Chapter 45 Xiao Mingzhang has found them!
It was an ordinary autumn night in Hanze Town.
The weather was cool and ordinary, the autumn wind was dry and ordinary. But many, many years later, Yunzhu thought that she would probably never forget this day in her life.
On this day, she saw Xiao Mingzhang again after three years. On this day, her daughter saw her biological father whom she had not seen for three whole years.
But Yunzhu was not happy at all.
After she came to her senses, she was filled with panic. She grabbed her daughter's hand tightly and hid her behind her back without anyone noticing.
"Yunzhu..."
Xiao Mingzhang had been waiting outside Yunzhu's house for an hour. When he saw that the lights were on inside after nightfall, he knew that Ayan was home, while Yunzhu was still at school and not at home, so he continued to wait outside the door.
Now, he had finally met Yunzhu, and his face was full of undisguised smiles. He also noticed the lovely little girl next to Yunzhu, who was their daughter... Xiao Mingzhang quickened his pace as he thought of this.
"Don't come any closer!"
But Yunzhu stopped him.
When Xiao Mingzhang saw that her face was full of wariness and fear, and her eyes were wide open as she stared at him, she kept backing away with her daughter as he moved forward. Helpless, he had no choice but to stop for the time being.
"Yunzhu..."
Having not seen each other for three years, Xiao Mingzhang had many things he wanted to say to Yunzhu. Before coming, he had already anticipated that he would likely be turned away many times, but he had made ample preparations, so he was neither afraid nor backed down.
Yunzhu wouldn't let him come closer, so he just talked to her and the child first.
But Yunzhu didn't even give him a chance to speak.
Seeing that he had actually stopped, Yunzhu made a quick decision, immediately picked up her daughter from behind, turned around and ran away, not giving him any chance to speak again.
"..."
Xiao Mingzhang stood there, stunned.
The alleyway, illuminated by the moonlight, suddenly became deserted, leaving him all alone.
—
Yunzhu held Mu Zhaozhi in her arms and ran wildly, not daring to look back, for fear that someone would catch up with them.
Thanks to her familiarity with the town over the years, and thanks to her diligent training with Ayan, Yunzhu finally dared to relax a little after she and her daughter had run three streets away and there was no sound behind them. She turned into a side alley, sat down against the wall to rest, and put her daughter down.
The young girl, Mu Zhaozhi, was completely unaware of what had happened.
She was bewildered, not knowing why her mother looked terrified when she saw the strange man, nor why the man knew her mother's name, and even more so why her mother was carrying her and running away.
“Mother…” Mu Zhaozhi wanted to ask a question.
But Yunzhu said to her, "Don't ask anything, Azhi. Let your mother calm down by herself for a while, okay?"
Even when her mother was anxious, she would always speak to her in a soft and gentle voice.
Mu Zhaozhi agreed.
She sat obediently beside her mother, propping her chin up with her hand, and said nothing more.
Seeing this, Yunzhu couldn't help but gently stroke her daughter's head again.
It turned out that the high-ranking official from Liangzhou was indeed Xiao Mingzhang.
Yunzhu was at a loss for words to describe her current feelings; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was utterly terrified.
If she had known this would happen, she should have left with her daughter the night before when Ayan brought up these things. Yunzhu was filled with endless regret.
But it's too late to say anything now. Xiao Mingzhang already knows about her existence, and he has found her completely... Yunzhu was a little unsure of what to do next.
What should I do? Should I confront him and admit that I faked my death, or should I continue to run away and flee with my daughter?
Yes, run for your life...
Is Xiao Mingzhang still coming to kill her now?
Yunzhu didn't know the answer to this question, but suddenly a chill ran through her body. The words she had heard outside the study of the government office three years ago echoed in her ears again. She clutched her chest and slowly recalled the chase, the sleepless nights... Only the two of them knew how they had survived those days.
Finally, Yunzhu couldn't hold back any longer, leaned against the mud wall, and vomited.
Although she didn't vomit anything, because she hadn't eaten since noon, Mu Zhaozhi noticed her unusual behavior again.
"Mother!" Mu Zhaozhi patted her mother's back with concern, her fair and tender face filled with worry, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's alright, Mother is alright." Yunzhu held her daughter's hands in return, supporting her pale face, and forced a smile.
That kind of smile is not beautiful at all.
Mu Zhaozhi then said in a serious tone, "Mother, if you don't want to laugh, you don't have to. I don't always expect you to laugh when we talk!"
Yunzhu was stunned for a moment, and the smile on her face vanished instantly.
She cradled her daughter's head, and after a moment, she pulled her into her arms without a word.
“Azhi…” Yunzhu murmured.
"Mmm." Mu Zhaozhi, though young, was quite precocious. As soon as she heard her mother call her name, she answered earnestly.
"Heh..." Yunzhu couldn't help but laugh this time. She rested her head on her daughter's small shoulder and chuckled softly.
