Chapter 11: Shaving Day
Zhao Yiming was so happy—being able to hold his daughter again, after all these years he'd wasted. His heart ached, yet felt strangely full.
He wanted to say more, to let her know that Lao Chen had truly loved her, even if he hadn't known how to show it.
But... he held back.
'A man like me doesn't deserve to say such things,' he thought, bitterly.
'Maybe it's better if Yanyan believes her old man was no good... At least then, she won't cry too much over me being gone.'
He kept gently rubbing her back, his hand trembling slightly.
'Ah... if only I could hold her like this forever... like back when she was just a little thing, still reaching out for me with those tiny hands... My precious girl.'
But like all dreams, this one had to end too as Lao Xinya suddenly pushed him away, her expression nervous. She kept her face down, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Ugh... Sorry for that..." she murmured. "Also, don't ever tell anyone this happened!" She stood up, frowning. "Okay?"
"Ah... That—"
But his words were cut short when Xinya turned and walked off. Only, a moment later, she came back—still avoiding eye contact. Even in the dark, he could see the flush on her face.