209 CHILDISH HOPE (1/2)
Hu Lei woke up to a familiar presence beside her. She felt those strong arms hold her waist and pull her into a warm chest. She snuggled closer and rubbed her face against the bare, warm chest. She sighed happily as she enjoyed the moment.
\”You did not have to come back.\” She murmured in a muffled voice.
Zhong Feng tucked her closer into his body, her head below his chin. He lifted her hand to pet her fluffy, messy head. She rubbed her head against his head like a cute kitten. His lips stretched into a small smile which remained hidden from her.
\”I know.\”
\”It was just a brief moment of anger.\”
\”I know.\”
\”I could have handled it by myself.\”
\”I know.\”
\”You are being insufferable.\” She said with annoyance as she beat his chest lightly with a small fist. No one would believe that these were the hands that had destroyed an apartment the previous day.
Zhong Feng pulled her impossibly closer into his body and kissed her forehead before loosening his hold. \”What did your father say?\” He asked.
Hu Lei did not respond immediately. \”You know that I always believed that my father was a good person. I know that he did a lot of wrong things. But I firmly kept my trust in him. I loved him.\” She paused and proceeded in a quieter voice. \”Even when he experimented on me in Antarctica, I didn't lose all my faith in him. I was angry at first, but I also thought that something good would come from it.\”
\”Now, I just learned how many things he hid from me. I always felt sad that he had died before he knew that he had a son. Now, I realise that he knew about him all along. If he knew, why did he let FaiFai suffer? He could have prevented his weak condition. Wasn't he a godly doctor? I don't know if he had inherent goodness in him. I don't even know if he ever even loved me or just kept me as a little soldier who could never betray him.\”
Tears flowed out of her eyes as she felt the emptiness in her heart. She had believed that her father had kept her while her mother had abandoned her because he loved her and treasured their familial bond. However, she was no longer sure.
\”Your father was many things, but he loved you, even in his craziest moments.\” Zhong Feng spoke quietly.
Hu Lei looked up at him with large wet eyes. He lifted his hand and wiped the tear stains from her cheeks which were no longer sallow as they had been when she had returned to Supreme City from that indescribable hell.
\”You think so?\” There was a childish hope.
\”Your father loved science and pushing the edges of experimental medicine to the limits. However, even when there was a chance to do so, he always considered the opinion and well-being of his daughter. He did not only love her. He also respected her. And he gave me a second chance at life.\”
\”I don't understand.\”
\”Let me tell you a story.\” He brushed her hair lightly, petting with hand. \”There was once a little boy who was dying. And he would have died. His father and uncle were fighting over a kingdom, and he became a casualty of the war. He would have been the heir of the kingdom if his father won. But if he did not exist, his uncle had a better chance of taking over. His body was poisoned for years such that he slowly lost strength and became very unhealthy. In the end, he fell into a coma.\”