Chapter Five

Dong Zhenghao and his wife took their son to the hospital together after he broke his leg. Only Liu Mumu and Dong Yue were left at home.

After watching the ambulance drive away, Liu Mumu returned inside and found that the things she hadn't finished picking up had already been neatly packed into her suitcase. Even her clothes had been folded.

She turned to look at Dong Yue, who was sitting on the sofa and had almost no presence at all.

Dong Yue was eighteen that year. She was unusually thin compared with her younger brother, and didn't look much like her parents. Her looks were only average.

Dong Yue was looking at her, too. Liu Mumu smiled at her. "Thank you."

Dong Yue lowered her head and murmured, "You're welcome."

Liu Mumu walked over and sat on the armchair beside Dong Yue. Dong Yue's lips moved. She wanted to tell Liu Mumu that it was Dong Qi's seat and he never let anyone else sit there, but after hesitating, she said nothing.

The TV was very quiet. After watching for a while, Liu Mumu asked, "Why don't you turn it up?"

"It'll be too loud and disturb people."

"There's no one else here now."

Dong Yue thought about it, then turned up the volume. They watched two episodes of a TV series in silence. Liu Mumu was still enjoying herself when Dong Yue stood up.

When Liu Mumu looked over, Dong Yue said, "It's already noon. We should have lunch."

Hearing that made Liu Mumu realize she was a little hungry, but she couldn't cook. Back home, her grandfather had always been the one to cook. As he put it, eating anything she made would make people feel miserable.

"I can't cook." In the whole family, she only felt comfortable with this little sister. She didn't want to give her a bad impression on the very first day over a meal.

"I can. What do you want to eat? I'll make it."

Liu Mumu's mouth fell slightly open. So this was the benefit of having a little sister?

For lunch, the two of them had braised prawns, chrysanthemum greens with garlic, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, and tomato and egg soup—a generous spread of three dishes and one soup.

When Dong Zhenghao returned home from the hospital, ravenous, his two daughters had just put down their chopsticks.

The overly harmonious atmosphere between them made Dong Zhenghao feel out of place as he came in from outside.

Dong Yue served him a bowl of rice. He was starving and didn't mind eating their leftovers, polishing off the remaining dishes before finally putting down his chopsticks.

After the meal, he told Dong Yue, "Make some dishes to take to your brother later. He can't get used to takeout."

His younger daughter had always been a good cook. For a while, after the family's housekeeper had been dismissed, they hadn't found a suitable replacement, so she'd made dinner every day.

When his mother was alive, she had praised Dong Yue's cooking, refusing to eat the food Jiang Li made and insisting on eating only Dong Yue's.

"Got it." Dong Yue obediently agreed.

Liu Mumu chimed in, "I've got nothing to do anyway. I'll come along and visit, too."

Dong Zhenghao fell silent for a moment. At the hospital, he'd already wondered whether what happened was a coincidence or if she'd pulled some little trick.

In the end, he'd managed to convince himself it was just a coincidence! But his wife and son were both certain Liu Mumu had something to do with it. Before he came home, Jiang Li had even argued with him about whether to kick Liu Mumu out.

Like other men, Dong Zhenghao had his share of common failings. He could refuse to acknowledge this daughter and keep her out of the house, but he wouldn't let anyone else tell him to do so. She was his own daughter—why shouldn't she live in his house?

If Jiang Li hadn't brought it up, it might have been fine. But now that she had, he was even less willing to agree.

He figured Liu Mumu wasn't going to move out anyway, and they'd have to live together from now on. They couldn't stay at odds forever. Since she wanted to go, he'd let her. It might help smooth things over.

Still, he reminded her, "You can go, but watch what you say. Aunt Jiang is your elder, too. Don't be disrespectful."

"Of course not. I've always been polite."

After lunch, Dong Zhenghao lay on the sofa to rest while Dong Yue stayed busy in the kitchen. Liu Mumu remained at the dining table, fiddling with three coins.

She tossed them several times, but none of the results felt good to her.

On her sixth toss, Dong Yue came out of the kitchen carrying a two-tiered food container. Liu Mumu beckoned to her. "Come help me toss these."

Dong Yue set down the container and walked over, looking puzzled.

Following Liu Mumu's instructions, she shook the coins in her hand, then tossed them onto the table.

Liu Mumu arranged the coins in a row and stared at them for a while. "There'll be bloodshed when we go out. That's a terrible omen."

"Are you telling fortunes?" Dong Yue asked quietly.

"Yeah," Liu Mumu replied without hesitation. "I tell a fortune every day to make sure everyone stays safe."

As they were talking, Dong Zhenghao had come over without them noticing. He listened to Liu Mumu finish, then gave a heavy cough to interrupt them.

Liu Mumu turned around. Dong Zhenghao looked stern as he said, "You can keep this stuff as a hobby, but don't do it out in the open."

Liu Mumu didn't argue. She only asked Dong Zhenghao with a sweet smile, "Want me to tell your fortune, Dad? It's free."

