This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

When they arrived in the capital, it was already the early hours of the morning. After the group of guests reached Friendship House, they immediately returned to their rooms to take a hot shower. Once they finished, each of them collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

Many of the guests had nightmares throughout the night. In their dreams, they were chased by venomous snakes without pause. Only Ning Xiaoyu slept soundly and dreamlessly.

The next day, she woke up a little after six.

As usual, after a simple breakfast, she informed the director and headed off to the hospital alone.

It wasn’t until she reached the hospital entrance, about to step through the doors, that she suddenly remembered— her father was already awake.

He was no longer the man who lay in bed with closed eyes, unable to respond, and could only listen to her mutter about her daily life.

Just as she was about to take that step forward, her foot felt impossibly heavy.

The love system couldn’t understand Ning Xiaoyu’s complex feelings at that moment.

〖Girl, your father has woken up. Isn’t that a good thing?〗

Of course it was. It was undeniably good.

But after seven years, the love system wouldn’t comprehend the complex human emotion of being ‘shy in the face of intimacy’. When Ning Zhen had been unconscious, Ning Xiaoyu had missed her only remaining family deeply. But now that he was awake, she suddenly didn’t know how to face him.

Perhaps he had once been a deeply devoted husband. But he was definitely not a qualified father.

Ning Xiaoyu wasn’t ready to go in just yet. Instead, she wandered around near the hospital, debating whether or not she should see him.

It was the heart of winter now, and snow was falling heavily over the city.

Near the hospital was a small park. At this time of day, it was nearly empty. After Ning Xiaoyu entered the park, a sudden wave of laziness swept over her. She pulled up the hood on her down jacket and let herself fall backward into a thick pile of snow.

The snow exploded into the air around her.

She gently closed her eyes. Snowflakes landed softly on her lashes and cheeks.

Some of them melted into droplets of water, but more kept falling. Before long, her eyebrows were dusted white.

Just then, a little boy happened to run over.

Seeing someone lying in the snow, he tilted his head in confusion, then crouched down and did something countless fans online had always dreamed of doing.

Curious, he extended a hand and gently placed his fingertip under Ning Xiaoyu’s nose.

Feeling her warm breath, the boy exclaimed in surprise, “She’s warm! She’s still alive!”

Only a child could say something so innocent and direct.

Ning Xiaoyu: “……”

She slowly opened one eye and responded, “That’s right. Still alive.”

The little boy was startled and immediately turned and ran, shouting for his mother as he went.

He had seemed brave when checking her breathing a moment ago, but just a few words from Ning Xiaoyu were enough to scare him off completely.

After that interruption, Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t lie there any longer.

She got up, brushed the snow off her clothes, and slowly walked toward the hospital ward.

At the door to the ward, she ran into Ning Xuchen, who had come to visit Ning Zhen.

He was there to discuss the exact timing for hosting the banquet.

When he saw her, he greeted her first, “Xiao Yu.”

Ning Xiaoyu immediately felt a wave of relief. “My dad….. is he alright?”

Ning Xuchen gave a warm smile. “Second Uncle is in good condition.”

She nodded. “That’s good. Then I’ll head back now.”

Just as she turned to leave, Ning Xuchen called out to stop her.

He sighed softly. “Xiao Yu, aren’t you going in to see him? It’s been years since you’ve spoken. Don’t you have a lot you want to say?”

Ning Xiaoyu was about to respond when Ning Xuchen, through the thick down jacket, suddenly grabbed her arm. “Come on.”

Even before they entered, Ning Xuchen raised his voice and announced, “Second Uncle, Xiao Yu’s here!”

Ning Xiaoyu had no choice but to brace herself and call out, “Dad.”

Ning Xuchen tactfully gave the father and daughter some privacy. One stood, the other lay in bed.

They were barely more than a meter apart, but it felt like a vast distance separated them.

Upon seeing his grown daughter, Ning Zhen was instantly filled with emotion.

He let out a heavy sigh. “Xiao Yu, I’m sorry.”

Hearing those long-awaited words after seven years, Ning Xiaoyu’s emotions suddenly found an outlet.

There were things she had to say— things that would never sit right with her if she didn’t voice them.

“You think you’re so devoted, don’t you? But in the end? Your devotion only moved yourself!

Is love the only thing that matters in life? If so, then why did you bring me into this world? You think I wanted to be the product of your so-called love? Don’t kid yourself!

You thought they’d stay just because you tried to hold on to them, right? Don’t be naïve! You probably don’t even know this, but in the past seven years, they haven’t come to see you even once! They don’t care whether you’re alive or dead!

They’ve been busy living the good life. Who would still think of you? Only you kept clinging to two people who wanted nothing more than to leave! And look where that got you— ending up in a coma!”

Overwhelmed by emotion, her words came out a little jumbled.

But the meaning was clear enough.

Wasn’t this exactly what it meant to please no one on either side? That was the situation Ning Zhen found himself in now.

His ex-wife and youngest daughter had long abandoned him in pursuit of wealth, perhaps even wishing he had never existed. And the eldest daughter who had cared for him for seven years harbored deep resentment toward him.

Ning Zhen’s eyes turned slightly moist. He averted his gaze and repeated, “I’m sorry.”

This middle-aged man looked weak and old now, completely stripped of the pride and vigor of his youth.

