"I only realize now that in this world, only blood ties are truly real. I don't trust anyone else—although I've been away all these years, I've always thought about you. You're my own daughter, how could I not miss you? Look, look—"

He took out a stack of documents from the drawer, a pleading expression rising on his face:

“Look, Dad has already had his will notarized. From now on, everything I own will belong to you and your brother. You have no idea how much I’ve suffered over the years. I’ve carried sacks for people in Dongzhou, filled cosmetic materials in factories in Zhecheng, and worked as a laborer in cement production. After a day’s work, the skin on my hands would peel off in patches—”

He held out his hand, showing Xu Milu the pitted and uneven marks on it:

"Really, my health isn't as good as it used to be. I just wanted to come back, to see you. Look, look, Dad has kept your picture all this time. Look—"

Xu Milu's gaze swept over the documents written in black and white. The man seemed older than she remembered; his once robust physique now appeared much thinner.

Her expression seemed to change, but she still didn't say anything.

Xu Haifeng's eyes flickered, and a barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed across his lips, but he quickly regained his pained expression.

“Child, I know I made mistakes in the past, but all I want is for you to give me a chance to atone for my sins. Really, come and see me, please?”

Xu Milu's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, and she also took a step forward.

Seeing her actions, Xu Haifeng's eyes almost overflowed with joy. He softened his voice, staring at Xu Milu with almost impatient eagerness, and said seductively:

"Have you forgotten the rice porridge your father cooked for you? I've always felt bad about it. Please give me a chance, okay? Dami, my health isn't very good right now. I just want to hug my daughter. Dami, come here—"

As Xu Milu got closer and closer to him, Xu Haifeng could no longer suppress his smile. His ordinary face began to distort, almost turning into a grotesque grin.

Xu Milu seemed oblivious, her eyes glazed over as she approached step by step.

"Yes, that's it, my dear daughter. Come, let Daddy take a good look at you—"

As Xu Milu approached, Xu Haifeng could no longer suppress the greed in his eyes. His fingernails turned into sharp claws, and he pressed them down mercilessly on her head!

"call!!"

A burst of red flames suddenly shot up, and the intense flames, accompanied by bursts of high temperature, suddenly appeared in mid-air. In response to the sound of the wind whistling through the air, the blade flashed and blood splattered everywhere!

Four bloodied fingers were severed at the roots and fell neatly to the ground, the gushing blood staining the ground red, but then being burned away by the flames.

"you!!"

Xu Haifeng, clutching his right hand with four fingers severed, quickly jumped back, his expression a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

"You!! When exactly—when did you find out?!"

Xu Milu held a knife in one hand and braced the back of the blade with the other. The flames of the Vermilion Bird Yin-Yang Blade in her hand had not yet died down, and a surging golden light rose from her eyes. Where was the slightest trace of confusion or being bewitched in her eyes?

"You did that on purpose!"

"To say it was intentional would be a bit much. I was suspicious as soon as I walked in, and when you started talking nonsense about cooking porridge, I was pretty sure you weren't 'Xu Haifeng'."

She slowly tapped the tip of the knife, revealing a mocking smile:

“My own father has always been a chauvinist. Getting him to admit his mistakes is harder than climbing to heaven. Even if the world ends or he gets some deadly disease, he will never lower himself to admit his mistakes to me. Moreover, he has never cooked porridge for me, not even once. To be honest, I really want to see him desperately admit his mistakes, which is why I haven’t rushed to expose you.”

"You said before—did you already know I existed before?"

This time, the astonishment on Xu Haifeng's face couldn't be more genuine.

"Oh, that one."

Xu Milu picked at her ear, her smug little expression particularly infuriating:

"I'm a good person in every way, except I'm a bit too suspicious. For me, the Mountain and Sea Restaurant is really not the safest place in the world. As for that sentence, of course I said it on purpose for you to hear. Since you want to play the role of my scumbag father, I have to let you have your fun, don't you think? Phoenix."

"Buzz—"

As she uttered those two words, the entire ward seemed to fall into a strange stillness. Doctors walking around outside the ward, nurses rushing by, patients sighing, family members making phone calls... everyone seemed to have been put on "pause," and even the clock on the wall stopped moving.

"Snap—Snap—"

The entire ward was like a shattered mirror, collapsing and sinking piece by piece until finally the surrounding space was a stagnant black space. In the boundless loneliness, only she and the other person were suspended in the darkness.

Xu Haifeng straightened his hunched back, his whole being like a piece of clay slowly melting and reassembling, eventually becoming another completely unrelated red-haired man.

He was tall and slender, with a slim waist. He wore an antique-style Hanfu with wide sleeves, and the green gauze fluttered in the air, giving him a somewhat dashing air. Unlike the ordinary "Xu Haifeng", he had an extremely perfect face with deep features, a high nose bridge, and eyebrows that slanted into his temples. When he smiled, he had a somewhat righteous and wicked look.

"Slap, slap, slap."

The man seemed oblivious to the pain in his hands and slowly began to clap his hands.

"For a lowly Earth ape like you, you are indeed quite clever, possessing some of the cleverness I admire. It's a pleasure to meet you. According to your Earthly etiquette, I should introduce myself."

The man tilted his head slightly, staring at Xu Milu as if she were a novel toy. After a while, the corners of his lips slowly turned up, forming an extremely exaggerated arc:

"Lavinia Ars, please remember this name. It is the name of the one who took your life."

Xu Milu gripped the knife tightly in her hand.