Xiaxia ran too fast. Daddy couldn't catch up.]
What... take it to your dad to eat?
Lu Yuanqiu felt as though he had heard something incomprehensible.
"Wait... you're saying you're going to leave school now and take this food to him?"
He asked, looking incredulous.
Bai Qingxia nodded gently.
Judging by Lu Yuanqiu's expression, he seemed to disapprove.
Bai Qingxia set her chopsticks aside and quietly stopped putting more snacks into the lunch box. After all, Lu Yuanqiu had brought all these snacks...
She sat there stiffly, looking a little embarrassed.
It was as if she were waiting for Lu Yuanqiu to take the snacks back or issue some other "absolute order." She knew he had kindly given the food to her, not to her dad.
Lu Yuanqiu couldn't understand it.
In fact, he had already been unhappy with Bai Qingxia's father for quite some time.
What kind of fucking father was this?
Not only had he driven his daughter to steal bread from a supermarket, but he even needed her to bring him food from the school cafeteria?
A nameless fury rose from the bottom of Lu Yuanqiu's heart.
If he hadn't been mindful of Bai Qingxia's self-esteem, he would have paid her father a "home visit" and settled the score long ago.
With Lu Yuanqiu's temper, he was absolutely capable of doing it.
Fuck! The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.
His daughter was so pretty and got such good grades. If she were my daughter, I'd fucking spoil her rotten!
No matter how poor we were, I'd sell everything I owned, sell my blood, go hungry myself-anything to make sure she had something to eat.
Lu Yuanqiu took a deep breath. Too frustrated to bear it, he raised his hand and slammed it against the table, swearing, "Fuck!"
"This is insane."
Both trays bounced from the impact, and Bai Qingxia jumped as well.
She lifted her head and looked timidly at Lu Yuanqiu. Without warning, two tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
After apologizing, Bai Qingxia quickly raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears. Then she picked the snacks back out of the lunch box, returned them to the tray, and pushed it toward Lu Yuanqiu.
Lu Yuanqiu stared, dumbfounded. "What are you doing now?"
Bai Qingxia lowered her head. "I'm already full. Thank you for giving me all this food. I'm really grateful..."
Afraid Lu Yuanqiu would mistake her behavior for sulking, Bai Qingxia lifted her face and gave him a smile that looked worse than crying.
She knew Lu Yuanqiu had already been very kind to offer her food.
She was the one who had been inconsiderate, thinking she could give that food to someone else.
The girl nearly made Lu Yuanqiu laugh in exasperation.
He pushed the tray back. "Wait... I didn't say you couldn't take it to your dad. It's just... could you at least eat the chicken drumstick? Give him the rest."
Bai Qingxia kept her head lowered and shook it gently. "I'm stuffed. I really can't eat any more."
Fuck!
Lu Yuanqiu suddenly wanted to pinch the spot beneath his nose to keep himself conscious... He was so furious he felt as though his brain wasn't getting enough blood.
This stubborn, stubborn girl!
Forget it. There was nothing he could do with her. Lu Yuanqiu couldn't bring himself to scold her now, either. She was devoted to her father, after all, and that was a good thing. If anyone was to blame, it was her father.
So he composed himself and immediately said, "All right, all right. Give it to him. I'm fine with it. Go ahead and pack the lunch box."
Bai Qingxia silently lifted her head to look at Lu Yuanqiu, as though checking his expression.
Lu Yuanqiu forced the corners of his mouth upward, squeezing out a friendly, peaceful smile to prove he didn't mind and that she could share the snacks however she liked.
Only then did the girl feel reassured enough to pick up her chopsticks and put the snacks back into the lunch box.
She put the lunch box into a plastic bag, then tucked it into her schoolbag. After standing up, Bai Qingxia gave Lu Yuanqiu a small bow and said, "Thank you."
Don't say I'm a good person. Don't say I'm a good person... Lu Yuanqiu repeated silently, his face expressionless.
Bai Qingxia didn't say it.
Watching her leave the cafeteria, Lu Yuanqiu let out a long sigh.
If only she were my daughter. The thought crossed his mind, and he gave a helpless chuckle.
After leaving through the gates of Lucheng No. 7 Middle School, Bai Qingxia turned left and quickened her pace.
She really hadn't lied to Lu Yuanqiu yesterday. Her home was quite close to Lucheng No. 7 Middle School, near Lucheng No. 65 Middle School.
But with her schoolbag on her back, Bai Qingxia headed not for home, but for the gates of Lucheng No. 65 Middle School.
She had once attended junior high here, too.
After crossing the road, Bai Qingxia spotted a middle-aged man in blue overalls sitting beside the landscaped strip across from the school.
He sat perfectly upright, his back straight, like a primary school student listening attentively in class. His eyes stayed fixed on the school gates, as though he were afraid of missing someone coming out after school.
At the sight, a smile appeared on Bai Qingxia's usually cool face, and she hurried over with her schoolbag on her back.
While the middle-aged man wasn't looking, she crept forward on tiptoe, as though she had become that mischievous little girl from her childhood again, sneaking up behind him one step at a time.
Then she quickly tapped his shoulder.
The middle-aged man turned around in confusion, his handsome face swiveling left and right. Finding no one, he turned back, and a sweet, innocent smile appeared before him like a flower blooming.
"Daddy!"
Bai Qingxia greeted him with a smile.
"Xiaxia!"
Looking at his daughter, the middle-aged man called her name happily too.
But immediately afterward, he hurriedly stood up like a child who had done something wrong. He lowered his head and kept apologizing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"I didn't see Xiaxia come out of school. I didn't see Xiaxia come out of school..." he muttered over and over, his tone childish, like that of a five- or six-year-old.
His ten fingers twisted nervously, and he looked distressed.
Bai Qingxia quickly helped him sit down and comforted him. "That's because Xiaxia ran too fast, so Daddy didn't see her."
"Xiaxia ran fast. Xiaxia ran really fast. Daddy couldn't catch up."
The handsome middle-aged man repeated his daughter's words as though he were just learning to talk.
Bai Qingxia watched him tenderly, then took the lunch box and a clean pair of chopsticks out of her schoolbag.
"Time to eat! Time to eat!" The middle-aged man braced his hands on the step and swung his legs like a child.
Bai Qingxia didn't rush to feed him. She took out a tissue and her water bottle, poured some water onto the tissue to wet it, then wiped the dust from his face. "How did you get your face all dirty again?" she gently chided.
"...Sorry, Xiaxia."
The man, aggrieved,
said.
"It's all right. Xiaxia isn't angry."
Bai Qingxia spoke gently as she wiped his face.
She opened the lunch box, wrapped a clean tissue around the chicken drumstick's bone, and handed it to her father.
"Chicken drumstick! Chicken drumstick! Chicken drumstick!" the man said excitedly, but he didn't reach out to take it. He looked anxiously at Bai Qingxia and urged her, "Xiaxia, eat! Hurry and eat, Xiaxia! The bad guys are coming!"
"I already ate. I had two! Hurry and eat, Daddy. The bad guys are coming!" Bai Qingxia said, playing along with him. Then she picked up some rice with her chopsticks and held it to his mouth.
"I've already eaten. I had two! Hurry up and eat, Dad. The bad guys are coming!" Bai Qingxia played along with the man's tone, then picked up some rice with her chopsticks and held it to his mouth.