Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Taking a deep breath in, Ye Chen squatted as much as he could to be on the same level as the little girl. He asked while smiling, “Mengmeng, you like this bag, don’t you?”
“I don’t. It’s so ugly and expensive.” The little girl shook her head, looking disgusted. However, she could not take her eyes off it no matter what.
Ye Chen smiled, feeling incredibly guilty. He then walked into the supermarket while holding her hand.
There was a lady sitting at the cashier. Ye Chen walked straight to the display while holding Mengmeng’s hand. He said to the cashier who was going over to them, “How much is this bag?”
The lady cashier took a good look at Ye Chen and said with an unnatural smile on her face, “Sir, this bag is exclusively made by DreamWorks Animation. The price might be a little…”
“Can you just tell me how much is it?”
“888 yuan!”
Ye Chen nodded. “Please pack it for me.”
“It’s too expensive. I don’t want it!” Mengmeng shook her head and attempted to walk out as she insisted, “Grandpa and Grandma have to work very hard to buy medicine for me. My bag is still in good condition, and I can still use it.”
Ye Chen felt a lump in his throat. “Mengmeng, Daddy has money. I can afford it. From now on, I’ll make money to feed you guys. Okay?”
Mengmeng looked at Ye Chen in silence, tears flowing out like an avalanche a couple of minutes later. “I’m sick. I’m dying. It’s…useless to buy this.”
Ye Chen’s brain went blank as he stared at her blankly. He was utterly stunned. Was that really something that a four-year-old kid was capable of saying?
The lady cashier stood aside and watched whatever that was happening in silence.
“I know that I’m sick, and I know it’s serious. My classmates said that I’m a money-losing proposition that’s spending a lot of money. Grandma and Grandpa are lying to me.” The little girl tried holding her tears back while saying weakly, “They are both old. In order to make money to treat my illness, they’re always bullied by the bad people.”
Ye Chen felt the huge lump in his throat swell further. “Mengmeng…”
Ou Lan was right. This four-year-old hid too much within her.
Although she had no idea what leukemia was, she knew that it was an illness that was very difficult to treat, and it was futile no matter how hard her grandparents worked.
The little girl took a step back by instinct and bit her lips in a stubborn manner. “I’m very sad. I don’t want Grandpa and Grandma to work so hard. I don’t want them to spend money on me. I’m afraid of dying, but I miss Mommy. I can’t even remember how she looks like.”
The cashier standing aside wiped her tears away secretly and retreated back to the entrance quietly to give the father and daughter space.
Ye Chen, on the other hand, could no longer help it. He took the girl into his embrace and said while choking, ignoring her struggles, “Mengmeng, believe me, you won’t die. I have a way to treat you. Even if you die, I’ll go to the land of the dead to bring you back. Not only will Daddy treat you, but I’ll also bring you to Mommy in a healthy state.”
Hearing the word ‘Mommy’, the little girl stopped fighting. A gleam shone from her grim eyes. “Mommy? Will I still see Mommy? Will Mommy leave me again?”
“Yes, Mengmeng, you will definitely see Mommy again. I guarantee that this day won’t be too far in the future.” Ye Chen hugged her tightly while kneeling on the ground. He said while caressing her head softly, “Mommy won’t leave you. She can’t wait to love you.”
Mengmeng wiped her tears off while looking at Ye Chen with hope written all over her face. She looked a little nervous as she whispered, “Pinky swear?”
“Yes, pinky swear!”
“You’re promising me with a pinky swear, so you can’t take it back for a hundred years!”
Ye Chen stopped crying and revealed a smile. He stretched his finger out and hooked his with hers. Mengmeng looked at her torn, little white shoes with her head down and said all of a sudden, “Daddy…”
“Hmm?” Ye Chen smiled and nodded. His expression froze subsequently and he looked at her in disbelief. “Wh-what did you call me just now?”
“I called you Daddy!” The little girl’s head was so low that it was dropping to her chest. She was behaving so shyly like a baby quail.
“Great, great, great!” Ye Chen felt blood rushing to his chest as he had goosebumps all over. He stood up to pick her up while being excited like a kid. “You called me Daddy! Mengmeng calls me Daddy!”
