Chapter 49

Little Qingnuan looked at Xiang Nan suspiciously, stretching out her small hand to take his phone. The Weibo homepage displayed on the screen was indeed her “Nuannuan’s Little Sunny Day” ID.

The little girl stole a glance at her father, then lowered her head to look at the screen, twisting her fingers in silence.

“Well?” Xiang Nan stared at her. “Nuannuan?”

Qingnuan turned her head away, her eyes darting uncertainly. Finally, she said tentatively, “It’s me… I did it myself…”

“Nuannuan, good children don’t tell lies.” Even though he knew his daughter was clever, Xiang Nan couldn’t possibly believe that a child not even five years old could register a Weibo account on her own.

“I… I didn’t…” Qingnuan pouted.

She didn’t want to lie, but this was a promise she made with Sister Wen. Sister Wen had helped her; how could she break the agreement between them?

“Was it Zhu Lin?” Xiang Nan asked, observing her expression.

For a while now, only Zhu Lin had been taking care of his daughter. It couldn’t have been the previous nanny or the current Auntie Lin.

“No, no, it wasn’t Sister Lin!” Qingnuan waved her small hands and shook her head hurriedly.

“Could it be Lin Wen?” A flash of inspiration struck Xiang Nan. He remembered the time he spent taking care of Qin Xuening at the hospital and seeing Lin Wen managing Ye Feifei’s Weibo. He decided to test her.

Qingnuan’s eyes widened, and the panic in her heart reached a peak.

Watching his daughter’s panicked state, Xiang Nan felt a pang of heartache as well as disappointment. However, that disappointment was directed at himself; perhaps he hadn’t done well enough, causing his daughter to choose to hide things from him.

Everyone has secrets. Although the fact that his daughter had a secret at such a young age made him feel a bit melancholy, he could still understand it. However, she was still too young; Weibo was not a suitable toy for her. Even if she wanted to play with it, it should be done under adult supervision and guidance—this was the point that Xiang Nan took seriously.

Qingnuan couldn’t understand that. She only saw the disappointment on his face, which made her pout, and large teardrops began to surge from her eyes.

Seeing this, Xiang Nan was startled.

“Oh, my baby, why are you crying?” He reached out to pull his daughter into his arms, gently swaying her small body and coaxing her softly.

“Daddy, I’m sorry…” Qingnuan sobbed. At the thought of breaking her promise and lying to her loving father, she cried out of sheer guilt. “Please don’t blame Sister Wen, okay?”

“Baby, don’t cry first…” Xiang Nan clumsily wiped away her tears.

But as soon as she felt her father’s tenderness, Qingnuan’s tears wouldn’t stop. She felt as if she had returned to a few months ago, surrounded by loneliness and solitude that made her sad and afraid.

“I just wanted to see you and Mommy. You didn’t come back for so long, and I… I missed you so much… Then I saw photos of Daddy and Mommy on Weibo, so I begged Sister Wen to teach me…

It’s all my fault… Daddy, I’m sorry…”

The little girl sobbed out her story in fragments. Her milky voice was soft and lacked any aggression, but every word pierced Xiang Nan’s heart like a blade, filling him with an indescribable sense of shame and heartache.

He held his daughter tightly. That kind of heart-wrenching pain is likely something only a [bailiantales.com]parent can truly understand.

“Nuannuan, you don’t need to say sorry. It’s all Daddy’s fault. Nuannuan isn’t wrong at all; it’s Daddy who should apologize.” Xiang Nan kissed his daughter’s forehead, his own eyes reddening.

He thought of how his daughter’s following list only contained himself and his wife, and his heart throbbed with a dull pain again. He imagined that during the days they were away, his daughter was not only bullied by a bad nanny but could only soothe her longing through the official photos and posts on their Weibo. He wanted to slap himself!

He was a serious person; once he started filming, he easily lost himself in his work. But that was no excuse for neglecting his daughter. Especially after his mother passed away, he should have given her more attention…

Holding the little “bundle” in his arms and feeling her attachment, Xiang Nan felt pain but was also incredibly grateful. He was thankful his daughter hadn’t “grown crooked” or grown to hate them due to their neglect. He still had a chance to make amends.

After going through this, the slight reluctance he felt about staying home to raise his child while his career was at its peak vanished completely.

Hearing Xiang Nan’s apology, Qingnuan gradually stopped crying. She looked up at him, still hiccupping slightly because she had cried so hard.

“Daddy, you don’t blame me? I just lied… I’m not a good child anymore…”

Xiang Nan patted her back to help her catch her breath. “Well, even though Nuannuan lied, Daddy has already forgiven you. I won’t blame Sister Lin Wen either, so our baby is still a good child.”

“Re… really?”

