Chapter 35: It Really Was a Runaway Pregnancy

Gone forever?

The moment Tao Hongyi heard those words, a sharp pain pierced his chest.

A chill settled in his eyes as his gaze locked onto Qiao Chuqing, who was deliberately avoiding looking at him.

His voice was low and restrained.

“Qiao Chuqing, you’ve become quite good at hiding.”

“You hid from me for four whole years. Not a single message, not a single trace. You disappeared without a word.”

“Now the child is already this old.”

“What exactly do you have to explain to me?”

Qiao Chuqing avoided his eyes and turned her head away guiltily.

Forcing herself to remain calm, she pretended not to understand.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“When was I hiding from you?”

“I was simply traveling around gathering inspiration for my paintings.”

“Gathering inspiration?”

Tao Hongyi let out a cold, bitter laugh and took another step forward.

“Then how do you explain having a daughter who looks exactly like me?”

“Qiao Chuqing.”

“Look me in the eyes and answer me.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll discover something?”

“Back then, you vanished without saying goodbye.”

“You deleted every means of contact.”

“You blocked every account I had.”

“You cut off all communication and left alone.”

“Do you know I searched for you like a madman for an entire year?”

“How could you be so cruel?”

The tension instantly became suffocating.

The air felt so heavy that it was difficult to breathe.

Watching the confrontation unfold before her, Tang Shu immediately pieced everything together.

Silently covering Tongtong’s eyes, she led the little girl several steps backward and wisely retreated from the center of the battlefield.

She sat down on the edge of a flower bed with the confused little girl in her arms.

While quietly watching the drama unfold, she couldn’t help marveling inwardly.

Good grief.

Her imagination hadn’t exaggerated things at all.

Reality was even more dramatic than a comic.

This was a textbook runaway-pregnancy reunion scene.

A perfect recreation of a classic romance-novel moment.

She would sit quietly with the adorable child and enjoy the spectacle.

There was absolutely no way she was getting involved in the emotional chaos that had built up between Tao Hongyi and Qiao Chuqing over the past four years.

Adult problems should be solved by adults.

Tongtong looked at the two people in the distance and asked innocently,

“Big Sister, what’s wrong with Mommy and that uncle?”

“Why does Mommy seem scared of him?”

“Is he trying to bully Mommy?”

Tang Shu smiled.

“No.”

“That uncle might actually be your daddy.”

“They probably have some things they need to talk about.”

“But he won’t bully your mommy.”

If anything, he probably cherished her too much.

An hour later.

Tang Shu was playing with Tongtong on the grass.

Meanwhile, the conversation between Qiao Chuqing and Tao Hongyi had finally ended.

The pressure around Tao Hongyi was noticeably low.

Heartache lingered in his eyes.

He looked deeply at Qiao Chuqing one last time.

Eventually, he suppressed all his emotions and walked toward Tang Shu and Tongtong.

Lowering his gaze, he looked at the little girl whose features mirrored his own.

Reluctance.

Guilt.

Tenderness.

Countless emotions flashed through his eyes.

Yet he clenched his fists and ultimately hardened his resolve.

His voice was hoarse.

“Shu Shu.”

“Let’s go.”

Tang Shu paused and looked at the lonely expression on his face.

It seemed the conversation hadn’t gone well.

Not far away, Qiao Chuqing remained standing where she was.

Her eyes had turned completely red.

Tears shimmered within them.

Her voice trembled as she called out,

“Tongtong, come here.”

“Let’s go eat lunch.”

Tongtong tilted her head in confusion.

She couldn’t understand the sadness hanging between the adults.

Obediently picking up her toy from the ground, she ran back into her mother’s arms.

Wrapping her small arms around Qiao Chuqing’s neck, she asked hopefully,

“Mommy, can Pretty Sister and Handsome Uncle eat with us?”

“Tongtong wants to play with Sister.”

Qiao Chuqing’s nose stung.

She gently stroked her daughter’s hair.

