Chapter 7 Adopting a Daughter
As the car pulled into the apartment building's garage, the silence inside was shattered by the persistent buzzing of Ruan Xingfeng's phone. He was caressing the babbling baby in his arms when he glanced at the screen—instantly inundated with screenshots bombarding him from his friends.
#The suspicion of Liao Feng's illegitimate child#
#Liao family heir crisis? #
#The story of male college student Ruan Xingfeng's rise to power#
Those sensational trending headlines garnered attention like fleas. Ruan Xingfeng was speechless. How could these people fabricate such a bizarre story about Liao Feng having "illegitimate children all over the world, spreading their seeds everywhere"? He casually clicked on a recent voice message, and his friend's excited voice exploded in the closed car:
"Fuck Xingfeng! Is Boss Liao a walking seed drill? He's really good at cultivating! Hahahaha..."
The air froze instantly.
The car parked perfectly. As the engine shut off, a subtle sound of leather rubbing against each other echoed from the driver's seat. Ruan Xingfeng stiffly raised his head. In the rearview mirror, Liao Feng's deep gaze, as if tangible, pierced through the lens, locking onto him.
Their eyes met.
In the pale light of the garage ceiling lamp, Ruan Xingfeng could clearly see Liao Feng's slightly raised eyebrows and his bottomless eyes. His thin lips moved and he asked uncertainly, "Who is the Liao Feng your friend is talking about?" He didn't associate himself with those ridiculous things at all. He asked frankly, even with a hint of innocent inquiry, as if he was really wondering which "romantic figure" with the same name this was.
,
Ruan Xingfeng didn't know what to say, but he felt that Liao Feng had a very good mental state, and then handed the phone over silently.
Liao Feng frowned when he saw the trending searches. Their rumors were too outrageous. Did he really look so romantic? But he had had sex with Ruan Xingfeng.
Liao Feng: "It's a rumor. I'll let the legal team handle it soon." After saying that, he opened the car door and got out. He walked around Ruan Xingfeng and opened the car door for him. Then he went upstairs with the child in his arms.
The little girl fell asleep, lying softly on Liao Feng. Liao Feng carefully placed the child on the sofa, turned around and opened his mobile phone to call his assistant, and saw Song Xuexi's message "Solved, when will you bring your illegitimate child to me?" followed by a smirking little yellow face.
Liao Feng replied with a "get out" and asked his assistant to call the police to deal with the problem. The head of the multimedia company would not let any marketing account that spread rumors go. He must be tired of living when rumors were spread against him.
Ruan Xingfeng was a little uneasy. He was afraid that this matter would affect Liao Feng. Although he knew that the other party was very powerful, the impact of this matter should not be small.
Liao Feng: "The company's stock price fell by 0.04%." He saw Ruan Xingfeng's worry and pointed out the point that affected him. The stock price only fell symbolically. Those people still thought that their so-called intelligence could influence Liao Feng.
Liao Feng: "I asked my assistant to buy the latest developed new milk powder. The market feedback is good. Let's try it on Qu'er." Ruan Xingfeng was stunned when he heard his words, and then realized that "Qu'er" was the name Liao Feng gave to the child. Ruan Xingfeng felt like raising a daughter, and she was also the same name as his idol.
After a while, the doorbell rang and the assistant came in with two cans of milk powder. Liao Feng took them, gave them a few bills for errands, and went back to make the milk powder.
Ruan Xingfeng was tired after running around for a long time. The moment he touched the soft sofa next to Qu'er, his consciousness became blurred. He curled up his body, his breathing quickly became even and long, and he fell into a deep sleep.
When Liao Feng finished his work and came out of the study, there was only a warm yellow floor lamp left in the living room.
The light spread softly, illuminating the two figures, one big and one small, snuggling on the sofa. Ruan Xingfeng was lying on his side, one hand unconsciously resting on Qu'er's small body, while Qu'er was like a docile kitten, sleeping close to him with a rosy face.
There were only two shallow breathing sounds in the air, rising and falling.
Liao Feng paused in front of the sofa. His tall figure cast a shadow, and his eyes fell on the defenseless sleeping face in front of him.
An indescribable, strange feeling of warmth quietly crept into Liao Feng's heart.
He silently raised the corners of his lips, and there was a softness in his eyes that he himself had not noticed. He slowly squatted down, his eyes lingering between the two sleeping faces.
"Tsk," he sighed softly, dotingly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility before him, "I raised an older son, and also a younger daughter as a bonus?"
Although the words were teasing, the actions were incredibly gentle.
He stretched out his hand, and his broad palm gently placed on the soft top of Ruan Xingfeng's head. He rubbed it with extreme restraint and with a soothing look, as if it were a fragile treasure.
Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, he felt a tiny, soft touch on his fingertips.
