Chapter Five

The son's leg was broken, so Dong Zhenghao and his wife accompanied him to the hospital, leaving only Liu Mumu and Dong Yue at home.

After watching the ambulance drive away, Liu Mumu walked back into the house from outside and found that the things she hadn't finished packing were neatly placed in her suitcase, even her clothes were folded.

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

Dong Yue was eighteen this year. Compared to her younger brother, she was excessively thin. She didn't resemble her parents much, and her appearance could only be considered ordinary.

Dong Yue was also looking at her. Liu Mumu curved her eyes and smiled at her, "Thank you."

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

She walked over and sat on the single sofa next to Dong Yue. Dong Yue's lips moved, wanting to tell her that it was Dong Qi's seat, and he never let anyone sit there, but she hesitated and didn't say it.

The TV volume was very low. Liu Mumu watched for a while and asked her, "Why don't you turn up the volume?"

"If the volume is too loud, it will disturb people."

"There's no one else here now."

Dong Yue thought for a moment and turned up the volume. The two watched two episodes of a TV drama in silence. Liu Mumu was still engrossed, but she saw Dong Yue stand up.

Seeing Liu Mumu look over, she said, "It's already twelve o'clock. It's time for lunch."

Hearing her say that, Liu Mumu felt a little hungry, but she didn't know how to cook. In the past, at home, her grandfather always cooked. According to her grandfather, the food she made would make people feel unhappy when they ate it.

"I don't know how to cook." Of everyone in the family, she only felt good about this younger sister and didn't want her to have a negative impression of her because of a meal on the first day.

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

Liu Mumu's mouth opened slightly. Was this the benefit of having a sister?

At noon, the two ate braised prawns, garlic-infused crown daisy, steamed ribs with rice flour, and tomato and egg soup. Three dishes and one soup, very rich.

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

The overly harmonious atmosphere between the two made Dong Zhenghao, who came in from outside, feel a bit out of place.

Dong Yue served Dong Zhenghao a bowl of rice. Dong Zhenghao was extremely hungry and didn't mind eating their leftovers. He swept away the remaining dishes before putting down his chopsticks.

After eating, he said to Dong Yue, "Make some dishes later and send them to your brother. He can't get used to takeout."

His younger daughter's cooking skills had always been good. For a while, when the housekeeper was fired and they couldn't find a suitable replacement, she cooked dinner every day.

When his mother was alive, she had praised Dong Yue's cooking skills. She wouldn't even eat Jiang Li's cooking, only hers.

"Got it," Dong Yue replied obediently.

Liu Mumu interjected, "Since I have nothing to do, I'll go along and take a look."

Dong Zhenghao was subtly silent for a moment. He had been thinking about this matter in the hospital – was it a coincidence or had she done something sneaky?

In the end, he successfully convinced himself that it was a coincidence! However, his wife and son were convinced that this matter was related to Liu Mumu. Before he returned home, Jiang Li had even argued with him about whether to kick Liu Mumu out.

Dong Zhenghao, like other men, had some common base desires. He could disown this daughter and not let her into the house, but others couldn't demand that of him. His own biological daughter, why shouldn't she live in his house?

It was better if Jiang Li didn't mention it, but now that she had, he was even less likely to agree.

He thought that since Liu Mumu wasn't going to move out anyway and they would have to live together in the future, they couldn't remain in such a stalemate. Since she wanted to go, he would let her go this time; it might even help to ease the relationship.

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

"How could I? I've always been polite."

After dinner, Dong Zhenghao lay on the sofa to rest, while Dong Yue continued to busy herself in the kitchen. Liu Mumu still sat at the dining table, fiddling with three coins.

After throwing them several times, the feeling she got wasn't good.

When she threw them for the sixth time, Dong Yue came out of the kitchen carrying a double-layered food container. Liu Mumu waved at her, "Come help me throw them."

Dong Yue put down the food container and walked to Liu Mumu's side, somewhat confused.

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

Liu Mumu arranged the coins and stared at them for a while. "Seeing blood when going out. This is too unlucky."

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

"Yes," Liu Mumu replied crisply. "I tell fortunes every day for safe travels."

As they were talking, Dong Zhenghao walked over at some point. He frowned as he listened to Liu Mumu finish speaking, then coughed heavily, interrupting them.

Liu Mumu turned her head and saw Dong Zhenghao with a stern face. He said, "You can treat these things as your hobby, but don't bring them out in the open."

Liu Mumu didn't retort, just smiled and asked Dong Zhenghao, "Dad, do you want a free fortune telling?"

"No!" he said, then walked away with his hands behind his back.

