Mu Jingzhe and the other four kids raised their heads, but they didn’t see anything.

  “Where? Where?”

  “There!” When Shao Xi shouted, he even saw his father turn around.

  That man turned around and glanced at them. Shao Xi could clearly see that it was his father.

  However, when his father turned around and saw them, he turned back and left without hesitation.

  Shao Xi wanted to run after him, but his hands were tied with a rope. As he ran, he pulled Shao Dong along with him and caused the latter to fall down.

  Due to this delay, as well as the fact that there were many people at the night market, by the time they went over, the man had completely vanished from view.

  Shao Xi gasped, and his expression was ugly. “I saw him. I really saw him.”

  “Maybe you’re seeing things.” Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Xi and quickly comforted him, feeling bad for him.

  In the book, Shao Qihai had never returned. If he was still alive, he would have definitely come back.

  “No, I’m not seeing things. I know what I saw. That was Daddy!”

  Shao Xi lost his temper. “I saw him clearly. I shouted at him, and he even turned around. He just… doesn’t want us anymore.”

  Mu Jingzhe started. “Shao Xi…”

  Shao Xi took two deep breaths to calm down. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m not lying to you. I didn’t see wrong either. That really was Daddy.

  “It’s just… he was with another auntie. He had another kid in his arms. I called him, and when he turned around, he saw me. He just doesn’t want us.”

  Shao Xi repeated himself word by word. “He’s not dead. He just doesn’t want us anymore.”

  Shao Dong’s gaze darkened. He believed Shao Xi’s words. Shao Xi had the best eyesight. He couldn’t have seen wrong.

  Shao Nan, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu didn’t say anything.

  Mu Jingzhe felt helpless as she saw them looking like withered eggplants. She could only comfort them again.

  “No, he couldn’t have abandoned you. He loves and values you very much. It’s just that he had no choice but to leave you guys. Shao Xi, you must be seeing things.”

  “I’m not.” Shao Xi clenched his fists, his entire body trembling. “He just doesn’t want us anymore. Death is just his excuse. Other people become corpses when they die, but not him. He’s simply not dead.”

  Shao Xi wanted to restrain himself, but the anger and grievance he felt at that moment still made his eyes turn red and caused tears to fall from them.

  Shao Xi, who had obeyed his father all along and wouldn’t cry, couldn’t control himself.

  \r \r \r

  “I hate Daddy. No, from now onward, I don’t have a father anymore. He’s not my father. I don’t want him anymore.”

  Since their father didn’t want them anymore, Shao Xi didn’t want him either.

  Shao Xi was usually an evil little prince. He could be very scary when he decided to put his vicious tongue to good use. He didn’t care about anyone else other than his siblings. Amenable to coaxing but not coercion, he had a stubborn personality and looked kind of happy-go-lucky on the surface.

  This was the first time he had revealed such a weak side.

  “Stop crying, Shao Xi, stop crying.”

  Mu Jingzhe racked her brains but didn’t know how to comfort him. Though Shao Xi claimed to have seen his father, he was indeed gone.

  She wiped away his tears and all she could do was hug him.

  Shao Xi leaned into Mu Jingzhe’s embrace and finally cried to his heart’s content.

  This warm embrace was different from his older brother’s comfort. It was as if he could be at ease and cry all he wanted.

  “Boohoo… I don’t want him anymore. I hate him.”

  Mu Jingzhe sighed and hugged him to comfort him.

  After a while, Shao Xi calmed down and fell asleep from exhaustion after all that crying.

  It was the first time Shao Xi, who was like a little hedgehog, fell asleep so obediently in her arms. It seemed that he was gravely wounded.

  Mu Jingzhe could only put down Xiao Wu and piggyback Shao Xi.

  Since the sugar figurines had been paid for, and because Mu Jingzhe thought that Shao Xi would be happier to see the figurine when he woke up, she went back to get the sugar figurines.

