Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Pei Yuming felt oddly wounded by those two words, “thank you.” He looked at his daughter sitting stiffly across from him, and for a moment, his feelings were complicated.

He realized that what his daughter had said before was right. Aside from her grades, he had never really thought to care about anything else about her. Her life, her thoughts about the future. He had never even tried to understand them.

Come to think of it, this daughter of his was almost a stranger to him. He did not know what she liked to eat, what hobbies she had, or what she usually liked to do. But he did not think it was because he did not love her. He simply had not wanted to spend too much energy and time on a child. After all, he always had things more important than coaxing a child.

It was the same logic as how, after getting married, he had stopped putting thought into Bai Xue.

In any case, no matter what, they were still family. And saying too many warm, caring words would only make him seem hypocritical.

Only now did he realize that this had merely been his own wishful thinking.

Whether it was Bai Xue or Xiaobei, they had both needed his concern. Even if it was only a verbal greeting.

He could not quite understand it. Why were women like this? Why did he not need it?

Pei Yuming sank deep into his own thoughts. He thought back over the past twenty-plus years, to the way he and Bai Xue had interacted. It seemed she was always the one bringing up problems, asking him about every aspect of life. If it was something he needed, he would answer seriously. If it was not, he would respond with silence, then silently think to himself: She is so annoying.

So it turned out he did not lack a need for care. He had been cared for at every moment. He had simply long since taken it all for granted. He was used to placing himself at the center of this family. He could not see the needs of the other members of the household. At every moment, he had been draining emotional value from his family.

Pei Yuming thought of his daughter’s hysterical accusations from before, and of the despair and sorrow in her eyes before she jumped from the building. His heart ached terribly.

He got up in silence, filled a disposable paper cup with water, and set it in front of his daughter.

Pei Xiaobei had never imagined that one day her father would bring her water. Flattered and alarmed, she pressed her lips together, obediently picked up the paper cup, and began sipping the water in small mouthfuls.

“I know why you and Lu Zixuan went to the hospital today…”

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Xiaobei choked on a mouthful of water and coughed violently enough to shake the room.

Pei Yuming patted his daughter’s thin back and comforted her. “You don’t need to be nervous. I’m not blaming you. I just want to know, do you really like Lu Zixuan?”

Pei Xiaobei lowered her head in shock, not daring to meet her father’s eyes at all. Her mind went completely blank. What was going on? What exactly did he know?

Seeing that his daughter did not answer, Pei Yuming asked again, “Or are you with him because he supported you changing your major to music performance?”

“!” Pei Xiaobei was stunned. She had not expected her father to even know about her changing the major she planned to apply for.

“Dad… I…” She could not help shrinking her entire body backward, afraid that her father would suddenly fly into a rage and slap her.

But because of what had happened the last two times, Pei Yuming was much calmer than before. He only wanted to understand whether his daughter’s extreme reaction back then had been because she was simply too shaken, or because she could not accept losing the chance to continue being with Lu Zixuan.

However, although he was trying hard to play the role of a father who cared about his daughter, Pei Xiaobei had long since grown used to his blunt, rough way of handling things. She even found it a little creepy that he was speaking so gently.

“I know I was wrong…” Pei Xiaobei admitted fault with practiced ease.

Pei Yuming looked at his daughter with a complicated expression, unsure how to tell her that Lu Zixuan might be her older brother.

He hesitated. He did not want to see that look of despair on his daughter’s face again, and he wanted even less for her to be hurt by this matter all over again.
“Actually, the reason I brought you here today was to confirm something…” Pei Yuming chose his words carefully. “If, and I mean if, you and Zixuan… if you two were sib…”

Pei Yuming found the next words difficult to say. While he was still hesitating, the door to the consultation room was suddenly pushed open.

Su Jin, whose face was usually calm and unreadable, wore a look of obvious panic. She came in breathless, clearly with something to say, but when she saw Pei Xiaobei was there too, she forcibly swallowed the words that had been about to spill out.

“Xiaobei is here too.” She managed a strained smile.

“Aunt Su,” Pei Xiaobei greeted her obediently. She glanced at Lu Zixuan, who had come in behind her, unable to understand what was going on. Had Lu Zixuan called his mother just to bring in reinforcements?

But how had he figured out that her father already knew about the two of them being together, and about her changing majors?

Just because her father had brought them here for a blood test?

That was a stretch. No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

Su Jin’s gaze swept over the two children, then she said to her son, “Zixuan, take Xiaobei outside for some air first. I have something to say to Uncle Pei. Once we’re done, I’ll come find you.”

Lu Zixuan nodded and gestured for Pei Xiaobei to leave with him.

Once the two younger ones were out the door, they both let out a long breath.

Lu Zixuan patted his chest and said dramatically, “That scared me to death. I thought your dad knew you were pregnant.”

Pei Xiaobei thought, He doesn’t just know that. He knows everything else too, clear as day.

But she didn’t tell Lu Zixuan. Instead, she asked him, “You called your mom over to save us?”

“What?” Lu Zixuan led her toward the corridor outside. “I just called my mom to ask what your dad might be up to by bringing us here for blood tests. Who knew the moment she heard about the blood test, she got anxious right away and insisted on coming over immediately. She told me to wait for her at the hospital entrance. I thought it was strange too. Since when did a simple blood draw become such a serious matter? I asked her, but she wouldn’t tell me why. Do you think it’s because you’re pregnant? I don’t really think that’s it.”

Pei Xiaobei’s eyes darted around. She glanced back inside. “How about we go listen?”

Lu Zixuan hesitated, then met Pei Xiaobei’s eyes. “Let’s go.”

The consultation room door was not soundproof. The two of them quietly pressed themselves against the door and listened intently.

It was a long while before anyone inside spoke. It was Su Jin.

“You know?” Su Jin’s voice was calm, but there was clear confusion in it. “Who told you? Lu Dong?”

Pei Yuming frowned slightly. “What do you mean? Lu Dong has known all along that Zixuan isn’t his son?”

Outside the door, both their eyes widened at the same time.

Lu Zixuan’s expression darkened, embarrassment mingling with faint anger. If Pei Xiaobei hadn’t been holding his arm, he might have pushed the door open in the next second.

“Wait. Keep listening,” Pei Xiaobei reminded him.

Lu Zixuan took two deep breaths. In the end, he put his ear back against the door.

“So you really do know,” Su Jin said again. If one listened carefully, there was even a faint note of mockery in her tone. “How would he know? I never told him. But you, why did you suddenly think of doing a DNA test? And here, at our hospital. Yuming, I really understand you less and less.”

“I only wanted to know the truth.” Pei Yuming did not explain further.

“You should have come and asked me.”

“It’s all the same,” Pei Yuming said perfunctorily. “The results will be out soon anyway.”