"No!" He walked away with his hands behind his back.

"Tsk, he doesn't know a good thing when he sees it. Fine, I won't tell his fortune. He looks like he's bound to lose money anyway," she muttered.

Around two in the afternoon, Dong Zhenghao drove his two daughters to the hospital.

When they arrived outside the ward, they weren't surprised to find Liu Mumu there, too. Jiang Li's face darkened. With a bang, she shut the door, locking all three of them outside and refusing to let anyone in.

Jiang Li had a temper, and Dong Zhenghao was none too happy, either.

He'd wanted to smooth things over, but who could have guessed Jiang Li would humiliate him in front of everyone?

He glanced at his younger daughter, who looked lost, and his elder daughter, who seemed to be enjoying the show. Then he said in a low voice, "Your mom and brother aren't hungry. Since they won't eat this, we'll give it to someone else."

As it happened, one of his business partners had been in the hospital lately. Bringing food to visit him might be a little unusual, but they were close enough that the man wouldn't mind.

Besides, Dong Yue was a decent cook. It wasn't as if he'd be showing up empty-handed.

So Dong Zhenghao simply took his two daughters up to the seventh floor in the elevator. He found the person he wanted to visit in Room 703.

"Old Dong, what brings you here?" When Dong Zhenghao knocked and walked in, the man who had been lying in bed propped himself up.

Following behind him, Liu Mumu glanced at the label on the bed: Qin Kai, male, fifty-two years old.

The man was wrapped in bandages, even around his neck. His face was pale, and his lips were bloodless. He looked as if he'd lost a lot of blood.

After they exchanged a few pleasantries, a middle-aged woman came in. She looked a little surprised to see several extra people in the room, but relaxed somewhat when she saw Dong Zhenghao.

Dong Zhenghao stood up and greeted her. "Sister-in-law."

Then he introduced Dong Yue and Liu Mumu. "These are both my daughters. Mumu is my eldest."

Madam Qin smiled at the two girls and gave each of them a large peach. She took the food container Dong Yue offered and repeatedly thanked her when she heard the girl had cooked everything herself. She said she'd try it later and was very warm toward her.

The Qin couple had known Dong Zhenghao for a long time and already knew about his family, so they didn't ask when they saw he had another daughter.

Liu Mumu didn't hold back. After sitting down, she picked up a peach and bit into it. Dong Yue watched her eat and thought it looked tasty, so she started eating one, too.

The two girls happily ate their peaches while the three adults chatted.

Madam Qin said to her husband, "When they brought you to the hospital that day, Zhenghao came to see you."

Then she turned to Dong Zhenghao with an apologetic look. "I heard your mother passed away. I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the funeral."

Dong Zhenghao waved it off. "You had your reasons. Don't worry about it, Sister-in-law and Big Brother."

Then, curious, he asked, "How exactly did Big Brother get hurt?"

Qin Kai's expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice. "It's a little strange. Your sister-in-law went out for a walk, and I was taking a nap at home. When she got back, she found me lying in bed covered in blood. I honestly don't know how I got hurt."

The more Dong Zhenghao listened, the more deeply he furrowed his brow. As soon as Qin Kai finished, he hurriedly asked, "Could someone have drugged you? Did you call the police?"

"We did. They said there were no signs of anyone breaking in. Anyway, they couldn't find anything." Qin Kai sounded unhappy.

Madam Qin chimed in, too. "Our Old Qin hasn't offended anyone, so we have no idea who did it. I don't even dare go back home now."

"If it comes to it, hire a few bodyguards," Dong Zhenghao suggested.

Madam Qin nodded repeatedly. "We've talked it over. We'll hire a few more once he's discharged, and install security cameras throughout the house."

As she was speaking, Qin Kai suddenly began coughing violently. Madam Qin was about to get up and pat his back when she noticed blood seeping through the bandage around his neck. It seemed his wound had reopened. The blood kept spreading, and the bandages wrapped around the rest of his body were beginning to turn red, too.

She screamed. Dong Zhenghao immediately ran out to call a doctor.

Dong Yue was so frightened that she dropped the peach in her hand and began to tremble all over. Liu Mumu grabbed her hand, but kept her eyes fixed on Qin Kai.

Several doctors and nurses rushed in, blocking Liu Mumu's view. Then Dong Zhenghao returned and led the girls outside.

Seeing that his younger daughter was frightened, Dong Zhenghao patted Dong Yue on the head and did his best to comfort her in a gentle voice. "Don't be scared. His wound just reopened. It's fine."

He thought it was a minor matter, but Liu Mumu couldn't have disagreed more.

Just then, several nurses wheeled the bed out. They seemed to be taking the patient downstairs for emergency treatment.

As they passed, Dong Zhenghao glanced at Qin Kai. His eyes were still open, but the bandages covering him had all turned red.

"Dad should go with them, too," Liu Mumu suddenly said beside him.

Dong Zhenghao was about to say there was no need, but then she added, "You might still get to see him one last time."