“I… I… don’t have a dad?” Xiao Ruoguang asked hesitantly, completely at a loss.

Xiao Yu looked up at the sky as if deep in thought. “Hmm… I think… there was one before? Let me think, give Mom a moment!”

Sun Hao stepped out from inside and overheard the conversation. He glanced at Xiao Yu and sighed. “Xiaoguang is a good kid. Don’t lie to him—he’ll take it seriously.”

Xiao Yu turned to look at Xiao Ruoguang and, sure enough, saw the boy staring back in absolute shock. Feeling a rare pang of guilt, Xiao Yu quickly considered how to explain things in a way that wouldn’t leave the child believing he’d simply popped out of a crack in the ground.

“Sweetheart,” Xiao Yu said, attempting to reach out and ruffle his hair, only to realize she couldn’t move. So instead, she continued, “We’ll call your dad in a bit, okay?”

Xiao Ruoguang’s eyes lit up. “I have a dad?”

“Uh… yes, you do,” Xiao Yu replied, feeling even guiltier. What a silly child!

“Then… can I ask Dad for money to pay for your treatment?” Xiao Ruoguang asked, his wide eyes filled with determination.

Lying sprawled out like a lifeless ragdoll, Xiao Yu thought bleakly: Sweetheart, we have to get through to your dad first…

“Mom.” Xiao Ruoguang climbed off the bed, tugged at Xiao Yu’s hospital gown, and asked, “Where is Dad?”

Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment. It was probably time to contact her ex-husband anyway. With her current situation, there was no way she could keep scraping by like this. So, she finally said, “Baby, go get the phone.”

Xiao Ruoguang nodded, then struggled to push a chair over to the wardrobe. Climbing onto it, he stretched on tiptoe to open the wardrobe and pulled out a gray leather bag. Carefully, he put the bag back in place, closed the door, and gently placed the phone on the chair before pushing it back to its original position—all in one smooth, practiced motion.

With the phone in hand, he climbed back onto the bed, powered it on, and looked up at Xiao Yu expectantly. In a small voice, he called, “Mom.”

Xiao Yu frowned. “Why was it turned off?”

Xiao Ruoguang grinned, patting the phone proudly. “That way, we don’t have to pay the bill every month!”

Xiao Yu: “…” I have a bad feeling about this.

“Baby, how long has it been since we last paid the bill?” This time, Xiao Yu asked cautiously.

Xiao Ruoguang tilted his head, blinking his big eyes in confusion. His expression practically screamed: What are you talking about? I don’t understand a thing!

Xiao Yu sighed in defeat. “Just open the contacts list first.”

Xiao Ruoguang lowered his head and fiddled with the phone for a moment before looking back up at Xiao Yu. She continued, “There should be a contact named Ungrateful in there.”

Xiao Ruoguang: “…”

Sun Hao: “…”

Xiao Yu smiled. “Yes, baby, that’s your dad.”

After a brief silence, Xiao Ruoguang muttered, “Mom, I can’t read.”

Xiao Yu patted his head reassuringly. “No problem, baby. We’ll just ask someone else.”

Xiao Ruoguang immediately turned his wide, pleading eyes to Sun Hao. Sun Hao had always been weak against children, especially ones with angelic faces. And Xiao Ruoguang? Not only did he have an angel’s face, but he also had those big, round, deer-like eyes—shimmering with innocence and just the right touch of pitifulness. Bullseye.

“Alright, alright, let me find it for you,” Sun Hao sighed, taking the phone. He scrolled through the contacts and, sure enough, found a particularly unique entry—Ungrateful.

Xiao Ruoguang took the phone back, staring at the three characters on the screen. His small fingers gently traced over them, as if touching the name meant touching the father he had never met. He stared at the words for a long moment, burning them into his memory. This is Dad. Dad…

Xiao Yu let him have his moment before finally saying, “Call him.”

Xiao Ruoguang nodded and pressed the dial button.

A second later, a clear, mechanical female voice echoed from the speaker:

“Hello, the number you are calling has been suspended due to overdue payments. Please recharge your account promptly.”

Xiao Yu: “…”

Xiao Ruoguang looked at her in confusion. “Mom?”

Smiling, Xiao Yu said, “Baby, actually, we can still borrow a phone.”

