"It’s just too ridiculous."
"For Nan Xi, I did so much, sacrificed so much, yet I thought Bai Da would disdain me even if he knew the truth. Turns out, that’s all there is to it."
"Wu Wa, go out. What can he possibly do to me in this state? He’s just trash."
Now Bai Da, wrapped up like a mummy, if I kicked him, he could be done for, you know.
So, what’s there to fear?
Wu Wa looked at Bai Zhi for a long time, and seeing that Bai Zhi had not changed her mind, she finally made her way to the door, not forgetting to look back at her.
"If anything happens, Ah Zhi, just call for me, and I’ll come in and kill him."
After saying that, Wu Wa still looked a bit worried, glaring fiercely at Bai Da.
"If you dare to bully Ah Zhi, I will definitely kill you, I’m telling you."
In that moment, Wu Wa’s grim gaze carried a murderous aura, she was serious.
"Alright now. Don’t worry, go ahead."
Bai Zhi felt somewhat helpless, tugging at her hand. Wu Wa then left reluctantly, insisting, however, that the door be left open so she could rush in at any moment.
The young woman was very distressed, staying vigilant at all times, fearing that Bai Zhi might get hurt.
If it weren’t for Bai Zhi rescuing them back then, she might have been gone long ago.
She never imagined that her classmate would deceive her—in actual fact, truly deceive her.
If it weren’t for Xingxing, she might have lost her way long ago, trapped in a chasm of vice, never to emerge again.
She would have lost everything, would have collapsed.
And they too would have been deceived by friends, ultimately learning their information.
She was still trembling with fear to this day, but now she had to force Xingxing to meet those who had hurt her.
For the greater good, for the sake of the nation, for the mission, she had no choice but to do so, yet she truly couldn’t face Xingxing anymore. Because she lacked the courage.
Now only the two of them remained in the room. Bai Zhi looked around; the double room was a mess.
It wasn’t that the nurses didn’t clean up, it was that Bai Da was too troublesome, but in Bai Zhi’s opinion, a tranquilizer shot would have sufficed.
Bai Da looked at his daughter in front of him, especially thin, and her complexion very pale.
The primary culprit responsible for all of this was himself.
It was him, Bai Da, who with great effort lifted his hand and smacked himself fiercely.
With a "slap," in the quiet room, the sound was distinctly loud.
Bai Zhi, as if she hadn’t seen it, found a seat and sat down, quietly watching Bai Da’s performance, a free show not to be missed.
Bai Da hit himself over and over; the sound was loud enough to be heard outside the door.
It was clear how forcefully he was doing it.
Yet Bai Zhi just watched, without any reaction.
She knew full well Bai Da was ruthless, whether to others or to himself.
Feigning injury was all too common for him; after all, he had used self-harm to gain Ye Xiu’s sympathy before.
It was too bad she wasn’t Ye Xiu. Even if he jumped off the rooftop, she wouldn’t feel a thing.
Tired from hitting himself, Bai Da finally stopped, looking at Bai Zhi with a pained expression.
"Xingxing, don’t you think I’m doing this to seek your forgiveness?"
In fact, he wasn’t—how could he possibly expect Xingxing’s forgiveness in this way? He only despised himself.
Despising his own blindness for failing to recognize his daughter, hating his insensitivity for repeatedly hurting his daughter.
Putting his daughter into perilous situations.
"You’re overthinking it, whatever you do has nothing to do with me. At most, I’m just a spectator."
As if seeing something amusing, just watching a bit longer, that’s all.
"Xingxing, I’m sorry, I can’t believe I failed to recognize that you are my daughter, I’m truly blind and heartless."
Bai Da seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in Bai Zhi’s words, his gaze remained as tender as ever.
Such tender eyes. The affection in them was so profound that anyone looking through the glass from outside would surely declare him a loving father.
"I see it now, but have you forgotten that Nan Xi is your daughter? After all, it was you who swapped the children."
How he now wished to say he had made a mistake, please stop it.
Nan Xi is your daughter, you should be father and daughter for a lifetime.
Bai Da suddenly took two steps towards Bai Zhi.
"That’s not right, Nan Xi isn’t my daughter, you are."
It was his fault, he realized too late.
He wasn’t a competent father.
He couldn’t even recognize his own daughter.
"Xingxing, I admit, I did indeed switch the children. I wanted to give you a better life. Although Nan Jin isn’t worth a damn, he has power and wealth. With money, he could definitely make you into a little princess."
Back then, he had nothing; he couldn’t let his daughter live with their faces turned to the soil and their backs to the sky in the village.
Xingxing should have been raised like a little princess.
But unexpectedly, in the end, he personally caused Xingxing so much hurt.
Now, when he thought of the times he had laid hands on her, his lips trembled. How could he have struck her?
He wished he could kill himself.
"I’m sorry, Xingxing, it’s all my fault. I don’t know how it happened, but you two got switched back. I thought you were that bastard’s daughter, he even lusted after your mother, that’s why I wanted to..."
It was all his fault; he thought...
"I’m sorry Xingxing, I’m sorry. I don’t dare ask for your forgiveness, but I want to tell you, I love you, truly, truly love you.
I want to offer you the best of the entire world."
You are my daughter, you’re the daughter of Xiuxiu and me.
I’ve longed for a daughter so much; I want to give you the very best of everything in this world.
"Then you end up sticking 22 needles into me, letting those people catch me, then draining my blood almost killing me.
Not just that, you actually killed me by your own hands."
Bai Zhi’s smile curled at the corners of her mouth, her eyes were ice-cold to the extreme.
Wasn’t it him who had personally killed her, in both lifetimes he made the same choice.
Every sentence she uttered made Bai Da hurt so much he couldn’t breathe.
Because that was the truth he couldn’t face.
For so many years, the one he cherished was that bastard’s son. The one he hurt was his own daughter.
All the schemes he took pride in never came to fruition, and his daughter had lived in darkness since childhood.
He still remembered the first time Xingxing cooked a meal, she burned her hand, yet he glared at her with a grim face.
Later on, every time she argued with Nan Xi, he looked at her with disappointment, or rather, with scolding and beating.
He never gave her a shred of warmth.
He truly didn’t deserve to be a father.
"Xingxing, you’re right, all your hurt is because of me. Xingxing, kill me, will you hit me, okay?"
Bai Da looked at Bai Zhi, and started to speak very seriously.
"Will you stick needles into me as well, okay? Dad doesn’t know what to do, can you teach me what to do?"
Bai Da looked at his daughter in front of him, his heart aching so much he couldn’t breathe, but he didn’t know how to make amends.
What should he do about that pain and those injuries?
"I’m not as sick as you, Bai Da. What gives you the right to switch children? What makes you think I wanted to be swapped?
Your daughter enjoys fortune while you get to abuse someone else’s daughter?
So that’s karma for you, serves you right that your daughter got hurt.
Tch, I’m the unluckiest one, the karma should have been on you."