Chapter Two

Qing City Second Hospital, Room 1414.

The man's sudden wailing, almost audible throughout the entire corridor, came through the half-open door.

A patient's family member who was inquiring at the nurses' station was startled and turned around, searching for the source of the crying.

The nurse at the station looked up at the room diagonally opposite, her lips twitching, but she remained seated, unmoving.

Soon, another young nurse came out and asked her colleague in a low voice, "What's going on?"

The nurse in the chair gestured towards the room diagonally opposite. "It's 1414."

"Oh," the young nurse replied understandingly and walked to the door of Room 1414, intending to kindly close the door for them.

However, before she could close the door, she saw the middle-aged man inside, who had been wailing, suddenly turn his head and shout at her, "Don't close the door. If you close it, my mom won't be able to breathe."

The young nurse stopped closing the door and then let go.

Although the son claimed his mother, who was wearing an oxygen mask, couldn't breathe, who was she to argue? It's a mother's breathing that her son feels is being hindered by closing the door.

The young nurse was already accustomed to such scenes. More accurately, all the nurses on duty for the past month had become accustomed to it.

Ever since the patient in Room 1414 was admitted, her son visited every two days and would cry for at least an hour each time. He had a loud voice and hated closing the door when he cried, which led to constant complaints from other patients' families.

They had tried to remind him that he was disturbing other patients, but the patient on the bed overheard them. The old woman pulled out her oxygen tube and chased the nurse down the corridor, scolding her.

The resident doctor who witnessed the scene that day stated that given the old woman's condition, her ability to walk that far was already a "medical miracle," attributing it to the power of the supernatural.

In short, they couldn't afford to offend her.

Besides, the old woman was seriously ill and didn't have many days left, so they didn't press the issue.

Regardless of how bizarre others found the family in Room 1414, it didn't stop Dong Zhenghao from grieving.

Mother and son held hands tightly, the old woman's eyes filled with tears as she listened to her son wail "Mom!"

In the corner of the room, Dong Zhenghao's wife, Jiang Li, subtly rolled her eyes. Beside her, a boy in his early teens was looking down at his phone. Next to the boy was a slightly older girl, about seventeen or eighteen. The girl turned her head to look out the window, seemingly lost in thought.

The old woman's name was Wang Guixiang. Her name wasn't pleasant, and neither was the first half of her life. Orphaned in childhood and widowed early, she raised her son alone. She thought her life would just continue like that, but who knew her son would actually prosper!

Her son had been wealthy for nearly twenty years, not an unknown figure in Qing City. She had also been the mother of a rich man for twenty years, yet the old woman's character and upbringing were in no way influenced by her twenty years of affluent living.

In the eyes of her daughter-in-law, Jiang Li, Wang Guixiang was shrewish, mean, and uncouth, and especially favored sons over daughters.

Jiang Li originally also valued her son more, but who knew that the old woman's preference for sons extended even to her!

In this family, besides Dong Zhenghao and their son Dong Qi, Jiang Li and her daughter Dong Yue were considered freeloaders by Wang Guixiang. She would often order them around and never gave them face in front of outsiders, causing her to lose face in front of Dong Zhenghao's friends several times.

But what could be done? Dong Zhenghao was blind to his mother's faults; whatever she did was right.

Jiang Li had tolerated her for so long and finally reached this day.

Looking at the mother and son, not laughing was already the best display of her upbringing.

She wasn't interested in their mother-son affection; she was contemplating whether to move to a new house after the old woman passed away.

The house they lived in now was bought more than ten years ago. Although it was a villa, it was a bit old and small. If it weren't for the old woman's stubborn refusal to move, they wouldn't still be living there.

Every time she visited her sister over the years, her sister would brag about moving into another new villa, which annoyed her.

Just as she was thinking this, Jiang Li suddenly saw her mother-in-law reach out to pull at her oxygen mask.

She didn't know what they had said, but the old woman seemed a bit agitated?

Although she was reluctant to get involved, she still got up and quickly walked to the bedside. "Mom, what's wrong?"

Wang Guixiang didn't even look at Jiang Li. While pulling at the oxygen mask, she mumbled to Dong Zhenghao, "Son, Mom is sorry to you!"

Dong Zhenghao didn't take it seriously. "Mom, what are you talking about?"

Wang Guixiang grabbed her son's wrist and said vaguely, "It's all Mom's fault for losing Little Mumu."

It took Dong Zhenghao a while to remember that "Little Mumu" his mother mentioned was his first child.

He was in his second marriage with Jiang Li. He had been married once before. His ex-wife gave birth to a daughter and divorced him shortly after, leaving only the child with him.

At that time, he was running a small business in Qing City, and his mother was taking care of the child in their hometown. When the child was two or three years old, she was abducted. He had asked at the police station in his hometown several times, but there was no news. Jiang Li was pregnant at the time, so he didn't have the energy to deal with it.

If his mother hadn't suddenly brought it up, he would have even forgotten that he had a child before.

