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"Little... Miss?!" Feng Yin exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes wide. Before Cheng Mosu could say anything further, she turned and ran into the room, shouting, "It's the Miss! The Miss is back!"
Cheng Mosu felt a twinge of fear as she glanced back at Xiao Zuowei, who smiled at her and gestured for her to go inside.
Having walked this corridor for over ten years, stepping back in today brought about a different feeling.
She pushed the door open; the Living Room was still bright and tidy, with the furnishings unchanged. Her Father, Cheng Yi, sat on the sofa, carefully reading a Newspaper. He slightly raised his head upon hearing her footsteps, but that brief moment of eye contact made her heart sink.
Is this person in front of me really my Father?
Cheng Yi took off his glasses resting on his nose; his hair had turned gray halfway, and there were several noticeable wrinkles on his forehead. A pang of sadness hit her—what had happened recently that made her father look like he aged ten years overnight?
Cheng Yi smiled gently, his expression calm and kind, devoid of worldly concerns or sharpness. He waved at her, signaling her to come over.
"Dad!" Cheng Mosu rushed into his embrace, biting her lip tightly to keep from crying.
"Mosu is back?" Cheng Yi affectionately patted her head. "Did you come back by yourself or with Shaoyi? I saw in the news a few days ago that he has already pledged allegiance to the Southern Government and that the Changing of the Banner Ceremony will be held at the end of the year. I assume there hasn't been much going on lately, so did you come back together?"
Cheng Mosu was taken aback; her father's sudden shift in attitude towards Shaoyi frightened her even more. "Dad, why are you suddenly asking about Shaoyi? Didn't you disapprove of me being with him?"
"Ah." Cheng Yi sighed and patted her shoulder. "At that time, I betrothed you to Zhong Chuping, but you eloped with Shaoyi. When Zhong Chuping came looking for you and I had no one to give him, and since he represents the power of the Southern Government, I couldn't bring trouble upon myself. Reluctantly, I had to write that article saying I would sever ties with you. Mosu, you don't blame your father, do you?"
She shook her head as the mist in her eyes slowly cleared; tears swirled in her eyes. "The one at fault is me for being selfish and not realizing how much trouble I caused for Dad and the Cheng Family."
"Here." Cheng Yi picked up a check, his hands trembling slightly. "I saw your Marriage Contract a while ago and wanted to give you something. But I couldn't think of what to give you, worried that you might still resent your father and refuse it. These past few days, seeing Shaoyi has stabilized, I thought about sending some money over, and just as I was about to do that, you came back."
"Dad..." It turned out that her father didn't really want to abandon her; he was just forced by circumstances.
She quietly looked at her Father, realizing that he must have been worrying about her day and night, which is why his hair had turned gray. Her long black hair cascaded down to her waist, and her slender fingers tightly gripped her Father's hand. "Dad... it's all too late... Shaoyi and I have already ended."
Cheng Yi was stunned, unable to believe it. "How could this happen? How could he..."
"It wasn't his fault; it was my decision to leave." Cheng Mosu's voice was intermittent and barely audible. "Previously, in Feng Province, because of the severed relationship with you, I was neglected by his sister. Now that I've just returned home, Dad said he was preparing to send us money for support." She raised her Eyes, her body stiffening; only her Eyes shone brightly, the tears she had been holding back finally fell, burning deep in her heart. "Everything was just one step away; we missed the most crucial moment. Dad, I used to not believe in fate, but now I believe completely."
"Mosu." His daughter had never been this heartbroken before. He held her tightly. "I'm sorry; it's my fault. Everything is resolved now. You can go back; let your father give you a grand wedding to him, okay?"
She shook her head. Why did fate always play tricks on her? When she tried to move forward, there were obstacles everywhere; when she resolved to forget him, everything became supportive. Why did things come at the wrong time? Her heart felt like it was being pierced by something sharp and dull at the same time, unbearable pain coursing through her. Even if someone told her that walking this path would lead to happiness, she couldn't move forward—not because she no longer loved him but because she no longer dared.
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about these things for now. You should go rest in your room; I'll have the Kitchen prepare your favorite dishes." Cheng Yi hurriedly helped Cheng Mosu up. Cheng Mosu's peripheral vision caught sight of her Father's glasses placed on the table and asked in confusion, "Dad's eyesight has always been good; why suddenly wear glasses?"
"Oh, these are reading glasses; I thought I'd wear them to look more scholarly," Cheng Yi chuckled, but Cheng Mosu didn't join in the laughter.
This was the first time in over a decade that she felt her Father had aged. The glasses he wore while reading the Newspaper were likely bifocals; his eyes had begun to blur. Though he didn't say it outright, she knew he still wanted to maintain that tall figure in front of her and wanted to support her half of the sky, just like he told her now: don't be afraid; Dad is here.
Cheng Mosu returned to her room and quietly sat by the window. She remembered not long ago when she climbed down from the window with Shaoyi's arm in hers as they left together. Back then, her feelings were like a gentle breeze passing by, like a stream flowing down, like fragrant grass stretching across the sky, like butterflies fluttering around. But now time had passed; what remained was confusion or desolation—was it sadness or reluctance?
"Miss, please eat some fruit; these are fresh seasonal fruits just picked," Feng Yin said as she entered with a fruit platter and smiled.
"Thank you. By the way, Feng Yin, what happened while I was away?"
Feng Yin pondered for a moment and then spoke honestly, "As soon as you left, the Southern Government sent someone to arrange a marriage, forcing Master to publicly sever ties with you. Otherwise, the entire Cheng Family would have been implicated. After that, Master thought you must have returned to Feng Province with Young Commander. He originally intended to send money to you, but then the government dismissed Master from his position, leaving him idle at home for a long time. Everything was managed by Mr. Xu. Master could have leveraged foreign Capitalist support to resist, but he feared that the Southern Government might do something harmful to you, so he chose to let things be and ignored worldly affairs. It seems that recently, because Young Commander submitted to the Southern Government, Master was reinstated."
"It's all my fault. In fact, my father arranged for me to marry Zhong Chuping because he was appointed as Director Cheng by the Southern Government. I stubbornly went against his wishes and caused him so much trouble, making him suffer like this."
"Miss..." Feng Yin continued, "There’s one more thing I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Master seems to have a son in America, but I heard he passed away a few weeks ago. Master fell ill because of this and has only just recovered in the past few days."
Cheng Mosu tightened her pupils, feeling a mix of emotions in her heart.
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