Chapter 97 - No longer
Han YunXi blinked in surprise, her expression momentarily stunned.
In her memory, HuMing rarely gave her such simple gifts. After all, she could have as many dolls as she wanted.
She looked up at him, and HuMing scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.
"I bought them on the way. If you don\'t like them, I can go get you something new tomorrow."
HuMing wasn\'t sure if Han YunXi would like this. If she didn\'t, he planned to take the dolls to the orphanage.
After all, such simple toys were something they could only dream of having.
But hearing his words, Han YunXi quickly hugged the dolls tightly to her chest.
This was the first gift HuMing had given her since he\'d started to change for the better---how could she possibly refuse?
More importantly, he looked so exhausted, yet he still came to comfort her. She couldn\'t bring herself to reject his kindness.
"I want them all!"
Seeing her clutch the dolls so tightly, HuMing chuckled softly.
He gently patted her head and said, "Get some rest. I\'ll take care of the rest."
Han YunXi nodded. She didn\'t want to cause HuMing any more trouble.
She lay back down on her bed, and HuMing stood up to turn off the light.
Just as he was leaving, Han YunXi called out to him.
"Brother?"
"Hmm?"
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
With a soft \'click\', the room was once again enveloped in darkness. But this time, Han YunXi\'s heart was at peace.
Several dolls lay beside Han YunXi as if they were there to keep her company in HuMing\'s absence.
After leaving her room, HuMing rubbed his temples.
He had been dealing with things all day, and his body was beginning to feel the weight of exhaustion.
As for Zhao Qiong, HuMing had already come up with an explanation. How they chose to pursue the matter was no longer his concern.
More importantly, he still had to discuss the orphanage\'s situation with Han LiTian the next day.
With everything piling up, HuMing was starting to feel overwhelmed.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
Kang Xin appeared in front of him again. Unlike before, her brows were furrowed, and her expression was more serious.
"I\'m fine. I just need to get some sleep."
He waved her off and turned to head toward his room.
Seeing this, Kang Xin didn\'t bother him further.
However, she pulled out a small slip of paper from her pocket, the contents of which left her uncertain.
She looked up at the fading figure of HuMing as he disappeared from her sight, sinking into silence.
...
When HuMing woke up again, it was already noon the next day.
He propped himself up, feeling much more refreshed.
It surprised him that Kang Xin hadn\'t come to wake him, something he wasn\'t expecting.
After washing up, HuMing, still in his pajamas, made his way downstairs, where he found Han LiTian sitting in the living room, checking the news on his phone.
"Dad."
HuMing greeted him, and Han LiTian looked up and responded.
"Mm, you\'re awake. The servants told me you came home quite late last night, so I didn\'t have anyone disturb you. But what happened last night? I noticed YunXi seemed off when she got back."
HuMing settled onto the sofa, poured tea into his cup, and explained him previous night\'s events.
Han LiTian, initially indifferent, grew increasingly serious as he listened. He placed his phone on the table and straightened up.
"So, that man frightened YunXi and stole all the money?" Han LiTian\'s expression grew grave. The money was of little concern to him; what mattered was his daughter\'s distress.
No wonder YunXi\'s expression wasn\'t good when she returned yesterday.
Han LiTian narrowed his eyes, contemplating how to track down the man. Given the Han family\'s influence in the city, locating someone would be easy.
"Well, that\'s about it. The old director is currently in hospital, so I\'m going to visit him. But..."
HuMing looked up at Han LiTian as if he had more to say.
Han LiTian waved a hand dismissively.
"I know what you\'re thinking. I\'ll have my assistant follow up on this matter. You don\'t need to worry about the orphanage either. It\'s rare for you to be so dedicated to this issue; as your father, I won\'t stand by idly."
Hearing Han LiTian\'s response, HuMing finally relaxed.
"Thank you, Dad."
"As long as you\'re doing something meaningful, I\'ll support you. Don\'t hesitate to take action if you need to do something."
HuMing felt a mix of emotions. To the original, Han LiTian had indeed fulfilled his role as a father to the fullest.
It was a pity that the original had taken the wrong path.
And this thought led HuMing to think about Han ShuYi.
"By the way, where is ShuYi?"
"Oh, didn\'t he mention signing up for self-defense training yesterday? He seemed quite anxious about it, so I sent him there this morning."
"I see..."
HuMing nodded and didn\'t press further.
Meanwhile, at another location, Han ShuYi was drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through. He panted heavily, but his eyes were still fierce and unyielding.
The scene of HuMing knocking him down replayed in his mind, driving him like a whip.
He no longer wanted to experience that kind of humiliation and was determined to crush HuMing beneath his feet.
"Instructor, can you teach me something new?"
"Hm? You haven\'t even learned the basics and want to learn new things?"
"I want to learn more than just self-defense!"
The instructor was taken aback by Han ShuYi\'s words, recognizing the same intense desire he had seen often in the military.
"Learn the basics first."
"Okay!"
Han ShuYi stepped forward again, only to be slammed to the ground once more.
...
HuMing heeded no mind to what Han ShuYi was doing and went to the hospital alone. In the corridor, Lan Jun was asleep with his head tilted.
HuMing approached and tapped his shoulder, and only then did Lan Jun return to his senses.
"Young...Young Master?!"
"Brother Lan, you\'ve worked hard. Go back and get some rest. I\'ll take care of things here."
"Do you need me to drive you back?"
"No need, you head home. Sorry for the trouble."
"No, It\'s no trouble at all."
HuMing turned and walked into the ward and found the old director already awake. But, his eyes were devoid of expression, looking extremely weary.
"Grandpa Director."
HuMing called out, and only then did the old director return to his senses.