“Tired.” Lin Ruixi’s hands were gripped tight onto Zong Jinghao’s shirt. She wanted to sleep but could not because the place was unfamiliar.
Her little body kept fidgeting in his arms.
Zong Jinghao pulled her closer and his large hands struck her back. He patiently coaxed her, “Good girl, Daddy will hold you while you sleep.”
Lin Ruixi buried her face into his chest. Daddy’s arms were so warm. She could feel him and his warmth through the fabric. “Daddy, will you still abandon Mommy and us? I don’t want to leave you. I want Daddy, Mommy, and Xichen to live together, like what the other kids have. There’s Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, Grandpa…”
The little girl’s voice trailed off until he could not hear it.
Zong Jinghao lowered his head. The little girl had buried her face in his arms, and the corners of her eyes were damp.
“I saw other kids’ being carried by their daddies, and their daddies pushed their swings for them. I’m envious…”
Since birth, she only had Mommy, Xichen, and Grandma. There was never a Daddy.
She was clingy to Zong Jinghao when she met him, because she was afraid that he would not want her again.
Then she would become a fatherless child again.
Zong Jinghao moved his body and held her head in his hands. He did not know if it was because it was stuffy or was it because of suffering she had for many years. Her eyes were red and there were beads of tears on her long eyelashes. He bent down to kiss the beads of tears away from her eyes. He said in a low voice, “No, I’ll never leave you from now on.”
His lips were warm and soft and the little girl closed her eyes instinctively. Daddy’s breath was so close to her. He was hugging her and he was kissing her. She felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world.
She was easily satisfied. A simple kiss had melted her heart.
However, she did not know that her words had made this man agitate.
When Lin Xinyan was pregnant, he knew that it was him who had pushed her away and missed out all these years.
How could he compensate for the years he had missed?
“Boy, why aren’t you at the back?” The recreational vehicle was spacious. Behind the driver’s seat was a couch. Shen Peichuan was half lying on it while looking at the maps. Lin Xichen was sitting beside him and looking out the window. When he heard Shen Peichuan’s words, he answered without turning his head, “I’m not sleepy, I don’t want to go.”
His sister was clinging onto Zong Jinghao. He did not want to see it; he did not feel comfortable to see it.
If Zong Jinghao really loves them, why did he abandon Mommy in the first place?
Now he was acting as if he was guilty. What did that mean?
“Mr. Shen, what kind of person is he?” Lin Xichen felt conflicted with his feelings towards Zong Jinghao. He wanted to be close to him, but he could not let go of the fact that he had abandoned Lin Xinyan back then.
Shen Peichuan was stunned by his question. He sat up and asked, “Who?”
Lin Xichen pointed to the back of the car and Shen Peichuan understood who he was talking about. He reached out to wrap his arm around his neck and pulled him into his arms. “Boy, that’s your daddy, you’re calling him ‘he’?”
“Why should I call the person who abandoned me as Daddy?” Lin Xichen tilted his head up and he looked like an arrogant boy. However, he was envious of Lin Ruixi, who could easily call him Daddy.
He could not say it out easily.
He could not help but think about the abandonment. Not only did he abandon them, he abandoned his mommy. He could not forgive him that easily although he seemed good to them now.
Shen Peichuan looked at the little boy. It was obvious that he could not get over Zong Jinghao.
He reached out to ruffle his hair roughly. “Your dad must have not known that your mommy was pregnant back then. It was not his style to know about her children and still insisting on a divorce even if he didn’t like her.”
Lin Xichen’s focus was not on Zong Jinghao being responsible, but that he had not liked her. Did he not like Mommy when they were married?
If he did not, why did they get married?
Were their brains not working?
“Does that mean that he had wasted Mommy’s time?” Lin Xichen asked as he frowned.
If it was not for him, did that mean that Mommy could find someone that actually loved her?
Shen Peichuan reached out to flick his small nose. “What are you thinking about, boy? Don’t worry that much about adult’s things. You’ll grow old quickly.
Lin Xichen pouted. “Mr. Shen, you’re the one who’ll get older first.” He put up his fingers. “In another twenty years, you’ll be entering old age while I’m at the peak of my youth.”
After finishing his words, Lin Xichen ran off.
“Hey, you!” Shen Peichuan felt helpless. “Run slower, I won’t chase after you. Your dad is an overprotective person.”
Shen Peichuan still could not let go of the fact that Zong Jinghao had not let him touch Lin Ruixi.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
What a selfish man!
It was just a daughter!
He could get children of his own.
Thinking of children, Lin Xinyan was good at having children. She had given birth to a pair of twins, a girl and a boy. They had taken after their parent’s best points. The boy was smart and the girl was cute and soft. He would love to have these kinds of children.
All he could blame was that he did not have Zong Jinghao’s luck.
Shen Peichuan sighed as he leaned back on the couch. He was about to look on the map again when Zong Jinghao walked out from the back of the car. He jerked up in surprise. “Where’s your daughter?”
What he wanted to ask was “How could you leave her willingly? Didn’t you want to accompany your daughter?”
“She’s asleep.” He took Shen Peichuan’s phone and looked at the routes that he had planned out. He asked, “There’s only one way?”
“No, but I was thinking that he would be choosing the most remote route to avoid our men. There isn’t surveillance for remote roads, but the roads are not well-maintained, so he’ll be driving slower.”
“Send two men over to check out that route to see if they could find anything.” He could not go personally, as his children were still here.
“Yes.” Shen Peichuan said, “I’ve already sent someone.” As he said, he looked at the back of the car then leaned towards Zong Jinghao. “I think the boy has something against you.”
Did Zong Jinghao not know that Lin Xichen was feeling conflicted about him?
Of course he did.
“He blames me for divorcing Lin Xinyan.” Zong Jinghao’s eyes lowered. He was staring at the phone, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
Shen Peichuan looked at him with suggestive eyes. “Didn’t you dislike her at that time? How did you…” Get her pregnant?
He was not happy with the marriage at that time. Su Zhan and him had known about it. If the marriage was not arranged by his late mother, he would have never gone through it.
If he had not loved nor like her, and he had He Ruilin beside him, how did Lin Xinyan get pregnant?
Zong Jinghao looked at him. “Stop gossiping about my matters.”
He did not want to talk in detail about this matter. No one else needed to know about it other than him.
He was not going to announce it publicly and let everyone know that Lin Xinyan had his children before marriage.
Shen Peichuan was familiar with him. No one forced the words out of him if he did not want to willingly tell them.
He looked back at the phone and continued looking at the map. He wanted to see if there were better and more convenient routes that could get them there faster.
At the back, Lin Xichen was lying on the bed and turning around. He did not feel sleepy at all. He supported his head with one hand and reached out to squeeze his sleeping sister’s nose with another. “Heartless girl. You called him daddy so quickly.”
Lin Ruixi felt her nose ticklish. She turned her body and continued sleeping.
Lin Xichen felt bored. He turned to look at the ceiling light and mumbled, “When can we find Mommy?”
Suddenly, the smartwatch on his wrist rang. He raised his hand and there was an unfamiliar number on the screen. Could it be Mommy?
The moment he thought about it, he accepted the call.
He raised the smartwatch near his mouth and could not help but call out, “Mommy.”
There was a woman’s voice that came from the other end…
