Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  They were all a family. There was no need to get angry over this matter. Blood was thicker than water, after all. No matter what happened, their family would still be their closest kin. No one had wanted such a horrible thing to happen to Zijin. If it was not a matter of life and death, he would never have agreed to his elder daughter taking a kidney from his younger daughter.

  It was all right for family members to have conflicts among themselves or even throw tantrums at one another. But at such a critical moment, the Qiao family had to stand together and not leave anyone in the lurch. Nan Nan had to donate her kidney to save Zijin.

  But he could not expect Nan Nan to donate a kidney with nothing in return, so he had thought it through and discussed it with Zijin. Once Qiao Nan saved Zijin’s life, Zijin would have to get Nan Nan a sum of money. At her age, Nan Nan was still unmarried. Neither did she have a boyfriend. At the very least, she should have some money to buy herself a house. She could not possibly squeeze with others in a rented apartment for the rest of her life.

  Qiao Nan chuckled and behaved normally. She had no sign of getting upset at all. “Dad, why would I feel aggrieved? Should I feel aggrieved? Are you saying that someone in our family has wronged me? Dad, if I’ve really been wronged, do you think I should continue feeling aggrieved? Or should I do something about it and get rid of it?”

  Did he want to instill some values in her? Oh, sorry. She had just finished two bowls of turtle soup and had no extra space to hold all that poisonous chicken soup.

  Aggrieved? Did she really have to say it out loud? Would anyone with eyes and a heart not know about it?

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  If he really wanted to treat her well, her dad should have taken practical action by now. She would not even have had to say a thing. Perhaps her dad’s turtle soup had been too salty that she was feeling slightly thirsty now. Because her mouth was dry, she was unwilling to say anything more.

  Qiao Nan’s questions left Qiao Dongliang speechless. Her tone had not been sharp, nor had her voice been very loud. Neither had her questions been harsh. His younger daughter’s expression was still cheery and bright, but hearing her questions made Qiao Dongliang feel as though someone had slapped him hundreds of times that his face was swollen and his mouth could not even be opened to speak.

  “You…… Aren’t you sleepy? Have a good rest. I’ll visit you again tomorrow. If you think of anything that you want to eat, remember to tell me. You can always borrow a phone from the nurse to reach me. If you don’t have any cravings, I’ll see to it tomorrow.”

  Qiao Dongliang could not understand how Qiao Nan seemed to have transformed into a completely different person after being knocked down by that car. The Qiao Nan of the past used to be cowardly and timid, but she yearned for family affection. Qiao Dongliang had no idea how longing affection felt like, but he knew that Qiao Nan looked at him and Ding Jiayi with a different gaze as that when she looked at others.

  Ever since Qiao Nan woke up from her coma, he had never seen that same gaze in his younger daughter’s eyes again.

  Qiao Dongliang had once been frustrated at how his younger daughter was too obedient to Ding Jiayi and would do whatever Ding Jiayi instructed her to. She was such a good young lady but was still unmarried even though she was about to turn forty. She had even given up all of her income for the family, only for it to end up in Qiao Zijin’s pockets.

  When his younger daughter had not been able to stand up for herself, Qiao Dongliang had been upset. Now, his younger daughter had finally toughened up and had undoubtedly become more opinionated. Her words now were like invisible weapons, piercing through his heart.

  Now that his younger daughter had suddenly undergone such a drastic change, Qiao Dongliang was upset too. He felt that his younger daughter was not as obedient as before and no longer respected him as much as before. She no longer seemed like a good child.

  “All right, Dad. See you tomorrow.” Qiao Nan had seen Qiao Dongliang’s dodging and complicated gaze and expression, but he was cautious not to let that show. She bid Qiao Dongliang goodbye politely and kindly as though she was an obedient child.

  Only when Qiao Dongliang shut the room door and got out of Qiao Nan’s sight did he finally let out a sigh of relief and relax his stiffened back. “That won’t do. I have to consult Nan Nan’s doctor and ask him to get Nan Nan’s brain checked. Was her head really not injured at all in the accident?”

  Compared to his daughter now, Qiao Dongliang still preferred that daughter he had in the past. That daughter in the past had a mild temper and could not speak up for herself. He could not deny that it was exactly because she was mild-tempered and did whatever others instructed her to that there had been peace in their family, and they had been able to avoid many conflicts.

  If Qiao Nan had been any stronger and had known to defend her own interests, the Qiao family would have been in chaos long ago. They would never have enjoyed such peaceful lives. The peace in the Qiao family could be attributed to Qiao Nan’s repeated concessions and sacrifices.

  Qiao Dongliang heaved a huge sigh of relief, and Qiao Nan’s gaze returned to their normal state of calmness. The corners of Qiao Nan’s lips curled up into a sarcastic smile.

  This was not her dream world, so everything was different. She was unsure if Ding Jiayi had taught Qiao Zijin in the same manner as she had in her dream, but the reality was that Qiao Zijin still shared a close relationship with Ding Jiayi. But her dad, Qiao Dongliang, was not being taken seriously and was even being ordered around.

  Qiao Dongliang probably only had one daughter in his heart, and that was Qiao Zijin. She had returned from her world of fantasy to reality. Based on what she had sacrificed for the family in the past, as well as this accident, she had paid all her debts to the Qiao family. She had almost given her life too!

  Qiao Nan stretched lazily and yawned. She no longer had anything to do with the Qiao family. To her, the most important thing she had to do was to recover. Only then would she be able to make detailed plans for her future.

  After having this conversation, Qiao Dongliang visited Qiao Nan daily with three meals each day, sending Qiao Nan delicious food to nourish her body. As for that topic that had been talked about the first time, neither Qiao Dongliang nor Qiao Nan bothered to bring it up again and had a tacit understanding to simply treat it as though they had never mentioned it before.

  Especially Qiao Dongliang, who had been greatly affected by that conversation. Every time Qiao Nan finished eating, Qiao Dongliang would always find an excuse to take his leave. Just that single heart-to-heart talk had nearly frightened Qiao Dongliang out of his wits. As such, Qiao Dongliang had given up on getting through to Qiao Nan and decided to simply take care of Qiao Nan’s meals.

  In the past, Qiao Nan had suffered too badly and her body had been too skinny. Having been nourished by Qiao Dongliang’s meals for two months, Qiao Nan not only recovered well but had also put on some weight. She no longer drew pity because of her frail frame.

  The nurse in the hospital was exceptionally nice. “Actually, if we were to leave your mom and sister out of the equation, your dad treats you pretty well.”