Chapter 60: This Person Cannot Be Spared
He got up every two hours at night to check if his daughter had kicked off her blanket.
During the day, he even massaged Liu Yingzi’s legs and feet for her.
Even the nurses praised him.
"You can’t fault him as a father."
A week later, Cao Jiajia was cleared for discharge.
After a period of recovery, some color had returned to the little girl’s cheeks.
The doctor said that after a few more days of observation, she could resume her normal activities.
Cao Daqiang went early to handle the discharge procedures.
Just as the family of three arrived home, they happened to run into Shanshan and Ling Anxun.
The afternoon sun cast a warm glow on the stone steps.
Shanshan was wearing a primrose-yellow dress, her little legs dangling.
Ling Anxun sat in a wicker chair beside her.
One arm was draped over the back of the chair, while his other hand gently brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead.
"Daddy!"
Cao Jiajia had been happily looking around to see if there were any new toys.
But when she followed her father’s gaze, the smile on her face instantly froze.
Terrified, she gripped his hand tightly and shook it hard.
"Daddy, don’t look at her! I’m your daughter!"
"You’re only allowed to look at me! She’s a bad person! She wants to hurt me! Daddy, look at me!"
She desperately tried to burrow into his arms as she yelled.
Cao Daqiang’s expression darkened. He bent down, scooped her up, and turned to walk into the house.
Liu Yingzi, following behind, didn’t see the look on his face.
Carrying a bag, she said in a gentle tone,
"Jiajia, look. Mommy bought you a new pillow. It has your favorite bunny pattern on it."
But this scene did not escape Ling Anxun’s notice.
He had been listening with his head lowered as Shanshan recounted a dream from last night, but he suddenly caught Cao Daqiang’s fleeting glance.
The look in his eyes was far too complex.
Hostility, vigilance, and even...
Killing intent.
Ling Anxun’s brow furrowed.
From their very first meeting, he had felt this man was far too calculating.
Later, he had someone investigate secretly and discovered that Cao Daqiang had never once tried to contact Shanshan over the years.
What was even stranger was his unusually complex network of internal connections.
Ling Anxun had only been suspicious before.
But that single glance just now was all the confirmation he needed.
’This man is far from simple.’
He didn’t say a word about it to Shanshan. He only brought it up with Ling Zhiyu when his family came to visit.
The two of them stood on the balcony, smoking.
Ling Anxun, his back to the living room, spoke in a low voice.
"That Cao Daqiang... he can’t be allowed to remain. He has no feelings for Shanshan, only schemes."
"Get rid of Cao Daqiang? But he’s Shanshan’s biological father, Uncle. Wouldn’t that be too ruthless?"
Ling Zhiyu froze, the cigarette nearly falling from his hand.
He understood what the words "get rid of" implied.
But Cao Daqiang was, after all, Shanshan’s biological father.
He couldn’t help but try to talk him out of it.
He was afraid that if Shanshan ever learned the truth in the future, it would leave a permanent scar on her heart.
But once Ling Anxun set his mind on something, no one could stop him.
Everyone was well aware of this fact.
It was just that recently, Shanshan had truly changed him a lot.
Ling Anxun was silent for a moment, a hint of conflict on his brow.
Finally, he voiced the thoughts that were weighing on him.
"Cao Daqiang has been making too many moves lately. I have a feeling he won’t let Shanshan go so easily."
Ling Zhiyu sat in a chair, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest.
Countless past experiences had told him that Ling Anxun’s intuition was never wrong.
Once he deemed something dangerous, a deeper conspiracy was invariably lurking behind it.
"If it’s really as you say... then that man has to go."
Ling Zhiyu began to speak slowly.
"Shanshan is his biological daughter; the blood tie is there. If one day he decides to make an issue of this relationship—for instance, by suddenly showing up to claim her as his own, or using her to threaten us... we’d be completely defenseless. The child is too young to withstand such turmoil."
"Do it as soon as possible."
Ling Anxun’s voice was extremely low.
"But now... it’s not so easy."
Ling Zhiyu raised a hand to rub his temples.
"Why?"
Ling Anxun pressed, frowning.
"He’s been transferred. To another camp."
Ling Zhiyu said in a low voice, a hint of frustration in his tone.
"The transfer order came down last week. Before our people could react, he had already left the capital. Now, he’s out of our reach."
Although he didn’t explicitly say where, Ling Anxun understood immediately.
’Transferred away from the hornet’s nest, he could both evade investigation and retreat in order to advance, plotting from the shadows.’
"Then we’ll hold our position for now," Ling Anxun said calmly.
"Does he think a transfer will let him get away scot-free? Too naive. The more he hides, the more it proves he has something to hide."
"Uncle, we’re on the same page."
A cold smile touched the corners of Ling Zhiyu’s lips.
’The other party was so eager to transfer him away. They’re clearly planning to use Shanshan as a bargaining chip to force our hand later.’
’So why shouldn’t we play along?’
Before he could finish, a sudden patter of hurried footsteps came from outside.
"Shanshan’s mushroom soup is ready!"
The two turned their heads and saw Shanshan carrying a soup pot, toddling inside.
She was wearing a small pink apron, her little face flushed from the steam.
"Slow down! Be careful not to fall!"
Ling Anxun’s voice suddenly rose.
Before the words had even left his mouth, Shanshan’s foot slipped, and she pitched forward.
The lid flew off the pot, and the scalding hot mushroom soup was about to spill all over the floor.
In that instant, Ling Anxun stopped breathing.
An abrupt surge of adrenaline left him stunned.
’How did I just stand up?’
By the time he came to his senses, he had already rushed in front of Shanshan.
His left hand snatched the little girl by the waist, pulling her into his embrace.
His right hand shot out like lightning, steadily catching the pot of mushroom soup.
Ling Zhiyu, standing nearby, looked as if his eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.
"U-Uncle... Y-you actually stood up?"
Hearing the commotion, the nanny was the first to run out from the kitchen.
Followed by the butler, the driver, the bodyguards...
A crowd of people flooded into the living room, their gazes landing in unison on Ling Anxun.
Seeing him standing there perfectly fine and Shanshan completely unharmed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
But in the next moment, the entire group erupted.
"Oh my God! The Young Master is standing!"
"Was... was that real just now? Am I seeing things?"
"Go get the doctor! Right now! Immediately!"
Some covered their mouths, while others were so moved their eyes turned red.
But Ling Anxun just looked down at Shanshan and asked softly,
"Did you get burned?"
Shanshan shook her head, tilting her little face up.
"No, Daddy caught me... Daddy, you walked?"
The corners of Ling Anxun’s mouth lifted gently.
"Yes, Daddy can walk now. From now on, I can carry you when we walk, too."
Ding Qin’s eyes reddened, and she rushed forward.
Her hands trembled in mid-air, yet she didn’t dare to touch her son’s body.
She was afraid that if she touched him, she would discover this was all just a dream.
"My legs are much better. I can’t just stand; I can take a few steps."
Ling Anxun gritted his teeth, braced his hands on the wheelchair’s armrests, and slowly pushed himself up.
Then, he shuffled forward two steps.
Even an old leader like Ling Zhenkang, who had been through countless life-and-death struggles, found his eyes widening in an instant.
’His son, who had been paralyzed for three whole years, the son whom doctors had declared would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair...’
’And now, he had actually stood up on his own?’
’He could even walk?’
"Good! Good! As long as you’re better! Quick, sit down, don’t wear yourself out!"
Ding Qin quickly supported Ling Anxun by the arm and helped him back into his wheelchair.