Cheng Ruan's reaction was quite extreme, which really gave Miaomiao a big scare. Seeing her attitude, it seemed that she didn't want Miaomiao to go back. Miaomiao asked doubtfully, "What's wrong, Ruan Ruan? You seem reluctant to let me go back. But I've been away from home for a long time, and Dad hasn't called me for ages. I think I should go back."
"No, I... I just think that Old Wei is still so busy now. Yao Mingxuan and I can't get leave. So there's no one to go back with you. It's so unsafe for you to travel alone. Let's wait until we're on holiday and go back together."
Cheng Ruan stammered and racked her brains to come up with an excuse, but it was a flimsy one. Miaomiao was no longer a little kid. She was almost an adult, and it was no big deal for her to take a plane alone. Moreover, there was unaccompanied minor service on the plane. Even if Wei Ziqi accompanied her, this service would still be available.
"I'll be fine going back alone. Teacher Wei and you are all busy with your own things. I'm not unable to take care of myself. Dad will pick me up when I get back. I just need to take a plane. Nothing will go wrong."
Looking at Miaomiao's skeptical eyes, Cheng Ruan could no longer come up with any more excuses to deceive her.
The kid had grown up and become smarter. She was hard to fool!
It was over!
"Otherwise, talk to Old Wei tonight. Maybe he can accompany you back." Cheng Ruan forced a dry laugh and decided to pass this difficult problem on to Wei Ziqi.
Whoever's wife it is, that person should take care of it. This was too difficult. She really couldn't handle it.
"Okay, I'll ask. Teacher Wei hasn't seen Mom Wei for a long time. He must miss her!"
After a brief moment of thought, Miaomiao immediately agreed.
After separating from Miaomiao, Cheng Ruan immediately called Wei Ziqi and reported anxiously, "It's over! Miaomiao has sensed something is wrong and wants to go home. Old Wei, think of a way quickly!"
"Forget it. It's no use thinking of anything. No one can stop what Miaomiao wants to do. If we keep stopping her, she'll get suspicious. If we're forced to tell her then, it'll be even more embarrassing. We all know how much Miaomiao cares about Uncle Lin. You can't paper over the cracks. We'll have to tell her sooner or later."
After hearing the news, Wei Ziqi was silent for a long time before slowly saying.
Cheng Ruan knew this was the truth, so she only tried to stop Miaomiao twice and then never mentioned not letting her go back again. She let out a deep sigh and asked, "Alright, I understand. Will you accompany Miaomiao back?"
"Definitely. I'll first deal with all the work at hand and postpone whatever can be postponed. I'm just learning to take over the family business now. My dad can take it back at any time. It's not a big deal."
"Okay. When Miaomiao has set the time, let me know too. Yao Mingxuan and I will go back with you. With us accompanying her, there'll be someone to comfort Miaomiao when she's sad."
"Okay."
The two hung up the phone in a hurry. Wei Ziqi stood in the laboratory, staring blankly at his phone and letting out a long sigh.
Looking around, this laboratory was a gift he wanted to give to Miaomiao. It was also a tool he originally planned to use to distract Miaomiao during the holiday. He had been busy preparing to buy materials and build the laboratory recently, which was why he had become busier and busier.
Just as he had the intention of researching and developing pharmaceuticals, the Du family originally had a business in producing medical devices. Developing this project wasn't too much of a stretch. He thought that during the holiday, he could make Miaomiao happy and ask her to help with important research, so that she could be immersed in medicine and have no time to think about Lin Yao.
Now it seemed that all these plans were in vain.
But it didn't matter. This laboratory was a gift for Miaomiao, and that wouldn't change.
It was either Cheng Ruan's abnormal behavior that caught Miaomiao's attention or her eagerness to go home to find Lin Yao. Miaomiao proposed to set off for home two days later. It was extremely hasty.
Cheng Ruan and Yao Mingxuan pleaded with their families for two days before their parents finally relented and allowed them to ask for leave from their teachers.
Wei Ziqi was relatively more free, but he still rushed to deal with the work at hand and booked the plane tickets.
Two days later, the plane landed in Nancheng. Miaomiao and her friends walked out of the airport, but they didn't see their expected father. Her heart, which had been hanging in the air, became even more uneasy.
"Why didn't Dad come to pick me up? Does Dad not want me anymore?" Miaomiao looked at the empty underground parking lot, and tears streamed down her face.
The last time Li Erya showed up and said that her father should be her father too, Miaomiao had felt extremely uneasy.
She knew that she wasn't Dad's biological daughter. When she met someone who looked exactly like her, she really had thought that if her biological parents had abandoned Li Erya instead, would Dad not be her father now?
This was too terrifying. Miaomiao didn't dare to think about it deeply, but it had left a huge psychological shadow on her. This was also one of the reasons why she was so eager to go home.
She was really afraid that Dad would see the pitiful Li Erya who looked exactly like her, take pity on her and like her, and then abandon her, his clumsy daughter, and turn to the one who looked just like her.
At the beginning, when they first met, she was homeless. Lin Yao saw that she was pitiful and helpless, so out of pity, he took her home and gave her a family.
This father - daughter relationship had always been something she had actively sought.
Lin Yao needed a peerless master to uphold the family's reputation, so she worked hard to learn martial arts and made becoming a peerless master her lifelong goal.
Lin Yao needed an heir to carry forward the family, so she worked hard to learn medicine and devoted herself to her studies in order to bring glory to the family.
She was really afraid that because of her lack of effort, she would be disliked by Dad and abandoned.
In fact, Miaomiao had always known that she was a bit slow - witted. She wasn't as smart as other kids, but no matter what she did, she would study hard and strive to do her best, just to always be Dad's daughter.
"What are you thinking nonsense about? Miaomiao, did you inform Uncle Lin when you were coming back?" Cheng Ruan couldn't bear to see Miaomiao crying. She felt as heart - broken as an old mother.
Since childhood, when Miaomiao cried, she either wailed loudly or just pretended to cry without tears. She had never seen Miaomiao crying silently and so sadly. It was heart - wrenching to watch.
"I called Dad, but no one answered. So I sent him a text message." Miaomiao hiccupped through her sobs and replied.
"Didn't you inform anyone else?" Wei Ziqi gently wiped away Miaomiao's tears and asked.
"No..."
...
Uncle Lin was in a coma now. It would be a miracle if someone came to pick them up!
"Miaomiao, I'm going to tell you some news that will be like a bolt from the blue. You must promise me that you won't be impulsive, that you'll be obedient and that you'll hold on." Yao Mingxuan took a deep breath. He knew that Cheng Ruan was too soft - hearted and that Wei Ziqi regarded Miaomiao as the apple of his eye. These two would definitely never have the heart to tell Miaomiao the news about Lin Yao. He'd have to be the bad guy.
"What?" Miaomiao was stunned for a moment and asked doubtfully.
"Uncle Lin has been in a coma for more than two months. He's in the hospital now."