Tang family, inside the study.
Staring at her stubborn, pigheaded husband, Xu Shuyun's brows were practically scrunched into the character "川".
She really wanted to slap him across the face a few times to wake this kidney-weak old geezer up.....
If it were someone else, she could maybe just let it go.
But the current Lin Xuan is no ordinary person—even she, the "chosen one," feels a bit wary—yet this old man still harbors such intense hostility toward him.
If this makes her nephew resentful, who knows whether he might secretly trip up the Tang family.....
Never mind anything else—if Lin Xuan just leaked some group secrets to the Tang family's rival companies, that alone would be enough for them to suffer big time.
Sigh, ┓(;′｀)┏~~~
Running into a pig teammate who drags you back is truly exhausting~~~
Xu Shuyun finally understood what it means.....
The greater the power, the greater the responsibility.
Even as the heaven-ordained aunt with a one-of-a-kind special ability, she still has to worry herself sick over this family.
'Forget it, when the cart gets to the mountain, there'll be a way through; when the boat reaches the bridge, it'll naturally go straight!'
'When we arrive at the hospital tomorrow, I'll think of a way to counter each move as it comes and do my best to ease the relationship between uncle and nephew.'
'Sigh, in the end it's still me who has to shoulder everything alone!'
'No one can understand the frustration of me, the chosen one—perhaps.... heroes are always lonely.....'
.......
Xu Shuyun let out a deep sigh, her face full of tragic resolve.
Then she shot a glare at her useless, kidney-weak husband.
Amid his baffled gaze, she huffed, turned around, and went back to the room to sleep.
In fact, she had thought before about telling Tang Guo'an about [Eavesdropping on Inner Voices].
But Xu Shuyun found that whenever it involved anything about special ability-related content, the sounds that came out of her mouth would uncontrollably turn into......
"Ah~ ah ah~~~"
As if some mysterious force in the unseen were preventing her from revealing anything about [inner voice].
This shocked and awed Xu Shuyun, and completely killed her idea of telling outsiders about her special ability......
On the other side.
Tang Guo'an hurriedly got up and followed into the couple's room.
"Wait for me! Honey!"
"You still haven't told me in detail about our child's condition, have you?"
.......
Very soon, silence returned outside the bedroom again.
And at this moment, neither of them noticed that a figure flickered past the corridor corner.....
......
Early the next morning.
Sporting dark circles under his eyes, Tang Guo'an got up early and, bustling along after his wife, rushed to the hospital.
"We're here! Our daughter... is inside here."
Led by Xu Shuyun, Tang Guo'an finally stopped in front of a ward door.
The moment he thought about how the person inside the room was his biological daughter whom he had never met.....
Even though Tang Guo'an was already past fifty, he still couldn't help feeling a bit nervous at this moment.
But he also knew some things can't be avoided and must be faced sooner or later; gritting his teeth and stomping his foot, he pushed the door open and went in....
As soon as he entered, he was greeted by a burst of cheerful laughter.
Focusing his eyes, he saw inside two women and one man, the three chatting and laughing......
One stunningly beautiful girl was sitting in a wheelchair, and behind her stood that beastly nephew of his.
But Tang Guo'an's gaze only lingered on the two for a few seconds before it was instantly drawn to the thin, skin-and-bones girl on the hospital bed.
Alike!
So alike!!!
With just one glance, Tang Guo'an practically no longer had any doubts about the girl's identity.
He was one hundred percent certain that this girl was his biological daughter!!!!!
Because her countenance and smile were almost identical to when he first met Xu Shuyun—only more youthful than the wife in his memory, thinner and smaller in build, and overall, far less spirited.
Just from those rough hands of Chu Ling's, one could deduce what kind of grueling life she must have been living all this time....
Thinking back to what Xu Shuyun told him last night.......
The miserable state of Chu Ling's life over these years made the corners of Tang Guo'an's eyes sting and his expression grow tender.
Originally, just hearing about it was enough to make him shudder and feel it was unimaginable.
But now, actually seeing his daughter's sickly, frail appearance with his own eyes, the impact of that visual shock was something no words could ever adequately describe.....
At that moment, Tang Guo'an whole body was trembling, his lips quivering, completely unsure how to start talking to Chu Ling.
In the end, he clenched his teeth, eyes reddening, and squeezed out a few words with all his strength:
"Child, I... I-I am your father...."
"My father...."
Facing the middle-aged man who suddenly barged into the ward, Chu Ling muttered to herself, a bit at a loss.
From the moment she saw Xu Shuyun following behind the man, and felt the faint sense of closeness that Tang Guo'an directed toward her.....
Chu Ling had already faintly guessed it in her heart, and now it was completely confirmed.
She froze on the spot, staring blankly at the man who called himself her biological father.
He looked to be just over forty, with a gentle, scholarly demeanor.
His figure was tall and straight, dressed in a neatly pressed suit with a black tie, and his leather shoes were polished bright as a mirror.
In the morning light streaming through the window, his features carried a calm depth born of years of experience.
The corners of his eyes were slightly wrinkled, yet they lent a unique charm, like the traces of time lightly passing over his face, giving him a mature and wise temperament.
