After waking up

  Time seems to have passed for a long time.

  The air is filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.

  It seems like a vague white piece, no one, no sound, pale and scary.

  But wait, in a daze, there was another man's low voice, as if reporting something to his superior.

  I want to press my ears closer, to hear more clearly, but I can't move. It hurts so much! My head, it hurts so much! It's as if someone took a hammer and hit me hard, with a dull, dense pain that's accompanied by a numb feeling.

  It seemed that there was still the sound of a heart rate monitor "beeping", and her consciousness gradually returned to her brain, uh... Her eyes blinked twice, slowly opening, but it was hard to adapt to the sudden brightness, her pupils constricted, adapting to the surrounding light.

  "Sir, she's awake." A middle-aged man with a Zhongshan suit and a square face said respectfully to the man beside him.

  The man turned around and looked at her bewildered eyes, then sat back on the edge of the bed and asked softly, "Do you know who I am?"

  The girl on the hospital bed glanced at him disdainfully, raised her hand, removed the oxygen mask that hindered her speech, and said in a small, hoarse voice with a hint of mockery, "I didn't lose my memory!"

  The man looked embarrassed, scratched his head, and spoke to the girl in a helpless tone, opening his mouth, "I..."

  Wait! The girl remembered something, her eyes widened even more, her mouth opened wide, and her voice was a little shrill, "You... you... you're not..."

  "Did you have an accident?" The man looked very happy and laughed twice, "Wait until you're better, I'll tell you this lovely thing..."

  What a joke! Got into an accident! The rumor is dead! Still, lovely?! Is this man senile?!

  The girl nodded heavily and asked, "Where am I now?"

  The man seemed to have no intention of answering her question. He raised his thick eyebrows and said, "Don't you want to call me 'Dad'?"

  This man is already over 40 years old, but still has a devilish look, those beautiful eyes are really captivating!

  The pale-faced girl rolled her eyes and reluctantly called out, "Dad..."

  "I didn't hear that..." The man said with a smile, before the girl's outburst, and returned to normal, "Okay, okay, I heard it..."

  The girl held back her anger and swallowed it.

  "This is in a hospital......" The man looked around and was very satisfied with the surrounding hardware facilities.

  The girl licked her somewhat dry lips and said, "I know that too, I'm asking you, which country?"

  The man narrowed his eyes, pinched the girl's cheek and said, "This is France, Dad brought you here, promised to bring you here after high school graduation, it was my promise to you, Dad can't break promises, or Xiaotian will be unhappy, right? Dear, stay here with Dad."

  "Why?" The girl's eyes didn't have the expected delight, her expression was unreadable, just a faint dullness.

  "What's the reason?"

  "I cut my wrist, I thought I would die, why did you save me? I'm so tired, do you know?" Sadness and grief brought back the heavy and complicated past, so I started carrying a shell on my back again, day after day.

  "You ask why I want to save you? Because you are my daughter, I would rather die myself than let anything happen to you. Only by living can you take revenge on those who have hurt you. From now on, Daddy will be your shield, with a vast financial empire at your command, go ahead and do as you please, dear! Trample underfoot those people you don't like! Slitting one's wrist is the cowardly, weak behavior of an escapist. I want you to be strong, brave, and alive."

  Tian Tian's eyes sparkled, and her pale cheeks also had some warmth. She tried to digest Tian Junfeng's words, what did he mean by "backer", "financial group", "errand"...... "Do you want..." she asked.

  "I'm leaving the company to you, you're the successor of Fengda Group. I've already arranged for you to attend a university in France. Once you recover from your injury, you can start school. While attending classes, you should also spend your free time learning at the company and expanding your network." Tian Junfeng said lightly.

  "...and what about you, Dad?" Tian Tian asked.

  "I? Of course I'm enjoying my twilight years!"

  "You're still so young..."

  "I should take a break now, with such an capable daughter like you, I don't have to worry about the company's future at all."

  "Dad..."

  "Hmm? Let me guess what you're going to ask." Tian Junfeng stroked his chin thoughtfully, "You want to ask who your biological mother is, right?"

  Tian Tian murmured "uh-huh" and her expression turned serious, "Can you tell me?"

  Tian Junfeng suddenly smiled, "I won't tell you for now, let's leave some suspense, haha!"

  It's really infuriating! That's someone's own mother... Knowing and not telling others is suffocating...

  "Ah! You really are......" Tian Tian asked helplessly, turning to ask, "You and Lü Yanlan have divorced?"

  "I'm in the process of getting a divorce. It's not going well, though - Lü Yanlan doesn't agree." Tian Junfeng's gaze suddenly dimmed.

  "Oh..." Tian Tian seemed lost in thought.

  "Alright, silly girl, you get some rest first. Dad's company has things to attend to, I'll be off for now. If anything comes up, just tell Uncle Ze."

  Tian Tian nodded obediently, "Dad, goodbye!"

  "Teng Shu?" Tian Tian called out to the middle-aged man with a poker face standing beside her after Tian Junfeng walked away.

  "Miss!" Teng Shu responded, bowing 15 degrees.

  "Do you know who my real mother is?" Tian Tian asked, her father had really been holding it in for too long.

  "This... You'd better ask Mr. Tan instead." Teng Shu's words choked Tian Tian's next sentence back into her stomach.

  "Uh... okay, so when can I be discharged?"

  "The doctor said it would be about two weeks."

  "For such a long time?!" Tian Tian asked with wide eyes.

