Hu Yun had just carried her suitcase out of the elevator when she heard someone seeming to call her name.
She turned around, looked around in a circle, and finally saw a familiar figure at the door of the stairwell.
Hu Yun was stunned for a moment, her nose tingling slightly with acidity.
She quickly walked over and looked at the man she hadn’t seen for ten years, his face weathered with age, and said somewhat uncomfortably, "Dad... When were you released?"
Hu Qifeng managed a smile, the expression mixed with a hint of unfamiliarity, "A couple of days ago."
Hu Yun looked at Hu Qifeng, not knowing what to say. After all, it had been ten years since she last saw him. Any affection had almost faded away, and the emotions left now were just an instinct to cry because of their blood relationship.
The two shared a silence, looking at each other as though they were strangers who hadn’t been in touch for a long time.
Hu Yun also forced a smile, holding back the tears welling up in her eyes, and asked with feigned composure, "Is there something you need?"
Hu Qifeng said with a casual tone while smiling, "I heard your mom got married. How are you all doing, alright?"
Hu Yun laughed at herself, "My step-father just went in to take over your shift."
Ironically, why did all the men in their family end up in prison? Perhaps she and her mother should go have their fortunes told.
Or perhaps it was her mother’s poor taste, always falling for bad men.
Hu Yun jokingly said without mincing words, "Are you planning to take his shift?"
Both of her fathers were not good people, so how could she be expected to say anything nice?
Anyway, she, who was not even worthy of a good family, didn’t care.
"You child..." Hu Qifeng started to speak but then stopped, wanting to teach her, but found himself at a loss for words.
Hu Yun looked at Hu Qifeng, already suspecting that this visit from Hu Qifeng wouldn’t bring any good news. She calmed her emotions and asked distantly, "Do you have anything else? If not, I have things to do."
After hesitating for a moment, Hu Qifeng began to speak with a hint of embarrassment, "Do you have any money with you now? Could you lend me some? I’ll pay you back when I find a job."
Hu Yun knew it. She sadly smiled.
Seeing Hu Qifeng wearing clothes from over a decade ago, his temples white with age, and his face covered in wrinkles, he looked much older than the father she remembered. Ultimately, she couldn’t bear it and went to the bank, withdrawing five thousand yuan from her account of over five million to give to Hu Qifeng.
The more than five million in her card was accumulated over the years from her step-father.
She was worried about giving him more because she didn’t want to encourage Hu Qifeng’s greed.
With an unchanged expression, Hu Yun said, "I’m having trouble at work and don’t have much money on me. This is all I can give. It’s best if you don’t come looking for me again; it might affect my job. You wouldn’t want to see your daughter unable to afford even a meal in the future, right?"
Hu Qifeng took the money and smiled, "I will pay you back once I make some money."
Hu Yun, seeing Hu Qifeng’s simple smile, felt a sudden stir of emotion, but it was quickly replaced with a cold resolve: "No need, just don’t come to find me anymore and disrupt my life."
Hu Qifeng’s smile gradually faded and he said nothing more, only tremblingly managing to say "okay" twice, then forcing a stiff smile.
Another silence ensued, with the atmosphere of awkwardness and unfamiliarity spreading between the father and daughter.
Hu Yun’s lips moved, and at last she said, "Eat well, you’ve lost weight. Take care of yourself from now on."
Hu Qifeng wiped his face with his rough palm and smiled foolishly, "You take good care of yourself too."
Hu Yun knew that Hu Qifeng’s visit was just to ask her for money; there was nothing much to talk about between them. So she took the initiative and asked Hu Qifeng to leave first. She stood in place watching as Hu Qifeng’s thin figure disappeared from view before she left.
The moment she turned around, she pulled out her sunglasses from her bag and put them on, then walked to the roadside.
Shortly after, a black Mercedes stopped in front of her, the rear passenger window rolled down, and Hu Yun saw the man sitting inside the car, then tilted her head and smiled.
The driver got out of the car to put Hu Yun’s suitcase into the trunk, and Hu Yun got into the car.
Inside the car, the man curled his lips and suddenly spoke, "Do you want to know the real reason your father was put away?"
Wasn’t her father in there for kidnapping and extortion?
Could there be more to the story?
Hu Yun hesitated, looking at the man in silence, waiting for him to continue.
The man said, "It was all orchestrated by Chen Xixi’s father."
After sending a message to Zhou Jinyuan, Chen Xixi saw that the social media buzz about Haisong Group and Xu Nianying had gradually cooled down.