Chapter 187 - Solo Mission (2)

"Your voice! You got your v-voice back?" Li Roulan repeated what her husband just said, but her tone was the opposite of him. 

Obviously, she wasn't happy that Xiong Jingfei got her voice back. When Xiong Jingfei didn't have her voice, it benefited Li Roulan while it became a disadvantage to Xiong Jingfei.

"Yes, mother." Xiong Jingfei confirmed Li Roulan's doubt, but it left a bitter taste. "Aren't you happy to hear my voice again?"

Li Roulan's thoughts became jumbled up as she tried to process how and why Xiong Jingfei's voice returned. Xiong Guozhi tried finding help in the past for Xiong Jingfei, but nothing worked. Then all of a sudden, in the past five years without doing anything, Xiong Jingfei got it back just like that?

Xiong Guozhi immediately got up from his seat and hugged his oldest daughter. He did it without realizing it until he did it. 

Xiong Jingfei wasn't sure what to feel or do with her father's hug. Should she hug him back or push him away? She stood still like a stick as her past life was conflicting with her feelings in the present.

Out of everyone who could have left her side or backstabbed her, she never thought it would be her father. In the past, she put him in high regard and did everything in her power to not disappoint him. She chose him over Xu Song during their torture interrogation, but what she got in return was her legs bound to her bed. 

Why did he agree with Li Roulan to sell her off to an old man? Disgusting.

Then there was also the "father" Xiong Guozhi she had in this lifetime. Before Li Roulan walked into their lives, he comforted her whenever Ai's nightmare came for her. He sought out help for her nightmares and when she lost her voice. He told her there was nothing to worry about, and she would one day get her voice back.

When she packed her things and left the house, Xiong Jingfei could hear the heartbreak in her father's voice, begging her not to go. It almost felt like he didn't give up on her, and that he loved her, even if it was a little.

Do you regret your decision in the past, father? Xiong Jingfei wondered as she saw some silver hair on his head. Is this how you would have looked if I chose to continue living? 

"Ahem. Come sit here next to me." Xiong Guozhi immediately offered the seat that Xiong Changchang was on. "Changchang, move over one seat for your older sister." 

"Why!?" Xiong Changchang whined, not wanting to give up her seat to Xiong Jingfei. It was like she was admitting defeat that the favorite child is back. "Why can't that outsider-"

"Changchang! Is this how you're supposed to talk to your older sister?" Xiong Guozhi barked and ordered the older servant that Xiong Jingfei passed in the hallway. "Go get another plate."

"Changchang." Li Roulan signaled with her eyes that her daughter should give in. It wasn't in anyone's favor to fight Xiong Guozhi right now. 

Xiong Changchang sneaked a glare over at Xiong Jingfei.

It wasn't like Xiong Jingfei was stealing that spot next to their father from her. Xiong Changchang was sitting in a seat that did not belong to her in the first place. 

Xiong Changchang picked up her plate and was about to move over, but a hand pushed her shoulder down. 

"It's okay, father. I want to sit next to Changchang today." Xiong Jingfei removed her hand from Xiong Changchang's shoulder. 

It didn't sit right with Xiong Changchang how Xiong Jingfei gave up the "favorite" seat. As if the seat meant nothing to Xiong Jingfei because she knew she was their father's favorite. 

Xiong Jingfei put her hand into her purse and sat comfortably next to her younger sister. "This way, I can see the family I haven't seen in a long time."

Xiong Guozhi kept having a weird feeling with the way Xiong Jingfei talked. It was as if she kept referring to something that happened a very long time ago, but he shrugged it off.

A set of plates and utensils was put out for Xiong Jingfei, but she wasn't hungry since she ate before arriving. She shouldn't jump into a fight on an empty stomach. But for now, she'll put up with it because she is on a solo mission. It would be disappointing to return empty-handed.

"Daughter, I am so happy to hear your voice again! I miss hearing your beautiful voice." Li Roulan tried sounding like a caring mother, but there was a crack in it. "H-how did you get it back?"

Xiong Jingfei looked over at Li Roulan. A lot of rubbish was coming out of her mouth, but that question was a genuine one. How did I get my voice back?

"Yes! How did you get your voice back?" Xiong Changchang was just as curious, probably even more. 

Meanwhile, Xiong Jiayi remained quiet as always, but her face was filled with curiosity too. 

"Well… How should I put it?" Xiong Jingfei picked up her fork and knife. She slowly cut into the juicy meat as she let their curiosity grow a little more every passing second. "God moves in mysterious ways." 

Every time someone asks her the "how" question, she is going to give them the same answer she gave Wen Yingyue. This line, written by William Cowper, was becoming her favorite every time she said it. In exchange, she was given confused or "are you crazy" expressions.

Then again, Xiong Jingfei wasn't expecting anyone to understand the connections.

"What are you even talking about?" Xiong Changchang glowered. "I asked how-"

"Enough!" Xiong Guozhi looked at Li Roulan and Xiong Changchang. "Let's just have a quiet family dinner. It's been a long time since all of us sat together."

Xiong Jingfei was taking small bites as she observed Xiong Changchang and Xiong Jiayi. It was truly odd for her. Just like how it was with her father, she left the world before seeing them hit the age at which they're now.

In this lifetime, their lives followed the same way it did in the past. Xiong Changchang is two years younger than Xiong Jingfei, and Xiong Jiayi is five years younger than her. She became Xiong Guozhi's oldest daughter again, and her birth mother passed away soon after giving birth. Li Roulan became her step-mother and gave Xiong Guozhi two daughters.

However, that doesn't mean Xiong Jingfei was going to let the past repeat itself. A part of her appreciated her memories from her previous life. At least, she knows the heart of the people around her already. None of them have changed from the way they used to be. 

Time has passed, but the same people with the same heart remained. If the past wants to repeat itself, then Xiong Jingfei was going to let it happen. Except, she will be one step ahead in this lifetime.