Ji Xuan swallowed the mouthful of blood in his throat. Just then, Xiao Yu noticed the large bag in Sun Hao’s hand and asked, “Whoa, Sun Hao, what did you bring for your dad?”

Sun Hao glanced at the bag a little sheepishly and said, “Oh, it’s nothing really. The weather’s been getting colder lately, and since you wouldn’t let me buy new clothes for Xiaoguang, I asked a few friends and colleagues for some old clothes instead. I figured you wouldn’t object to that. But now… well, I guess it’s not needed anymore.”

Xiao Yu looked at Ji Xuan and said pointedly, “Hmph, you really put thought into this—not like some people.”

Ji Xuan was caught off guard. Feeling a little guilty, he awkwardly lifted the bag in his hand and muttered, “I did buy some new clothes for Xiaoguang.”

Looking at his dad, Xiao Ruoguang thought he looked so pitiful. So he chimed in, “Yeah! The big ungrateful dad bought lots of clothes!”

Xiao Yu turned to Xiao Ruoguang and asked, “Your Uncle Sun went around asking for clothes for you—house by house. He even had to drive to each place to pick them up, thank every single person, and now he owes them favors. That’s a pretty amazing thing he did. Has your dad ever done anything like that?”

Xiao Ruoguang paused for a moment, then, touched by her words, said, “Ungrateful dad didn’t do that. Uncle Sun is so kind.” He looked at Sun Hao, his eyes brimming with tears.

Ji Xuan: “…” Damn it.

Ban Zhenye: “…” Huh? Why does that actually make so much sense?

Sun Hao knew perfectly well that Xiao Yu was taking a jab at Ji Xuan, but he didn’t bother smoothing things over. He might not be too fond of Xiao Yu, but he liked Xiaoguang’s father even less.

Ji Xuan thought for a long moment before finally saying to Xiao Yu, “I’ll bring you some clothes to change into tomorrow.”

So she wants new clothes? Fine, I’ll just buy them.

Xiao Yu’s eyes sparkled with amusement, her tone playful. “Oh, how could I possibly accept that? …In that case, bring a couple extra sets!”

Come on, I gave you such a big son—asking for a few outfits isn’t too much, right?
This was Xiao Yu’s favorite thing, pretty clothes.

Then she turned to Xiao Ruoguang and said, “Xiaoguang, hurry and thank your dad! He bought you clothes, toys, and even snacks. Skipped work today, didn’t earn a cent, and still gave you so much money to spend. What a great and noble dad!”

Hearing that, Xiao Ruoguang’s eyes welled up again as he looked at his dad and said, “Thank you, ungrateful dad, for being so good to me.”

Moved, he wiped his tears, thinking today was full of love.

Ji Xuan: “…” Getting a single thank you is like pulling teeth!

Ban Zhenye: “…” Huh? Why does that actually sound… completely reasonable?

Just as Ji Xuan was about to say something, he heard Xiao Yu speak again, this time to Xiao Ruoguang: “Hurry up and say goodbye to your dad.”

Xiao Ruoguang, always obedient, looked at Ji Xuan with reluctant eyes. Though clearly not ready to part, he still said, “Goodbye, ungrateful dad. Will you… will you come see me again tomorrow?”

Ji Xuan: “…” Who said I was leaving?!

Even though that’s what he was thinking, Ji Xuan could only swallow the blood in his throat and reply, “Mm. Daddy will come see you tomorrow.”

Ban Zhenye had been watching Xiao Ruoguang all day and had grown genuinely fond of the boy. With concern in her voice, she turned to Ji Xuan and asked, “Have you considered hiring a nanny for the young master? The caretakers can only do so much—they can’t really tend to all his needs.”

Ji Xuan was just about to agree when Sun Hao spoke up from the side, “Xiaoguang’s already proven he can take care of himself. Now that he’s got this capable young lady here too, that’s more than enough. Bringing in another person would just cause unnecessary friction—and besides, there’s not enough space in the hospital. It’d only make things more complicated.”

As soon as Ji Xuan heard that, he wanted to argue.

What do you mean there’s no space? I could rent them a VIP suite in this hospital, no problem!

But before he could open his mouth, Xiao Ruoguang piped up, “Uncle Sun, you’re amazing!”

