Chapter 156: The Edge of Madness

Chapter 156

"Yes, Dad is very sad and hates himself..."

"I'm sad too," Li Xiaoya said softly. "But that's all in the past now. My saddest times are behind me."

Li Qingqing watched as Li Jiang's expression went through another wave of changes.

Suddenly, an absurd thought struck her—

Li Xiaoya was controlling the pace.

Even more, she was controlling Li Jiang's emotions!

Every word she spoke seemed calculated, as if she had anticipated Li Jiang's reactions in advance...

Li Qingqing shook her head. No, no, no, how could that be possible?

It's not like Li Xiaoya had been reborn.

How old was she? She couldn't possibly be that cunning, could she?

"Dad will make it up to you from now on," Li Jiang found his voice again.

"How will you make it up?"

"Dad will stay by your side, protect you, take care of you..."

"But others can do that too."

"But they're not your father."

"If Dad is so terrible, why can't someone else be my dad instead?"

Li Jiang was stumped again. He reminded himself that this was just childish thinking.

He moved his lips: "Because we have a blood bond. Do you understand what that means?"

Li Xiaoya nodded: "I know. Grandpa and Mom have a blood bond too. But you and the people in the village, you severed their bonds. Why can you do that, but others can't?"

Li Jiang's pupils dilated, and he was speechless for a long while.

Though she was young, she seemed to know everything...

Tears slid down Li Jiang's face as he made one last effort: "I didn't. Do you believe me? Do you know what clan power means? When everyone around you is a criminal, they force you to do the same things they do. Otherwise, they won't tolerate you."

Li Xiaoya was silent for a moment, then said: "I don't understand."

Li Jiang wiped away his tears: "It's okay. Dad will explain it to you slowly. There are a lot of complicated things involved. Are you willing to accept Dad again?"

"If I accept you, will you take me back to Li Family Village?"

"Of course not. You're good here. Many people love you and spoil you. You can still go to your elite school. It's just that there will be one more person who loves you—your dad. Isn't that good?"

Li Xiaoya seemed confused.

She hadn't seen him for so long that his appearance had become unfamiliar to her, with only traces of familiarity left in his voice. That unfamiliarity had diluted her childhood dependence on the word "Dad."

She could clearly understand his purpose... he wanted to absolve himself of guilt.

But why was he saying these things?

Was he acting?

Li Xiaoya pinched her palm and said softly, "Okay, then come home with me to see Grandpa."

Li Jiang said, "No problem. Dad should meet them, apologize to them, and explain the truth. Some things aren't that simple, Xiaoya..."

"Then let's go..."

"Alright, let's go."

After this conversation, Li Qingqing was also confused.

Had Li Jiang gone crazy?

After all this trouble, he was just going to follow Li Xiaoya back to see her grandfather? Wasn't he afraid of being beaten by the father of the daughter he had wronged?

Li Xiaoya led the way with a stiff face, then took out her phone: "I'll call the driver to pick us up."

Was she calling her grandfather? Of course not.

She still had doubts.

So she chose to dial Ke Muning's number...

Li Jiang glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

It wasn't 110 (the emergency number).

The strategy had worked.

Ke Muning answered the phone quickly: "How was it? Were you the center of attention today? Are you happy?"

The others still couldn't appreciate what was so special about it.

Young Master He carefully turned his head, watching as a figure walked in... well, it wasn't Young Master Sheng! It was Ning Heng. Why was Ning Heng dressing like Young Master Sheng?

Where was Young Master Sheng? Why hadn't he come to school yet today?

In a while, wouldn't he have to repeat this whole speech again?

Qin Sui suddenly stood up and patted his shoulder.

This gesture was telling him he didn't need to say any more.

Young Master He let out a long sigh of relief.

Qin Sui turned to look at Ning Heng, thinking that if he knew, Sheng Yuxiao would soon know too...

It was fine not seeing it in person. That way, Sheng Yuxiao would be even more desperate to know exactly what kind of gift Li Xiaoya had given.

"Young Master Qin, I..." How was my performance? Young Master He turned his face, but before he could finish speaking.

Qin Sui suddenly answered a phone call: "Hello. Okay, I got it."

After the last incident, he had specially given his number to An Ying, not expecting it to come in handy so soon... Li Xiaoya had gone to meet someone, possibly dangerous, but she wanted to go. Who could that be?

Qin Sui was unaware of Ke Muning's existence.

So his first reaction was—Li Jiang!

"Hey, hey, Qin, where are you going?" As the class bell rang, Young Master He watched Qin Sui brush past the teacher entering the room.

Even the teacher was stunned.

This... this was blatant class-skipping, right?

And wasn't skipping class usually Sheng Yuxiao's thing? When did Qin Sui start doing this too?

Why was Sheng Yuxiao so late anyway?

He had gone to see Li Xiaoya.

He made his way from the elementary school section to the activity area, randomly grabbing an elementary student to ask questions.

The young student trembled: "Li Xiaoya left... she left with a little girl..."

Sheng Yuxiao was stunned for a moment. Li Xiaoya didn't have many friends, and the only little girl who could be considered close was Zhou Xiaoshu... but Zhou Xiaoshu was her classmate.

Sheng Yuxiao didn't hesitate for long. He made a direct phone call to find the person in charge of the venue: "I want to see the surveillance footage."

This was Ning family property, how could the person in charge refuse?

This is how Sheng Yuxiao identified the person in the footage... "Li Qingqing."

*

The taxi stopped in front of a tin-roofed factory on the outskirts.

"Weren't we going to the mall?" Li Xiaoya asked.

The pain, guilt, and kindness on Li Jiang's face had all disappeared. He looked at Li Xiaoya and said coldly, "They all say that foreign man is your father. I saw it."

Li Xiaoya: "Oh."

There was no panic on her face.

"Do you know how jealous I was then?"

Li Xiaoya didn't speak.

Meanwhile, Li Qingqing looked around nervously, suddenly feeling uneasy. This place looked like a good spot for murder and body disposal.

Li Jiang's demeanor now seemed a bit crazed.

"I really wanted to be your father, really wanted to. After all, you're so lovable, have been since birth." Li Jiang led Li Xiaoya out of the car.

Finally, he couldn't help but bare his fangs a little: "But I know that you, like your mother, are ice that can't be melted, cold and heartless to the core. Does smart DNA always lead to this result?"

Brother Yong got out of the car too, trying to mediate: "After all, the child is still young. Just talk it out, how can there be a child who doesn't recognize their father?"

Li Jiang said softly: "Who told me I'm not her father?"

Brother Yong was dumbfounded: "What?"

Li Qingqing was also stunned.

Li Jiang crouched down in front of Li Xiaoya, one hand firmly pressing on her shoulder: "What you said earlier completely shattered my fantasies and hopes. ...I'm wondering, why did you so quickly become indifferent to your dad? Is it because you've been dazzled by the life of luxury? No. That's not your personality."

"Did your mother ever say something to you? Did she tell you not to think of me as your father?"

Li Xiaoya's fingers clenched tightly, trembling slightly.

Li Jiang didn't wait for her answer. He spat out words from between his teeth, his voice bordering on deranged: "Wei Wenyu, do you really have to treat me like this?"