Upon seeing Lan Li, He Zhilan naturally thought of Ding Jinshi. Reflecting on Ding Jinshi’s somber tone at the hospital and then catching sight of Lan Li, He Zhilan felt a sense of injustice for Ding Jinshi.
"Brother," He Zhilan called out to He Teng and took a step forward to walk alongside him. "Ding Jinshi had a daughter. She looks exactly like Ding Long. So adorable!"
He Zhilan’s voice was not low. Naturally, the oncoming Lan Li could hear everything clearly. Lan Li’s footstep momentarily paused.
"Hmm." He Teng responded softly without elaborating. He knew He Zhilan was deliberately talking to provoke Lan Li, so he turned to glance towards Lan Li.
Lan Li quickly disguised his lack of composure, but Gu En who stood next to him frowned and retorted He Zhilan, "What does Ding Jinshi’s daughter have to do with you? It’s not your child, what’s there to talk about? Besides, it’s just a girl. The elders of the Ding Family just visited the hospital once. The Ding Family doesn’t even care about her, what’s there to like?"
"What’s wrong with a girl?She is still Ding Jinshi’s biological daughter. Unlike some families, who sell their own biological daughters because they’re girls. " He Zhilan scoffed, then gave Gu En a proper look, and said sarcastically, "Gu En, don’t refer to someone’s precious daughter as ’just a girl’. In your eyes, she may be insignificant, but in the eyes of Ding Long and Ding Jinshi, she is a treasured heart. Just because you’re a ’girl’, doesn’t mean all girls in the world are negligible!"
He Zhilan’s words turned Gu En’s face pale. Of course, Gu En understood that He Zhilan was indirectly ridiculing her past, suggesting that she was the daughter who was despised.
Not bothering to engage with Gu En any longer, He Zhilan nudged He Teng, grabbed He Dongxue, and quickened her steps, the mocking expression on her face open for all to see.
"My sister and I are also the apple of our father’s eye!" He Dongxue shouted in the direction of Gu En, and then turned her head back with a huff.
"Naughty!" He Zhilan could not help but chuckle and poked He Dongxue’s head with her hand.
"I’m telling the truth!" He Dongxue shook her head a little proudly, then called out to He Teng, asking, "Brother, right? The four of us are all precious in our father’s eyes!"
He Teng nodded in agreement without refuting anything. He then led the two of them silently to their guesthouse. After they had settled in, he took them to the canteen for dinner, and then they all went to watch the New Year’s Eve celebration.
Because the performers of the cultural troupe were at the canteen too, that evening was lively. As soon as He Zhilan and He Teng and He Dongxue entered the canteen, they saw flamboyantly dressed actors all around.
Kang Xing, on the other hand, was fixated on He Dongxue. When he finally saw her, he could not sit still and ran over with the newspaper in his hand.
"Dongxue!" Kang Xing called out to He Dongxue, his face flushing. And then he called out to He Zhilan, waving the newspaper, "News from the capital! Zhilan, you look so beautiful in it! The newspaper stated, you are the future shiny pearl of the capital. That sounds really impressive."