At 7:00 PM in Beijiang City, the rain continued to fall from the night sky, though it had lessened considerably. In front of a hotel in the city center, Xiaoxiao was still waiting. Her small face now bore traces of fatigue, and the sky had already turned dark. Gao Weiwei had tried countless times to persuade her to go back, but Xiaoxiao refused, remaining there, staring blankly into the rainy night outside, always imagining that the next moment her father would appear.
“Xiaoxiao, it's already seven. Let’s go grab something to eat,” Gao Weiwei sighed deeply in her heart. How much must her daughter long for her father? Seeing the hopeful look in her daughter’s eyes made her heart ache profoundly.
Xiaoxiao was always so understanding. Since she turned three, she had become more and more considerate. Sometimes, when she was at the restaurant where Gao Weiwei worked, she would see other children accompanied by their fathers and silently watch them, her eyes full of envy and yearning. But she never mentioned it to Gao Weiwei because Gao Weiwei had told her that her father was working far away, that he was very tired and busy, and that they shouldn’t disturb him.
“Mom, you go ahead and eat. I’ll wait a bit longer. I feel like Daddy is coming back soon. I’ll wait for him so we can eat together,” Xiaoxiao shook her head, turned to smile at Gao Weiwei, and then continued to stare outside.
“Xiaoxiao, didn’t I tell you? Daddy isn’t coming back today. The earliest he’ll be back is the day after tomorrow. Come eat with Mommy,” Gao Weiwei continued to try to persuade her.
But Xiaoxiao just shook her head stubbornly and said, “No, I have a feeling Daddy will come back today. I can feel it. I’m waiting for Daddy to come back, then we’ll eat instant noodles together. That’s my favorite food. If Daddy comes back tonight, I’ll give him the egg in my noodles, so he’ll be full and won’t leave again. Isn’t that right, Mommy?”
Gao Weiwei’s body trembled violently, and her eyes welled up. She bit her lip, her body shaking. She quickly turned away because she didn’t want her daughter to see her tears fall.
“Xiao Tiance, did you hear that? Your daughter’s biggest wish is for you to stay by her side. She’s so understanding, hiding her little thoughts from me all this time—until you appeared last night. So, you must stay safe. You must come back safely!” Gao Weiwei silently said to herself.
She didn’t know how to persuade Xiaoxiao anymore because no matter what she said, Xiaoxiao wouldn’t leave, insisting on waiting at the door. Xiaoxiao was afraid that if she left, Xiao Tiance wouldn’t find her when he returned. At that moment, Xiaoxiao’s heart was filled with a strong determination—a determination to wait for Xiao Tiance’s return.
But this couldn’t go on. Xiaoxiao’s health had always been fragile, and she was prone to illness. The rain outside was still heavy, and Xiaoxiao was wearing very little. If this continued, she would definitely catch a cold, and at her age, a cold could take days to recover from.
Although Gao Weiwei was reluctant, she couldn’t hold back her frustration any longer and scolded Xiaoxiao, “Gao Xiaoxiao! Didn’t you understand what I said? Huh? I told you that your father isn’t coming back today, and he won’t be back today! What’s the point of waiting here? Huh? Do you want to catch a cold? Are you coming back inside or not?”
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Xiaoxiao’s body trembled as she looked up in surprise at her angry mother, her eyes showing a trace of fear. Tears immediately started to fall, but she stubbornly shook her head and said, “Daddy will come back. He will come back. Sob, sob.”
Gao Weiwei’s body shook, and tears began to fall from her eyes as well. What she didn’t know was that sometimes there’s something inexplicable in this world. Xiaoxiao had a premonition that Xiao Tiance would return today. And in fact, by midday today, Zhou Zhenghao had indeed launched his final showdown with Xiao Tiance ahead of schedule, which meant that Xiao Tiance would return to Xiaoxiao’s side today. Yes, there was something inexplicable at work. And although Xiaoxiao didn’t understand why, she was absolutely certain that her father would come back today. Maybe it was the bond of blood.
Xiaoxiao had that feeling in her heart, but Gao Weiwei didn’t. So when Gao Weiwei saw that Xiaoxiao was still refusing to leave, she suppressed her heartache, grabbed Xiaoxiao’s arm, and dragged her toward the hotel.
“Mommy, I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go. I want to wait for Daddy. Daddy is definitely coming back today. Mommy, please, let me wait for Daddy here, okay? Mommy, please, I want to wait for Daddy,” Xiaoxiao struggled desperately as Gao Weiwei pulled her up and dragged her inside.
“I said no! Your father is not coming back, he’s not! He’s not!” Gao Weiwei was truly angry now, and her voice was uncontrollably loud as she yelled at Xiaoxiao.
Xiaoxiao was stunned, or rather, she was frightened. Her whole body started trembling; she had never seen Gao Weiwei this angry.
So Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold back and burst into tears, partly out of fear and partly because she was worried about Gao Weiwei’s anger. She cried as she said, “I’m sorry, Mommy. Please don’t yell at me. Xiaoxiao is scared, Xiaoxiao is scared,” her little body trembling as she cried.
Gao Weiwei was momentarily stunned by the scene before her. She felt like slapping herself. In the next moment, she suddenly squatted down, hugged Xiaoxiao, and began to cry.
“I’m sorry, Xiaoxiao. I’m sorry. Mommy was wrong. Mommy shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m sorry, Xiaoxiao,” Gao Weiwei apologized while crying.
It took a while for Gao Weiwei to calm down. She let go of Xiaoxiao and said, “Xiaoxiao, Daddy really isn’t coming back today. Please listen to Mommy and come eat and rest. Tomorrow we’ll wait for Daddy, okay?”
Xiaoxiao lowered her head, playing with the hem of her faded little dress. She was too young to know how to explain the feeling she had to Gao Weiwei. But she knew that Mommy was angry and sad, and she couldn’t be disobedient.
Just as she was about to tell Gao Weiwei that she would go back with her, suddenly, through the rain, the figure of Xiao Tiance appeared, walking quickly toward them.
Xiaoxiao caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye and immediately, filled with excitement and joy, broke free from Gao Weiwei’s embrace and ran toward him. As she ran, she shouted happily, “Daddy, Daddy!”
“Xiaoxiao, what—? How is this possible?” Gao Weiwei was about to call Xiaoxiao back when she suddenly heard Xiaoxiao’s joyful shout.
Gao Weiwei looked at the figure in the distance, braving the rain and walking toward her and Xiaoxiao, and her heart trembled. But how could this be possible?