Trapped In Paradise
Volume 2 Chapter 215 / Chapter 495: Stranger
To Ning Chu, the word "father" was unfamiliar.
Just like the man standing before her—so unfamiliar that she couldn't muster even the slightest sense of closeness. His head full of white hair stirred no sympathy in her either. She simply sat on the sofa, watching indifferently as he walked into the house, then lowered her head and started playing on her phone.
It was nothing like the flood of emotions she had imagined when meeting her father. Once her curiosity about his appearance was satisfied, her heart remained completely unmoved. She couldn't even be bothered to spare him another glance.
Wen Yang came out of the room, sensed the subtle atmosphere in the living room, and immediately understood the identity of the stranger. He walked straight over and sat beside Ning Chu, his broad hand covering her cold little hand.
Seeing the visitor outside, the excitement on Black Bean's face quickly faded. Barefoot, she pattered toward the kitchen. "Mom! Uncle is here!"
"Got it. Go put your slippers on! You've left footprints all over the floor!"
"I don't like wearing slippers…"
"Why are you copying Ning Chu! You don't learn the good things, only the bad!"
The sound of their mother scolding Black Bean came from the kitchen. Ning Chu glanced down at her own bare feet and quickly slipped back into the slippers she had kicked under the coffee table.
If her mother hadn't mentioned it, she probably would've forgotten about them entirely and run around barefoot like Black Bean.
With no one greeting him and no one paying him any attention, the man stood awkwardly by the doorway, hesitating as he looked toward the two people on the sofa—one tall, one short.
Ning Juan walked out of the kitchen, with a timid Black Bean trailing behind her. She glanced at the man and spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Recognize him? Your son."
The man smiled gently, took out the latest flagship smartphone from his briefcase, and placed it on the coffee table as he said to Wen Yang, "Ning Chu, I brought you a phone from abroad…"
"…"
Wen Yang looked up in confusion, and even Ning Chu's icy expression nearly cracked.
"Your girlfriend, right?" The man took out a stack of red envelopes from his bag, his smile tinged with a hint of ingratiation. "First time meeting—please accept this as a gift."
Wen Yang rubbed the bridge of his nose, utterly baffled. How had he suddenly ended up with a father out of nowhere?
"The one next to him is Ning Chu," Ning Juan reminded him. "That's Ning Chu's boyfriend."
"…"
Only then did the man focus his attention on Ning Chu. Looking at the girl with a slightly youthful face but alluring, captivating eyes, he showed a bewildered expression, at a loss for words.
He even began to doubt his own memory. Although he had left not long after Ning Chu was born, she should've been a little boy back then, right?
How had she grown up into such a beautiful girl—and even gotten herself a boyfriend?
"Mom, I'm going to use the computer," Ning Chu said, letting out a slightly disappointed sigh as she stood up and walked straight into the room.
Black Bean hurried after her, following her into the bedroom.
This second bedroom was now Black Bean's. The room had gained some cat-themed decorations, and the bedding had been changed to a cute pink style. On the desk sat a small fish tank, inside which lived a tiny turtle the size of a finger joint.
After entering, Ning Chu took off her outerwear and sat down at the computer, staring blankly at the little turtle.
Sure enough, she still couldn't accept a father who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere… Even if that father greeted her with an ingratiating attitude, trying to make up for things with a phone worth tens of thousands and red envelopes.
Not only did it fail to win her goodwill—it even made her sneer inwardly.
So wealthy… He must've been living quite well out there. And yet, all these years, he hadn't sent a single cent home.
"Sis~ isn't my little turtle cute?"
"Mm, it's pretty cute."
"I've been raising it for a week!" Black Bean's little head popped up beside her, resting on the desk as she gazed eagerly at the turtle.
Ning Chu reached out and rubbed Black Bean's head, feeling the cool cat ears, and gently covered them with her hand.
Turning to look at her, she asked, "You don't like that person, do you?"
This little cat wasn't good at hiding her emotions—everything showed plainly on her face, making it easy to read.
"I don't like him!"
"Why?"
"Because when he came a few days ago, he made Mom cry."
It was hard for Ning Chu to imagine her mother crying. The thought alone made her chest feel tight. She asked, "Did he say something to Mom?"
Black Bean's cat ears twitched lightly in her palm as she recalled, "I don't think he said much… Mom just started crying when she saw him…"
"Oh…"
"Is that your dad, Sis?" Black Bean looked up and asked.
Ning Chu didn't deny it and nodded. "Didn't he ask who you are?"
"Nope~"
A sudden knock on the door interrupted their conversation.
They both turned toward the door and heard an unfamiliar voice: "Ning Chu, do you want to go out for dinner tonight?"
The warm, gentle tone she used with Black Bean instantly turned cold and distant. Ning Chu refused without hesitation, "No. We're eating at home."
"Dad can take you to a restaurant for seafood. Your uncles and cousins will be there too. Don't you want to come?"
Hearing him refer to himself like that made Ning Chu instinctively feel disgust and resistance. Coupled with what he said next, a surge of irritation rose from her chest.
"I said no!"
Her voice became noticeably sharp, startling Black Bean so much that her ears flattened and she shrank her neck timidly.
Ning Chu gently patted Black Bean's head to comfort her, lips pressed together, her expression shifting unpredictably.
Only after the sound of the door closing came from outside did she stand up, open the door, and walk out.
Wen Yang was standing by the doorway, leaning against the wall. The moment he saw her, he stepped forward with concern and stayed close by her side.
"Here, your phone."
"Don't want it."
"Even something free?" Wen Yang handed over the red envelopes as well, teasing, "There's five hundred in here. He's pretty stingy—only giving this much as a first meeting gift for his daughter-in-law."
Right… if it's free, why not take it? It's not like I have to return it.
He owes me!
Thinking that, Ning Chu happily took the phone and the red envelopes, her mood instantly improving. She rolled her eyes at Wen Yang. "Daughter-in-law, huh? I don't even see him as my dad."
"My mom definitely did it on purpose. She didn't tell him beforehand—she just wanted to see him make a fool of himself."
Ning Juan had already placed the dishes on the dining table. Looking up at them approaching, she asked with a smile, "So? First impression of your dad?"
"Give me a break…" Ning Chu scoffed, muttering under her breath, "Didn't take care of the family for over a decade, and now he thinks a phone can buy me over."
She casually tossed the red envelopes and phone onto the table. "Was he like that with you too? Giving money right away when you met?"
"Not at all. I didn't get a single cent. He even complained just now about how I raised you into a girl~" Ning Juan said, resting her chin on one hand, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "The moment he came back, he started treating everyone to meals everywhere, afraid people wouldn't know he made money outside. He even borrowed quite a bit from his brothers."
"What does how much he earned have to do with us…"
"Exactly. That's why when you get married, you have to choose the right person. Some people are just ungrateful wolves, you can't raise them right." Her mother glanced at Wen Yang. "Right?"
Wen Yang stiffened immediately, even breaking into a bit of a sweat. He nodded rapidly. "Right, Auntie is absolutely correct! I would never abandon Ning Chu—I could never do something like that."
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Link for character illustration:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1IxOucqi87ss3bmqfO9zI2gYiM1Gy8Hz2
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Tn: I updated the story once a day, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Volume 3 Chapter 41 / Chapter 546: Lin Li[1]
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