episode_0041

Early the next morning, Su Qingya woke up unusually early. The thought of what was to come today made it impossible for her to sleep.

What would the future hold?

How would her parents truly feel about her?

And how would the person who had usurped her life for over a decade view her now?

Everything filled her with dread.

Lost in thought, Su Qingya sent Xu Nian a message.

But she knew Xu Nian usually wasn’t an early riser.

Yet today, she received a reply almost instantly.

[Don’t worry, you little loser Qingya, pfft. I’ll be supporting you from behind. If it gets too much, just wear your wireless earbuds and listen to my voice—you won’t be as scared then, right?]

Reading Xu Nian’s message, Su Qingya felt a warmth in her chest.

She was overwhelmed with excitement and reassurance.

The fear in her heart gradually faded.

[Yes! I absolutely will!]

“Hey, hey, can you hear me, loser Qingya?”

“Y-yes, I can hear you.”

The playful, charming voice of a girl came through the wireless earbuds. Though laced with amusement, Su Qingya could also detect a hint of drowsiness.

“Did you not get enough sleep?”

“Yeah, my mom woke me up super early. I’m exhausted, but it’s fine.”

“Shouldn’t you sleep a bit more?”

“Can’t. I have to go pick up someone important today—my sister is coming back. So even if I’m dead tired, I have to push through.”

“You have a sister? How come you’ve never mentioned her before?”

“Well, now you know, pfft.”

The girl’s light laughter echoed in the earbuds, making Su Qingya blush.

“Ah! That’s not what I meant!”

“Alright, alright. Your homecoming is what’s important right now. Whether my sister comes back or not doesn’t matter.”

“H-how can you say that? She’s still your sister, and my future sister-in-law! You should at least show some concern!”

“Hmm, is that so? But if Qingya cares too much about others, I’ll get jealous~”

“O-okay, fine.”

Hearing Xu Nian say that, Su Qingya had no choice but to relent.

Her original intention was to build a good relationship with Xu Nian’s family so they’d accept her more easily.

Even in this open-minded era, same-sex marriage was still something many struggled to accept.

So Su Qingya had to consider every angle to ensure everyone approved of their relationship.

But if Xu Nian was jealous, then there was nothing she could do.

“After I deal with my own situation, I’ll visit your place. By the way, what do your parents like? And your sister? I should bring gifts, right?”

“No need. Just showing up is enough.”

With that, Xu Nian deliberately placed her phone far away.

Then she rolled around on her bed, laughing uncontrollably.

[Joy Level: 78%]

Oh, foolish Su Qingya!

This is too delightful!

I can’t wait to see your expression when you find out later!

It’s going to be absolutely hilarious.

Once she finally stopped laughing, Xu Nian picked up her phone again.

“Hello? Hello?”

Su Qingya’s confused voice came through after the long silence.

“Ah, I just went to the bathroom. Couldn’t really talk.”

“Oh, I see.”

Just as Su Qingya was about to say something else, a knock sounded at her apartment door.

“Miss Su Qingya, are you ready? We’re here to pick you up.”

It was the voice of a bodyguard.

Xu Nian recognized it—her father was probably outside too.

“Go ahead. I’m about to take a shower. I’ll call you back after.”

“Sh-shower?”

“Yeah, gotta get clean before dressing up.”

“I want to watch.”

“???” The sudden perverted request made Xu Nian’s face burn. “Watch what, you creep! Pervert! You think I’d video call you while showering? I’m hanging up!”

And she really did.

Almost immediately, Su Qingya sent a video call request.

Xu Nian was about to decline, but after a moment’s hesitation, she accepted.

Then… through the screen, Su Qingya watched as Xu Nian slowly peeled off her pajamas, one piece at a time, leaving only her perfectly sculpted back—enough to fuel endless fantasies.

A glance over her shoulder, fox-like eyes brimming with allure, watery gaze like an ocean.

It was Su Qingya who ended up blushing furiously.

She had only been joking—she never expected Xu Nian to actually answer.

Another knock at the door forced Su Qingya to hastily end the call.

She patted her chest a few times to calm herself.

“Coming.”

She opened the door.

Two figures stood outside.

One was a bodyguard in black.

The other was the middle-aged man who had approached her days earlier—her biological father.

Even now, it all felt like a dream.

“Have you packed your things?”

Xu Qingshan’s gaze was complicated as he looked at Su Qingya. He didn’t hide it—couldn’t hide it.

This situation would leave anyone speechless.

But she was his flesh and blood, and this was his mistake. If only he had done a paternity test at birth.

If not for a strange, inexplicable pull—some mystical bloodline connection—that made him secretly collect a strand of Su Qingya’s hair for DNA testing after coincidentally meeting her, he might never have discovered the truth.

But now that he knew, he couldn’t ignore it.

“You’ve suffered all these years. It’s my fault. I wish I’d realized sooner.”

“…Dad.”

Su Qingya hesitated before calling him that.

It took every ounce of her mental preparation. “It’s… not your fault. No one could’ve known back then.”

Her quiet words stunned Xu Qingshan.

For a moment, his heart ached with indescribable emotions.

This child was far too understanding—painfully so.

And the way she called him “Dad” was unbearably sweet.

“I’m sorry.”

His apology was solemn, without a trace of insincerity.

“I-it’s okay.”

Hearing that, Xu Qingshan felt as if a weight had been lifted.

“Haha, your mother is really looking forward to having you home. Last time, she prepared so much, but… Ah, not that I’m blaming you! I just mean she cares about you too. Don’t feel too pressured.”

He spoke carefully.

Su Qingya nodded in understanding.

Why didn’t she doubt whether this man was truly her father?

Why did she believe it so easily?

Xu Qingshan had shown her the paternity report. She had even secretly gotten a second test done herself, confirming the truth.

“Let’s get in the car.”

“Okay.”

Their conversation carried an unspoken distance, both parties stiff and reserved.

After all, at this moment, aside from blood ties, they were practically strangers with no emotional foundation.

Expecting instant familiarity would be asking too much of Su Qingya.

With anyone other than Xu Nian, she was naturally distant.

But her coldness stemmed from the trauma of her adoptive parents’ car accident, which had left her emotionally withdrawn.

In short, she was socially awkward and introverted.

Only Xu Nian had ever truly broken through her fragile heart.