At half past two the next afternoon, Dong Zhenghao returned to the identification center. The results were just as he had expected: Liu Mumu really was the daughter who had been abducted years ago.
A daughter this old had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and Dong Zhenghao still hadn't decided what to do with her.
After thinking it over for a while, he said to Liu Mumu, "Your grandmother's sick, and things at home are a bit chaotic right now. Stay at a hotel for the time being."
Liu Mumu blinked, her long lashes fluttering like little fans. "Can I go see Grandma?"
"You still remember your grandmother?"
"Of course." Liu Mumu smiled, revealing the dimple in her right cheek. "I remember her very clearly."
"All right." Thinking of what the doctor had told him a few days ago, Dong Zhenghao didn't reject her suggestion.
His mother was in bad shape and probably wouldn't make it through the month. The old woman had always been thinking of Little Mumu. Letting her see the girl with her own eyes now would at least grant her one last wish.
As for how Jiang Li would react when she saw Little Mumu, Dong Zhenghao could more or less guess. But he also knew she wouldn't make a scene in front of other people.
After the two got into the car, the driver headed toward Second Hospital in Qingcheng.
Dong Zhenghao kept his eyes closed as if dozing after getting in, but every so often he stole a glance at Liu Mumu beside him.
She probably wasn't used to having a chauffeur, and kept sneaking looks at him.
Dong Zhenghao couldn't help comparing her with his younger daughter, Dong Yue. This eldest daughter seemed rather unsophisticated. Apparently, she hadn't received much guidance growing up. Jiang Li, at least, knew how to raise a child.
Thinking of the information Secretary Wang had sent him in the middle of the night, Dong Zhenghao furrowed his brow slightly. His daughter hadn't been sold to a family by the traffickers. Instead, an old man had adopted her.
According to the information, the old man's profession was fortune-telling. To put it less kindly, he was a fraud.
Little Mumu had spent the past few years living in the north with the old man. Later, she got into a university in Qingcheng, and the two of them moved there together. The old man had passed away not long ago.
Secretary Wang hadn't had enough time to dig up much about him. He could only confirm that no one had put Liu Mumu up to coming here.
That was enough for Dong Zhenghao.
He figured that once the girl had been officially acknowledged, he could bring her home and have Jiang Li properly teach her, helping her get rid of those embarrassing little habits. She was still his daughter, after all. He couldn't have her disgracing him.
Before long, the car stopped in a parking lot near Second Hospital.
Dong Zhenghao led Liu Mumu toward Second Hospital in Qingcheng. As they passed the emergency lobby, an ambulance pulled up in a hurry, and a blood-covered patient was carried out.
A middle-aged woman got out after them. Her clothes were stained with blood, and she looked dazed. She was clearly the patient's family member.
Liu Mumu only got a brief look before the medical staff hurried over and wheeled the patient inside, leaving behind a heavy smell of blood.
Dong Zhenghao, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped. He hurriedly gave her a couple of instructions. "Wait here. I'm going to take a look."
Then he headed into the emergency lobby without looking back.
Liu Mumu wasn't particularly curious about his behavior. The patient who'd been carried inside was probably someone he knew.
She went over to a flower bed and sat down. A while later, as if she'd suddenly remembered something, she took three coins from her pocket, clasped them in both hands, shook them, and opened her palms.
Casually fiddling with the three coins in her left palm, she lined them up and stared at them for a moment. Then she muttered, "1414? That number isn't very auspicious. Looks like my dear grandma won't live to see tomorrow."
About half an hour later, Dong Zhenghao came out of the emergency lobby and immediately spotted Liu Mumu curled up beside the flower bed.
The girl was playing with a few coins in her hand, as if she were counting money. He thought for a moment, then pulled out his wallet and took out several hundred yuan.
A wad of cash suddenly appeared in front of her. Liu Mumu looked up in confusion and saw Dong Zhenghao's pitying gaze. He told her, "It's so hot. Take this and buy yourself a popsicle."
Liu Mumu understood and accepted the money, smiling sweetly at Dong Zhenghao. "Thank you, Dad."
She went to a shop by the road and bought a bottle of cold water and a popsicle. She handed the water to Dong Zhenghao and ate the popsicle herself.
They walked toward the inpatient building, one behind the other. The elevator climbed and finally stopped on the fourteenth floor.
As Dong Zhenghao led Liu Mumu toward Room 1414, Wang Guixiang had just woken from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes and didn't see her son. Instead, her daughter-in-law was sitting stiffly by the wall like a block of wood, which immediately made her furious.
With great difficulty, she lifted a hand and swept the insulated cup off the cabinet beside her.
The cup hit the floor with a thud, mingling with the old woman's groans and jolting the drowsy Jiang Li awake.
She had only just stood up when the hospital room door opened and Dong Zhenghao appeared outside.
Her heart sank. This was bad.
"Mom, what happened?" Dong Zhenghao saw the cup and water all over the floor, and his mother groaning nonstop. He hurried over.
