Chapter 26 Lost Family

“Did you drink the formula milk yet?” Lan Yuchu remembered and asked when he saw the tin on the table.

“No~” Lin Qiyue replied. She didn’t like drinking that formula milk; the taste was unpleasant.

Lan Yuchu added, “That won’t do. I already said you need to drink it every day.”

“It tastes bad, I can’t get used to it,” Lin Qiyue explained.

Lan Yuchu frowned. Seeing Lin Qiyue being disobedient again, he got serious. She was malnourished—the doctor had said so—and he suggested, “Then tomorrow I’ll buy you malted milk instead. That might taste better.”

“No need. All formula milk tastes the same,” she retorted. She just didn’t like milk formula—she was an adult after all.

Seeing how uncooperative she was, Lan Yuchu got annoyed and said, “If you’re not going to drink it, then starting tomorrow, get up early and exercise with me—every day from now on.”

Lin Qiyue was furious. She looked up at him, puffing her cheeks angrily, wanting to scold him.
But seeing his stern and somewhat fierce expression, she immediately deflated—after all, he was doing this for her own good.

Besides, her original body really was in terrible shape—just as weak as a stereotypical university student.

She knew she was in the wrong, but his gruff expression made her uncomfortable.

“I’ll drink it, okay? Why are you so fierce?”

Lan Yuchu, puzzled and frustrated, asked, “How was I being fierce?”

Lin Qiyue couldn’t come up with a solid reason, so she just muttered, “Look at your face—it looks fierce. You’re bullying me!” She randomly made something up to save face.

Hearing that, Lan Yuchu realized maybe his expression had been too stern and scared her.
He picked up the cup and milk tin and went outside. Before leaving, he looked back at Lin Qiyue.
Seeing her still looking aggrieved, he said softly, “I’ll go make it for you. I’m not scolding you—I’m just worried about you.”

Then he turned and walked out.

Lin Qiyue watched him go, a little moved inside.
She grumbled inwardly: He’s manly, alright, but when we’re being affectionate, he’s not like this! The moment he leaves the bed, it’s like he turns into someone else.

Thinking of that, she blushed. How are we going to get through tonight…? The thought made her even more shy.

Soon, Lan Yuchu came back with the formula milk, placed it on the table, and stole a glance at Lin Qiyue.
She was head down, carefully sewing clothes, looking very focused.
She’s probably not mad anymore, right?

“The milk’s ready. It’s a bit hot—remember to drink it when it cools down. Leave the bowl there; I’ll wash it when I’m done showering,” he said.

Lin Qiyue didn’t look up, pretending to ignore him, but inside she was thrilled!

—

Meanwhile, on Duan Yueman’s side, she had been sulking ever since she got home in the afternoon.

Her father, Duan Hongguo, returned from work and noticed his daughter sitting in the living room, staring into space for a long time without reacting.

“What’s going on, child? You look distracted. Did something happen at work?”
He seemed to have guessed a little but didn’t say it outright. His tone was affectionate and worried.

Pulled back from her thoughts by her father’s voice, Duan Yueman stood up and replied, “Daddy, you’re back?” Her expression was gloomy.

This made Duan Hongguo very worried. He walked over, patted her shoulder, and asked,
“What happened? Is work too stressful, or did someone bully you?”

Duan Yueman shook her head and softly replied, “I’m the daughter of the General Commander—who would dare bully me?”

“That’s true. Then why are you upset?”
She was his only daughter, and seeing her unhappy pained him deeply.

Duan Yueman’s eyes turned complicated as she looked at her father, then slowly shook her head.

“Was it that Lan boy who upset you?” Duan Hongguo finally asked directly after seeing her avoiding the topic.

Duan Yueman didn’t answer. Now that he had brought up what was troubling her, she lowered her head in heartbreak.

Tears fell from her eyes like pearls on a string.

“My child, that Lan boy is already married. Don’t hold onto him anymore. I ran into your Uncle Lan today—we chatted for a bit,” he said gently.

He wasn’t an unreasonable man. He knew his daughter liked that Lan boy.
Comforting her, he pulled her down to sit on the couch and said:

“Sweetheart, when the Lan family had their troubles back then, you were still very young.
Your father didn’t bring up the engagement again, and yes, that was our fault.

When your Uncle Lan and his family returned, I didn’t oppose you being together.
But now he’s already married, and he’s made things very clear—you need to let it go.”

He was afraid she’d spiral, which was why he hadn’t pushed her to move on all these years.

