The following days were very busy for Su Yue.
She declined some advertisements, and spent her days rushing between school and the hospital.
Su Minghua had truly been there all along. Su Yue even overheard nurses discussing how the husband of the patient in the private room was both considerate and gentle, wishing they could meet such a good man themselves.
For the first few days, Su Yue found such talk absurd.
But gradually, her mindset began to shift.
Su Minghua wasn't just acting like an excellent husband, but also like an excellent father.
Whether in front of her mother or in private, he acted like a kind father, showing her an appropriate level of care and affection.
One afternoon, in particular, Su Yue was going out to buy some daily necessities for her mother. As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, he caught up with her.
"Yueyue, I'll go with you," Su Minghua said gently, standing before her.
Su Yue was about to refuse.
But he continued, "It's a good opportunity for us to talk."
Su Yue's heart skipped a beat, but thinking that it was broad daylight and he couldn't do anything, she agreed.
Su Minghua walked beside Su Yue.
The autumn wind had grown cool. Su Yue hugged her arms to her chest, wrapping her coat tighter, as if to guard against the person beside her.
"Are you still afraid of me?" Su Minghua's low voice asked.
Su Yue felt her body stiffen, but she quickly recovered.
As they walked, she calmly replied, "No, Dad."
If her previous answer was a forced composure, then now it was genuine fearlessness.
And this was the courage Chen Ziming had given her.
With him around, she had nothing to fear.
Su Minghua had expected this answer. He gave a wry smile and said, "It's best if you're not afraid. Actually, I've been wanting to find an opportunity to apologize to you."
Hearing this, Su Yue was truly taken aback.
She stopped in her tracks, looking at Su Minghua with disbelief.
He met her gaze with sincerity and a smile, and continued:
"I admit, I had bad intentions. But after you ran away from home last time, I felt immense shame."
"I was indeed afraid of Chen Ziming's family background, so after you established a relationship with him, I no longer dared to entertain those wicked thoughts."
"Especially now that your mother is sick, I've realized I still love her. My feelings for you were so despicable. I shouldn't have controlled your life, nor should I have threatened you."
"If you're willing, can we just get along peacefully like a normal father and daughter? And please don't resist coming home, and consequently resisting your mother."
"Seeing her heartbroken because of you truly pains me."
It had to be said that Su Minghua was a straightforward scoundrel.
He laid bare his thoughts to Su Yue without any pretense. His sincere self-criticism and introspection, however, left Su Yue momentarily at a loss.
The last sentence, in particular, truly touched Su Yue.
Coupled with his exceptionally good behavior recently.
Even though Su Yue still harbored doubts, faced with this barrage of sugary temptations, she ultimately nodded with a hint of confusion.
She softly replied, "Okay."
Su Minghua showed a look of relief and reached out, patting Su Yue on the shoulder.
But in his heart, a triumphant smile bloomed.
Su Yue, however, had no time to dwell on him. She regarded the incident as a minor interlude, her focus entirely on her mother.
And on her concern for Chen Ziming.
A few days later, her mother finally recovered.
Su Minghua suggested staying one more day in the hospital as a precaution.
Coincidentally, it was Friday. After her three o'clock class, Su Yue rushed to accompany them.
As she entered the room, Su Minghua was reading to Jiang Ling.
The warm afternoon autumn sun streamed into the room, illuminating Jiang Ling's face and her happy smile.
Su Yue suddenly felt that her mother's illness had indirectly fostered intimacy within their "family."
Although she still couldn't fully trust Su Minghua.
The feeling at that moment was indeed quite good.
Unconsciously, Su Yue smiled from the bottom of her heart as Su Minghua and her mother looked at her.
She walked to the bedside and put down her bag:
"I'll wash my hands first, and then it will be my turn to read to Mom."
She paused, then looked at Su Minghua, "Dad, you should rest too."
Jiang Ling's face instantly showed surprise.
This was the first time in the month her mother had been hospitalized that Su Yue had so naturally called Su Minghua "Dad."