was overjoyed. But then he thought about how he hadn't known about this daughter's existence all these years, and how he hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a father for even a single day. He felt remorse and self-reproach. "I'm so sorry to you and your mother..."

Upon hearing this, Rong Qingqing didn't know what to say.

Because she is not the original owner, it is not appropriate for her to speak on her behalf. She is not from the Lan family either, so she does not know what hardships she had back then, or whether she would forgive Xiao Zhen.

But if Xiao Zhen had known about the existence of this daughter earlier, the original owner would probably have had a much smoother life and wouldn't have suffered so much.

But many things, once they've happened, are irreversible.

Even though he didn't know she existed before, back then, a woman was willing to give up her virginity to be with him before marriage, but in the end she left with a pregnant belly. No matter what, he had an inescapable responsibility.

Seeing that she remained silent, Xiao Zhen suddenly felt a little uneasy.

Although she didn't show any rejection towards him, he only learned of her existence after she had grown up so much, and before that, she had suffered so much. If he had known about her existence sooner and come to acknowledge her sooner, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much...

Thinking about this, he felt even more guilty and remorseful.

Even if his daughter resents or hates him, it is understandable.

But the thought of his daughter complaining made him uneasy.

He had never felt this unease even when facing the most formidable enemies, but tonight, he experienced it profoundly.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally broke the silence and said, "I will stay in the capital for a few days, and then I will return to Suzhou. At that time, would you... be willing to come to Suzhou with me?" At this point, fearing that she would refuse, he hurriedly promised, "If you are willing to come to Suzhou with me, from now on I will protect you and never let you suffer again. I will give you the best life." He would pamper her, protect her, and treat her like a precious treasure.