A properly dressed mature man like this was far more tall, imposing, and full of security than the father she'd imagined as a child.....
........
"Yes, Chu Ling! He is my husband, and also your biological father!"
"We've come to take you home."
Xu Shuyun took a step forward, interrupting the touching first exchange of looks between father and daughter.
"Yes yes yes! Child! Let's go home, Dad will take you home. I've already heard the whole story from your mom....."
"I'm sorry! It's Dad who wronged you; it's all Dad's fault. If I had been a little more careful back then, maybe that vicious couple wouldn't have succeeded....."
"Child, you've suffered all these years. Please give Dad a chance and come home with Dad!"
"Dad will make it up to you as much as possible; with Dad here in the future, I will absolutely not let anyone harm even a hair on your head....."
......
Having finally reacted, Tang Guo'an wiped at the corners of his eyes, patting his chest over and over as he promised.
Listening to the concern in her biological parents' voices and seeing the worry in their eyes, Chu Ling, who had never experienced familial love before, felt waves of warmth rising in her heart.
"Going home...."
If it were the old her, if it were her from before she started hearing inner voices, faced with this long-dreamed-of invitation, she would probably have already agreed in a heartbeat......
Unfortunately, she knew the future, knew what awaited her after returning to the Tang family, and that meant she couldn't treat this matter with a normal mindset.
If only she could know in advance what would happen after returning to the Tang family.....
Especially the specific reason that leads me to [hang myself]!
Thinking this, Chu Ling unconsciously turned her head and fixed her gaze on Lin Xuan.
To outsiders, she seemed to be asking Lin Xuan's opinion; in reality, she was straining her ears to eavesdrop on Lin Xuan's inner voice.....
"Go home, cousin! Haven't you always longed to have family? I believe Uncle and the others will take good care of you!"
"Don't worry! If anything happens, you can contact me or Qingge; we'll both help you."
.....
Seeing Chu Ling look at him with such trust, Lin Xuan wore a gentle smile on the surface, but inside he was smug.
'Yoshi~~~ you foolish little cousin~~'
'Looks like I've finally completely gained your trust and favor; really made me wait for quite a while!'
'Next it's time to make use of you to carry out my plan! Kekekeke....'
......
(〃＞皿＜) Detestable cousin?!
(??へ??╬) With you calling me foolish every time, who would develop any good feelings for you!!!
And why do you say one thing on the surface and another in your heart—being that scheming is that really okay~~~
And what's with using me? What's the plan? ┌(.Д.)┐
Can't you just finish your sentences, you jerk!!!
Never heard the saying "If you only say half, your dick shrinks by half" or what!!!
Chu Ling's eye corner twitched several times as she clutched her head and screamed internally......
......
Seeing that compared with her own biological parents, her daughter clearly trusted her nephew more—even needing to ask Lin Xuan's opinion about going home—
Xu Shuyun couldn't help looking bleak; as a mother, she felt she'd failed to give her daughter sufficient sense of security.
Of course... she could understand this situation too.....
Lin Xuan was her daughter's lifesaver; it was natural she trusted him more by default.
But Xu Shuyun had ninety-five percent absolute confidence!!!!
As long as her daughter came back to the Tang family with her, she would use her sun-like warm motherly love to help Chu Ling put down her baggage and accept each other, becoming one loving family.....
Tang Guo'an, on the other hand, thought the exact opposite of Xu Shuyun.
He was deeply prejudiced against Lin Xuan, always thinking he wasn't any good and that he must have ulterior motives in getting close to his daughter.
When he saw his biological daughter sending trusting looks toward Lin Xuan, his heart couldn't help but give a jolt.
This is bad!
Xiao Ling must have fallen for this kid's act, fooled by that harmless-looking exterior of his....
Thinking of this, Tang Guo'an instantly flared his nostrils and widened his eyes in anger, rolling up his sleeves to rush over, grab his nephew by the collar, and demand what bewitching soup he'd fed his daughter?!!
Just then, a sudden voice rang sharply by Tang Guo'an's ear.
The voice flickered in and out, vague yet present, as if far away in the skies and yet right before his eyes.
'What's my dear uncle rolling up his sleeves for? |?)'
'Could it be he wants to hit me? Then should I hit back with my hands? Or with my feet?'
"Mm????"
Tang Guo'an paused, looking around blankly—he didn't see anyone here with their mouth open, did he!!
But the voice did sound quite like his nephew....
[No way? No way?]
[Why is my biased uncle suddenly staring wide-eyed at me? He's not really coming over to beat me up, is he?]
.......
Uncle?
Hearing this clearly directed form of address, and that voice he hadn't heard in years yet still found familiar....
Tang Guo'an finally confirmed the source of the voice—it was the nephew before his eyes!
More precisely.....
What he heard... seemed to be Lin Xuan's inner voice......
Σ(☉▽☉"a Realizing this bizarre fact, Tang Guo'an was completely dumbfounded.
As someone who'd always believed devoutly in atheism, he felt like his face had just been slapped "pa-pa" on both sides this time!!!
What the hell is going on?
Weren't we supposed to believe in science, and you just went and gave me a special ability???.........