At least he was lucky that he met Su Xiaofei during her teenage years. Still, even at the age of eighteen, he'd already seen the hint of maturity and understanding in her. Perhaps she had already outgrown most issues young ladies her age usually faced by the time he met her, but Qiao Fengying couldn't remember an instance where she disappointed him.
From the moment he met her through Lu Qingfeng, Su Xiaofei had been sensible with her words and was wise and understanding. Even her mannerisms and gestures were like a proper lady who could present herself with confidence.
At first, Qiao Fengying thought that the friend Lu Qingfeng was planning to introduce to him and his wife was a man, but he was surprised to meet a young woman who had a striking resemblance to his past lover. He should have suspected a long time ago that she could be the daughter he had been looking for.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaofei couldn't explain the unfamiliar feeling that washed through her, hearing her father's words. She had thought that she didn't need a father figure in her life, but she hadn't expected how moving it was for a person to hear such acknowledgement from their own father.
Qiao Fengying never once pointed out her flaws. He even encouraged her when she had just started working at Bluemedia. While many doubted her ability to follow her mother's path, he gave her pointers when she sought his opinion. Apart from Lu Qingfeng and Chairman Lu, he was one of those who never got tired of answering her incessant questions.
"You don't need to meet my expectations, Xiaofei. It's enough for me that you do your best in everything that you do. However, if you made a mistake, I hope you'll learn from it and never do it again in the future. I don't expect you to be a perfect daughter." Qiao Fengying added.
Su Xiaofei lowered her head and nodded while Yun Qingrong held her hand and patted it assuringly. The older woman sensing her uneasiness in front of Qiao Fengying and his wife.
"What your father said is right, Feifei. You just need to be the better version of yourself. If you need help and guidance, we'll be here to extend a hand."
The urge to burst into tears was too strong for Su Xiaofei, and in the end, she couldn't stop her tears from streaming down her face. If her father and her mother knew how much of a colossal idiot she was in her previous life, she knew that both of them would be heartbroken, no doubt blaming themselves for not being there in the lowest point of her life.
"I understand." She replied, as she tried to stop her tears and dry it with the back of her hand, but failed.
Perhaps she wouldn't have turned into a horrible person in her previous life if she grew up with a father, who could teach her things from a young age. Maybe she wouldn't have sought Mo Yuchen blindly, if Qiao Fengying had set the bar high for her to follow.
Still, Su Xiaofei admitted that she couldn't make any excuse for the horrible things she had done previously. If there was one thing she learned from her rebirth, it would be to own up to her own mistakes and change for the better.
The rest of their conversation ended with Qiao Fengying insisting for her to keep her inheritance, intending to leave it to his future grandchild or grandchildren instead if Su Xiaofei truly made up her mind to give up her share. He refused to leave his daughter with nothing in her disposal.
When Lu Qingfeng returned with Qiao Yuhan, holding bags in their hands, bringing some refreshments and Su Xiaofei's cake, he'd seen that her eyes were reddened, no doubt that she had cried during his absence.
As Qiao Yuhan happily talked to his parents, Su Xiaofei chose to settle in her husband's embrace as his hands gently ran on her back. Lu Qingfeng didn't question her, because she would tell him once she was ready to share her thoughts with him.
"Uncle, you can stay with us at home instead of staying at the hotel. Feifei and I won't mind some company. The house is too huge for the two of us, without Mother in it." Lu Qingfeng told Qiao Fengying.
The older man smiled and observed how his son-in-law held his daughter. From the moment he'd seen the two, he already knew that they had such a strong bond. He was also aware how Lu Qingfeng viewed Su Xiaofei and didn't doubt his love for her.
"I don't mind if that means we can spend more time with Xiaofei." Qiao Fengying inwardly sighed in relief. He had heard that his daughter was once engaged with Mo Yuchen from the Mo family. He had met the young man once during an event, and judging by the way Mo Yuchen brought himself, Qiao Fengying didn't think he would cherish his daughter the way Lu Qingfeng did.
It didn't matter to Qiao Fengying if his daughter chose to marry a commoner or a man without a strong backing, as he was once a man without fame and money under his name. Wasn't this why Bai Qingyue's family was against their relationship from the very beginning?
As long as the man would be loyal to her, cherish her like a pearl in his hand, Qiao Fengying wouldn't be against their marriage. The one thing he never wanted to see was his daughter doubting herself because of a man.
If a man dared to disrespect and made his little princess cry, Qiao Fengying was sure that all hell would break loose. It was a pity that he would never know how Su Xiaofei's life ended in her previous life, nor would he ever know the suffering she had to endure on her own as the consequence of choosing the wrong person to love, going against all odds even when there were red flags along the way.
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