Chapter 94 I Want to Be a Good Father: I'll Report Her and Send Her to Jail...

The temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car was large, and a layer of condensation covered the car windows, making it difficult for Qiu Xiaoman to see outside. She had no choice but to roll down the window.

A cold wind swept over me.

In her line of sight, Shen Qinghuai stood in front of the Xuanji Pavilion, his eyes red and swollen, staring blankly at her.

Qiu Xiaoman frowned subconsciously. What was wrong? Had something happened? Had she been scammed?

She barely hesitated before pushing open the car door and getting out. She quickly crossed the road and walked up to Shen Qinghuai, carefully examining this strange old man.

Private car ownership wasn't very common back then, and it was the middle of the night, so there weren't many night owls around. Every now and then, one or two cars would drive past her, their headlights illuminating Shen Qinghuai's features clearly.

She took the opportunity to see for herself, and sure enough, he was crying, and seemed quite heartbroken.

She was a little angry. Although she no longer acknowledged this father, she was still quite disappointed to see that he had been scammed.

She quickly pulled out a handkerchief and impatiently wiped away his tears. Qiu Xiaoman complained, "What's wrong? Did someone scam you out of money? Honestly, what kind of detective did you introduce? What kind of detective would have such a weird name? Okay, stop crying. How much did you get scammed out of? I still have over three million. I'll give it to you. Is that enough?"

Shen Qinghuai was quite surprised. Although his daughter said she didn't recognize him anymore, she offered to help him pay when she mistakenly thought he had been scammed.

How could he be so blind to his wonderful daughter, repeatedly disappointing her and causing her heartache?

He's not even human!

He grabbed his daughter's wrist, wanting to say something, but couldn't bring himself to speak.

It felt like there was a huge boulder stuck in his throat, heavy and pricking, making his throat both sore and dry.

He turned his head away, silently processing everything he had just witnessed.

The eldest daughter died alone and tragically.

He was left penniless and destitute.

And the corpses that fell from great heights, becoming laughingstocks.

He absolutely refuses to accept that such a fate happening again.

If he wants to make changes, he must start with Liang Yuting.

He remained silent for a long time, holding his daughter's wrist tightly and refusing to let go, as if trying to draw strength from his still-living daughter to make a decision.

Clearly, Liang Yuting dared to scheme against him because she was certain he wouldn't dare air his dirty laundry in public.

She also knew that he liked his son and didn't want his younger son to be without a mother.

He deserves to die. Not only did he abandon his eldest daughter for personal gain, but he was also a scumbag who favored sons over daughters.

Even though he didn't mistreat his other three daughters financially, he didn't put much effort into them either.

He and Liang Yuting were truly intertwined, each bearing their own sins.

If he hadn't insisted on having a son, Liang Yuting wouldn't have had to keep giving birth, and even had several abortions.

Each of her pregnancies, miscarriages, or births intensified his moral dilemma of not being able to let her down.

This, to some extent, fueled Liang Yuting's arrogance in causing trouble for him.

This ultimately led to that terrible tragedy.

Shen Qinghuai was never an innocent and virtuous person from beginning to end.

He was a scumbag who abandoned his eldest daughter, and also an accomplice who condoned Liang Yuting's actions and dragged his eldest daughter to her death.

He was also the culprit who caused his own family to be destroyed and his life ruined.

However, it is pointless to investigate who bears more responsibility between him and Liang Yuting at this point.

What he should have done was send Liang Yuting to jail, instead of protecting her under the guise of mental illness.

He no longer cared about how much loss Liang Yuting's imprisonment would cause the company.

Compared to the outcome seven years later, perhaps the act of sacrificing family for the greater good now can atone for his sins.

Passing cars would occasionally shine their high beams into his face, and his expression would sometimes be bright and sometimes gloomy.

Just like his mood, it rises and falls, ebbs and flows.

But everything eventually has to get back on track, and mistakes must be punished.

Even if his daughter refused to acknowledge him, he was determined to reverse that terrible misfortune.

In the end, he made up his mind, turned around, and asked, "If I told you I had evidence that Liang Yuting had harmed you, and that I would report her and send her to jail, would you forgive me?"

Qiu Xiaoman did not speak.

Tonight, she was unusually patient, never urging him once during his long silence, and she didn't even pull her hand away.

She let him hold her wrist tightly, so forcefully, so stubbornly.

Now, he suddenly and abruptly steered the conversation toward Liang Yuting, leaving Qiu Xiaoman utterly astonished.