But now, even her father didn’t support her, and Duan Yueman cried even harder. Then she asked:

“Daddy, but I really like Yuchu-gege. He was always supposed to be mine!”

“He never once said he liked you. And yes, it was your father’s fault back then.
But there’s no way to turn things back. There are plenty of people in this world more outstanding than him.

Besides, your feelings for him will only cause trouble for him and his wife. Do you understand?”

Though it hurt to see his daughter loving someone she couldn’t have, he knew full well—it wasn’t Lan Yuchu’s fault, nor his daughter’s, and certainly not the fault of Lan Yuchu’s wife.

He had heard some things about Shen Qingmiao’s situation—it was very hush-hush, but as the Commander, it wasn’t hard for him to find the truth.

There was no fate between them, and he had accepted that.

“Daddy~” Duan Yueman didn’t want to give up. She had loved him for so many years—why did she have to let go?

“This is all Lin Qiyue’s fault! If it weren’t for her, I would have married Yuchu-gege by now!”

She always believed it was Lin Qiyue’s fault.
“It was Lan Dage’s wife who told me—she’s Lin Qiyue’s sister-in-law.
She said Lin Qiyue never liked Yuchu-gege, and that she set him up, forced him to marry her!”

“Someone as shameless as her—Yuchu-gege will definitely see her true colors one day and divorce her!” Duan Hongguo frowned slightly, hesitating to speak.

“Yueman…” he said with a pained tone, taking her hand gently. “You’re an educated person—how can you believe rumors based on just someone else’s words? About the drugging—wasn’t it you who gave that glass of water to Yuchu? Don’t you remember?”

Duan Yueman wanted to explain, but thinking about it, she did bear some responsibility. She looked at her father with grievance in her eyes. “But I didn’t know that glass was drugged. I feel guilty too.”

“Then you shouldn’t judge others like that. Lin Qiyue was also a victim. You…” He wanted to educate his daughter properly and help her correct her thoughts. But seeing her so heartbroken, he couldn’t bring himself to continue.

He stood up from the sofa and turned his back to her. “Child, let me be clear—The Lan family won’t agree to any divorce between them. You won’t have a chance to marry Lan Yuchu.”

“I saw your Uncle Lan today, and he made it very clear—Lan Yuchu’s wife can only be Lin Qiyue. You need to give up.”

Such a firm statement hit Duan Yueman hard. She was overwhelmed with emotion and began crying even more fiercely.

“Dad!” she shouted, then ran upstairs and locked herself in her room, sobbing loudly.

Duan Hongguo walked to her door. He wanted to knock and comfort her, but the hand he raised eventually dropped again. After a brief hesitation, he turned and walked to his study.

He took out a photograph. In the photo, a family of three was smiling happily. A woman in a qipao was holding a baby less than six months old, beaming with joy.

Sorrow filled his eyes as he reached out to touch the woman in the photo—but he didn’t have the courage.

“Your child has already grown up. It’s me—I didn’t take good care of her…” he said with tears welling up in his eyes.

Then he took out another photo from a different box. This one showed him and his wife. She had been pregnant at the time and insisted on taking a picture for the memory.

Looking at his own expression in the photo—so full of worry. The woman beside him was wearing a Western-style dress and a hat, smiling radiantly.

He had never liked the foreign-educated artist his family had forced him to marry. Under pressure from family and superiors, he had married her.

After the wedding, his wife Haidaier never once complained about his coldness. She kept the home meticulously clean.
She even gave up her luxurious wardrobe—because he didn’t like rich girls from capitalist families—she learned to wear qipaos and simple blouses and pants.

They had no children for many years. Then, during her father’s birthday banquet, he got drunk, and they finally consummated the marriage. She became pregnant.

Later, when she was nine months along, he received a telegram from a close friend—it said their undercover identities had been exposed. The organization was sending people to extract them, and his friend asked him to take their two-year-old daughter and ensure their bloodline would continue.

Despite his wife’s pleas, he left without hesitation to rescue his friend’s daughter.

By the time he returned, his wife’s entire family had been massacred, and his wife was missing. The organization had sent people to search, but they found nothing.

“If our child had been born… she’d be 21 now,” he murmured, filled with regret and guilt toward his wife.

His daughter and wife were both missing. He hadn’t saved his friend’s family, and he’d lost his own in the process.

All these years, he’d never stopped blaming himself. But his friend’s daughter had become his own, and for that child—he had to keep going.

He had once failed in love; he didn’t want his daughter to go down that same road.

He had already done too much wrong—he couldn’t bear to wrong his only daughter again.

He wiped away his tears and carefully put the photos away.