"Tsk, unappreciative. If you don't want one, then don't. You look like you're going to lose money anyway," she muttered softly.

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, Dong Zhenghao drove the two sisters to the hospital.

Outside the hospital room, as expected, they found that Liu Mumu had also come. Jiang Li's face immediately turned cold. She slammed the door shut with a "bang," locking the three of them outside and refusing to let anyone in.

She was angry, and Dong Zhenghao was also quite unhappy.

He had originally thought of easing the relationship, but unexpectedly, Jiang Li had shown him such disrespect in public.

He glanced at his younger daughter, who looked helpless, and his elder daughter, who looked like she was watching a show. Dong Zhenghao said sternly, "Your mom and your brother aren't hungry. Since they won't eat, we'll give it to someone else."

He happened to have a business partner who was recently hospitalized. Although bringing food to visit might seem a bit untimely, their relationship was close enough that the partner wouldn't mind.

Besides, Dong Yue's cooking skills were quite good, not something to be ashamed of.

So, Dong Zhenghao decided to take his two daughters up to the seventh floor via the elevator and found the person they were visiting in room 703.

"Old Dong, what brings you here?" The man who had been lying in bed propped himself up on his arms as Dong Zhenghao knocked and entered.

Liu Mumu, following behind, glanced at the label on the hospital bed: Qin Kai, Male, Fifty-two years old.

The man was wrapped in a lot of gauze, with a circle around his neck. His face was pale, his lips bloodless, looking as if he had lost a lot of blood.

After a brief exchange, a middle-aged woman entered. She was initially surprised to see more people in the room, but relaxed slightly upon seeing Dong Zhenghao.

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

He then introduced Dong Yue and Liu Mumu to her: "These are both my daughters. Mumu is my eldest."

Madam Qin smiled at the two young girls and gave each of them a large peach. She accepted the food container Dong Yue handed over, thanked her profusely upon hearing it was homemade, and promised to taste it later, acting very warmly.

Madam Qin and her husband had known Dong Zhenghao for some time and were already familiar with his family. Seeing that he had another daughter now didn't raise any questions.

Liu Mumu, on the other hand, was not shy. She sat down and started eating her peach. Seeing her enjoy it, Dong Yue felt it looked tasty and joined in.

While the two girls ate happily, the three adults were chatting.

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

She then turned to Dong Zhenghao apologetically, "We heard about the passing of your mother. I'm so sorry we couldn't attend the funeral."

Dong Zhenghao waved his hands repeatedly, "There were reasons. Sister-in-law and Elder Brother, please don't mind."

He then asked curiously, "How exactly did Elder Brother get injured?"

Hearing this, Qin Kai's expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice, "This matter is quite strange. Your sister-in-law was out for a walk, and I was napping at home. When she returned, she found me lying in bed covered in blood. I honestly don't know how I got injured like this."

Dong Zhenghao's brow furrowed tighter as he listened. After Qin Kai finished, he quickly asked, "Was someone drugging you? Did you call the police?"

"We already called the police, but they said there were no signs of external intrusion. They couldn't find anything," Qin Kai said unhappily.

Madam Qin chimed in, "Old Qin hasn't offended anyone usually. We don't know who did this. I don't even dare to go home now."

"Perhaps you should hire some bodyguards," Dong Zhenghao suggested.

Madam Qin nodded repeatedly, "We've discussed it. We'll hire more once he's discharged, and we'll install surveillance cameras all over the house."

As she was speaking, Qin Kai suddenly started coughing violently. Madam Qin was about to get up to pat his back when she noticed blood seeping through the gauze around his neck. It seemed the wound had reopened, and more blood was flowing out, with the gauze elsewhere also showing faint red stains.

She screamed. Seeing this, Dong Zhenghao rushed out to call for a doctor.

Dong Yue was so scared that the peach in her hand dropped. She trembled all over. Liu Mumu held her hand, but her gaze remained fixed on Qin Kai.

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

Seeing his younger daughter was frightened, Dong Zhenghao patted Dong Yue's head and tried to soothe her in the gentlest voice possible, "Don't be scared. The wound just split open. It's nothing."

He thought it was a minor issue, but Liu Mumu's thoughts were completely opposite.

Just then, several nurses pushed the bed out, apparently preparing to take the patient downstairs for emergency treatment.

As they passed by, Dong Zhenghao glanced over. Qin Kai's eyes were still open, but the gauze on his body was completely soaked red.

"Dad, you should go with them," Liu Mumu suddenly said from the side.

Dong Zhenghao was about to say it wasn't necessary when he heard her continue, "Maybe you can see him one last time."