Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Even if Uncle Qiao is not convenient to go with you, you can find someone else, or you can look for me. If I didn’t come out to run some errands and ran into you, did you intend to go back home by yourself?” Zhai Sheng’s expression turned grim.
“That’s right.” Qiao Dongliang nodded in agreement. “I am your dad. You should look for me.” Qiao Dongliang made known that Qiao Nan must look for him as a top priority.
Qiao Nan was his daughter. If she had any problems, the first person to look for must be her father. Why should she seek help from outsiders?
Qiao Dongliang did not realize that Zhai Sheng was interested in Qiao Nan. But as a man, he was very conscious that Qiao Nan was his daughter, and she should not go looking for others. He made this point clear to Zhai Sheng as well.
Qiao Nan was speechless under the attack of the two men. “Are you sure I should look for either of you?”
Yesterday was the Lunar New Year’s Eve, and Brother Zhai should have spent the time with his family. How could she, an outsider, ask him to send her home? What would other people think? It would not be good for their future relationship.
If she went looking for him, the elders in the Zhai family would have a bad impression of her.
In this way, she and Brother Zhai did not even have to try because their relationship would not work out at all.
As for her father, Qiao Nan was not willing to recall what happened last night.
Under that situation, if she went looking for her father, both her parents would blame her. Even if her father did not blame her, he would be very embarrassed.
Among both of them who were closest to her, who could she look for to help her?
“…”
“…”
Zhai Sheng and Qiao Dongliang were lost for words. They knew that Qiao Nan was telling the truth.
“Zhai Sheng, it was the Lunar New Year’s Eve yesterday, but why didn’t you stay at home with your family? Why would you come out and run into Nan Nan?” Qiao Dongliang thought about it and noticed that something was not right. Since Nan Nan did not go looking for Zhai Sheng, how did they run into each other?
Who would come out in the middle of the night on the Lunar New Year’s Eve and walk in the cold?
“We finished the soy sauce, so I came out to buy soy sauce,” Zhai Sheng said without batting an eyelid. Qiao Nan almost spat at his words.
The soy sauce was finished? What a blatant lie Brother Zhai came up with.
Even if the Zhai family had not gotten ready for the Lunar New Year and had finished their soy sauce, there was no need for Brother Zhai to buy it himself. The aunt whom they hired to help with the chores was not on leave.
“I see. Did you delay your family’s reunion dinner because you sent Nan Nan back?” Qiao Nan almost burst out in laughter. Her father would actually believe in Zhai Sheng’s excuse. Previously, he was as perceptive as a detective, but he became slow-witted in the next instance.
Brother Zhai and her father were living treasures.
“No.” Zhai Sheng sounded as if he was telling nothing but the truth. “I came out early in the night. After sending Nan Nan home, I went home and was just in time.”
“I would have to thank you for your help yesterday night. You have been a great help to us for umpteen times. If not for a brother like you who took care of Nan Nan, she might have been bullied.” No matter what, Zhai Sheng helped him send Nan Nan back home safely. He had to thank Zhai Sheng since he failed to fulfill his duties as a father.
“Uncle Qiao, you are too polite. It’s my mom who likes Nan Nan very much. In the future, if my mom comes looking for Nan Nan, or invites Nan Nan to come to our house, Uncle Qiao, you must not reject her kind intentions due to the gossip of others.” Since Qiao Dongliang was at the topic, Zhai Sheng grabbed hold of the opportunity to gain Qiao Dongliang’s approval to go out with Qiao Nan.
“This…” Was Nan Nan so close with the Zhai family that they would have close interaction with each other?
“Uncle Qiao, is there any problem?”
“No, no, sure.” Qiao Dongliang shook his head. There was nothing wrong about his request, but he could not help but feel odd. He did not know that Nan Nan was so close with the Zhai family.
Looking at the two big sacks of dried food on the floor, Qiao Dongliang was all the more perplexed.
Now that science and technology had advanced and society had changed, although it was possible to have such food during the Lunar New Year, it was not easy to get them. Besides, there were two big sacks of dried food. It must have been quite expensive.
These could come easily for the Zhai family, but to the Qiao family, they would not prepare so much dried food for the year.
“That’s good. Uncle Qiao, I have something to do. I will go back first.” Zhai Sheng did not intend to stay for long at Qiao Nan’s place, lest it aroused his mother’s suspicions. Furthermore, now that Qiao Dongliang was back, in order to respect Qiao Nan’s wishes, Zhai Sheng knew his limits. He must not be too aggressive, lest Qiao Dongliang discovered anything about them. It would not be for them as well.
Zhai Sheng understood that haste made waste.
“Oh, well, I will walk you to the door.” Qiao Dongliang somehow felt relieved that Zhai Sheng was leaving. He walked him to the door and watched as Zhai Sheng got onto his car and drove off. “Nan Nan, why were you in such a hurry to go back? That is your home as well.”
If Nan Nan had not run into Zhai Sheng last night and something happened to her, he would not forgive himself in this life.
“Dad, I felt uncomfortable staying at that place.” Qiao Nan was unhappy. “I have no sense of belonging in that place. Dad, there is something that I have to tell you. To you, Qiao Zijin is a good daughter, but to me, she is not a good sister. Mom is not a good mother either. When you go back, Mom and Sister are happy to see you, but they do not welcome me. You may not feel it, but I am the party concerned, so I know it very well. I am no longer the same as before. Besides the Qiao family’s residence, I have this place to go to. Dad, I can’t stay in that place. Since they don’t welcome me, I can always go back to my house.”
She no longer needed to suffer or endure their displeasure.
She had a place of her own. This place had nothing to do with her mother. Her mother needed her consent to enter her territory.
With such a good haven, there was no way that Qiao Nan would stay in the Qiao family’s residence and suffer in the hands of Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin.
“No, no…” He knew about Ding Jiayi, but Zijin…
“Haven’t you been getting along well with Zijin? Since a young age, both of you would always hang out together.” Qiao Dongliang was confused. “It’s true that your sister will make small mistakes, but that’s because she is spoiled by your mother. You must not let your mom affect your relationship with Zijin.”
“It’s not that I like to be with my sister. It’s Mom who insisted that I watched over my sister so that she would not be bullied by other people. My sister has never been good to me unless she has something to ask of me. Otherwise, she acted very arrogantly toward me. Dad, think about the last time when Mom framed me for stealing the keys to the Zhai family’s residence.”