“Daddy, you’re hugging me too tight that I can barely breathe!” The little girl coughed a few times and shifted her body, feeling uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Ye Chen put her down immediately and squatted down while looking nervous. “Did I hurt you anywhere? Show me where now.”
Mengmeng chuckled. This time, she took the lead and ran into his embrace. She squeezed his neck with both hands and could not stop giggling. “Daddy, you’re such a dummy. I’m okay. Let’s go home now, Daddy. Grandma and Grandpa will be worried.”
“Alright, home. Let’s go home!”
Ye Chen picked her up and walked to the cashier cheerfully. He took his wallet out and paid the cashier 900 yuan. Then, he picked his daughter up again in the attempt to leave after the cashier gave him the change.
“Sir, wait!” The cashier’s voice came from behind.
Ye Chen turned his head and saw her bringing a Winnie the Pooh Bear plush toy that was half a meter tall over while smiling at Mengmeng sweetly. “Little girl, this is for you.”
Mengmeng’s eyes lit up immediately. However, she retreated back into Ye Chen’s embrace and said shyly, “Sorry, w-we don’t have money.”
The cashier chuckled. “This is a gift from me. It’s free.”
“Is that okay? I can pay for it,” Ye Chen said, feeling embarrassed. After all, the lady was only working for the supermarket, and her salary would be deducted if she gave personal gifts to customers.
The cashier must have figured what he was thinking. She opened her eyes wide and waved a hand. “My family owns this supermarket, and I’m my old man’s only daughter. Giving a plush toy away aside, the old man can’t say anything even if I burn this store down. So, please, take this.”
Ye Chen looked at the little girl in his embrace. She hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she could not hold back her desire for the cute plush toy. She stretched both of her arms out to pull it closer as she became a sweet-talker like she just had candy. “Thanks, Miss. You’re so pretty!”
“You cheeky little thing!” The cashier brushed her cheek while smiling from ear to ear.
“Thanks!” Ye Chen then carried the little girl out of the supermarket. They arrived at Jinyang District over half an hour later.
Mengmeng struggled out of his embrace and yelled in the street where the neighbors lived while blushing, “Grandma Wang, this is my daddy! Grandpa Chen, my daddy picked me up from school!”
“Fatty, I’ll beat you up if you dare to say that I have no father again. Don’t go crying to your mommy then.”
Ye Chen gently watched the little girl showing him off in excitement while feeling warm inside. His daughter finally approved of him, making him happier than anything else.
He lifted his head to look far into the north and mumbled, “Yuhan, our daughter has finally approved of me. She said she misses you too. Please wait. I’ll bring Mengmeng to you after I’ve treated her!”
…
Nightfall came.
After his parents brought Mengmeng into the room to sleep, Ye Chen returned to his room too. He lifted his arms to set up a noise-canceling barrier. Subsequently, he took out the black walnut-sized blotch that he had bought at the antique town and began studying it carefully.
He could not help but feel a little disappointed a while later because this thing blocked his Divine Consciousness from entering and could not be affected by external forces.
Could it be a Spirit Seed? Otherwise, how could it activate the Immortal Drift Bottle?
One must know that the Immortal Drift Bottle had no reaction even when there was an immortal elixir around.
Frowning, Ye Chen put it away and planned to wait for the full moon. By then, he would use the mysterious green fluid in the Immortal Drift Bottle to age the black blotch.
He wanted to see what would the thing become after being aged. In his excitement, he did not sleep that night.
For the next two days, Ye Chen spent time with his daughter. He sent her to school in the morning and picked her up in the afternoon. The relationship between the father and daughter matured quickly, surprising Ye Hai and Wu Lan. However, they were sad to find out that their favorite granddaughter loved them less now.
Ye Chen was waiting for news from the Gu family. The prescription that he had written for them included the materials to refine the Qi Blood Pill and the Rebirth Pill for Mengmeng. That was also the reason why he agreed to help treat Gu Shaokun’s wife.
After all, the Gu family was powerful, so it was much easier for them to get the herbs.
Until the afternoon of the third day, Ye Chen had yet to hear from the Gu family. Instead, he got a call from his Second Uncle, Ye Ming.