Qin Tianyi drove to pick her up. This morning, due to the matter with Sophie, they had argued and were still upset with each other, so he hadn't had a chance to tell Susu about the DNA identification.
He parked the car by the roadside, and while waiting for Susu, he opened the picture on his phone again, thinking about how to start the conversation.
As soon as Susu walked out of the revolving door of the building, she spotted Qin Tianyi's car and ran over to get in. "You're off work early today," she said with a smile.
"Thanks to Xiao Anjing coming to work, I'm much more relaxed," Qin Tianyi said, turning to look at her, his expression hesitant.
Susu asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
"No."
"Then let's go home. We can both get off work on time today and have dinner with Little Star, then play for a while," Susu said, reaching for her seatbelt.
Qin Tianyi stopped her. "Wait, there's something I want to tell you."
Susu smiled and asked, "What is it? You're being so mysterious. You haven't hidden a gift in the car, have you?"
"I don't know if this counts as a gift." Qin Tianyi, no longer hesitating, showed her the picture on his phone.
Susu took his phone and asked, "What is this..."
"Haven't you always wanted to know who your biological father is? I found out and even did a DNA test for you."
Susu finally understood what he was saying. She stared at the picture for a long time without speaking, her heart churning with a complex mix of emotions.
Qin Tianyi gently stroked her head and asked, "Are you alright?"
Susu looked up, her voice filled with disbelief. "No way. Shu Zhongze is my father? But he's also Shu Yan's father."
Qin Tianyi knew this fact was a bit harsh for her. He said softly, "I had someone investigate Ai Shunan's rise to prominence back then and found a few people who could possibly be your father, including Shu Zhongze. Seeing this paternity test result confirmed it was him. Do you plan to acknowledge him?"
"I don't want to acknowledge him," Susu said, closing the picture and returning the phone to him.
"That's fine too. Shu Zhongze has many children, and I don't want you to get caught up in those disputes..."
Susu wasn't really listening to Qin Tianyi. She was thinking about the flowers and vase Shu Zhongze had sent her last time, the words on the card, and how much he had cared about her background at the golf course.
"Tianyi, what if he finds me if I don't actively seek him out?"
Qin Tianyi paused, then asked, "You think Shu Zhongze already knows your background? He would, would he acknowledge you?"
"I have a vague feeling that he might." Susu felt a bit unsettled.
Qin Tianyi took her hand in his and said gently, "Then let's just let nature take its course. If he truly wants to acknowledge you, we'll deal with it then. Don't be afraid. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side."
Susu leaned against Qin Tianyi, her voice calm. "Thank you for letting me know who my biological father is. One less regret in my life."
"Yes, as long as I can fulfill your wish, I'm willing to do anything."
Susu reached out and hugged him tightly. Having him by her side made her feel incredibly secure. She was no longer a rootless duckweed.
Qin Tianyi ruffled her hair. "Alright, we can go home now."
Just as Susu was about to sit up straight, she felt his phone vibrate.
Qin Tianyi picked up his phone. "It's Anjing."
"Quick, answer it. Is there an urgent matter at the company?" Susu sat up straight and fastened her seatbelt.
As soon as Qin Tianyi answered, Xiao Anjing's hurried voice came through, "Tianyi, I need to ask for a few days off starting tomorrow."
"What's going on? Have your injuries worsened? I didn't hit you that hard," Qin Tianyi asked, puzzled.
"I'm fine. It's the child. Something happened to the child!"
"The child?" Qin Tianyi was even more bewildered. "When did you have a child? Whose illegitimate child? If you don't explain clearly, I won't approve your leave."
Xiao Anjing knew this couldn't be hidden forever and told him, "It's not my child, it's Shu Yan's child. I was foolish and helped her send that child to a welfare home. Just now, the welfare home called me and said the child has been diagnosed with leukemia and I need to go see her immediately."
Susu, overhearing this, felt a jolt in her heart. Before Qin Tianyi could respond, she said, "Shu Yan may deserve to die, but the child is innocent. I want to see the child too."
Qin Tianyi hesitated for a moment, but then quickly said to Xiao Anjing, "Your leave is approved. Send me the location of the child now. Susu and I also want to visit tomorrow."
"Okay." Xiao Anjing hung up and quickly sent him the location.
Qin Tianyi put down his phone and looked at Susu with some concern. "You really want to see the child? Shu Yan has already abandoned her, and with Xiao Anjing handling things, we don't need to get involved."
"Leukemia? Is it terminal? Will the child die?" Susu said with empathy. "The child's current situation is very much like mine was when I was just born. Tianyi, why do newborn infants do anything wrong, offend anyone, to suffer such unfair treatment? Why are they destined to live so lonely, pitiful, and humble from birth, without even the right to live..."
Qin Tianyi saw that she had started to cry as she spoke, so he handed her a tissue. He suddenly understood her feelings and said, "Okay, we'll go see the child tomorrow and see what we can do for her."
Susu nodded and wiped the tears from her face.
Qin Tianyi said no more and started the car to drive home.
Although neither of them wanted to be involved in the Shu family's messy disputes, it seemed unavoidable now.
The next day, they followed the location sent by Xiao Anjing and arrived at a township hospital, finally seeing the child in the pediatric intensive care unit.
The child, being of mixed heritage, had beautiful features. She was eight or nine months old, could sit up and roll over, but couldn't walk or talk yet.
The child's complexion was pale, and there were traces of blood from a recent nosebleed under her nose. She looked timid and helpless when seeing strangers, truly pitiful.
Xiao Anjing was by the child's bedside, fumbling around, clearly with no experience in caring for a child.
Susu stepped forward and said, "She's too young to be fed like this. Let me."
She moved Xiao Anjing aside to rest, took out a Barbie doll toy for the child, carefully wiped the blood from under her nose, and began feeding the child mashed food spoonful by spoonful.
To their surprise, the child quickly warmed up to her and even smiled at her.
Xiao Anjing, standing nearby, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good you came. This child just loves to smile, she smiles at everyone."
Susu asked, "What's her name?"
"She doesn't have a name," Xiao Anjing said, scratching his head. "Shu Yan never gave her a name, she just calls her 'baby, baby'."