For Ning Chu, the word "father" was unfamiliar.
It felt just as unfamiliar as the man standing before her, so much so that she couldn’t muster any feelings of closeness. His white hair didn’t stir any sympathy in her either. She simply sat on the sofa, indifferent, watching as the man walked into the room, then lowered her head and began fiddling with her phone, her face blank.
Unlike what she had expected—feeling a mixture of emotions upon meeting her father—once her curiosity about his appearance was satisfied, her heart remained unchanged. She # Nоvеlight # couldn’t be bothered to look at him for longer than necessary.
Wen Yang walked out of the room, sensing the subtle atmosphere in the living room. He immediately understood the identity of the stranger. He walked straight over to Ning Chu and sat down beside her, his broad hand covering her cold little one.
Seeing the guest outside, Black Bean’s excited expression quickly faded. The little cat, barefoot, scampered toward the kitchen. “Mom! Uncle’s here!”
“I know! Go put on your slippers! The floor’s covered in your footprints!”
“I don’t like wearing slippers...”
“Just like Ning Chu! Why don’t you learn the good things, only the bad ones!”
From the kitchen came her mother’s scolding voice. Ning Chu glanced down at her own bare feet and quickly put on the slippers she had kicked under the coffee table.
If her mother hadn’t mentioned it, she probably would have completely forgotten about the slippers as soon as she got off the couch, running barefoot around the house like Black Bean.
With no one greeting or paying attention to him, the man awkwardly stood at the door, hesitating as he looked at the two people sitting on the sofa.
Her mother walked out of the kitchen, with Black Bean trailing behind her. She glanced at the man and, with a sarcastic tone, said, “You still don’t recognize him? Your son.”
The man smiled gently, took the latest flagship smartphone from his briefcase, and placed it on the coffee table. “Ning Chu, I brought you a phone from abroad...”
“......”
Wen Yang looked up, confused, and Ning Chu nearly lost her composure at the coldness of her expression.
“Your girlfriend, right?” The man pulled out a stack of red envelopes from his bag and smiled, “This is for our first meeting. A gift for you.”
Wen Yang scratched the tip of his nose, completely baffled. How did he suddenly get a father?
“Over there is Ning Chu,” her mother reminded him, “That’s Ning Chu’s boyfriend.”
“......”
Only then did the man focus on Ning Chu, his gaze lingering on the girl whose face seemed a bit youthful but whose eyes were filled with captivating charm. He looked at her with a blank expression, confused about what to say.
He even began to doubt his own memory. He had left shortly after Ning Chu was born, but surely she had just been a little baby then, right?
How had she grown into such a beautiful young lady, with a boyfriend, no less?
“Mom, I’m going to play on the computer.”
Ning Chu sighed in disappointment, stood up, and walked straight to her room.
Black Bean quickly followed her, rushing into the bedroom as well.
This second bedroom was where Black Bean now lived. The room had more cat-related decorations, the bed set had been changed to a cute pink, and there was a small fish tank on the desk, with a turtle no bigger than a fingertip inside.
Once inside, Ning Chu took off her outer clothes and sat in front of the computer, staring blankly at the little turtle.
She still couldn’t accept a father who suddenly appeared... even though he came with an overly compensatory attitude, pulling out a phone worth thousands and red envelopes.
But instead of winning her affection, it only made her laugh inwardly.
He seemed to have so much money, probably living comfortably outside, yet all these years, he hadn’t sent a single cent home.
“Sis~ Isn’t my turtle cute?”
“Mm, pretty cute.”
“I’ve had it for a week!”
Black Bean’s little head popped out from the side, leaning on the computer desk and eagerly watching the turtle.
Ning Chu reached out to pat Black Bean’s little head and felt the coolness of her cat ears, so she gently covered them with her hand.
She turned to look at Black Bean and asked, “Do you dislike that man?”
The cat wasn’t very good at hiding her emotions; she always wore them on her face, so Ning Chu could see right through her.
“Dislike!”
“Why?”
“Last time he came, he made Mom cry.”
Ning Chu found it hard to imagine her mother crying. It made her heart feel heavy. She asked again, “Did he say something to Mom?”
Black Bean’s cat ears wobbled in her hand as she recalled, “I don’t think he said anything. Mom just cried when she saw him...”
“Oh~”
“Is that your dad?” Black Bean looked up at her.
Ning Chu didn’t deny it and nodded. “Did he ask who you were?”
“Nope~”
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, interrupting their conversation.
The two of them turned toward the door, hearing a strange voice call, “Ning Chu, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?”
The warm, gentle tone that had been used to coax Black Bean instantly turned cold. Ning Chu refused without hesitation, “No, we’re having dinner at home.”
“Your dad’s taking you to a seafood restaurant, with your uncles, cousins, and everyone. Don’t you want to go?”
At hearing that self-introduction, Ning Chu immediately felt a sense of disgust and resistance. With the last part of the sentence, she felt even more uncomfortable, and a surge of anger rose in her chest.
“I’m not going!”
Her voice unconsciously became sharp, startling Black Bean, who shrank back with a frightened squeak.
Ning Chu patted Black Bean’s head soothingly, pursing her lips as her expression shifted between uncertainty and anger.
It wasn’t until the sound of the door closing came from outside that she stood up, opened the door, and walked out of the room.
Wen Yang was standing at the door, leaning against the wall. As soon as he saw her, he stepped forward, concerned, and stayed close to her.
“Here, the phone.”
“No.”
“Don’t want the free stuff?” Wen Yang teased as he handed her the red envelope too. “There’s five hundred in the envelope. Seems pretty stingy—this is the ‘meeting gift’ for his daughter-in-law.”
Well, if it’s free, why not take it? Am I supposed to give it back?
He owes me!
With that thought, Ning Chu happily took the phone and red envelope, feeling much better as she rolled her eyes at Wen Yang. “Still calling me his daughter-in-law? I don’t even think of him as my dad.”
“My mom must’ve done it on purpose. She didn’t tell him in advance, just to watch him make a fool of himself.”
Her mother had already set the table with the prepared food and, seeing the group coming in, smiled and asked, “How’s it? Your first impression of your dad?”
“Enough...” Ning Chu clicked her tongue, muttering under her breath, “He hasn’t supported the family in over ten years and thinks he can buy me with a phone.”
She casually tossed the red envelope and phone onto the table. “Is that how you and he are? Giving money right when you meet?”
“Not at all. I didn’t get anything for a minute, and he was complaining about how I raised you as a girl~” Her mother rested her cheek on her hand, sarcastically adding, “As soon as he comes back, he’s treating everyone to meals, trying to make it obvious he’s doing well outside, and even borrowed quite a bit from his brothers.”
“How much he earns has nothing to do with us...”
“That’s why you need to choose the right person when you marry. Some people are just ungrateful and impossible to raise.” Her mother glanced at Wen Yang. “Right?”
Wen Yang’s expression tensed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He nodded quickly, “Yes, Auntie’s right! I would never abandon Ning Chu, I could never do something like that.”
