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Lixue's breath caught as the words left Nangong Jiantao's mouth. Her hands clenched at her sides, trembling with the force of her rising anger.

"No," she said sharply, stepping between him and her mother. "She's not going anywhere."

Nangong Jiantao's sharp gaze fell on her, his demeanor unyielding. "You misunderstand, child. This isn't a discussion. It's a decision."

"And who gave you the right to make it?" Lixue shot back, her voice rising. "You've been absent her entire life. You weren't there when she needed help, when she sacrificed everything for me. And now, you think you can swoop in and decide what's best for her? You don't get to do that!"

His expression remained cold, but there was a slight tightening of his jaw, a crack in his otherwise impenetrable exterior. "I'm her father," he said evenly. "That is reason enough."