Who would have thought that he had once been born into privilege and wielded influence like the wind and rain?

After letting out her long-suppressed frustration, Ning Xiaoyu felt her emotions calm significantly.

Seven years’ worth of confusion and sadness seemed to melt away in that moment.

She immediately returned to her usual calm and lazy demeanor.

Wearing her signature deadpan expression, Ning Xiaoyu said blandly, “Since you’ve woken up, then live well. If there’s no Ms. Zhang, there’s still Ms. Wang, Ms. Liu, and so on. If all else fails, you still have other relatives.”

There was no need to keep clinging to life and death over one Ms. Zhang.

If he wanted a second spring, she could even help him find someone.

Ning Zhen heard the implication behind Ning Xiaoyu’s words, and at that moment, he deeply felt the weight of his failure as a father.

Seven years had passed, and he was no longer young.

After a car accident and spending seven years in a coma, his mindset had inevitably changed.

During those years, he had only occasionally sensed faint traces of the outside world.

It seemed he had only vaguely heard Ning Xiaoyu’s voice in recent times— likely just this year.

He forced out a smile. “Don’t worry. Dad will live well.”

If he didn’t appreciate things now, wouldn’t that just waste the time and energy his eldest daughter had devoted over the past seven years?

This second chance at life had not come easily. Even if not for himself, just for Ning Xiaoyu, he would treasure it well.

Seeing that Ning Zhen had taken her words to heart, Ning Xiaoyu nodded. “Good. Then have a good rest. I’m heading back to film the show.”

Just as she turned to leave, Ning Zhen spoke from behind her, “Your twenty-third birthday is coming up in a couple of days. Your grandfather, your cousin, and I discussed it, and we’ve decided to throw a banquet that day to announce your identity as the young lady of the Ning family.”

Before Ning Xiaoyu could say anything, Ning Zhen added, “Don’t be in a rush to refuse. This matter—”

“I never said I’d refuse.” Ning Xiaoyu replied calmly.

Ning Zhen let out a sigh of relief. “Since you don’t mind, then keep your schedule open the day after tomorrow. Also, you can invite a few close friends to attend.”

Ning Xiaoyu let out an “Mm” in acknowledgment. “Got it.”

When she left the hospital room, Ning Xuchen was still outside. Seeing her come out, he asked with a smile, “How did the talk with your father go?”

Ning Xiaoyu shrugged. “Not bad.”

Ning Xuchen laughed. “Not bad? That’s good to hear.”

After a brief exchange, the two went their separate ways.

By the time Ning Xiaoyu returned to Friendship House, Ning Xuchen had already sent her the digital invitation for the banquet via WeChat. It was likely not designed by him personally but by his secretary.

She had to admit, the invitation was done with great care and was quite beautiful.

All the photos used were screenshots of her from 《Hi, My Friend》.

In every image, she was smiling softly.

She hadn’t even realized she smiled that much during the show.

She had always thought her expression was mostly emotionless.

〖Love System: Girl, you’re quite self-aware. You don’t smile often. That secretary spent quite a bit of effort just to get these few frames.〗

So this digital invitation must’ve been prepared quite some time ago?

〖Love System: Girl, you should smile more in the future!〗

Ning Xiaoyu casually sent the digital invitation to Lu Jingdu and Shen Yueyue.

At the moment, aside from Mu Jiajia, the other eleven guests were all in the main hall of the house.

As soon as Shen Yueyue received the digital invitation, she instinctively asked, “Xiao Yu, a banquet?”

Then she noticed the immediate attention from the other guests and quickly added cautiously, “Uh…… This is something you can talk about, right?”

Ning Xiaoyu responded with a simple “Mm, it’s fine.”

Hearing that, Xi Rui quickly asked, “A banquet? Xiaoyu, you’re having a banquet? What kind of banquet?”

“A birthday banquet.” Ning Xiaoyu explained.

With Mu Jiajia absent, no one could help Ning Yuwei speak. So she had to chime in herself, asking curiously, “Teacher Ning, you’re going all out for your birthday this year?”

【Tsk, tsk. The way she said that made it sound as if our Xiao Yu’s gone arrogant just because she’s become famous.】

【I’m telling you, Ning Yuwei is definitely jealous of our Xiao Yu. Definitely!】

Hearing that, Ning Xiaoyu replied coolly, “Oh, my family’s organizing it.”

Family! For those familiar with her background, that word revealed more than enough.

What family did Ning Xiaoyu even have?

Ning Yuwei had never seen any relatives from Ning Zhen’s side.

As for Zhang Xue’s relatives……

After the divorce between Zhang Xue and Ning Zhen, none of them had maintained contact with Ning Xiaoyu.

In that case, who could the ‘family’ Ning Xiaoyu mentioned possibly refer to?

Looking stunned, Ning Yuwei blurted out, “Your father woke up?”

【What does that mean?】

【What happened to Xiao Yu’s dad?】

Ning Xiaoyu nodded. “Yes, he woke up.”

At that very moment, Ning Zhen himself was watching the livestream.

Hearing Ning Yuwei say ‘your father’ so indifferently, he let out a bitter laugh.

Ah, Ning Zhen…… In just a few more years, you’ll be fifty. It’s time to grow up.