Sensing the warmth from the palm in hers, Rong Lan looked back at Chu Hengyuan. All the disappointment in her heart due to the unexpected encounter faded away. Next time, she would never make assumptions about what to say when meeting someone again, for plans could never keep up with changes.
She cleared her throat, pretending to be completely calm. "Hello. Since this is our first meeting, I think I should introduce myself. I'm Rong Lan. Genetically speaking, you're my biological father."
She could have introduced herself as Bai Rong Lan, but she deliberately set aside the Bai surname for the time being.
Chu Hengyuan picked up where Rong Lan left off. "Hello. I'm Lan Lan's husband. My surname is Chu, Chu Hengyuan."
Zhang Baiwan took several deep breaths to calm his excitement. He tried to put on a smile, but to Rong Lan, it seemed too bitter. There seemed to be too many emotions in that smile that she couldn't quite analyze.
"Hello. I... I'm Zhang Baiwan. Rong Lan, you... Forget it." He smiled, his whole face wrinkled from the broad smile. "Did someone threaten you with me to do something? I'm sorry for making you come all this way because of me. I've caused you trouble. If something like this happens again, you don't have to bother. The kidnappers will let me go when they realize I'm not that important."
Rong Lan: "..." She wanted to report this! Someone here had stolen her lines! It was because he was her biological father that the kidnappers had abducted him. It was she who had caused him trouble, so how could he be the one to apologize first?
However... She always remembered what her aunt had said inadvertently. Her aunt had said that in a relationship, the one who apologized first didn't mean they had lost; instead, it meant they cared more about the relationship.
At that time, she had quarreled with her elder brother over a trivial matter. In a fit of anger, she had run away from home and gone to her aunt's. She knew her aunt's words weren't meant for her, but she had remembered them anyway. She only stayed at her aunt's for one day before going back home.
On the way home, she kept telling herself that she would say sorry first when she saw her elder brother. Her elder brother always indulged her. As long as she said sorry and gave him an excuse to back down, the two of them would immediately forget all the unpleasantness and make up.
But when she got home and saw her elder brother, all the mental preparations she had made were in vain. She was too embarrassed to say the words. Just as she was about to run away, her elder brother bowed his head first and said 'sorry'.
Since then, she had never thought that apologizing first was a matter of losing face. She still quarreled with her elder brother and got so angry that she didn't want to talk to him. But every time she calmed down and thought about the cause of the quarrel, if it was her fault, she would definitely apologize to her elder brother on her own initiative.
Coming back to her senses, Rong Lan looked at the gray - haired man on the hospital bed. She smiled slightly and complained like a coquettish little girl. "Why are you apologizing to me? It's my problem that has caused you trouble. I should be the one apologizing. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered this unwarranted disaster."
"I, I..." Zhang Baiwan didn't expect Rong Lan to say this. He was flattered, his eyes slightly moist, and his voice choked with suppressed sobs.
The little fox, who didn't know how to comfort others, was afraid he would cry and immediately changed the subject. "Are you thirsty? Do you want some water? Is there anywhere on your body that feels uncomfortable?"
Zhang Baiwan took a deep breath. This opportunity to get along with Rong Lan seemed like a gift from heaven. He had to stay calm and not scare her. "I'm fine. I just feel a bit dizzy now. You don't need to pour water for me. Don't be busy. I feel quite well now."
Even so, Chu Hengyuan still poured a glass of warm water for Zhang Baiwan and placed it on the bedside table. Then he took out two or three tissues and squatted down to pick up the glass shards on the floor.
The one from the Bai family was his father - in - law, and this one was too. He had to build up some good impressions in front of his father - in - law. What if his Lan Lan was willing to get in touch with this side of the family in the future?
Rong Lan looked at the proactive Chu Hengyuan and then at Zhang Baiwan, whose eyes were red with emotion. She blinked and was just about to mention the doctor's instructions when Zhang Baiwan spoke first.
"Rong Lan, I rarely get to see you. There's something I want to tell you." He propped himself up on the bed board and sat up, leaning against the head of the bed. Although his voice was weak, his eyes were firm.
"Ah?" Rong Lan was surprised.
"Back then, I was blinded by greed and swapped you with the daughter of a wealthy family. I thought that if my daughter could get the best education and resources from the very beginning, she would surely become a remarkable person when she grew up. I didn't want my daughter to end up like me, living in an old house in the old city, only associating with people in this circle, and having no chance to know the world more widely and deeply..."
Rong Lan: "..." If she didn't have the ability to analyze a person's causal line, she might have believed his words.
If there was even a single causal line on him related to that incident back then, she wouldn't think her biological father was so foolish.
Chu Hengyuan, who was diligently picking up the glass shards, was lost in thought. Although his father - in - law's words didn't sound very credible, they could serve as a reference. He felt he was getting closer to the truth.
"Rong Lan, I'm sorry to you, and I'm also sorry to Ran Ran. It's right for you to stay in the Bai family. You've done nothing wrong, so... you don't have to feel guilty..." The man's voice was sorrowful. At the end, he raised his hand to cover his eyes, and his whole body was trembling.
Rong Lan was silent.
When her biological father said those words, another memory appeared in her mind. In that memory, her father had said the exact same thing to her.
And the Bai Rong Lan in the memory had believed this explanation.
Bai Rong Lan, who had always been in touch with her blood - related relatives, began to distance herself from them after that. But because she also had a rift with the Bai family, she couldn't get close to them again.
After that, her relatives seemed to be gradually squeezed out of her circle.
Chu Hengyuan looked back at Rong Lan. Fortunately, his little girl remained calm after hearing those words. Well, it made sense. Since she could identify the suspect on her own, she shouldn't believe others' words easily.
Rong Lan took a deep breath, firmly believing that her judgment of the causal line was correct. "I don't know why you're taking the blame for this. You may be trying to protect someone, but in my opinion, you have nothing to do with that incident back then. I believe my investigation results."
"You... You've been investigating..." Zhang Baiwan put down his hand, looking at Rong Lan with indescribable sadness in his eyes.