Yun Zhibin’s face darkened. He felt guilty when he recalled how he couldn’t be by his daughter’s side when she turned eighteen. He went out of his way to rush here during the Qing Ming holidays to give his daughter a surprise.
But he was unclear whether his daughter was surprised. On the other hand, his daughter gave him the shock of his life.
They came late because they didn’t want to exhaust their daughter. They arrived here with e-hailing. When they knew their daughter was at the company after their arrival, he was worried and wanted to go downstairs to wait.
For their visit this time, he even let someone relieve two periods of classes for him even though he never missed one class during his twenty odd years of teaching. The magnitude of his effort and anticipation before this matched his level of heartbreak now.
“Su Xiuling!” As Yun Zhibin held the wobbly Yun Xiangxiang, he shouted at the door.
Everyone heard Yun Zhibin’s voice which had suppressed anger in it. When they rushed out, they saw Yun Xiangxiang swaying unsteadily.
Yun Zhibin only grabbed his daughter. She was an adult now. It would be inappropriate to be too intimate with her. When he saw Song Qian, he pushed Yun Xiangxiang to her, telling Su Xiuling who rushed out later, “Take her back and sober her up.”
“Mr. Song, thank you for bringing my daughter back.” Thanks to his upbringing, Yun Zhibin still kept his composure. Even so, that cold rejection and unfriendly gaze were obvious.
“Uncle Yun…”
“”Uncle” is a heavy title. Mr. Song, you and I don’t look like there’s a generation between us. I’m afraid you can’t call me “Uncle”,” Yun Zhibin interrupted Song Mian.
Song Mian might be nine years older than Yun Xiangxiang, but he looked like a handsome guy in his early twenties. When it came to the taste in clothes, Song Mian’s naturally was impeccable.
But the scene when the elevator door opened just now was still impacting Yun Zhibin’s mind. No matter how he looked at Song Mian now, he thought the latter was a playboy. He thought Song Mian was a fop who tricked young ladies with a smooth tongue.
Song Mian left an abysmal first impression on him.
If it was not for his daughter’s honor and the fact that she was a public figure, Yun Zhibin would have called the cops and sued Song Mian no matter what.
“Mr. Yun, Xiangxiang is very drunk. To prevent her from getting a hangover tomorrow, please remind Song Qian to clear her phlegm, detox, promote her blood circulation, and relieve the pain.”
Song Mian could see Yun Zhibin was already suppressing himself. If he kept on hanging around, that would be adding fuel to Yun Zhibin’s fire.
After reminding him sincerely and concernedly, Song Mian politely backed into the elevator. Naturally he did not dare to go upstairs. If Yun Zhibin knew he was living one story above Yun Xiangxiang, he would probably take Yun Xiangxiang and move out, even if it took the whole night.
When Yun Zhibin went back to the house, he saw Yun Xiangxiang prancing up and down bare feet on the long bench. She was in a complete daze.
Seeing Yun Zhibin coming back, Yun Xiangxiang jumped off the bench and dashed to him, “Daddy, where’s Ah Mian? Daddy, where’s Ah Mian?”
After it subsided, Yun Zhibin’s temper flared again after seeing how his daughter looked like. Out of all things, his daughter was in a daze. Even if he was furious, he had no place to vent. His chest was puffing from fury, his dislike toward Song Mian mounted.
“Uwah…,” Yun Xiangxiang suddenly wailed. “Daddy, I love Ah Mian. Don’t separate us. He treats me best… No. He treats me best after daddy. I love daddy the most. Don’t separate us, daddy. Uwah…”
“Go sober yourself up first,” Yun Zhibin ordered coldly.
“Uwah… daddy doesn’t love me anymore. I’m not your heartwarming little blanket anymore… Nobody loves me anymore. Little cabbage, rots in the earth…”
“No, no. Your father loves you the most,” Su Xiuling glared at Yun Zhibin before hurriedly coaxing her daughter.
“Mama, mama!” Yun Xiangxiang hugged Su Xiuling tightly. “Mama. I have a mother now. I am no longer a pitiful worm without someone who loves me. Mama, I love you…”
The alcohol kept working its effect in Yun Xiangxiang’s system. She was tortured from all the burning up and wanted to howl. But she also felt she kept a lot of frustration to herself. Clarity left her mind.
“Mama loves you too,” Su Xiuling gently patted her back as if she was coaxing a toddler.
Su Xiuling was clear about Yun Xiangxiang’s behavior after she was drunk. During her grandmother’s birthday banquet[1] when Yun Xiangxiang was ten, she was tricked into drinking a cup of white wine by her cousin.
She wailed and threw tantrums after being drunk. She would talk all kinds of nonsense too. But she had to look like an adorable creature who was hurt. Yun Lin was still a toddler back then. Yun Xiangxiang almost wore their backs out.
“Mama, I love Song Mian. I miss Song Mian. Where is he? Uwah…” Yun Xiangxiang looked for Song Mian everywhere. When she couldn’t find him, she wanted to run outside.
She was only stopped by Song Qian and Ai Li’s strong grips.
“Let me go! You are Wangmu Niangniang [2], all of you!” Yun Xiangxiang struggled and bawled. “I am the pitiful Zhinu, Ah Mian is the poor Niulang. You are all trying to sep…burp, separate us!”
Song Qian faintly noticed that Yun Zhibin was on the verge of exploding. As Ai Li was restraining Yun Xiangxiang, she quickly massaged Yun Xiangxiang’s acupoints.
Yun Xiangxiang slowly quieted down, but she was still in a shrunken stupor. However, she was willing to quietly lay on the table.
“Drink some water, Xiangxiang. The hangover cure is going to be done soon,” Su Xiuling held a cup of warm water for Yun Xiangxiang.
Yun Xiangxiang opened her mouth obediently. Her posture was making it difficult for Su Xiuling to feed her the water. Even when the water overflowed, Yun Xiangxiang gave no reaction.
She couldn’t stop her tears from flowing through the corners of her eyes, “Mama, why didn’t you come earlier? Life would be so great if you were here earlier…”
Her mind was now in a mess. She was confused as to whether she was Yun Xiangxiang or Hua Xiangrong. Her face had exhaustion and pain written all over it.
“It’s mama’s fault. Mama should not have left you here alone,” Su Xiuling teared up too. She held her daughter in her arms and wiped the tears off her face,
Su Xiuling’s tears fell upon Yun Xiangxiang’s face. She touched it dumbly before raising her head to look at Su Xiuling stupidly.
“Mama, don’t cry, don’t cry. I’ll be obedient. Don’t leave me alone…”
“Mama won’t cry. Mama won’t leave you alone,” Su Xiuling hugged her daughter tightly. Their faces were sticking to one another.
This was maybe the first time Yun Xiangxiang had cried so pitifully in front of her after she passed the age of sensibility. She didn’t know why her daughter was so sorrowful, but she could feel the insecurity and loneliness radiating from her body.
If Song Mian were here and saw Yun Xiangxiang like this, he would understand that she lacked the feeling of security in her subconscious.
When she was with him, the fear Yun Xiangxiang displayed after she was drunk was the fear of falsity. That was why she allowed fear to control her to perform continued seduction. She wanted to use intimacy to prove authenticity.
The same thing was happening even when she was facing her parents. Her body’s reaction belonged to Yun Xiangxiang, but her soul’s reaction belonged to Hua Xiangrong.
When she was facing her parents, she was afraid that this was nothing more than an illusion. That fear made her react so abnormally.
When Song Qian brewed the hangover cure, Yun Xiangxiang started feeling sleepy after drinking it. After a simple cooperation of washing up, she went to bed and immediately slept.