She looked at the middle-aged man with surprise and sneered, "Give me a reason."

"I want to be a good father, is that a valid reason?" Shen Qinghuai's tears hadn't dried yet. His eyes were red, and he forced a smile, harboring a sliver of unrealistic expectation as he waited for his daughter's answer.

Qiu Xiaoman did not answer. She withdrew her hand and turned to walk towards the car.

Once she was in the car, she rolled up the window, not wanting to look into his eyes.

Shen Tenglong was completely bewildered and asked, "What's wrong, little sister? What happened to your uncle?"

"Go ahead and turn around so he can get in the car." Qiu Xiaoman could see a blurry shadow through the car window. It wasn't appropriate to leave an old man who had just been crying on the street so late at night. She should go back and deal with it later.

Shen Tenglong quickly did as instructed.

Two minutes later, Shen Qinghuai sat in the back seat. He dared not mention Feng Zhaoming, because he still did not know who this Feng Zhaoming was.

He even felt that Feng Zhaoming's appearance was so illusory and unreal.

Perhaps they were disguised in some way?

Maybe she's wearing makeup?

He didn't quite understand this, but his intuition told him that Feng Zhaoming definitely didn't look like that. When he got back, he'd have to ask his nephew for a class photo.

Now, he could only think of two reasonable explanations: either Feng Zhaoming was playing the long game, waiting to sell him some feng shui formation later and scam him out of a lot of money; or Feng Zhaoming knew Xiaoman and couldn't bear to see her sad and disappointed, so he gave her a heads-up so that she could turn back in time, make up for her mistakes, and repair the broken father-daughter relationship.

Intuitively, he leaned towards the latter.

If the other party wanted to scam money, all they had to do was let him see himself jumping off a building and arguing with Liang Yuting.

There's no need for him to witness his eldest daughter's tragic death.

Yes, that must be it.

I just don't know what this person's relationship is with Xiaoman, or how they met.

He tried asking, "Tenglong, your classmate quit, didn't he tell you?"

Shen Tenglong was full of questions and said in surprise, "No, I saw him at a classmate's wedding last Mid-Autumn Festival. It was then that he gave me his business card and told me that I could ask him for help if I needed it. After I told you today, I even called him to confirm, and he said he was here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you to come find him now."

Shen Qinghuai had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on. Most likely, Feng Zhaoming wanted to lure him over through Shen Tenglong so he could see what stupid things he had done and how much sin he had committed.

He silently buried his face in his palms and said nothing more.

But Shen Tenglong was very curious: "Uncle, what happened? Why are you standing outside? Is he really quitting?"

"Didn't you see? Prime shop for sublet, quitting, haven't even seen the person." Shen Qinghuai took a deep breath, rallied himself, and turned to look at Qiu Xiaoman.

In my line of sight, the eldest daughter was dozing off; it was hard to tell whether she was truly asleep or just pretending.

He didn't care about anything else and said to himself, "Xiaoman, I've been thinking a lot lately. I was really confused about your Aunt Liang's matter. Xiaoman, please give me another chance, okay?"

Qiu Xiaoman didn't answer. She knew to turn after the car crashed into the wall, but the baby was starving and the milk came in too late.

She kept her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep, letting Shen Qinghuai ramble on and on about things that happened in Yunnan.

The father and daughter living deep in the mountains shared a period of extremely happy and innocent time.

Back then, the sky was so blue, the water so clear, and the white clouds shone brightly.

Laughter mingled with the babbling brook, and children's innocent words accompanied the clear ringing of bells.

Happiness, yet fleeting.

Beautiful, yet heartbreaking.

For Qiu Xiaoman now, every time she recalls it, it is an unforgettable pain.

Besides, she's already died once, so her resentment towards her parents can't be so easily erased.

Moreover, she had given Shen Qinghuai a chance, but he didn't want it.

He didn't want it himself!

When they arrived at the courtyard house, Qiu Xiaoman immediately opened her eyes, and without hesitation, she took the two dogs, got out of the car, opened the door, and went back inside.

The moment the door closed, she heard footsteps approaching from afar, and a voice filled with regret and longing, "Xiaoman."

Qiu Xiaoman turned her back to the door and silently closed her eyes.

The old man's voice, however, bypassed the door and the courtyard wall, passed through the gaps in the door, and even made the door vibrate, reaching her ears.

