This Life, I Only Bear the Surname Zuo

"Dad lost."

Zuo Yi bowed his head and admitted defeat to the little boss, but he felt far more exhilarated and joyful than if he had won the game.

He had never expected a simple game of Chinese checkers to so quickly narrow the distance between him and his daughter, bringing them closer together.

Seeing Zuo Yi's "dejected" expression, Bao'er could not bear it. She kindly pointed out, "Actually, you should have moved like this here. Then you could've jumped a few more spaces..."

The little girl could even review the game afterward, earnestly guiding Zuo Yi, the big dummy, like a little teacher.

Zuo Yi felt embarrassed and could not help asking, "Bao'er, who taught you to play Chinese checkers? Teacher Wang Juan?"

Bao'er played with great skill, so it was obvious she played often.

"No."

Bao'er shook her head and said, "Auntie Qing taught me. Teacher Wang knows how to play too, but she's very busy and has to take care of the other children. None of them know how to play, and they don't play with me either."

The slight disappointment on her little face made Zuo Yi's heart ache, but the "Auntie Qing" she mentioned gave him an idea. "Auntie Qing? Is that Su Wanqing?"

Su Wanqing was the person who had placed Bao'er in the childcare center's care. Zuo Yi had seen her signature on the authorization form.

Although he had no impression of that name at all, Zuo Yi had once assumed she was Bao'er's mother. He had even called the contact number Su Wanqing had left with the childcare center, but it could not be reached at all.

Bao'er nodded. "Mm."

After receiving her confirmation, Zuo Yi cautiously asked, "Then what is your mother's name?"

"Mom?"

Bao'er shook her head, looking somewhat confused.

Zuo Yi's heart clenched in pain!

He had not expected that in his daughter's four years of life, not only had she lacked her father's companionship, but her mother was not by her side either.

At that moment, Zuo Yi truly wanted to pull the little girl before him into his arms and give her the greatest comfort and care.

But he was afraid of frightening her, so he forcibly suppressed the impulse in his heart.

Zuo Yi did not continue questioning her. Smiling, he said, "Let's play another round. Dad will definitely play better this time."

Bao'er's eyes lit up. "Okay!"

She clearly truly loved playing Chinese checkers.

With Bao'er's earnest "guidance," Zuo Yi's skill indeed improved greatly. He lost the second game by only three moves.

He had wanted to play a third game with Bao'er, but Wang Juan returned.

She had come to remind them that it was time for lunch.

Since nap time came after lunch, Zuo Yi had no choice but to say goodbye to Bao'er despite his reluctance.

"Goodbye, Bao'er."

This time, Bao'er did not need her teacher's reminder and took the initiative. "Goodbye, Dad."

She waved her little hand at Zuo Yi, blinked her big eyes, and asked, "Dad, are you coming again tomorrow?"

"I am!"

Zuo Yi answered without hesitation, "Dad will definitely come!"

Rain or shine, even if knives fell from the sky or the world ended, he would definitely come back here!

Until he could bring his daughter home.

"Mm."

Bao'er revealed a sweet smile.

After leaving Angel Baby Childcare Center, Zuo Yi found a nearby restaurant for lunch, then eagerly went shopping at the mall.

He rode his Harley back to the Linjiang old residence and used the items he had just bought to arrange Bao'er's room.

In a few days, once the paternity test results came out, Zuo Yi would be able to bring Bao'er home. He needed to prepare a place for her in advance, giving her a warm, comfortable, happy little nest.

The Zuo Family Old Residence was a three-story villa. Besides the master bedroom, the third floor where Zuo Yi usually lived also had a study and a small guest room that had been used as a storage room.

Zuo Yi cleared out the small guest room, threw away the useless clutter, and moved anything he could not discard into the basement.

He summoned the Giant Spirit Witch Slave to scrub the walls, windowsill, floor, and single bed spotless, without leaving a trace of dust or stains. Then he laid down new sheets, placed new pillows and a comforter on the bed, and the room was ready for sleeping and resting.

Other than the single bed, the small guest room contained only a desk and a combined wardrobe. There was no other furniture.

Zuo Yi thought for a moment, then left the room and went downstairs.

When he returned to the guest room, he was carrying a vase and a bouquet of wildflowers.