  "Please don't doubt the doctor's professional judgment, miss."

  "Hmm..." Tian Tian pulled her quilt up a bit to cover her mouth and said in a muffled voice, "I'm hungry, I want porridge."

  "Excuse me, miss, what porridge would you like?" Tang Shu still had no expression on his face.

  Rice Porridge

  "Please wait a moment, miss," said Teng Shu and then went down to give orders.

  Tian Tian let out a long sigh of relief.

  This feeling... how can I describe it? Here is France, the romantic country that I've heard about since I was very young. The country with the Eiffel Tower, the Seine River, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Arc de Triomphe.

  Here, there are the people closest to her, her father, and Xiao Cheng, her Xu Yi Tian. As if all the blood in her body was boiling, burning, churning, bubbling up.

  Is it a dream? Is it paradise? Why is everything different after experiencing the redemption of life and death? Why are reality, darkness, blood, and sin all gone before closing my eyes? Why can I suddenly be happy and carefree? It's really... I'm so afraid to wake up!

  Tian Junfeng came again when it was already the second day's dawn, he brought a bunch of carnations and placed them on the bedside table. The fresh flowers still had sprinkled water droplets, making them look even more delicate and charming.

  At that time, Tian Tian was wearing headphones listening to music, she closed her eyes, the sunlight of Paris shone on her serene face, and the air also flowed slowly, as if it was about to come to a standstill, extending all the way to the distance.

  Tian Tian opened her eyes after seeing Tian Junfeng and said, "I don't like this kind of flower very much."

  Tian Junfeng took off his jacket and wore only a plaid shirt, saying "What kind of flower do you like? I'll bring some for you next time."

  "Roses, the reddest kind."

  "This, let your future boyfriend give it to you, okay?" Tian Junfeng looked at Tian Tian, lost his smile, and suddenly asked, "Have you ever been in contact with boys?"

  "Whatever!" Tian Tian glanced at the ceiling and said casually.

  "What's 'considered'," Tian Junfeng furrowed his brow, "Are they divorced now?"

  "I don't know... it seems like there wasn't a formal breakup ceremony..."

  "What's your name?" Tian Junfeng asked.

  "Do you plan to break the pot and ask to the bottom? Even my own mother didn't tell me, why should I tell you these things?" Tian Tian's words were like pearls, sizing up the handsome middle-aged man in front of her.

  "Hmm... how about we make a deal?" Tian Junfeng smiled slyly, as if this was his specialty.

  "No, biological mother... you'll tell me sooner or later, I'm not in a hurry. And as for the boyfriend, it can be a secret forever. You're getting off too easy with this deal." Tian Tian shrugged her shoulders.

  "It's really my daughter!" Tian Junfeng also had no choice, "Do you want me to introduce you to an excellent young man? He is the son of my friend, and he is very talented..."

  Before Tian Junfeng finished speaking, Tian Tian interrupted, "Dad... I'm still young."

  "Oh... yeah!" He had forgotten, his girl was only nineteen years old.

  "Wait until you're discharged, and we'll go home, okay? Our house is really beautiful, and Dad has decorated your room into a lovely princess room. I wonder if Little Sweet will like it..." Tian Junfeng said to himself, stroking his chin.

  "Dad..." Tian Tian called out softly, afraid of disturbing the wonderful atmosphere at this moment.

  "What's wrong?" Tian Junfeng said gently.

  "May I give you a hug?" Tian Tian opened her arms, with a white bandage still wrapped around her left wrist.

  Tian Junfeng smiled and looked at his excellent daughter, hugged her into his arms, stroking her soft hair, saying, "Good, does your hand still hurt?"

  For some reason, her eyes were sore and she shook her head, "It doesn't hurt anymore, with Dad here, it doesn't hurt anymore. Dad just can't leave me again, I'm afraid it will be very sad."

  "Silly child, Daddy will always be by your side."

  "Then why didn't you let me stay by your side since I was little?" Tian Tian wiped away her tears and said with a pout.

  "At that time, the company was in trouble, Dad's work was so busy, there were too many problems to solve, funds, talents, planning...... And also, Lü Yanlan, she..."

  "She didn't want me to come over, did she?"

  "At that time, you were still young, I was afraid she would do something bad to you... so, I simply left you and Tian Cheng in China, and waited until you grew up before bringing you over."

  "Xiao Cheng is Lü Yanlan and whose son?" Tian Tian asked, biting her lip.

  "This... " Tian Junfeng pondered for half a day, his expression serious. "Do you think he resembles Zhong Zhonglian?"

  "Ah?" Tian Tian's eyes widened in shock, her mouth agape, looking completely incredulous. "Dad! What did you say?!"

  "Tian Cheng's father is the son of the mayor of N city."

  "Does Tian Heng know?" Tian Tian asked hastily.

  "Lü Yanlan wouldn't tell him that!" Tian Junfeng's eyes were distant, as if he had touched an unhealable wound. "Probably not even the mayor knows about it!"

  "You..."

  "There are some things, I'll tell you when the time is right, for now just focus on taking care of your body and mind, and when the time comes, everything will become clear."

  "Ah..." Tian Tian didn't ask any more questions, but it was still hard for her to accept this fact. Zong Zhonghe and Tian Cheng were brothers, two boys with vastly different personalities, yet they had the same father! What exactly happened back then?! She really needed to get to the bottom of it. It was as if an invisible hand had lifted the lid off the sealed past, presenting those bloody facts before her eyes...