The forgotten wind in the dark corner Novel – After six years of secret marriage, tonight was the first time He Jingxiao held their daughter high in the air. Five-year-old Xinxin giggled, waving to Shen Yining, “Mommy, Daddy He can make me fly!” Shen Yining’s heart ached, but she forced a smile, watching the father and daughter together. He Jingxiao was heavily intoxicated today, seemingly unaware of his own actions. He didn’t love Xinxin, nor did he love Shen Yining.
His current cheerfulness was solely due to the fact that Su Shiran, the woman he loved most, had returned. Six years ago, while He Jingxiao and Su Shiran were deeply in love, she suddenly left. He Jingxiao followed her but had an accident that left him unable to walk. Shen Yining, as his personal assistant, stayed by his side day and night, enduring his tempers, encouraging him, and even participating in physical therapy with him. When he regained his ability to walk, he was so overjoyed that he drank heavily.
He mistook her for Su Shiran and had sex with her five or six times in a single night. That time, she became pregnant, and he agreed to marry her. But later, she learned that He Jingxiao didn’t love her and didn’t marry her out of obligation. He married her because he saw the news that Su Shiran had publicly announced her relationship with another man abroad. After they got married, he acted like a nobody, never participating in her and their child’s lives.
On the day Xin Xin was born, he planned to fly out of town for work. When Xin Xin started learning to speak, he frowned and refused to let her call him “Dad.” When Xin Xin lost her balance while skateboarding, simply because she accidentally called him “Dad,” he just stood there coldly, watching as she fell and suffered a head injury, bleeding profusely… But the drunken He Jingxiao standing before her looked at Xin Xin with the love of a father. After picking up his daughter, he placed Xin Xin on the sofa and smiled gently, “I’ll be a good father.” “Mmm, Xin Xin believes you, Daddy.” He Jingxiao pretended not to hear, the smile still wide on his face. But as he turned his back, a name slipped out: “Lei Lei.” He would be a good father to Lei Lei. Shen Yining’s heart skipped a beat. Lei Lei… was Su Shiran’s son.
But Xin Xin only heard the first part of the sentence before happily running to Shen Yining. “Mommy, Daddy likes me now, right? Can I call him Daddy now?” “He held me and said he’d be a good father!” The little girl’s eyes were filled with longing, a longing for confirmation of that happiness. She wanted to be like other children, snuggling in their fathers’ arms, calling them Daddy, and doting on them as much as they wanted. Shen Yining gasped, her heart sinking into her arms as she hugged her child, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want to shatter her child’s hopes, so she avoided answering the question.
She didn’t want Xin Xin to know that the fleeting happiness she’d experienced was a result of another woman and his son. “Xin Xin, do you want to leave with Mommy?” Shen Yining held back her tears. Xin Xin paused for a moment. “Mommy, why do we have to go?” The smile froze on the little girl’s face; she couldn’t understand, and tears streamed down her face. “We’re a family now, aren’t we? You want to stay with Daddy,” Shen Yining wiped away her daughter’s tears, sobbing. “Because the woman Father He truly loves has returned, we should be the ones to leave.” “But… Daddy likes me…” Xin Xin’s voice trailed off.
Perhaps deep down, the little girl knew that He Jingxiao didn’t love her. “Mom, can we wait until after my birthday? Let’s give Dad a few more chances. Maybe he’ll really like us then. If he agrees to stay with us, we won’t have to leave, okay?” Shen Yining nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. “Okay, dear. You decide how many chances you want to give him.” Then they would give him one last chance. If he disappointed them again, they would walk out of his world forever. “Okay, thank you, Mom.” “Go to bed now, dear.” After lulling Xin Xin to sleep, Shen Yining returned to her own room.
Her marriage to He Jingxiao was completely ruined; there was nothing left to hold onto. There was no need to save face anymore. The next morning, He Jingxiao woke up and went downstairs. Xinxin was having breakfast. Seeing him, she put down her bread and ran to him. “Father, you’re awake!” He Jingxiao’s face instantly turned pale. He asked coldly, “What did you call me just now?” Xinxin’s embrace froze in mid-air. Startled by his reaction, she quickly corrected himself, her voice trembling, “I’m sorry, Father He…” Shen Yining tried to suppress the bitterness in her heart, walked over, and picked up her child. “Eat your dinner, son, or you’ll be late for school.” She knew his attitude towards them would never change. His kindness last night was merely because he was so happy that Su Shiran had returned that he’d drunk too much.
He Jingxiao’s demeanor softened somewhat. He walked to the dining room, took a sip of coffee, and then left without saying goodbye. “Goodbye, Mr. He!” Xinxin shouted after him as usual, but still received no response. On the way to school, Xin Xin kept her head down in silence. Near the school, she looked up, her eyes red and teary. “Mommy, does that count as one time?” “Then let’s give Daddy He three more chances,” the little girl’s eyes welled up with tears. Shen Yining’s heart broke. “Yes, I’ll do whatever Xin Xin wants.”