Di Ying suddenly stood up, shouting uncontrollably, “No!” She knocked over teacups, spilling tea on her kimono.
Everyone present was surprised by her loss of composure. She rushed towards Di Xihuang, ordering him in a low voice, “Xihuang, you must not go. They are deceiving you. Even if it’s proven, they won’t return that fund to you.”
Di Xihuang furrowed his brow, glancing at Tong Baichuan. “Aunt, regardless of whether they return the fund, this is the best way to prove my identity.”
Di Ying grew more anxious, her words incoherent, “No… listen to me, I’ll tell you later… why.”
Tong Baifu, who had been observing, spoke up, “Di Ying, why are you so nervous? It’s just a DNA test. Could it be that he isn’t A Yun’s child, but our child?”
His words stunned everyone, especially Di Ying, whose face turned pale as she turned away. “No… not true, that child… no… there was never a child.”
“Is that so? Then let him do a DNA test, and also compare with my DNA,” Tong Baifu said forcefully.
“No,” Di Ying suddenly lunged at Tong Baifu, shouting, “Tong Baifu, shut up.”
Di Xihuang sensed something was wrong, feeling Di Ying had concealed something from him for over twenty years.
At that moment, Di Ying burst into laughter, her voice sharp and shrill, “Haha… you can also feel pain, so it turns out it’s this simple to make you suffer, haha…”
Tong Baichuan ignored her madness, though the fine sweat on his forehead was noticed by Ou Xueman. She was about to speak but was signaled to stay silent.
“Xi Huang, let’s go. Even if you don’t want to do the DNA test, you must go. This isn’t just about your eligibility to inherit the fund but also Xuan Xuan’s reputation…” Tong Baichuan said quietly.
“No need to test,” Di Ying interrupted arrogantly, looking triumphantly at Tong Baichuan. “But I never thought you would actually treasure the daughter born by that bitch Liu Qiusi.”
As she spoke, her murky eyes reflected intertwined love and hate. “Why could you just watch our child miscarry back then and not care at all?”
Tong Baichuan’s face turned pale as he glanced at Tong Baifu in silence.
“Whose seed that was has long been known,” Tong Baifu suddenly stood and roared, his clenched hands trembling with rage. “If you wanted to marry Baichuan so much, why did you still climb into my bed?” he growled.
“Hmph, you were just a substitute,” Di Ying coldly surveyed everyone present. “Don’t you want to know who Xi Huang’s father is?”
Everyone furrowed their brows, sensing that what she was about to say would be shocking, and feelings of unease spread among them.
Seeing their nervous expressions, Di Ying pointed at Tong Baifu with satisfaction. “As you said, Xi Huang is my son, and also your son.”
Ou Xueman noticed Tong Baichuan stiffen, his hand clutching his chest, and she hurried to support him.
“Impossible,” Tong Baifu exclaimed, noticing Tong Baichuan’s distress. “You just said that child was miscarried.”
“It was to test him back then,” Di Ying remarked, glancing at Tong Baichuan.
Di Xi Huang’s eyes burned with coldness and anger as he squeezed out, “No wonder I never had any memories of a father.”
Was the story of my mother being raped by Tong Baichuan fabricated by you? Why did you want to deceive me?” His voice made the air chill, each trace of coldness penetrating to the bone.
Di Ying was shocked and, after a long silence, said, “I just wanted you to destroy everything of his, to make him beg me…”
“Daddy.” Ou Xueman’s startled cry made everyone turn to see Tong Baichuan slowly kneeling, his expression extremely pained.
The surgery room light had been on for nearly four hours, with doctors and nurses entering and exiting with tense expressions. Those waiting in the corridor felt their anxiety mounting.
Ou Xueman sat in a daze, her eyes hollow and unfocused, fighting dizziness. The hospital’s nauseating smell intensified her vertigo, but she couldn’t collapse. She wanted to see the man who had given her infinite fatherly love walk out of the surgery room doors. If anything happened to him, she would regret it for the rest of her life, as all of this was caused by her.
If she hadn’t eavesdropped, if she hadn’t rushed in to tell him everything, perhaps he would still be cherishing her with his gentle fatherly love, and not lying on the cold operating table. Everything was her fault.
Li Mingguang patted Tong Baifu’s shoulder, “He’s in the intensive care unit now, go see him, and say anything… as soon as possible.”
Liu Qiusi hurried towards the nearby intensive care unit and accidentally knocked down Ou Xueman. Just as she was about to hit the floor, he caught her, but she pushed him away, supporting herself against the wall as she continued to the unit.
Inside the ward, the cold instruments beeped softly. Tong Baichuan was covered in tubes, various liquids slowly dripping into his body. The occasional fog in the oxygen mask was the only sign he was still alive.
The person who once loved and protected her could now only be kept alive by machines. She wanted to see him smile again, to feel him stroking her head and calling her “Xuan Xuan, my precious daughter.”
She walked to his bedside, softly calling, “Daddy, Daddy…”
Liu Qiusi held his hand, urging him, “Baichuan, wake up. I’ve called Huang the lawyer. Wake up quickly.”
“Her voice was more anxious than sorrowful.
Amidst the repeated calls, Tong Baichuan awakened. His once clear eyes now sensed his impending departure. His dry lips moved, but his words were inaudible.
Ou Xueman quickly removed his oxygen mask, while Liu Qiusi rushed out and returned with Tong family’s exclusive lawyer.
“Baichuan, say what you need to say. The lawyer is here,” Liu Qiusi urged anxiously.
Ou Xueman tightly held his hand. “Daddy.”
With faint breaths, Tong Baichuan slowly said, “Xuan Xuan… Daddy… harmed… your life. Let… our generation’s… grudges… burden… you. Daddy still… begs you… don’t resent… anyone… whether it’s Di Ying… or Xi Huang. In this life… I’m sorry… to two women… one is you… mommy, the other… Di Ying. I used… them, just to… get Yu Aunt’s… one glance. So… no matter what… don’t resent them. This is what I owe… them, and don’t seek revenge… let it be.”
Di Ying, who had unknowingly entered the intensive care unit, suddenly covered her mouth and rushed out, her suppressed sobs barely audible.
Ou Xueman slightly lowered her eyes and stiffly nodded, “I… I promise you, Daddy.”
Seeing Tong Baichuan close his eyes after speaking, Liu Qiusi anxiously urged, “Baichuan, is there anything else you haven’t said?”
Tong Baichuan opened his eyes again, looking at her, and signaled the lawyer to come closer. “Huang Lawyer, I… will make a will now, that fund…”
To be managed by my daughter, and all my assets to be inherited by my wife.
Hearing this, Liu Qiusi could not hide a hint of joy, though she tried hard to conceal it.
“Understood,” the lawyer recorded diligently.
Tong Baichuan’s trembling hands touched Ou Xueman’s cheeks. “Xuan Xuan, divorce him. I am only worried about you. Daddy couldn’t see you happy.”
Secretly wiping tears from her eyes, she replied, “Daddy, don’t worry. I’ll listen to you. I’ll find my own true happiness.”
Tong Baichuan smiled, “Daddy always knew you were smart and sensible… must be happy.”
As he spoke, it seemed he had let go of all his worries. With a faint smile, he drifted off. As the instrument beeped, the combined dizziness and sorrow engulfed her.
In the deep darkness, everything felt cold. A thin stream of water spread from her arm into her blood vessels, pulling her into deeper darkness. She could feel something important being stripped away, but she couldn’t see what it was. The cold pulled her consciousness further into the darkness.