  On the way back, the atmosphere was very depressing. The excitement and good mood that taking Little Bei to the city to perform at the broadcasting station had brought were both gone.

  Mu Jingzhe carried them back to the guesthouse. She didn’t notice that Shao Xi, who was on her back, had already opened his eyes.

  His eyes were red as he looked at his siblings.

  Mu Jingzhe returned to the guesthouse and asked them to wait while she went to turn on the water herself. She ran up and down to wash their faces and feet.

  After she went out, Shao Xi opened his eyes under the covers.

  Shao Dong and the others sat by the bed. “You really saw him.” Shao Dong’s tone was affirmative.

  “Mm,” Shao Xi replied softly. Everyone’s expressions turned even uglier.

  Although they seemed to have accepted Mu Jingzhe’s explanation that he had seen wrong on the surface, in their hearts, they were certain that Shao Xi had seen what he claimed.

  “I don’t want Daddy anymore either.” Little Bei’s eyes were red as she held back her tears.

  “Mm.” Shao Nan bent down and hugged Little Bei. “Cry if you want.”

  “No, I don’t want to cry for him.” Little Bei sounded choked up, but she refused to let her tears fall.

  From this day onward, the children would no longer mention their father or Shao Qihai.

  They hated their father for abandoning them.

  They sat around the bed and leaned on each other. Their fists were clenched tightly, and there was hatred in the depths of their eyes.

  Since he didn’t want them, they didn’t care about him either.

  The children made up their minds one by one. They had to be successful in the future and make Shao Qihai regret it!

  There was no need to say these words. The children could understand this themselves.

  Upon hearing Mu Jingzhe’s footsteps, Shao Xi closed his eyes and the other four kids dispersed.

  “Wash your faces and feet first.”

  Shao Dong, Shao Nan, and Little Bei knew how to wash themselves. Mu Jingzhe washed Xiao Wu, then took a hot towel and carefully wiped Shao Xi’s face.

  Shao Xi felt her gentleness and, for the first time, he was glad that they still had Mu Jingzhe.

  With Mu Jingzhe around, despite facing the huge blow that their father wasn’t dead and merely didn’t want them anymore, they could still live well.

  Mu Jingzhe felt Shao Xi’s eyes move. “What are you dreaming of?”

  She mumbled softly and looked at Shao Xi’s curly eyelashes. She couldn’t help but touch them. “Your eyelashes are so long.”

  Shao Xi almost couldn’t help but open his eyes. He had pretended to be asleep because he felt embarrassed and wanted to calm down.

  That night, the children were troubled. Shao Dong and Shao Xi didn’t sleep at all.

  Little Bei had said that she wouldn’t cry, but her pillow still ended up getting wet. The next day, her eyelids were even a little swollen.

  Mu Jingzhe saw that they were listless and prepared to return to the county city with everyone.

  They had packed their luggage and were about to get in the car when the dance teacher who had brought them here rushed over and informed them excitedly, “The television station is looking for Little Bei.”

  It turned out that a client wanted to shoot an advertisement. The television station had recommended a list of children that fit their requirements and advertising plan. Little Bei was on that list.

  Although Little Bei had only been one of the backup dancers previously, this dazzling child was the most eye-catching among all the children.

  Because Mu Jingzhe had personally done her styling, her appearance was all the more attractive and pleasing to the eye. Therefore, Little Bei had been recommended to participate in the audition. In the end, the advertiser would decide who to cast.

  This commercial was an advertisement for facial wipes. The advertisement would feature a family to indicate that children could use the product too. The child had to be pretty and likable.

  Other than Little Bei, there were four other children. One of the five children would be chosen in the end.

  The other four children were from the city. Little Bei was still wearing the clothes she had worn on the stage yesterday, whereas the other four children had already changed into a new costume.

  The little girls were wearing little dresses, while the little boys were wearing pants and suspenders. Each one of them looked very nice and gracious.

  However, Little Bei’s costume wasn’t inferior to theirs.