Sun Hao gently patted his head with a kind smile—like a picture-perfect scene of a loving father and obedient son.

Ji Xuan: “…” Damn it. Who said you could steal my son?

In the end, Ji Xuan was politely ushered out of the hospital. On the way back, Ban Zhenye turned to him and asked, “President Ji, should we stop by and buy some clothes?”

Ji Xuan let out a quiet sigh. “Yeah, let’s buy some. Otherwise, in a few days, I might not even qualify as the ‘ungrateful dad’ anymore.”

Ban Zhenye replied, “…Alright. I’ll pick up a couple of sets later. Are we heading back now?”

“Mm. Arrange for a car tomorrow morning—I’ll take Ji Yu to visit Xiao Yu. After all, she’s Ji Yu’s mother. With something this serious, it’s only right that Ji Yu pays her a visit, emotionally and morally.” Ji Xuan had no intention of raising his daughter to be heartless or indifferent.

When Ji Xuan arrived home, the first thing he heard was Ji Yu shouting from the living room: “This is disgusting! It’s all gross!” Followed by the sound of things being thrown to the floor.

He opened the door to find total chaos: vegetables, meat, soup, and oil splattered across the floor, along with shards of broken dishes.

Standing on a chair, six-year-old Ji Yu pointed at the now-empty dining table and yelled, “It’s disgusting! I’m not eating this! I won’t!”

Ji Xuan frowned and said in a calm, cold voice, “Ji Yu.”

Ji Yu turned around. Her delicate little face still had traces of baby fat. Her eyes were a lovely almond shape, with a soft, peach blossom curve. A tiny nose, rosy lips, and long hair that reached all the way down to her thighs—rare natural curls for someone in the country.

The moment she saw her father, the fierce look on her face slowly melted away. Her eyes welled up as she cried, “Daddy, why did you take so long to come home?”

The truth was, the food wasn’t bad at all. It was just that eating dinner alone made everything hard to swallow.

Ji Xuan handed his coat to the housekeeper who came up to greet him and asked, “Throwing a tantrum again?”

He glanced at Ji Yu and added, “What happened this time?”

“The rice was bad, the vegetables were bad, even the soup tasted awful,” Ji Yu said, clearly feeling wronged and upset.

Ji Xuan rubbed his temple and said to the nanny, “Make two bowls of noodles.”

The nanny quickly nodded. There was still some bone broth left, and noodles wouldn’t take long to cook—she hurried off to the kitchen.

Ji Xuan walked over and sat beside Ji Yu.

“Today,” he said gently, “I saw your mom.”

Ji Yu froze, a flicker of blankness crossing her face before it was quickly replaced by anger.

“Why are you bringing her up?” she snapped. “She already left. Why would she come back?”

Ji Xuan said calmly, “She was in a car accident. She’s hurt. You’re coming with me tomorrow to see her.”

“I’m not going!” Ji Yu jumped to her feet, shouting, “She deserved it! She abandoned us—she deserves to get into a car accident!”

“Ji Yu!!!” Ji Xuan’s voice thundered. “She’s still your mother.”

“I don’t want her to be my mom!” Ji Yu cried out. “I have Miss Yi now—I don’t need a mom anymore!”

Tears poured down her cheeks as she yelled, “I’m not going to see her! I won’t! I hope she stays in the hospital forever! Waaaahhhh!”

The next morning, as Ji Xuan left the house carrying the sweet soup the nanny had prepared, he was surprised to find that besides the driver up front and Ban Zhenye in the passenger seat—Ji Yu was already sitting quietly in the back.

Ji Xuan: “…” Weren’t you the one bawling your eyes out yesterday?

Ji Yu sat in the back seat, arms crossed and one leg casually propped over the other. She gave her father a sideways glance and said, “Since you’re all so desperate for me to go see her, I’ll graciously go. But just so we’re clear—even if you beg me, I won’t stay long. I’ll take one quick look and then I’m out. Hmph!”

Ji Xuan: “…” Sure. Whatever makes you feel better.

Ban Zhenye: “…” Still as blunt and fiery as ever, this little miss.

Ji Yu wiggled in her seat, then looked out at Ji Xuan. “What are you waiting for, Daddy? It’s almost nine! Hurry up already!”

Ji Xuan: “…” Yeah… no rush or anything.

=^_^=