Without hesitation, Xiao Ruoguang turned his pleading gaze to Sun Hao again. Uncle Sun immediately pulled out his phone. “I’ll help you,” he said, dialing the number for Mr. Ungrateful before handing the phone to Xiao Ruoguang.

Xiao Ruoguang took it with both hands, politely saying, “Thank you,” before pressing it to his ear.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

After a few rings, the call connected.

A deep male voice came through—low and slightly husky, carrying a magnetic pull, like gravity itself.

“Hello.”

At the sound of that voice, Xiao Ruoguang’s eyes instantly turned red. He was exhausted. Ever since the car accident, he had been the only one taking care of his mother. Everyone else had a dad—except him.

The milk a kind stranger had given him before had long been finished. Would Dad buy him more?

Xiao Ruoguang had so many thoughts running through his head, but clinging to hope, he called out in a soft, teary voice, “Daddy!”

Before his tears could even fall—click. The call was cut off.

Xiao Ruoguang: “…”

With tears welling up in his eyes, he turned to Xiao Yu, then burst into wails. “Mom! Mom! Dad doesn’t want me!”

Sun Hao immediately stepped forward to comfort him, then turned to Xiao Yu with a frown. “What’s going on? What does his father mean by this?”

Xiao Yu searched through her memories and casually mused, “Hmm… if I remember correctly, he probably doesn’t know he has a son yet.”

Sun Hao: “…”

Xiao Ruoguang sniffled. “Really?”

Xiao Yu nodded confidently. “Yep. He’s probably already blocked this number. So now, we need to call one of his subordinates.”

“Okay!” Xiao Ruoguang perked up, raising the phone high in the air. “Who do we call?”

Xiao Yu said, “One of Ungrateful’s subordinates.”

Xiao Ruoguang: “…”

Sun Hao: “…”

The call connected, and a woman answered. Her voice was as cold and mechanical as the automated message from earlier.

“Hello.”

Xiao Yu gestured for Xiao Ruoguang to hold the phone up to her ear, and he quickly complied.

“Miss Ban?” Xiao Yu said.

Ban Zhenye frowned, her tone icy. “Miss Xiao?”

“That’s right! It’s me!” Xiao Yu replied cheerfully.

“And what do you need?” Ban Zhenye asked, her voice still frosty.

Xiao Yu said casually, “Oh, it’s simple—just get Ji Xuan on the phone. I need to talk to him.”

“Apologies, Miss Xiao,” Ban Zhenye replied flatly. “President Ji has made it clear that he will not take your calls.”

Xiao Yu let out a sharp hiss. “Tell him I have something important to discuss.”

Ban Zhenye was about to refuse again when Xiao Yu added smoothly, “Otherwise, I might just spread some news.”

Ban Zhenye didn’t believe Xiao Yu had anything truly scandalous up her sleeve, but even the slightest possibility made her pause. So, just in case, she went to ask Ji Xuan.

Ji Xuan wasn’t particularly worried about threats, but since it was his ex-wife calling, it was obvious she must have hit rock bottom to reach out to him.

And after all, she was Xiaoyu’s mother.

With that in mind, he took the phone, planning to ask what was going on.

Before he could even speak, Xiao Yu’s voice rang out cheerfully:

“Ji Xuan! So, here’s the thing—I’m a little short on cash. Can I borrow some?”

Ji Xuan frowned. “Did you go gambling again?”

Xiao Yu immediately denied it. “Of course not!”

“I help in emergencies, not with chronic poverty. No loans. That’s it.” Ji Xuan was about to hang up.

Xiao Yu quickly shouted, “Stop! Ji Xuan, if you don’t lend me the money, I’ll post your childhood nickname online!”

Ji Xuan: “…You. Just. Wait.”

With gritted teeth and barely restrained fury, he slammed the phone down.

Xiao Yu stared at the beeping phone, then turned to Xiao Ruoguang with an innocent expression. “It’s fine. Daddy will be here soon.”

Xiao Ruoguang hesitated. “I… I… I think Dad didn’t sound very… happy?”

Xiao Yu gave him a warm, almost auntie-like smile. “Sweetheart, he’s going to be even less happy when he gets here. You’ll have to get used to it.”

Xiao Ruoguang: “…”

=^_^=