My Alleged Husband

Chapter 71: Chapter 69 Going Home _1

Li Jiayuan looked at Xiao Wei, tears sparkling in her eyes. She was overjoyed; she had finally found the one she loved in her heart.

”Xiao Wei, I want to go home and have a look. After all, when I joined the mercenaries, I left my father alone at home. No matter how you slice it, abandoning my duty to him was unfilial, so...” Li Jiayuan looked at Xiao Wei with questioning eyes, and after thinking it over, Xiao Wei agreed to let her go home.

”Sure, I’ll take you back!”

”Thank you, dear.”

Li Family.

Xiao Wei dropped Li Jiayuan off at her front door and then left. Li Jiayuan wanted Xiao Wei to come in with her, but he felt that he had only just spirited away someone’s beloved daughter, and if he went in now, it might lead to Li Haixiao opposing him being with Li Jiayuan!

After Xiao Wei left, Li Jiayuan directly used her key to open the front door. She entered the house and shouted loudly, ”Dad, I’m back, Dad, I’m back!”

No matter how she called for her dad, there was no response. She thought perhaps her father hadn’t finished work yet, so she waited in the living room. As time ticked by without her father’s return, she glanced at the clock and realized it was getting late. She thought to herself, ”Why isn’t he back yet at this hour? Normally, he would have finished work by now. It’s already more than two hours past his usual time. Could something have happened?”

This thought flashed through Li Jiayuan’s mind, and she startled herself with the sudden worry. She changed her shoes in a rush and hurried outside to find her father. Just as she was running to the door, she collided right into Li Haixiao’s embrace. Startled, before she could speak, she looked up and saw her father standing in front of her. Overwhelmed with emotion, she hugged Li Haixiao and kept saying, ”Dad, it’s so good that you’re okay. You have no idea how scared I was.”

Li Jiayuan prattled on and on, leaving Li Haixiao confused by her words. He asked, ”Jiayuan, what do you mean it’s good that I’m okay? What could be wrong with me? I had an unexpected shareholders’ meeting this afternoon, and with you not at home, it was quite dull with no one to talk to. That’s why I stayed and finished my work before coming home!”

Hearing her father say this and seeing he was all right, the heavy burden in Li Jiayuan’s heart finally lifted! She didn’t want to lose the father who cherished her, perhaps even more than she cherished herself, because of her brief departure.

Regaining his senses, Li Haixiao asked with delight, ”Jiayuan, weren’t you out for training? Why are you back today?”

They say those who join the mercenaries take a very long time to return, so Li Haixiao was excited to see Li Jiayuan back.

”Dad, didn’t I miss you? So, I quickly finished my training and came back to keep you company. Why, Dad, by the look on your face, it seems you don’t want me to come back and be with you, do you?”

After finishing her sentence, Li Jiayuan turned around, a distinctly unhappy expression on her face. Li Haixiao knew Jiayuan was joking with him, but he still fell for it. He patted Li Jiayuan’s shoulder and said softly, ”Silly girl, how could I possibly not want you back? Ever since you left, I’ve been longing for you to return and visit your dad. And here you are, we really do have a father-daughter connection!”

Li Haixiao chuckled heartily, and Li Jiayuan, turning back around, hugged his arm, still laughing happily.

”What happened to your hand?” Li Haixiao asked with concern upon noticing the scars on Li Jiayuan’s hands. ”Has somebody been bullying you?”

Only then did Li Jiayuan realize her misstep. She hadn’t intended to let her father see her hands, but in her excitement, she couldn’t help but grab Li Haixiao’s arm, thus inadvertently revealing them!

She hastily hid her hands behind her back, but Li Haixiao sensed there was something wrong. Knowing her father’s naturally suspicious nature, Li Jiayuan quickly tried to explain, ”No, Dad, you must have seen wrong. How could I be injured? You know what kind of person your daughter is, you know how domineering I usually am. So don’t worry, I’m fine!”

Even though Li Jiayuan said this, Li Haixiao wasn’t ready to let it go and pressed on, ”If there’s nothing wrong, then bring out your hand for me to see. I haven’t held your hand for so long. I’ll take you out to dinner, let’s go!”

Li Jiayuan panicked, thinking: If Dad sees the calluses all over my hands, he will definitely be angry. What should I do now?

Li Haixiao, aware of what Jiayuan had in mind, spoke at a measured pace, ”Jiayuan, I was actually planning on getting you married to Xiao Wei sooner, but now you won’t even let me hold your hand before the wedding. Does that mean you won’t come to visit your dad after you’re married?”

Li Jiayuan’s head abruptly lifted as she asked Li Haixiao, ”Are you serious?”

”Of course, I’m serious!”

Li Jiayuan was pleased inside, but she also felt a sense of conflict. How could she dare to stretch out her hand!

After thinking it over, Li Jiayuan finally made up her mind and showed her hand to Li Haixiao.

Upon seeing it, Li Haixiao instantly flew into a rage, cursing without holding back, ”Who is the bastard bold enough to do this to my daughter? It seems like they’re really asking for trouble, the damn thing, just you wait.”

Li Jiayuan just silently listened until Li Haixiao finished cursing.

”Jiayuan, does it hurt? Look at you, instead of being a pampered young lady, you insist on joining the training for a man. Now look at what happened to your hand, what does it even look like? If you don’t care about your hand your dad does!” After Li Haixiao finished his rant, he began to show concern for whether Li Jiayuan was in pain, ”For a man, you can even forsake your own father. I’ve really pampered you for nothing all these years.”

”Dad, don’t say that, I’ve never thought about not needing you. You are the closest person to me in this life. I could never abandon you!” Li Jiayuan looked at Li Haixiao with a wronged expression.

”If you wouldn’t do that, then why would you selfishly leave your father alone to find your beloved?” Li Haixiao glanced at Li Jiayuan with annoyance.

Li Jiayuan sighed and said, ”Dad, in this life, who hasn’t been selfish at least once? Your love for mom was so deep; you would risk your life for her, and I can strive for my love too. Xiao Wei is willing to risk being hunted to wash away his past for me, so I should also do something for him. Besides, a relationship requires the effort of both sides to maintain; it can’t succeed with the sacrifice of one party alone!”

”I’m really at my wit’s end with you, can’t beat you, can’t scold you, and now I can’t even win an argument with you,” Li Haixiao shook his head in resignation as he spoke to Li Jiayuan.

”Do you have any other injuries?” Li Haixiao asked with concern.

Li Jiayuan thought if her father felt this sorry for her just because of some calluses on her hand, what would happen if he knew about her other injuries?

Li Jiayuan snuggled up to Li Haixiao with a grin, ”Dad, there’s nothing else. Just my hand got hurt, so don’t worry!”

Seeing that Li Haixiao was about to say something else, she quickly interjected, ”Dad, didn’t you say you were going to take me out for dinner? I’m starving!”

As soon as Li Haixiao heard his precious daughter say ”I’m hungry,” he forgot everything else and hurriedly pulled Li Jiayuan towards the restaurant.

”Dad, wait for me, I’ll go change my clothes!”

Li Haixiao looked at Li Jiayuan’s outfit and was not pleased.

”Hurry and change, look at what you’re wearing, not ladylike at all!”

”Haha, then wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

Li Haixiao responded with a yes as he watched Li Jiayuan’s retreating figure, murmuring to himself: Jiayuan, just how much have you suffered?