He looked down and saw that Qu'er, who was in her sleep, had stretched out her little hand at some point and unconsciously and tightly grasped his little finger which he had not yet had time to fully retract.
That small, milky fist, like a soft seal, gently pressed on the softest part of his heart.
Liao Feng's body froze instantly, and he subconsciously held his breath, fearing that the slightest vibration would wake up this fragile attachment.
He maintained that half-squatting position, motionless, allowing the small fingers to tightly wrap around one of his fingers.
The warm affection from his fingertips softened Liao Feng's heart, but he couldn't just squat there forever.
He held his breath and, with almost imperceptible force, very slowly, millimeter by millimeter, pulled his little finger out of Qu'er's soft little fist, for fear of disturbing her sweet dream.
Only when his fingers were completely free did he breathe a sigh of relief silently, stand up, walk to the single sofa next to him and sit down, reopening his laptop. The dim blue light of the screen reflected his focused profile.
Halfway through processing the document, the indicator light on the milk warmer on the coffee table quietly jumped.
Almost at the same time, Qu'er on the sofa seemed to be awakened by an invisible biological clock. First, her little mouth smacked twice unconsciously, her thick long eyelashes trembled, and then her big black eyes opened ignorantly.
She didn't cry immediately, but just stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds. Her little body was like a clumsy bear cub. She inexplicably and shakily supported herself on the sofa with her little hands and actually sat up by herself.
The little head turned left and right, as if searching for a familiar scent. When his sight caught sight of the tall figure sitting on the sofa next to him.
She almost instinctively stretched out her little hand and accurately grabbed the corner of Liao Feng's clothes hanging on the edge of the sofa. Her little mouth pursed, and after two seconds of thinking, a cry of grievance broke out without warning, and tears as big as beans rolled down in an instant.
“Wow!”
The resounding cry was like a precise alarm. Liao Feng slammed his laptop shut almost as a reflex, his movements so fast that they created a breeze.
He stretched out his long arms and skillfully picked up the sobbing little kid into his arms.
The warm chest and steady heartbeat instantly enveloped Qu'er. His broad palms gently patted her small back, and his deep voice carried a strange soothing power: "Shh...be good, don't cry."
The other hand had already reached for the coffee table and accurately picked up the bottle of milk at just the right temperature.
The pacifier gently touched Qu'er's tear-stained face, and she instinctively opened her mouth and took it in. The sobs were gradually replaced by the sound of satisfied sucking.
On the other side of the sofa, Ruan Xingfeng was startled by the crying. Her thick eyelashes trembled a few times, and she half-awakely opened them a little. In her blurred vision, she saw the familiar silhouette of Liao Feng holding the child and gently coaxing him.
My tense nerves relaxed strangely the moment I saw this scene, and the irritation from being woken up disappeared instantly.
He was too lazy to even open his eyelids completely. He just mumbled vaguely and subconsciously shrank deeper into the soft sofa, burying his face in the shadow of the pillow. Almost the next second, his breathing became even and long again, and he sank into a more peaceful sleep.
Liao Feng really never thought that he would take care of a baby one day. He experienced the feeling of being a father without a wife, and at this moment he actually wanted to get married and have children.
He was stunned when this thought came to him. Getting married and having children? How could the man he liked have children, especially such a lovely daughter.
As he thought so, he rubbed his chin against Qu'er. She was amused by Liao Feng and laughed out loud. Her chubby little face lay on Liao Feng and she called out "Dad" softly and unclearly. Liao Feng lost his temper after being called "Dad" and accepted the role very naturally.
Liao Feng said, "Oh, my dear daughter, call me daddy again." He was not in the mood to work now, and his heart and eyes were full of his daughter.
Ruan Xingfeng: "Sir, why are you like this?" Liao Feng's voice woke him up. Ruan Xingfeng looked at him sleepily, his face full of dissatisfaction.
Liao Feng tilted his head to look at him, and seeing the sleepiness in his eyes, he inexplicably felt that he was so cute. He waved to Ruan Xingfeng to come over.
Ruan Xingfeng was still sleepy and slowly moved to Liao Feng's side. Liao Feng reached out and pulled him into his arms. Ruan Xingfeng tilted his head and kissed his Adam's apple before falling asleep in his arms again.
Liao Feng hugged two people, one big and one small, and his heart was filled with happiness. He thought that perhaps those abstract concepts about "home", those words that he once didn't care much about, warmth, tranquility, belonging, and ties, finally had the most concrete and vivid answers at this moment.
They turned into the heavy weight in my arms and the warmth in my chest that was almost overflowing.
Ever since Qu'er, this sweet "little accident," appeared out of nowhere, Liao Feng's world seemed to be infused with a warm light. The lines on his face softened, and his work efficiency soared, all so he could open the door earlier and greet the soft "Dad."
