The two stopped talking. Exhausted from a day's activities, they gradually fell asleep.
The three were sleeping soundly, snuggled close together, when suddenly, a banging sound came from downstairs, accompanied by a man's rough curses.
Nannan was groggily woken by the noise. She clutched Peng Fei's neck and started crying again.
"Daddy, don't go, don't leave me. Daddy, I'm scared..."
Peng Fei hugged her, patting her gently to soothe her. Zhan Jingchun sat up and listened carefully. The voices seemed to be coming from downstairs her apartment.
"Could it be Nannan's father looking for her? Why is he back so late? You soothe her first, I'll go down and check."
Peng Fei didn't want her to go alone and intended to take Nannan with him.
But Nannan was wearing thin clothes, and Zhan Jingchun was afraid she would catch a cold.
"It's fine. We were just being kind to his daughter, we didn't do anything wrong. What is there to be afraid of? You get Nannan dressed first, I'll go down and see."
With that, Zhan Jingchun put on her jacket and went downstairs.
Unexpectedly, the situation was much worse than she had imagined.
Nannan's father was a tall, burly man with glasses, reeking of alcohol and dressed in a business suit.
The moment the door opened, he started yelling at Zhan Jingchun, pointing at her nose.
"Where's my daughter? What do you want by luring my daughter to your place? How could you lay hands on such a young child? Have you let dogs eat your conscience?"
"Where is my daughter? You'd better ensure she's safe and hand her over, or I won't let you off!"
Zhan Jingchun never expected that in such a high-end owner's group, there would be someone of such low caliber.
She tightened her clothes and looked at the man coldly.
"Your daughter was unsupervised, and she wanted to play at my house. I was being kind to her out of concern, why are you speaking like this?"
"Of course, I'll hand her over unharmed. What could I possibly do to such a young child? Please watch your mouth!"
The man didn't listen to her explanation at all. He pushed her aside and rushed into the house without hesitation.
The nanny, following behind, trembled with fear.
"Oh dear, he's always like this. His temper is usually very bad, and it gets worse when he drinks. I told you not to let Nannan come."
What use was such useless talk at a time like this?
Zhan Jingchun glanced at her and followed him into the house.
The man was on the first floor, opening every room door and searching. Zhan Jingchun said,
"She was sleeping upstairs just now, and we are getting her dressed. She'll be down soon."
Upon hearing that his daughter was upstairs, the man ran upstairs without a word.
Peng Fei had woken Nannan. The little girl was groggy and crying. Peng Fei was in the process of dressing her.
The man burst into the room and saw a man in a sweater on his upper body and pink pajama pants on his lower half, holding his crying daughter and dressing her. He was immediately filled with lewd thoughts.
"What the hell did you do to my daughter? How could you lay hands on her at this age? What kind of pervert are you? Nannan, come here quickly!"
Nannan heard her father's voice and cried even louder. She struggled out of Peng Fei's arms and crawled towards her father for a hug.
The man held her and checked her all over, then pointed viciously at Peng Fei's nose again.
"I'm taking her to the hospital for a check-up right now. You'd better make sure my daughter is alright, or I'll make sure you have nowhere to be buried!"
After speaking, he asked his daughter again.
"Did he do anything to you? This scumbag, what did he do to you?"
Nannan was groggy from sleep and was shouted at like this, so she couldn't say anything, only burst into tears.
The man didn't take her for a check-up immediately. He put her down on the ground, took out his phone, and started taking pictures, then took pictures of Peng Fei.
"You can't escape. I've recorded you. Just wait, I won't let you go!"
Zhan Jingchun and the nanny rushed up. The man cursed them again, then carried Nannan downstairs.
Neither Zhan Jingchun nor Peng Fei had expected things to escalate like this. They had been taking good care of someone else's child, only to be blamed for it!
The nanny dared not return to their house and stayed by Zhan Jingchun's side.
"I don't dare to go to their house anymore. What if he goes crazy? It's late at night, and I have nowhere to go. Miss, can I stay at your place for the night?"
Seeing the middle-aged woman's plight, and fearing the man might lay hands on her, Zhan Jingchun agreed.
The nanny sat down. Zhan Jingchun asked her about the man's profession, what was going on with his wife, and why he was like this. The nanny said,
The man was a lawyer. She didn't know what kind of cases he handled. She heard that Nannan's mother was also a lawyer, and they were university alumni. Later, for some reason, they divorced.
In any case, by the time she started working there, the man had already married his current wife. His current wife was also pitiful. Although she had given him a son, she had to look at his face every time she asked for money, and might even be beaten.
The child was also frail and often needed to go to the hospital, which made the man even more displeased. The house was in chaos all day long.
The man didn't treat the woman well, and the woman didn't treat Nannan well. Life was difficult.
Zhan Jingchun sighed as she listened.
Since his wife was also a lawyer, why didn't she take Nannan with her when they divorced? With such a volatile father, it was no wonder she would develop psychological problems if this continued!
But it was just a sigh. They weren't familiar with the family and couldn't interfere in their domestic affairs. She could only pray that Nannan wouldn't be beaten or scolded when she got home.
After a chaotic night, the next day, Peng Fei got up and made breakfast. Zhan Jingchun couldn't eat.
She was still worried about Nannan. Just as they were discussing their concerns, the man showed up again, but this time without Nannan.
He came alone with a stack of medical reports and threw them at them.
"I took my daughter to the hospital for an examination overnight. The doctor said she had signs of abuse and had also suffered sexual assault! When I came yesterday, I already took pictures of him in disarray. The evidence is irrefutable, and you can't escape! Tell me, what do you plan to do now?"
Zhan Jingchun and Peng Fei were utterly shameless.
They had treated Nannan like their own daughter, cherishing her as if she were a treasure, and now they were being accused of abuse and assault?
It was fortunate that they could testify for each other. Otherwise, faced with such trash, they wouldn't be able to clarify anything!
Zhan Jingchun and Peng Fei naturally denied it. The man, clearly prepared, sneered and sat opposite them.
"I know you. Your name is Peng Fei, right? You're in the entertainment industry. You were involved in a scandal that caused a huge stir online a while ago, wasn't that you?"
As expected of a lawyer, he had already figured out their background so quickly?
Peng Fei looked at the man with disgust. Before he could speak, Zhan Jingchun stepped in front of him.
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean?" the man sneered.
"I know you too. Your surname is Zhan, right? Zhan Beijue's youngest daughter. This apartment belongs to Zhan Beijue."