He had taken the vase from a corner of the living room, while the wildflowers had just been picked from the nearby fields and woods. Zuo Yi placed the bouquet into the vase and set it on the little desk by the window.

The entire room immediately felt much brighter and livelier.

Zuo Yi nodded in satisfaction.

His artistic sense was limited, and so was the thickness of his wallet at the moment, so this was all he could manage for now. But after Bao'er moved in, they could slowly improve it together.

After all, there was still a long, long future ahead.

Ring-ring-ring~

Just as Zuo Yi was admiring the fruits of his labor, his phone suddenly rang.

The person calling him was Chen Yuanzhong. "Zuo Yi, where are you right now?"

"I'm at home."

Zuo Yi replied, "Uncle Zhong, what is it?"

Chen Yuanzhong sounded anxious. "Then hurry over right now. It's very important, and I can't explain it clearly over the phone. I'll be waiting for you at the police station!"

Zuo Yi said, "Alright, I'll be right there."

He knew Uncle Zhong's personality well. If it were not something important, he definitely would not be this anxious.

So Zuo Yi quickly left home and rushed to the town police station.

Chen Yuanzhong was waiting at the entrance. When he saw Zuo Yi arrive on his motorcycle, he immediately waved him over.

Zuo Yi parked the bike and got off. "Uncle Zhong, what happened?"

Chen Yuanzhong said, "Come with me."

The two of them entered the police station's service hall.

Chen Yuanzhong angrily said to the two people seated on a bench in the waiting area, "I told you, but you refused to believe me. Now take a good look—who is he?"

The two were a middle-aged man and a young man. Both stood up, looking extremely surprised.

The slick-haired young man blurted out, "Zuo Yi, you're not dead?"

Zuo Yi sneered. "Thanks to you two, I'm doing very well."

The moment he saw them, he had already begun to understand what was happening. Now, he could confirm it completely.

These two were not strangers to Zuo Yi. In fact, they were closely related to him. The middle-aged man was his younger uncle, Fang Chengdong, while the slick-haired young man was Fang Chengdong's son, Fang Jiahao.

He was also Zuo Yi's cousin.

The father and son were direct descendants of the Hang City Fang Family. Zuo Yi had originally been one of them as well, but after his parents divorced when he was five, he moved with his mother, Zuo Qingyun, to the Linjiang old residence and had practically cut off all ties with the Fang Family.

Zuo Yi took his mother's surname.

"Jiahao!"

Fang Chengdong reacted quickly. Snapping out of his shock, he immediately glared at his son. "Watch how you speak!"

Then he put on a smile and said to Zuo Yi in a reproachful tone, "Xiao Yi, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell us? Everyone has been so worried about you these past few years!"

"Save it."

Zuo Yi said coldly, "You came to get a certificate of disappearance, didn't you? Then I'm sorry, but I'm still alive!"

Their hypocritical act disgusted him.

Under Daxia law, if someone had been completely out of contact for more than three years, they could be declared missing. Their immediate family could apply to manage the missing person's property, and if there was still no news after another two years, the person could be declared dead and all their property inherited by their relatives.

Zuo Yi had been missing for exactly three years. The Fang Family had rushed to his place of household registration to obtain a certificate of disappearance, undoubtedly intending to manage and inherit his property in Riverside Town.

They had never expected Zuo Yi to have returned a few days ago. Chen Yuanzhong, who knew the situation here, had probably been unable to make them understand, so he simply called Zuo Yi over.

The man himself was standing right here. What disappearance certificate could they possibly get?

His cousin Fang Jiahao looked as though both his parents had died, his expression as ugly as it could possibly be.

It was no wonder. The land under Zuo Yi's name was worth at least several hundred million!

Fang Chengdong was crafty and thick-skinned. Faced with Zuo Yi's sarcasm, he looked as though he had suffered some terrible injustice. "What are you saying, Xiao Yi? We're all happy that you're safe and sound. No matter what, you're still a member of the Fang Family."

"My surname is Zuo. In this life, I will only bear the surname Zuo!"

Zuo Yi's face was expressionless as he said chillingly, "Go back and tell Fang Chengping that he should never even think about laying a hand on the Zuo Family in Linjiang!"

Fang Chengping was Zuo Yi's father, but Zuo Yi had never acknowledged him as one!