Ning Qianyu stood in front of the cabinet. Her feet shuffled against the cabinet as she gazed upon her layers of underwear. As every second had passed, her face grew redder and redder. Not being able to take it anymore, she lifted her head. "What if I refuse?"
"You've already promised." A smile appeared on Mu Shengchen's face. "Get the underwear from the red bag."
"The red bag?" She furrowed her eyebrows, glancing around her cabinet. Sure enough, there was a red bag propped up on one of her shelves. Had he bought something while she was in the fitting room? "I remembered unpacking everything when I got home."
Opening the bag, her face turned beet red.
"Why did you buy that?" she demanded.
"Put that on," he said lazily, flicking the strands of his hair from his features.
Ning Qianyu shook her head repeatedly. "No."
"But you've already promised me, remember?" The smile on his face had turned even more mischievous, and she couldn't help but duck her head from the insinuation of his words.
How was she supposed to know that this was the lingerie he was talking about? Her hands trembled. She wanted nothing more than to find a hole and bury herself inside. This was ridiculous!
Had she fallen for his trick again?
Upon seeing his expectant gaze, she didn't really have much of a choice as she walked into the bathroom. Each step felt like torture as she avoided the man's stare, even while she was closing the door.
"I'm coming," he called out as he wheeled his wheelchair into the bathroom, following the steam as it floated around the bathtub. This time, the woman had no complaints as he joined in.
The next day, Ning Qianyu was walking towards her mother's ward. She had a thermos in her hand that was filled with hot water. Just as she was about to head inside, the voices from the other end of the room stopped her.
"Shujun, don't hide it from me!" Du Zhongyu's voice echoed, sounding exasperated from the repeated questioning. "Is Qianyu my daughter?"
There was a small pause before Ning Shujun shook her head. "What are you talking about?" She scoffed weakly. "Of course she isn't your daughter. The two of us have nothing to do with you."
Seeing the panic that had flashed in her face, Du Zhongyu decided to back off. "Of course," he said softly, not wanting to startle her again. "She's not my daughter. It's just a question; don't get too antsy. Here, I brought you your favorite Snow Fish Soup."
"Just get lost," the older woman snapped.
"It's my fault, Shujun," he replied comfortingly. "Please, don't be angry–"
"Humph." Snorting coldly, Ning Shujun crossed her arms over her chest. This time, however, she didn't order him to leave.
Considering it as a win on his end, Du Zhongyu smiled as he poured the soup from the thermos and into a small bowl. He slowly brought the bowl to Ning Shujun's bed, stirring it lightly with a spoon.
"I made it myself," he said proudly. "You should drink it while it's still hot."
"I...Fine." Although hesitant, she took the bowl from his hands.
It took them a couple of minutes before she had finally finished the soup. As soon as she did, she glanced up at the older man. "You can take your things and leave," she slowly said as if she were speaking to a child. "I'm done."
"Of course. I'm going," he said, amused by her stubbornness. Not wanting to push her any further, he packed his things and left.
But just as he was about to open the door, he saw Ning Qianyu standing outside. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide. He immediately staggered back, surprised by her sudden appearance.
His hands fidgeted. "Did you hear...what did you hear?"
Even she couldn't answer him.
Her mother had never talked about her father, even when she was still young. In fact, from what she could tell, people used to say to her that "she was just a bastard–a bullied bastard". "Mommy, what does 'bastard' mean?" She remembered asking her mother that day, only for her to sob at the question.
Although she didn't understand why her mother cried that day, she knew now. It was what they call a child who was born without a father by her side. It was only then when she realized that she grew up differently from others. While others had two parents by their sides, she only ever had one.
For so many years, it had only been just the two of them. But now that someone else came into their lives, claiming to be her father...she didn't know how else to react.