“Of course it’s true,” Xiang Nan said seriously. “But baby, in the future, if anything happens, you must tell Daddy and Mommy. Don’t keep it inside, okay? Even if someone threatens you, you must find a chance to tell us secretly, understand?”

Qingnuan looked at him and nodded innocently.

Xiang Nan sighed softly, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe her tears. He had realized that his daughter bailiantales.comhad a very honest and naive personality. She was small and lacked discernment; she believed whatever others told her. Moreover, she was very tight-lipped; she wouldn’t speak up even if she suffered, only spilling the truth when pushed to a corner.

Xiang Nan was still traumatized by the previous nanny incident and fretted over how to correct this trait in her. He thought for a moment and said, “Mommy and I are also being parents for the first time. There are many things we didn’t think of and haven’t done well. But we will work hard. If Nuannuan ever feels Daddy is doing something wrong, you must tell me, okay?”

Looking at Xiang Nan’s serious face, Qingnuan nodded obediently and wrapped her small arms around his neck.

“Daddy is doing great. Nuannuan loves you.”

Hearing his daughter whisper that in his ear with her sweet, soft voice, Xiang Nan was almost moved to tears. He pressed his cheek against hers, nuzzled her gently, and said warmly:

“Baby, how about Daddy stays home to accompany you all the time from now on?”

He thought that saying this would make his daughter hug him happily and give him a sweet kiss. Instead, the little girl let go of him, thought for a moment, and wore an expression of great understanding.

“Daddy doesn’t have to force himself for my sake. I know Daddy and Mommy have your own things to do. As long as you come back to see me occasionally, I’ll be very happy!”

Looking at his daughter’s smile, Xiang Nan felt both warmed and guilty. At this moment, he wished his daughter would be a bit more selfish instead of always considering others. He rubbed her head and opened his mouth to say something profound, but Qingnuan chirped happily:

“Now I have Sister Xuening to accompany me, so I’m not alone anymore.”

Xiang Nan felt as if an arrow had struck his chest.

“So it’s okay!” Qingnuan patted her father’s shoulder, being remarkably considerate.

It’s okay even if we don’t accompany her? Xiang Nan clutched his chest, feeling as though he had been hit by a thousand arrows, every one piercing his heart.

“Baby, you can’t say that…”

As Xiang Nan began to fight for his status in his daughter’s heart, Qin Xuening, who had been leaning against the bathroom door, froze slightly. She tilted her head, listening to the voices outside. Gradually, the corners of her mouth curved into an arc.

That smile looked a bit sweet…

It was Saturday, and Ye Feifei returned home in the evening as usual. The family enjoyed a warm dinner together. Afterward, Feifei engaged in some parent-child activities with her husband and the two sisters. After coaxing the children to sleep, she returned to the room to confront her husband.

That scoundrel Xiang Nan actually registered a Weibo account for their daughter without telling her! It was one thing before, but now with the release of Daddy, Where Are We Going?, countless netizens across the country had been won over by Nuannuan. Although Feifei was happy and proud that her daughter was popular, the girl was still small, and there were many internet trolls; she didn’t want her daughter to be exposed to all that so early.

“Dear, don’t be angry, let’s talk calmly…” Seeing Feifei’s aggressive posture, Xiang Nan hurriedly tried to soothe her. He didn’t want to hide anything from her, but he knew her temper; if he didn’t explain well, she might fire Lin Wen without a second thought. He had promised his daughter not to blame her and couldn’t break that word.

After Xiang Nan explained the whole story, Feifei sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes slightly red. She thought for a bit, reached for her phone, typed a string of characters, and hit send.

“What are you doing?” Xiang Nan asked.

“I asked Sister Hong to give Lin Wen a bonus.” After sending it, Feifei tossed her phone on the nightstand and sat cross-legged on the bed, arms crossed as if deep in thought.

At this moment, she had removed her elaborate makeup. Her bare face was smooth and delicate, her features as stunning as ever, without losing any of her charm. Xiang Nan’s throat tightened. He reached out to wrap his arms around her waist, but as he pulled her close, she pushed him away.

Feifei looked at him seriously and said tentatively, “Hubby, what do you think about me starting my own studio?”

“Uh…” Xiang Nan was stunned by her sudden idea. He turned serious. “Why unauthorized copythe sudden thought of a studio?”

“I’ve thought about it. I’m twenty-eight this year. How many more years can I rely on my looks? Being the boss is the only long-term plan. Also, this way I can retreat behind the scenes and have more time to spend with you all.”

Xiang Nan rubbed his chin, thinking the idea was quite good.

“And if Nuannuan wants to play in the entertainment industry in the future, we’ll be there to cover her. Whoever dares to bully my daughter will have to answer to me!” Feifei stood with her hands on her hips, looking very heroic. “Don’t you think?”