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Join the ServerHolding back a laugh, Tang Shu looked at the stiff-faced Tao Hongyi beside her and deliberately teased him in an exaggerated tone.
“Not bad, Hongyi-ge. You’ve really been hiding things well.”
“I’ve never even heard that you were married, and yet you already have such an adorable daughter?”
Tao Hongyi’s ears instantly turned red.
Looking at her helplessly, he hurried to defend himself.
“Stop talking nonsense.”
“I’ve never even been in a relationship. Where would a child come from?”
“She must have mistaken me for someone else.”
Tang Shu lowered her head and looked gently at the little girl nestled in her arms.
Her fingers lightly brushed the child’s soft cheek.
“Sweetie, tell Big Sister your name.”
“And why did you think this uncle was your daddy?”
The little girl blinked her watery eyes and answered in a sweet voice.
“My name is Tongtong.”
“I saw a photo on Mommy’s phone.”
“This uncle looks exactly like the daddy in the picture.”
Tao Hongyi froze.
A photo?
She must have simply mistaken him for someone else.
Patting Tongtong’s head, he said gently,
“Tongtong, you’ve really got the wrong person.”
“I’m not your daddy.”
“I probably just look a little similar to him.”
To his surprise, Tongtong tilted her head and looked at him seriously.
“Then can Uncle be my daddy?”
“Tongtong wants a daddy.”
The innocent words softened Tao Hongyi’s heart instantly.
He reached out and took Tongtong from Tang Shu’s arms, holding her securely.
“That’s not possible, little one.”
“If your real mommy and daddy can’t find you, they’ll be very worried.”
“We can’t randomly replace someone else’s daddy.”
Tang Shu stood beside them, watching Tao Hongyi gently hold the child.
Then she looked at Tongtong’s face, which seemed remarkably similar to his.
Suddenly, inspiration struck.
A dramatic comic-book plot immediately formed in her mind.
Wasn’t this exactly the classic storyline from romance novels?
The runaway mother carrying her child.
The adorable kid traveling thousands of miles to find her father.
A timeless bestseller plot.
Sure enough, art really did imitate life.
Inspiration was everywhere.
She quietly leaned closer to Tao Hongyi and lowered her voice.
“Hongyi-ge, think carefully.”
“Is there any chance that you knew Tongtong’s mother, and she secretly left while pregnant and raised the child alone without telling you?”
Tao Hongyi’s arms stiffened abruptly.
His body froze.
For a fleeting moment, the image of someone he hadn’t seen in years flashed through his mind.
His heart stirred.
But he quickly came back to his senses and immediately shook his head.
“Impossible.”
“Absolutely impossible.”
“Your brother here has been single his entire life.”
“My social circle is tiny.”
“Nothing like that has ever happened.”
Tang Shu raised an eyebrow.
“It’s too early to say that.”
“Once we find Tongtong’s mother, won’t all the answers reveal themselves?”
“What if it’s true?”
“Wouldn’t you instantly become a father and skip straight to full-time dad mode?”
Tao Hongyi rubbed his forehead helplessly.
His expression clearly said he’d been defeated by her imagination.
“You really have a wild imagination, Shu Shu.”
“No wonder you’re an artist.”
“Your creativity is off the charts.”
“But try not to overthink things so much.”
“Real life doesn’t have that many dramatic coincidences.”
With that, he carried the obedient Tongtong and began walking toward the white guesthouse surrounded by flowers.
“We should hurry and help her find her mother.”
“Otherwise she’ll be worried sick.”
Tang Shu quickly followed behind him.
Only then did she realize she had forgotten to ask for Tongtong’s mother’s name.
If the mother happened to be someone Tao Hongyi knew, then the little girl’s mistake and their uncanny resemblance would suddenly make perfect sense.
The two eventually arrived at the guesthouse.
There were plenty of tourists coming and going.
Yet they couldn’t see any frantic parent searching for a lost child.
Just as Tao Hongyi was about to enter, his phone rang.
He handed Tongtong back to Tang Shu.
“Shu Shu, can you hold her for a moment?”
