Chapter 630: Chapter 628: The Kindhearted Father (Part 7)
From Duan Mu’s perspective, the Commissioner ignoring Wei Yue and causing her distress was utterly unreasonable and inexcusable.
"Chenchen, your mom and I have some things to discuss. Can you stay here and keep Yuanyuan company? You’re the same age, so you should have a lot to talk about. Yuanyuan is quite curious about school; you could talk to her about that," Ran Zhengfeng said. He noticed that Zhuo Qiaoqing was in a relatively good mood today, and she had seen how much weight Wei Yue had lost. He hoped she’d understand and support the matter he was about to raise.
Nobody could have foreseen this unexpected situation; he couldn’t just ignore Wei Yue.
"Probably not," Ah Chen replied.
"No," Zhuo Qiaoqing immediately objected, "Chenchen still has homework to finish. We also have other plans for today."
As for what those plans were, she had no interest in discussing them with Ran Zhengfeng. If she did, he’d probably think she was cold and heartless. But so what? To her, Wei Yue was a stranger, perhaps even less than a stranger. She harbored resentment towards Wei Yue, but it was Ran Zhengfeng who made her this way.
It was his inability to balance the family and Wei Yue’s orphanage that led to her deep-seated dislike for anything involving the orphanage.
If Ran Zhengfeng had managed things a little better, she wouldn’t have been this way.
"I really have test papers to do, about seven of them," Ah Chen said at that moment. "Besides, I’m not familiar with Wei Yue. Isn’t Duan Mu here? We’re in the same class. If Wei Yue wants to know about school, Duan Mu can help."
Ran Zhengfeng always hoped Wei Yue and the Commissioner could get along like sisters, but that was a mere fantasy.
After causing such a mess in the family, how could he be so confident?
Ah Chen’s words were blunt, causing Wei Yue, leaning against the hospital bed, to turn a shade paler. She had always hoped to get along with Ran Chen because that’s what Uncle Ran wished for, so she made an earnest effort. Unfortunately, Ran Chen was very opposed to her and refused to accept her.
Even now, seeing her in such a state, he remained unchanged. Wei Yue felt a bit saddened, realizing she might not be able to fulfill Uncle Ran’s wish.
Duan Mu, however, was infuriated, especially seeing Wei Yue’s downcast expression, so he couldn’t help but speak out. Wei Yue quickly grabbed his arm, gently shaking her head. This wasn’t something worth quarreling over. Moreover, Duan Mu and Ran Chen already didn’t get along; if they argued because of her, things would only worsen.
Seeing the pleading look in Wei Yue’s eyes, Duan Mu took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions: "It’s the weekend, and I told my mom I would come to see Wei Yue, so I can accompany her. Uncle Ran, don’t worry. If she wants to know anything about school, I’ll tell her. Plus, I’ve recorded videos of the test papers and classes. She can study them in the hospital when she’s free."
"There’s no need to trouble anyone else." Duan Mu said the last sentence through gritted teeth.
Ran Zhengfeng looked a bit awkward, somewhat helpless, seeing Wei Yue’s pale face, yet refrained from saying anything in the room to avoid affecting her emotions.
The family tacitly left the room together. Once they were far from the ward, Ran Zhengfeng finally spoke, "Yuanyuan is ill now, Chenchen. Can’t you understand it a bit? You’re of the same age and classmates, having known each other since childhood. How can you be so indifferent seeing her like this? Didn’t you feel guilty seeing how upset she was just now?"
"So should I sacrifice everything for Wei Yue?" Ah Chen retorted, halting Zhuo Qiaoqing’s impending outburst.
"It’s your business to be good to Wei Yue, but you can’t expect me to make every sacrifice for her."
"First, my birthday gifts were coaxed out of me for Wei Yue. Then you wanted me to do a match, and now you want me to sacrifice my time to appease Wei Yue."
"Have you ever considered my feelings, Dad?"
"In your heart, do my mom and I even count as people, or are we just blood bags for the orphanage and Wei Yue? Otherwise, why has there only been endless taking over the years, with not a hint of care?"
"As I’ve said before, what you want to do is your business and has nothing to do with me. I’m not your property, nor do I have any obligation to do what you say," Ah Chen finished speaking and said no more.
Ran Zhengfeng’s expression was unpleasant, even showing a bit of disappointment, but no guilt: "Yuanyuan is this sick, and you still want to argue about these things? Do you have to make everyone unhappy? Is this what you’ve learned from studying? If you can’t learn to be a decent person, what’s the use of good grades? You’ll just end up being a scourge and a parasite."
Slap, slap—
Zhuo Qiaoqing, previously calm, couldn’t resist slapping Ran Zhengfeng across the face.
In her rage, she laughed coldly: "Ran Zhengfeng, are you even human? Did you ever search your conscience? I used to think you were just too kind to let go of things over there. Even if you neglected our family, at least you weren’t a bad person. But now I see I was utterly wrong."
Could someone who says such things to his daughter truly be a kind person?
"I know exactly what kind of child Chenchen is because I’m her mother. Ran Zhengfeng, if you dare say those things again today, I’ll fight you!"
Ran Zhengfeng, holding his face and seeing Zhuo Qiaoqing’s furious appearance, realized he had spoken out of anger.
He still had matters to discuss with Qiaoqing, and he couldn’t afford to provoke her further.
"Qiaoqing, I momentarily lost my temper. I know Chenchen is a good child, don’t be upset."
"I’m just anxious. Yuanyuan still hasn’t found a suitable match. Although there is still some time, the longer we delay, the more dangerous it becomes. That’s why I lost control of my words."
"Besides, there’s another issue at hand—Yuanyuan’s medical expenses." Ran Zhengfeng carefully brought up as he got into the car, "I’ve been thinking about how to gather the money. How much savings do we have left?"
Zhuo Qiaoqing laughed loudly, tears streaming down her face.
"Savings? You’re asking me how much savings we have left?"
"Ran Zhengfeng, after all these years of marriage, have you ever contributed a cent to the family? When we built this home, did you ever put in a penny? How do you have the face to ask about our savings?"
Zhuo Qiaoqing was puzzled, wondering how Ran Zhengfeng had managed to blind her all those years ago.
Ran Zhengfeng thought about his salary, most of which went to support the orphanage, leaving only a small portion for daily expenses. If any emergency arose, he still had to ask Zhuo Qiaoqing for help, leaving him feeling a bit embarrassed.
"Qiaoqing, I..." He hesitated, "Now is a critical time, isn’t it? We can’t just ignore Yuanyuan, can we? She’s still so young. As long as there’s a chance to save her, we must try."
Zhuo Qiaoqing no longer expected Ran Zhengfeng to understand her plight, especially since they were already planning to divorce.
"There are no savings left in the family. You’re aware of the expenses over the years. Besides our family’s living expenses and social obligations, we’ve also had loans to repay."
