How could he have thought, how could he dare not to think, that Mrs. Han had left him a way out? It was he who had sealed his own fate, barricading the path and turning it into a dead end.
If he had been calmer at the beginning, if he had seriously considered what life would be like for a daughter without her parents, might he and Mrs. Han not have already reconciled, avoiding wasting so many years?
Yun Qi called out softly, his voice choked with emotion.
"Yun Qi, if you truly care, wait until I ask Jinnian. If she is willing to leave the Capital City with me, let us go," Mrs. Han said, pausing briefly before continuing, "To the ends of the earth, to the unfamiliar paths of the Yellow Springs, never to meet again!"
"So, you are even reluctant to use me now?" Yun Qi pressed.
His whole body trembled.
"Yes, I am reluctant because you are unworthy, unworthy to be a husband, unworthy to be a father. You can’t protect me, nor can you protect Jinnian!"
At that moment, Mrs. Han did not hide her disdain for Yun Qi, her hatred for him.
Yun Qi watched Mrs. Han, his lips quivering violently, his teeth clacking against each other, making a faint sound, his eyes rimmed red, "You are truly heartless, able to forgive everyone, yet so merciless only towards me!"
"That’s because I never loved them. Their lives or deaths have nothing to do with me!" After saying this, Mrs. Han left with a flick of her sleeve.
Yun Qi stood in place for a long time, then turned and left the Han Residence.
Returning to his residence outside, he ordered his people to investigate the Yun Family, to look into the events of that year.
Seeing the butler hesitate to speak, Yun Qi asked indifferently, "Do you have something to say?"
"..." The butler remained silent.
Yun Qi, too, was silent for a long time before he eventually asked the butler, "What kind of person do you think I am in your heart?"
"My Lord is the master of this servant!"
"Master?" Yun Qi mused for a moment, then laughed coldly before asking, "And what about the lady and the young miss?"
"As for the lady, this servant doesn’t know, but as for the young miss, this servant also doesn’t know. This servant’s ten-year-old daughter at home clings to me the moment I return, chirping about buying this and that, stickier than a ten-year-old child should be, no different from when she was four or five. If she is unhappy, she’ll sulk and needs to be coaxed gently. Her grandmother is also very fond of her, and though not indulging her every whim, she would never let her go hungry or cold. As long as there is food to eat, she gets the first bite. My sister’s niece also stays at our house, but after all, a guest is a guest and cannot overstep the master!"
Suddenly, he remembered the news he had heard the year before last: Jinnian had said to her mother, "In the past, grandmother was family, an elder. But from now on, grandmother is just two words, nothing more!"
She was never affectionate towards him, greeting him with a mere "father" upon seeing him, her eyes devoid of any hope.
He taught her to read and write, and she diligently learned, without any fuzziness.
"You may go," he said.
The butler complied and left, looking at Yun Qi and sighing to himself.
If the daughter is merely a token to please the lady, no one is a fool; how could anyone not see through sincerity and pretense?
Yun Qi sat alone in the hall for a very long time...
Jinnian looked at the invitation in front of her, "You said it’s from the Zhuangyong Marquis Residence?"
"Yes, Miss, the people from the Zhuangyong Marquis Residence said, please be sure to attend the appointment tomorrow!"