“I need to take a work call nearby. I’ll be back soon.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Tang Shu took the soft little bundle and entered the guesthouse.
Inside the entrance was a large garden.
Looking down at the little girl in her arms, she asked gently,
“Tongtong, do you remember exactly where you and Mommy got separated?”
Tongtong blinked her round eyes.
Her tiny finger pointed toward a large grassy field nearby.
“In that big grass field over there.”
“Mommy was sitting there painting.”
“She told Tongtong to play quietly with her building blocks.”
“Then a big fluffy dog came running over.”
“I got curious and chased after the dog.”
“Then I couldn’t find Mommy anymore…”
“And I couldn’t find the place where we were before either…”
“Waaah…”
Tang Shu gently rubbed her head.
Feeling sorry for her, she carried Tongtong along a stone path toward the lawn.
From a distance, she spotted a wooden easel standing on the grass.
A canvas sat neatly upon it.
Beside it were paint palettes, brushes, and painting mediums.
The owner couldn’t have left very long ago.
Tang Shu walked closer.
The moment her gaze landed on the canvas, admiration flashed across her eyes.
As an art student, she could immediately tell that the painter possessed exceptional skill.
The brushwork was delicate and restrained.
The color palette was cool and sophisticated.
The technique was polished, yet distinctly personal.
The artist’s level far surpassed many of the trendy internet painters on the market.
“Tongtong, is your mother a professional artist?”
“This painting is incredible.”
Tang Shu couldn’t help but praise it sincerely.
Tongtong puffed out her little chest proudly.
Her face was full of admiration for her mother.
“Yep!”
“Mommy is a super amazing artist!”
“Big Sister, look! Isn’t this painting beautiful?”
Tang Shu carefully examined the completed work.
The painting depicted the very summit of Yunding Mountain where they currently stood.
Layer upon layer of distant mountains stretched into the horizon.
Clouds surged like an endless sea.
Wildflowers swayed beneath the mountain wind.
The scenery was vast and healing.
Yet in the center of the painting stood a solitary figure.
A lone back view.
The figure gazed out at the sea of clouds, surrounded by a faint haze of cold gray tones.
Although the scenery itself was bright and open, the painting’s emotional core carried an indescribable loneliness.
The brushstrokes were gentle but restrained.
They concealed a deep and lingering yearning.
It felt as though the artist treasured old memories dearly.
Yet at the same time, she deliberately avoided painting the person’s face.
As if she lacked the courage to confront the obsession hidden in her heart.
As if she had spent years running from it—
yet continued thinking about it day and night.
Tang Shu felt something stir in her chest.
She unexpectedly related to it.
Softly, she said,
“The painting is beautiful.”
“But you can tell the artist has someone they’re desperately longing to see…”
“Someone they miss deeply, yet don’t dare meet.”
Looking down at Tongtong, she spoke sincerely.
“Tongtong, I really want to meet your mother.”
“I’m an art student too.”
“I’d love to talk with her about painting.”
Tongtong’s eyes lit up immediately.
She clapped her little hands excitedly.
“Wow! Big Sister paints too?”
“Then Mommy will definitely be happy!”
“She doesn’t have any friends who like painting and chatting with her!”
The two of them chatted together for a few minutes.
Then suddenly, a woman’s anxious voice rang out from the distance.
“Tongtong!”
Tongtong immediately lifted her head.
Breaking free from Tang Shu’s arms, she ran toward the voice on her short little legs.
“Mommy!”
“I’m here!”
Tang Shu slowly stood up and looked in that direction.
A woman with a gentle and refined temperament was approaching.
She wore a simple white long-sleeved blouse paired with a flowing beige skirt.
Her softly curled hair rested casually over her shoulders.
Her features were elegant and mild.
She carried the scholarly grace of someone who had grown up surrounded by books and culture.
At a glance, it was obvious she came from a well-educated family.
But at that moment, her eyes were red.
Tear marks lingered at the corners.
Her face was pale.
The panic and relief of recovering something precious she thought she’d lost were written all over her expression.
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