He turned down those optional social engagements and meetings without hesitation, and instead focused on studying milk powder mixes, learning baby massage, and clumsily braiding Qu'er's hair.
Mr. Liao, who was once a big shot in the business world, now looks like a stay-at-home dad and enjoys it very much.
When Ruan Xingfeng wasn't busy with schoolwork, he'd often stay home. The two of them divided the work between them: one making milk and changing diapers, the other playing and telling stories, and their collaboration grew stronger day by day.
Sometimes, just a glance can make one understand the other without words, just like an ordinary couple who have raised a child together for many years, and a stable warmth has been deposited in the trivial daily life.
However, warm times always pass by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, the seven-day deadline was up.
When they stepped into the police station again, Qu'er in his arms was no longer the timid little baby.
She hugged Liao Feng's neck affectionately, rubbing her little face against his neck, calling "Daddy" clearly, while her other little hand tightly grasped Ruan Xingfeng's fingers, rocking them dependently, and calling "Daddy" in a baby voice.
The police's response was like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads: "I'm sorry, but we currently have no clues about the child's biological parents. According to regulations, we can only send her to an orphanage for placement."
"Welfare home?" These three words were like ice spikes, piercing deep into Liao Feng and Ruan Xingfeng's hearts.
Liao Feng clenched his hands at his sides suddenly, his knuckles turned white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged slightly.
His jawline was tense and his eyes were sharp as he looked at the police, as if he was trying hard to suppress something, or as if he was quickly weighing an important decision.
Ruan Xingfeng felt his breathing was choked, and his heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, which made him feel sore and painful.
He subconsciously reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Liao Feng's clothes. Raising his head, his clear eyes were filled with an inextricable reluctance, pleading, and a subtle hint of panic.
All the thousands of words were silently condensed in the eyes looking at Liao Feng: Leave her here, let us raise her.
Liao Feng felt a slight force coming from the corner of his clothes, and lowered his head to meet Ruan Xingfeng's gaze. The look in his eyes conveyed the same strong emotions that were surging in his chest.
Seven days was enough for a habit to become ingrained. He had become accustomed to opening the door after get off work every day and welcoming the little baby who would stumble over to him, hug his thighs like a little cannonball, and shout "Daddy" in the sweetest voice in the world;
I'm used to the heavy and solid warmth in my arms at night, with Qu'er's even breathing on my left and Ruan Xingfeng's peaceful sleeping face on my right.
How could this be just a "small accident" of a seven-day stay? This was clearly the inseparable family he and Ruan Xingfeng had already recognized in their hearts.
The last bit of hesitation in my heart was completely shattered by this silent plea and the habit that had long been ingrained in my bones and blood.
Liao Feng's clenched fists slowly loosened, and the tense jawline softened.
The sharp struggle in his eyes had faded, replaced by a settled, unquestionable calmness.
He didn't look at the policeman again, but turned his gaze to the officer in charge of the formalities. His voice was not loud, but every word was clear, with a sense of self-evident and unquestionable weight:
"Give me a copy of the Permanent Power of Attorney."
The words landed like a hammer in the quiet police station. This thin piece of paper had far more significance than any multi-billion dollar business contract he had ever signed.
It represents more than a spur-of-the-moment act of kindness, nor is it a simple transfer of responsibility like adopting a precious pet in the past.
It means that a fresh little life will be completely integrated into his life trajectory from now on. Her joys and sorrows, her health and safety, and her future growth will all be closely related to him, becoming a heavy responsibility in his life that he cannot give up and must undertake with all his strength.
Liao Feng took the documents and pen from the police officer. The pen tip made a rustling sound as it touched the paper.
From this moment on, under the influential title of "Chairman Liao", a more profound, warmer and more willing identity was solemnly crowned: he is Liao Xiaqu's father.
This name is no longer just a symbol on the household registration book, but a medal forged with heavy responsibility and love.
He was her legal guardian, her first and last line of defense in this vast world.
No matter whether the future is sunny or stormy, he will be her most solid shield, the most reliable harbor, the silent but never-collapsed mountain that she can always look back on without fear.
When Liao Feng was leaving the police station with the child in his arms, he sent a message to their small group chat: "I'm a father from now on, and I have a very cute daughter." When Xu Nuoyan and Song Xuexi saw the message on their phones after finishing their work, their brains were stuck for several minutes before they reacted. They sent question marks to express their shock, but Liao Feng did not chat with them anymore.
He also issued a statement to clarify that the child was not an illegitimate one but his adopted daughter, and there was no such thing as an older male. He denied the existence of Ruan Xingfeng, which was undoubtedly the greatest harm to Ruan Xingfeng. He said nothing and pretended not to care and raised the child with Liao Feng, but Liao Feng's article planted a thorn in his heart, which sometimes made him heartbroken, but he did not think that Liao Feng's denial of his existence was also a kind of protection.
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