He said, “Xiaoman, Dad knows you can’t accept it right now, but it’s okay. Dad is willing to wait. Even if you never forgive Dad, Dad won’t blame you. Dad will arrange for people to take over that shop tomorrow, and let your older brother run it. We’ll open a detective agency to keep an eye on things in Beijing, help you build your career, and help you rise to the top. You can call Dad anytime you need anything. Dad will definitely not shirk responsibility and will do everything in his power to help you.”

Qiu Xiaoman remained silent. She didn't know what had happened; all she knew was that she didn't want to talk to him.

The calls from outside continued for more than ten minutes, long enough for the children in the yard to turn on their lights, and for Li Tuantuan and Feng Shengnan to get dressed and come out to see what was going on.

Feng Shengnan leaned against the door and said to the person opposite, "Uncle Chen, Sister Xiaoman looks very unwell. She looks very tired. Why don't you go back first? We can talk about it tomorrow, okay?"

Shen Qinghuai's voice stopped abruptly, and after a while he said, "Okay, it was my oversight. You're a gay man, right? Please take good care of her. She's been working overtime until now, she must be exhausted. I'll come again tomorrow."

"Hey, Uncle Shen, take care." Feng Shengnan quickly put her arm around Qiu Xiaoman's arm and touched her forehead. "You don't have a fever, but you look so pale."

"She must be too tired from working overtime. I'll go get some hot water." Li Tuantuan quickly turned around and went to the kitchen to prepare foot bath water for Qiu Xiaoman.

After all that fuss, Qiu Xiaoman finally lay down on the bed.

After everyone had left and the lights had been turned off, two streams of hot tears finally rolled down her face.

He can't be a good father. A good father wouldn't break his daughter's heart and then try to mend it.

Even with super glue, it can't be put back together.

She hates him, forever.

*

In a village next to Miyun Reservoir on the outskirts of Beijing.

An ordinary-looking young man tore off his disguise, revealing a stunningly beautiful face in the candlelight.

He glanced at the time, turned around and went to the door of the east room, knocking on the door: "Master, I'm back."

A deep, resonant male voice came from inside: "Well, did you see that bastard?"

"I saw her, but I didn't see my junior sister." The young man, having received no approval, could only reply from outside the door.

The old man inside sighed silently: "It's for her own good that I don't let you see her. Otherwise, how can she believe that her father has truly reformed once she knows we're here? Alright, return my Mirage Beast."

The young man pushed open the door and took out a yin-yang shaped object from his pocket.

The object took off directly from his arms, transformed into the shape of a small dragon, and flew to the old man's shoulder on the bed.

The old man was meditating with his eyes closed, while the little dragon swam confidently from his shoulder to his forehead, settled down comfortably, and began to doze off.

The young man looked at the leisurely little blue dragon and couldn't help but want to laugh.

He asked, "Master, if my junior sister comes to investigate the whereabouts of her second brother in a while, may I secretly take a peek at her from a distance?"

"Forget it. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? What if you can't help yourself and give yourself away?" The old man ruthlessly rejected his apprentice's request.

The young man could only sigh, "Alright then, I'll listen to my master."

The old man still didn't open his eyes, but he seemed to know everything. He reminded him, "Put on your human skin mask. Your junior sister isn't here. Who are you showing off to?"

The young man was somewhat dissatisfied: "I'll look at myself. Can't a man dress up for the one he loves, Master? I don't know how long I'll have to wait here incognito. What if I get old and ugly and my junior sister won't recognize me?"

The old man sarcastically remarked, "You're just being vain. Anyway, your junior sister can't see you."

The young man grew anxious and protested, "Master, don't be so cruel. Your mouth has made my junior sister cry countless times, otherwise she wouldn't have refused your help."

The old man curled his lip indignantly: "I didn't say anything wrong. What's so good about a father who gives birth but doesn't raise his children? He might as well just recognize me as his father."

The young man rolled his eyes: "That's different, my junior sister has her own issues."

The old man warned him again: "Knowing that your junior sister has a knot in her heart, don't try to seduce her. With a face like yours, even a god would drool."

“Alright.” The young man turned and left, putting on the human skin mask.

After returning to his room in the west wing, he sat by the window, staring blankly at the moon in the sky.

I wonder if my junior sister will notice his and Master's existence from some subtle clues.

Never mind, my junior sister is coming to Miyun to investigate Shen Yuehu's whereabouts in a while. I'll find an excuse to sneak out and take a look when Master isn't looking, just one look.