Groaning, Wang Guixiang complained to her son. "I was thirsty and wanted a drink of water. I saw your wife sleeping, so I didn't call her. Don't scold her."
Her words were full of pointed insinuation. Usually, when Dong Zhenghao heard his mother say something like that, he would make a show of scolding Jiang Li to please her. But he had something more important to deal with now, so he didn't take the bait.
Instead, he smiled at his mother. "Mom, I have some good news for you."
"What good news?" Wang Guixiang asked weakly.
"Little Mumu, come in and let your grandmother see you." Dong Zhenghao called toward the door. Liu Mumu, who had been waiting outside, pushed it open and walked in.
Dong Zhenghao was looking toward the doorway and didn't notice that his mother's expression showed no delight at all—only a trace of fear.
At the sound of the name Little Mumu, Jiang Li's heart clenched. Then she saw the young woman in the doorway, and her heart sank to the bottom.
Liu Mumu didn't look at Jiang Li. She walked into the room and went over to Wang Guixiang's bedside.
Only then did Dong Zhenghao notice that she was still holding the half-eaten popsicle. He frowned in displeasure but said nothing.
Liu Mumu leaned over the old woman lying in bed and smiled sweetly. "Dad said Grandma's been thinking of me all this time. Little Mumu's come back to see you. Surprised? Happy?"
Who knew how happy she was. Surprised, though, she certainly seemed to be.
The instant she saw a face so much like her former daughter-in-law's, Wang Guixiang didn't even question it. She couldn't catch her breath and rolled her eyes.
As Dong Zhenghao and Jiang Li rushed out to call for a doctor, Liu Mumu straightened up and looked at the old woman lying on the bed, barely breathing.
On the way up, Dad had told her that Grandma had told everyone she wouldn't be able to rest in peace unless her granddaughter was found. Now she should be able to close her eyes in peace.
Doctors and nurses rushed in and wheeled the old woman toward the Emergency room.
Outside the Emergency room, Jiang Li and Liu Mumu sat at opposite ends of a row of chairs, while Dong Zhenghao paced back and forth with a grim expression.
Every time he saw Liu Mumu still eating her popsicle, the anger inside him burned even hotter.
He was worried about whether his mother would live or die, and angry with himself for bringing Little Mumu here when he knew the old woman couldn't handle a shock.
He couldn't help blaming Liu Mumu, too. Why hadn't she come sooner—or later? Why pick this exact moment? His mother used to call her a jinx all the time. Now that he thought about it, maybe she really was one!
Jiang Li had been worried that Dong Zhenghao suddenly finding his daughter might affect her. Now it seemed she'd been worrying over nothing.
Knowing her husband's temperament, she figured that after this girl had nearly "angered" the old woman to death at their first meeting, he would probably send her far away for good, let alone acknowledge her.
Before long, a doctor came out of the Emergency room. Dong Zhenghao hurried over to him.
Before he could say anything, the doctor shook his head.
Dong Zhenghao staggered, almost falling backward, but the doctor caught him in time.
Jiang Li hurried over to support him, her face full of grief as well. Dong Zhenghao stood there for a while, then suddenly began sobbing.
Liu Mumu just sat to one side, watching them cry as if none of it had anything to do with her.
"Don't be too sad. Mom lived a full life," Jiang Li said, patting Dong Zhenghao's back as she tried to comfort him.
That might have been better left unsaid. As soon as she said it, Dong Zhenghao thought of Liu Mumu.
Of course a daughter he'd only just found couldn't be as close to him as the mother he'd lived with since childhood. Whatever kind of shock the old woman had suffered, in his eyes it was all Liu Mumu's fault!
He turned and glared viciously at Liu Mumu.
Liu Mumu wasn't frightened by his fierce glare. Instead, she looked back at him with an innocent expression.
Dong Zhenghao still had enough self-control not to say anything too nasty. He only said coldly, "Go back for now."
But Liu Mumu shook her head and refused. "Since Grandma's gone, it's only right for me, her granddaughter, to see her off on her final journey."
Jiang Li couldn't help giving Liu Mumu another look. She scoffed to herself. The girl certainly had thick skin, but unfortunately, she didn't have much sense.
Dong Zhenghao had made his attitude perfectly clear, and she still wanted to stay here and make herself unwelcome? She'd probably found out that her biological father was rich and didn't want to let go. Too bad she was trying too hard.
"I don't need you to see her off!" Dong Zhenghao finally lost his temper, raising his voice. "Get out of here right now!"
Liu Mumu stayed seated and shook her head at him.
Her attitude finally pushed Dong Zhenghao over the edge. He didn't care that other people were present. Pointing at Liu Mumu, he shouted, "If it weren't for you, my mother wouldn't have died! I shouldn't have listened to her and brought you here to see her! You're a jinx!"
After being cursed at, Liu Mumu didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled. "Rather than blaming me for upsetting Grandma to death, why don't you ask her if she ever had nightmares after selling me for a thousand yuan? Did she know that one day I'd come back?"
"W-what?" Dong Zhenghao's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He looked like a mute frog, which was rather comical.
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