His Beloved Treasure

He often called, but he would hang up before she could answer each time.

Qin Mu thought he probably felt the same way as her!

She hadn’t been out for a long time, just stayed at home watering the plants and tending to the fish. When she had some free time, she learned to braid little Huanhuan’s hair, her head full of braids.

Huanhuan was always very patient, sitting in front of Qin Mu letting her do her hair, while she would braid her Barbie doll’s hair. Of course, it could only end up in a tangled mess, then she would look up with puckered lips at her beloved mom.

——

That night, Qin Mingzhu went back to get some things, thinking that if her father asked, she would say she was getting things and stay if the weather was bad, then that would count as a visit home.

But when she returned home and saw the scene inside, she was completely stunned.

The two females, one big and one small, sitting on the sofa, weren’t they the ones she had——

Qin Mingzhu’s mouth hung open and she couldn’t utter a word for a while, only approaching slowly.

”Miss is back!”

The auntie came out of the kitchen with food, and after seeing Qin Mingzhu, she asked.

The two on the sofa who were reading turned their heads towards the door, then stared at Qin Mingzhu’s contorted face.

Qin Mu put down the book in her hand and held her breath as she watched her step forward, step by step.

”Why are you in my house?”

Qin Mingzhu quickened her last few steps, walked around to face Qin Mu, and asked with a frown, raising her hand.

”Are you sure this is still your house?”

Qin Mu’s features remained delicate, her gaze devoid of ripples, as she calmly asked a question.

”If this isn’t my house, is it yours?”

Qin Mingzhu pressed hard with anger in her voice, then her eyes suddenly widened and with a tremble, she moved forward a bit more: ”I know now, you came back to Rongcheng just to wait for today, right? You’ve done everything to drive my mom and me out and then moved in with that dead child, you are so terrifying!”

Qin Mingzhu accused, thinking she had figured everything out.

”Mommy!”

Huanhuan, saddened by being called a dead child, tugged at her mother’s hand.

Qin Mu looked down at her: ”It’s okay! Go play with Grandma!”

Qin Mu whispered, then turned her eyes toward the auntie who stood aside.

The auntie stepped forward and picked up Huanhuan to take her inside.

Qin Mu then turned her gaze back to her: ”Don’t talk nonsense in front of children. She is a flower of our country, she doesn’t deserve to be defiled by your words.”

”You— then take her and leave, get out of my house, and I won’t say anything about her.”

Qin Mingzhu stuttered, then said to her again.

”Why are you so flustered?”

Qin Mu observed her trembling hands and couldn’t help asking with curiosity.

”I—I’m unwell! Yes, I’m unwell!”

Qin Mingzhu’s eyes flickered and then she nodded vigorously in agreement.

”Who’s unwell?”

The man of the house had finished his work in the study upstairs and had come down and heard his younger daughter’s voice.

”Dad! Dad, I missed you so much!”

Qin Mingzhu turned and immediately ran over to embrace him, hugging him and starting to cry pitifully.

Qin Haiming instinctively looked at the other daughter standing by the sofa.

”Didn’t I tell you never to come back?”

”But I missed you! I’m your daughter, no matter what, you can’t abandon me.”

Qin Mingzhu clung to him even tighter.

”Stop making a child’s tantrum. If I tell you to leave, you leave, okay?”

”I won’t leave! Why can she stay here and I can’t? I’m also your daughter; you can’t be biased.”

As Qin Mu listened to Qin Mingzhu, she glanced at her father’s troubled appearance, then circled around him and went upstairs.

Qin Haiming frowned worriedly: ”Mingzhu, behave yourself for a while, and after some time, I’ll ask you to come back. Be good and listen to me this time, okay?”

Qin Haiming looked at his daughter seriously.

Qin Mingzhu looked up at him: ”It’s all because of her, isn’t it? Dad, can’t you see clearly? From the very beginning, it’s all been a play directed and acted by herself. She’s taking revenge for my mom and me replacing her. She purposely came to stir discord in our relationship, to ruin our family.”

”It’s not as grave as you make it out to be. Besides, it’s Qin Mu who needs her father the most right now, and Dad can’t neglect her.”

”I don’t care; if she stays here, I am staying too!”

Seeing that her father was so determined to kick her out for Qin Mu’s sake, Qin Mingzhu released him and ran upstairs.

Qin Mu’s room had been tidied up by Zhang Rujia during her stay. Afterward, only the bed sheets and such were changed. After Qin Mu returned to her room, the auntie brought Huanhuan to find her: ”Eldest Miss, the younger Miss seems to have settled in; she just ran to her own room.”