"You don't need to apologize to me, I know you would do this." Ye Wan understood her daughter well; the child was extremely opinionated and secretly longed to meet her biological father.
"Mom, I know you're angry, but I really want to acknowledge Dad. The first time I saw him, I felt a strange feeling in my heart. Do you understand? That's why I kept pestering him. I didn't know what it was until now, that it's because he's my dad, that's why I like being with him and want to see him," Ye Tuantuan said with red-rimmed eyes.
Ye Wan was extremely helpless. "So, Mom was too strict with you, and now you don't want to be with Mom anymore."
"Not at all! The person I love most will always be Mom; that will never change. Dad can only be second. Mom is my true love," Ye Tuantuan suddenly threw herself into her mother's arms, hugging her tightly, tears also falling.
"I'm sorry, I made you sad. I'm very upset too," Ye Tuantuan cried even harder.
Ye Wan forced her eyes open, raised a hand to touch her daughter's head, and said, "You don't need to apologize to me. If you truly want to acknowledge him, then do so. I won't object, and you don't need to worry about me being unhappy. I won't be unhappy."
Despite everything, Ye Wan still had a soft spot for Gu Yunting. When she saw his crippled leg, she didn't know if she hated him more or felt pity for him.
The bond forged from growing up together truly couldn't be erased with a simple word. She genuinely couldn't bear to see him injured and incomplete; it was too cruel for her.
Tuantuan said, "Mom, I just want a biological dad. All the other children have one, but I don't. I'll only stay in touch with Dad from now on and won't go back to his house anymore, okay?"
Ye Wan listened to her daughter's assurance with mixed feelings, but she knew deep down that it was highly unlikely the child could stick to it.
"You can go now. Mom wants to sleep. You can go home with your dad tonight, just for this one night. We'll discuss future arrangements later," Ye Wan said helplessly.
"No, I want to stay with Mom," Ye Tuantuan burrowed into her mother's embrace.
"Don't try to fool me. How can I not know what you're thinking? Don't forget you came out of my belly! Even if your body stays here, your heart won't be. Go on," Ye Wan said, grinding her teeth slightly.
Ye Tuantuan felt a pang of guilt. She said, "I just like Mom's pet, a majestic big tiger! I'll sleep with it tonight."
"It's a tiger, be careful it doesn't eat you in the middle of the night," Ye Wan deliberately tried to scare her daughter, not wanting the child to become too bold.
Ye Tuantuan was truly startled. After thinking for a moment, she decided not to sleep with Ju Zuo after all.
"Mom, can you stop being angry now?" Ye Tuantuan asked.
"I wasn't angry in the first place. Hurry up and go, don't disturb my sleep." Ye Wan began to usher her out.
"Thank you, Mom. Then Mom, you should sleep early." Ye Tuantuan finally managed to appease her mother. She slowly got up, properly tucked her mother in, kissed her, and then left the room.
After her daughter left, Ye Wan clenched her fists tightly, her heart aching intensely. She had never imagined that Gu Yunting's mere disability could bring her back to square one. She cared about him so much!
She didn't want to think about that man anymore. She pulled the blanket up tightly over her head, trying hard to push him out of her mind.
After coming out, Ye Tuantuan immediately wanted to rush to Gu Yunting. However, upon seeing Ling Ming, she abruptly stopped. She said, "Dad Ming, Mom wants to sleep."
"How does she seem?" Ling Ming asked.
"She seems okay. She's probably not angry with me anymore. She even told me to go back and stay with my dad for one night. Dad Ming, can I go?" Ye Tuantuan looked anxiously at Ling Ming. If he didn't agree, she wouldn't be able to go.