She held her daughter tightly, pressing her head against her neck. After a while, when she heard voices gradually coming from outside the alley, she immediately and cautiously hid her daughter behind her back.
She tensed up, but gradually relaxed after watching as just passersby walked by.
Little Mu Zhaozhi peeked out from behind her mother.
"Mother?" This time, Yunzhu did not stop her from speaking.
Mu Zhaozhi then called out again, "Mother..."
“Mother is here,” Yunzhu said softly, cupping her daughter’s face in her hands.
The mother and daughter looked at each other, but in an instant, Yunzhu's heart was filled with a fine, intricate, and unsolvable web.
She didn't know how to explain everything to her daughter.
Should we tell her that the man from last night was actually her biological father?
No, the moment this thought popped into her head, Yunzhu knew she absolutely couldn't tell her daughter about this.
She had long ago made up her mind that once her daughter was born, she would only be her daughter, a treasure that belonged only to her, and no one could take her away. She was not going to tell her daughter any of this.
Besides, Mu Zhaozhi is still young. If she were to learn these things rashly, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it and would only cause her more trouble.
...But what happens if I don't tell her?
Xiao Mingzhang has found her. Yunzhu doesn't know why he's come to find her now. Is it to eliminate her completely and kill her, or to take her daughter away?
Since he was able to find this place, it means he must also know that she has a daughter with her.
Even if she doesn't tell Mu Zhaozhi these things on her own initiative, Xiao Mingzhang will definitely find a way to let her know in the future; it's only a matter of time.
Yunzhu had never had such a headache before. Even the night she first learned that Xiao Mingzhang intended to get rid of her, her head had never hurt so much.
Perhaps it was because after learning that Xiao Mingzhang wanted to get rid of her, all she needed to do was run away. But now, she also had to think about her daughter.
Her daughter was her Achilles' heel, her most untouchable sore spot.
She is now like a spear determined to pierce that shield, but her spear believes it to be the sharpest in the world, and that shield is recognized as the strongest in the world. So who will win?
"Mother, when are we going home? Aunt Yan is still at home!"
Yunzhu fell into deep thought again. Mu Zhaozhi waited for a while, and when she saw that her mother had no reaction, she shook her mother's arm.
Yunzhu snapped out of her daze and realized, "Oh yeah, there's also Ayan!"
At this hour, Ayan must be waiting for them at home. She was so panicked just now, how could she have forgotten Ayan?
What if Xiao Mingzhang kidnaps Ayan as a hostage and forces her to hand over her daughter?
Yunzhu's thoughts were tangled and complicated, but at this moment, a wisp of thought finally emerged.
That's Ayan, she wants to go back and find Ayan!
Yunzhu took her daughter and drove around most of the town before returning to her own backyard.
She pressed her ear against the gate and listened intently for a long time. When she heard no unusual noises coming from the backyard, she quietly and slowly pushed open the backyard gate.
In an instant, Ayan's face appeared in front of Yunzhu.
"Miss! You're back!" Ayan exclaimed in delight.
Yunzhu was startled and stared blankly at Ayan for a long time before asking, "Ah, Ayan, are you alright?"
She touched her arms up and down, confirming that she was still whole and alive, and couldn't help but cry tears of joy.
Ayan was completely bewildered and had no idea what had happened.
Because of her conversation with Yunzhu yesterday, Ayan hardly went out today. After nightfall, she waited for Yunzhu and her daughter to return, and only then did she think of lassoing her horse in the backyard and going out to look for them.
Unexpectedly, this led to Yunzhu and the child returning on their own.
"Xiao Mingzhang didn't come looking for you?" Yunzhu looked at Ayan with a complicated expression, not understanding why Xiao Mingzhang, having found this place, didn't choose to just barge in.
"Xiao Mingzhang?" Upon hearing this name, Ayan trembled with fear.
"Miss... what did you say? What Xiao Mingzhang?" She bit her tongue in her panic, looking at Yunzhu in disbelief, and asked in a low voice, "You saw Xiao Mingzhang?"
It seems that Xiao Mingzhang really didn't come looking for Ayan, nor did he enter the house.
Seeing Ayan's reaction, Yunzhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She pulled Ayan along, wanting to go inside and tell her in detail about her encounter with Xiao Mingzhang that night.
But Yunzhu stopped abruptly as soon as she took a step.
No, she thought. If Xiao Mingzhang had come here to take their lives, he should have rushed into the courtyard, grabbed Ayan, and then sent people to surround her.
But he didn't do that, which shows that his thoughts were not truly on their lives.
If it weren't for taking their lives, why would Xiao Mingzhang have made a special trip to appear before them... Yunzhu suddenly shivered and turned her gaze back to her young daughter, who was barely knee-high.
A chill suddenly crept over her entire body again.
She gripped Ayan's hand tightly and said, "Ayan, let's leave right now. Pack our bags and get out of here immediately!"
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