Lu Mingzhe clearly had no ill intentions. He even carried a heart full of regret and apology, wanting to see the child.
As a result, Xiang Wan treated him like a thief.
The furthest distance in the world was standing at her doorstep, and she wouldn't let him in.
His heart ached terribly, but he could only endure it.
"Don't be scared. I won't harm the child, nor will I frighten your grandmother. I promise I won't go upstairs, but don't play any tricks either."
Xiang Wan nodded and quickly headed upstairs.
Grandmother was old. Living in a big city was inconvenient for her. She didn't know how to hail a taxi online, nor how to ride the subway, and certainly not how to use the hospital's appointment system.
Therefore, she had to wait until Xiang Wan was free to take the child to the hospital together.
As soon as she reached the door, she heard the sounds of crying from inside.
Xiang Wan anxiously pushed the door open. Seeing her return, Grandmother picked up the bag she had prepared and immediately took Niannian into her arms.
"Don't cry, don't cry. Mommy's back, Mommy's back. We're going out to play."
"Niannian, be good, don't cry."
The apartment was only a little over 60 square meters, a two-bedroom, one-living room layout, with no garden downstairs.
When the weather was good, Grandmother could push Niannian around the neighborhood in a stroller, giving her some fresh air.
But on rainy days, it became troublesome, and they could only stay indoors all day long.
They hadn't been out for over half a month, and coupled with Niannian's recent poor health, she had been particularly fussy these past few days.
A five-month-old child, when crying and fussing, wriggled like an eel in one's arms, making it quite a handful for Grandmother.
Seeing an old woman and a young child waiting for her in such an environment, Xiang Wan's nose stung as soon as she entered the room.
"Did she drink the formula I prepared when I left?"
Grandmother said, "She drank a little. I think her stomach is upset; she's been pooping a lot and refuses to drink."
"It's too stuffy in the house. She keeps looking out the window, wanting to go out. I'm afraid of her catching a cold, so I don't dare take her out."
Xiang Wan took the crying Niannian from Grandmother's arms.
"It'll be troublesome to prepare formula at the hospital later. Let's feed her until she's full at home first before we go. I'll go downstairs to coax her. Once her mood stabilizes, I'll come back up. You rest for a while."
Grandmother thought she made sense and didn't suspect anything.
"Then wrap her up warmly. Don't let her cry downstairs and catch a chill; that would be troublesome."
Xiang Wan wrapped Niannian in a pink blanket and carried her downstairs.
Lu Mingzhe was waiting by the staircase. Hearing the approaching footsteps, he finally saw Xiang Wan emerge from the turn of the stairs, holding a small, pink bundle in her arms.
Like a light piece of cotton candy, he rushed forward and reached out to take her.
"Is she asleep? Let me see."
"She's not asleep. She's crying. Don't move yet."
Both of them unconsciously lowered their voices and slowly walked downstairs.
Xiang Wan lifted the blanket covering the child's head slightly to let him see.
"She has inflammation of the bronchi. The doctor said there are signs of it developing into pneumonia. She's been having a fever lately and mustn't cry. If she inhales cold air, it'll be troublesome."
The implication was that she was not familiar with you, you didn't know how to hold her, so just look, and don't make her cry.
Lu Mingzhe understood her meaning and dared not rashly pick up the child. He cautiously peeked into the blanket.
Such a tiny little person, not even half his forearm long.
But her hair was dark, and her eyes were like two ripe purple grapes, large and round.
Her nose was small, and her mouth, like Xiang Wan's, was small and red.
Adorning her fair skin, she looked exactly like a doll pulled from a television advertisement.
Exactly as Lu Mingzhe had imagined.
This was his daughter, this was his daughter, Lu Mingzhe's daughter!
His heart instantly softened into a puddle of water!
"So beautiful, just like you."
He carefully curved his fingers to wipe away the tears from Niannian's eyes and cooed at her in a soft voice.
"Baby, be good, don't cry. Daddy's here."
"Are you feeling unwell? Daddy knows. I'll take you to see the doctor now."
Niannian seemed to understand what he was saying and also seemed to be particularly interested in this stranger. She actually stopped crying.
Blinking her big, watery eyes, she stared intently at him. Her small hands inside the blanket opened and closed, wanting to reach out.
Xiang Wan gently stopped her, "What do you want to do? It's cold outside. Let's not stick our hands out, okay, Niannian?"
Her name was Niannian?
Lu Mingzhe looked at the child with satisfaction. "I thought her name was Guoguo. But Niannian is also quite nice."
"Niannian."
He reached his hand in and touched Niannian's small hand. Niannian nimbly grasped his finger, then her mouth curved, and she smiled silently.
"She's smiling, look, she's smiling at me."
Lu Mingzhe acted as if he had discovered a new continent, wishing he could invite the whole world to see his daughter.
"So cute, she likes me, she wants me to hold her. Let me hold her."
The little girl who had been crying and wriggling in Grandmother's arms like an eel, impossible to hold, was surprisingly well-behaved when she first met Lu Mingzhe, and even smiled at him!
Xiang Wan was also impressed by this damned blood relation.
"Do you know how to hold her? A baby's bones are soft; you need to support the back of her head..."
"I know. I've been calculating your due date. I've watched countless baby videos alone at home; I learned it long ago."
As he spoke, Lu Mingzhe reached his hand to the back of Niannian's head, supporting her head with one hand and her bottom with the other, and gently lifted her into his arms.
"Niannian, I'm Daddy, say Daddy."
The tension between them just moments ago had vanished. They were now like a couple, talking and laughing tenderly around the child.
The two police officers also gathered around.
The child was indeed adorable, and they were a handsome couple, which made them sigh inwardly.
One of them, already a father, saw Lu Mingzhe awkwardly rocking the child and teaching her to call him Daddy, and couldn't help but want to correct him.
"How could a baby of a few months call out Daddy? Daddy is more appropriate. Come, say Daddy!"
As soon as he spoke, Niannian in Lu Mingzhe's arms blinked her big eyes, opened her small mouth, and actually softly called out.
"Abba—"
Everyone was startled and immediately fell silent. The surroundings became quiet.
Lu Mingzhe looked at Xiang Wan, then at the police officers.
"Am I hallucinating? Did she just call me Daddy?"
"It seems she did call out."
"She can call me Daddy now?" Lu Mingzhe asked Xiang Wan.
Xiang Wan felt unconvinced. Impossible. She was only five months old; she couldn't even call her mother, so how could she call her Daddy?
Just as she was about to retort, Niannian, giving them face, called out twice more.
"Da! Da!"
His nose stung, and Lu Mingzhe's eyes welled up, almost shedding tears.
This was truly his own flesh and blood daughter. She knew to call him Daddy as soon as they met. How could he bear to abandon them here?
He discussed with the police officers, "You guys go back first. I'll call a lawyer to handle my bail immediately. I was wrong today. I have realized my mistake."
"The child is sick; I can't just ignore her. Consider this a chance for me to start anew. Can I take her to the hospital first?"