Shen Dingkun said in a hoarse voice, "Jiang Tian, ​​I know it's very presumptuous of me to bring my daughter to see you, but I can't think of anyone around me who can be called a normal mother, except for you."

"Please help me. My child has been hurt by her mother for too long. Now she doesn't trust her mother or me, and even plans to shut herself off and live alone. She clearly has parents, and she shouldn't give up her longing for family affection. I don't know how to change her mind. I'm at my wit's end, so I can only beg you for help."

When it comes to asking for favors, Shen Dingkun is very clear about the unspoken rules.

He was neither aggressive nor confrontational, nor did he try to coerce his daughter into joining the woman's family.

He simply stated his most honest thoughts: "My wife is jealous of our daughter, always creating obstacles for her and instilling in her the theory that 'men are supreme and women need to depend on each other.'"

“I don’t want my daughter to become like this, and my daughter doesn’t believe there are other mothers in the world who don’t hope that their daughters’ lives will get worse and worse like her mother does.”

“I had no other choice but to come to you. You know better than I do; you’re very good at raising children—I’ve heard that all the parents praise your daughter.”

"If you're willing, could you help me rebuild my daughter's self-confidence? She's a wonderful girl."

"The worst thing I could have done was to neglect her upbringing and allow her mother to exert a distorted influence on her education in the most inappropriate way."

When Shen Dingkun told Jiang Tian what had happened, Qianqian was clutching his clothes, looking back and forth between the two adults with her wet eyes.

This little girl, whom her mother always called a "bad girl," actually recognized the aunt in front of her—her mother used to invite her to visit their home often.

Sometimes, An'an would come along too, and Mom would smile and ask An'an to take Qianqian to her piano lesson.

Mom said, "Girls should learn from each other and make progress together. My Qianqian should play with well-bred ladies like An'an. She should learn manners from her well-mannered older sister so that she can become a lady."

But later, something happened between the adults, and they suddenly had a falling out.

Sister An'an never came again. When her mother mentioned Sister An'an's mother, she would always sneer: "What's with the high and mighty act? She's just a pathetic wretch who can't even hold onto a man."

At this moment, with her eyelashes drooping slightly, she knew she wasn't the "lovable little cotton-padded jacket" her mother described. She had even gotten used to hearing those "girls should learn to please men" principles at the dinner table when her father wasn't around, and she was used to hiding under the covers and crying in the middle of the night, afraid that her mother would hear her and say, "Weak people don't deserve to be pampered."

But at this moment, staring at Jiang Tian's gentle eyes, she suddenly wondered if the warmth she felt in An'an's palm when she held hands with her before was real or not.

“Dad…” she suddenly said in a low voice, “Could you please stop saying those things? This aunt doesn’t owe me anything.”

Qianqian did not choose to sit there and wait for her father to persuade the aunt to let her enjoy a day of care.

She knows who her father is, and she knows that she should take responsibility for her own life, instead of dragging others down.

Why should others always pay for her? She can survive without a mother's love or a father's care.

She had seen many examples; even if you have parents, you still have to take responsibility for your own life—she had just grown up earlier than expected.

Qianqian did a lot of mental preparation for herself; she could do it.

But when Jiang Tian came to take her hand and squatted down to look her in the eye, she suddenly felt at a loss.

She looked at the gentle aunt in front of her in a panic, clearly not knowing how to accept other people's kindness—from childhood, her mother had already planted a wound in her heart.

"Auntie isn't letting you stay here because of your dad. Auntie just likes you, so I'm allowing you to play here for a day. Can you give Auntie this chance? I want to play with you."

Qianqian was completely stunned. She couldn't believe that a strange aunt would talk to her like that.

Does she really like her? How long will her feelings last?

...Does she deserve it?

"Can you give me a chance?"

Seeing that she was lost in thought, Jiang Tian smiled and asked her.

A child is still a child. No matter how high a defensive zone she sets up for herself, she still longs for love.

She longed for her parents' love and hoped that the pretty aunt in front of her truly liked her and wanted to play with her.

Finally, she smiled faintly and nodded.

Today, when the child was supposed to go to school, Qianqian didn't go, and Jiang Tian didn't ask why.

She simply told Qianqian that it was okay, and then said to Shen Dingkun, "You can go back first. You probably don't need to pick up the kids this afternoon. An'an and the children will have a great time when they get out of school."

Shen Dingkun could tell that the child liked Jiang Tian very much, and Jiang Tian did not resist his daughter, so he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He stared at Jiang Tian for a while and said, "Thank you very much for your help. My company has been doing business with Wei Su's company recently, so I can give all the orders to Wei Su..."

Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Tian suddenly looked up at him and asked, "Why are you always like this?"

Shen Dingkun felt a little nervous under her gaze.

He didn't know what he had said wrong, but since Jiang Tian was so angry, he must have been wrong.

"—Did I say something wrong?"

"You're asking me to do something, and after I agree, you expect me to repay that favor to my boyfriend. What kind of logic is that?"

Jiang Tian's voice was calm yet sharp, "In your eyes, am I just an accessory? You're afraid your daughter will be corrupted by her mother, afraid she'll become a parasite and not realize her own importance, yet you use the same logic to treat another woman—why are you so hypocritical? Have you ever respected me?"

Shen Dingkun was somewhat surprised; he was even speechless.

In fact, he was just habitually thinking in the mindset of the wealthy: in that circle, who doesn't rely on the exchange of interests?

A woman's value is determined from childhood.

These ladies navigate high society circles daily in order to better serve their husbands' families—they are taught from a young age to serve the family's marriage alliances.

Shen Dingkun also agreed with this logic.

At this moment, Jiang Tian's rebuttal was like a fine needle, piercing through his preconceived notions.

She made it very clear to him that what she needed was direct respect, an acknowledgment of her value as an independent individual, rather than having the benefits transferred to a man after asking her for help.

"I'm sorry, it was my misjudgment. I apologize—"

Shen Dingkun seemed to be very smart; he clearly realized that he absolutely could not offend Jiang Tian at this moment.

Before Jiang Tian could answer, a series of footsteps sounded.

Since Jiang Tian accepted Qianqian, their conversation moved indoors.

At that moment, someone was approaching from outside the door.

Shen Dingkun instantly became alert.

The other party seemed to have come prepared, deliberately remaining silent, and their footsteps were very rhythmic.

He stopped at the door.

He didn't knock.

Shen Dingkun gestured to Jiang Tian, ​​signaling her to come inside.

Jiang Tian shook her head.

She glanced at Shen Dingkun, took out a machine, and pressed a button.