When Jiang Li married Dong Zhenghao, he hadn't divorced yet. Of course, she knew he had a daughter. Hearing her mother-in-law mention it, she felt a bit disgusted and secretly cursed the old woman for causing trouble for her even on her deathbed.

Dong Zhenghao didn't know his wife's thoughts. He lowered his voice. "Mom, that was so many years ago. It's all in the past. That child just wasn't destined to be with our family."

Wang Guixiang's emotions were a bit agitated, and she gripped her son's hand even tighter. "I've been having dreams these past few days, dreaming of Little Mumu when she was little. I wonder if she resents me now that she's grown up, and I wonder if she's doing well?"

Dong Zhenghao hesitated for a moment and asked, "Mom, do you want me to look for Little Mumu?"

Wang Guixiang remained silent. After a long while, she sighed, her voice trembling slightly. "This is the only guilty deed I've done in my life, and I always think about it. If I can't find her, I won't be able to close my eyes when I die!"

"Alright." After all, she was his own daughter. Even though she was lost when she was young, looking for her would be fulfilling his duty and would put his mother's mind at ease. Dong Zhenghao agreed readily.

Seeing her son agree, Wang Guixiang added, "Mom knows finding someone isn't easy. Even if you find her, I probably won't be around then. You can't treat her unfairly."

As she spoke, she glanced at Jiang Li. "Little Mumu is your biological daughter after all. The family's money... you definitely can't give her any of it, but you must prepare a decent dowry for her, and buy her a house. That way, our family will have done right by her."

Dong Zhenghao nodded. He didn't hold out much hope of finding that child. He would agree to his mother's requests. Even if they found her, he could afford to buy her a house.

Just then, Dong Zhenghao's phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone, glanced at it, and said to Wang Guixiang, "Mom, I'm going out to take a call."

Wang Guixiang released his hand, and Dong Zhenghao walked out of the ward holding his phone.

"Hello?" Dong Zhenghao answered the call.

"Hello, may I speak to Mr. Dong Zhenghao? This is the Qing City Public Security Bureau."

"Public Security Bureau?" Dong Zhenghao moved the phone away and looked at the number again, suspecting it was a scam.

"Yes, a young lady named Liu Mumu came to report a case, claiming to be your biological daughter who you lost many years ago. Could you please come down?"

His mother just mentioned Little Mumu, and now the Public Security Bureau said they found her? If this wasn't real life, Dong Zhenghao would have thought he was being targeted by big data.

He was stunned for a long time before finding his voice: "My, my daughter?"

"Yes, according to our investigation, nineteen years ago, you reported in Dongshan City that your daughter Dong Xinrui was abducted and never found, is that correct?"

"Yes, but..." Dong Zhenghao patted his forehead. "I'll be right there."

On the way to the City Bureau, countless thoughts flashed through Dong Zhenghao's mind. Not many people in Qing City knew he had lost a child, though it wasn't exactly a secret. Perhaps the old lady had mentioned it to someone and it was remembered.

What was going on with this child, he would only know after meeting her in person.

Towards this child who appeared out of nowhere after he had searched for her, Dong Zhenghao felt more vigilance than surprise.

Upon arriving at the City Bureau, he was quickly led by two police officers to a lounge where he met his so-called biological daughter.

She was a young girl of about twenty, wearing a loose white T-shirt and denim shorts, with her hair in a bun. A fierce little dinosaur hung from her hair tie.

She was sitting on a swivel chair, restlessly spinning left and right, showing no signs of nervousness about meeting her biological father.

Dong Zhenghao paused for a few seconds outside the lounge door and then knocked.

The person on the swivel chair turned around and met his gaze.

Liu Mumu took the lollipop out of her mouth and looked up at the middle-aged man in a suit standing at the door, whose appearance still held a trace of his youthful handsomeness. She called out, "Dad."

Her attitude was affectionate and natural, showing no awkwardness after twenty years apart.

Seeing a face that bore a striking resemblance to his ex-wife, Dong Zhenghao was momentarily dazed.

His ex-wife had been a rare beauty in their village, and he had put in a lot of effort to marry her. They had been sweet for a while after marriage, but more often than not, they had disagreements.

Later, his affair with Jiang Li was discovered, and their separation was quite unpleasant. He hadn't heard from her in years.

However, he had never forgotten her appearance.

Even without a DNA test, he was certain this girl was his daughter.

"Okay," Dong Zhenghao responded instinctively.

In the morning, with the help of the police officers, they completed the paternity test at the identification center. The results would be available tomorrow.

After seeing the two police officers off, only Dong Zhenghao and Liu Mumu remained.

Dong Zhenghao glanced at the young girl, who was curiously looking around, cleared his throat, and asked her, "Do you have a place to stay?"

"No," Liu Mumu replied crisply.

"Then let's stay in a hotel for now. After we get the results... we'll see." He had intended to say he would take her home after getting the results, but he swallowed the words.

"Okay."

After settling Liu Mumu in, Dong Zhenghao didn't rush back to the hospital. He got into his car and called his secretary. Secretary Wang, on the other end of the line, reacted quickly.

"Boss?"

"I need you to investigate someone. Find out everything about her background and who she's been in contact with recently."