Holding back her tears, she explained softly,

“Sister and Uncle have other things to do today.”

“So they can’t eat with us.”

“But we’ll definitely meet again in the future.”

“When that happens, we’ll eat together and play together, okay?”

Tongtong turned toward Tang Shu.

Her large eyes were filled with reluctance.

Tang Shu smiled and comforted her.

“Be good, Tongtong.”

“We’ll definitely have plenty of chances to meet again.”

“Next time, Big Sister will take you to fly kites, okay?”

“Okay!”

Tongtong waved obediently.

“Bye, Big Sister!”

“Bye, Uncle!”

Tang Shu returned the farewell.

When she looked up, she met Qiao Chuqing’s gaze.

The woman’s eyes were filled with apology.

Yet she still didn’t dare look at the expressionless Tao Hongyi.

She could only nod awkwardly toward Tang Shu.

Tang Shu responded with a small smile and said nothing.

Holding Tongtong in her arms, Qiao Chuqing slowly turned away.

Her slender figure looked especially lonely.

Only after the mother and daughter completely disappeared from sight did the scene finally end.

Throughout the entire time, Tao Hongyi never once turned around.

Yet the slight trembling of his fingertips revealed the storm raging within him.

Silence gradually settled over the area.

Only the rustling of leaves remained.

After a moment, Tang Shu opened her canvas bag and took out a small, neatly sealed paper packet.

She handed it to Tao Hongyi.

“Ge, this is for you.”

Tao Hongyi lowered his head and looked at the packet resting in his palm.

He didn’t even need to guess what was inside.

Tongtong’s hair.

For a paternity test.

Although Qiao Chuqing had denied everything at first, she had eventually admitted that Tongtong was indeed his daughter.

The two of them had reached an agreement.

She would stop deliberately avoiding him.

But he could not forcibly take Tongtong away.

He would, however, have the right to visit his daughter whenever he wanted.

Tao Hongyi tightened his grip on the paper packet and let out a long sigh.

Exhaustion filled his eyes.

“Shu Shu.”

“You were right.”

“It really was a runaway-pregnancy situation.”

Tang Shu reached out and lightly patted his shoulder.

“Ge, the road ahead is long and difficult.”

“I don’t know what happened between the two of you.”

“But if misunderstandings aren’t cleared up, the knot in your hearts will never be untied.”

“In the end, the people who suffer will be you two… and innocent little Tongtong.”

Hearing that, Tao Hongyi couldn’t help laughing.

Helplessly, he ruffled her hair.

The gloomy atmosphere around him eased slightly.

“You little girl.”

“You’re not even twenty-one yet, but you talk like you’ve lived through everything.”

“I’m almost twenty-one already.”

Tang Shu puffed out her cheeks in protest.

“I’m not a child anymore.”

“I may not have experienced relationships personally, but I’ve seen enough stories.”

After a pause, she added seriously,

“And Ge, you need to tell Uncle and Aunt.”

“If they suddenly find out they have such an adorable granddaughter, they’ll definitely be thrilled.”

“Though they might throw you out of the house first.”

“But who knows?”

“They might become your strongest allies in winning your wife back.”

“Got it, little smarty.”

Tao Hongyi ruffled her hair again.

He had completely lost interest in sightseeing.

His voice carried obvious fatigue.

“I don’t feel like staying on the mountain anymore.”

“Let’s head back.”

“Okay.”

Tang Shu nodded.

“The sooner you get the paternity test done, the sooner you’ll have peace of mind.”

“And then you can return to Jiangcheng sooner too.”

The two of them gathered themselves and slowly rode their bicycles down the mountain.

Neither spoke.

Both were lost in their own thoughts.

Songqing Shu Hot Pot Restaurant

Noon was the busiest time of day for the hot pot restaurant.

Tang Shu parked her bicycle and entered the restaurant.

After glancing around the front counter, she realized Tao Qingrou was nowhere to be seen.

She turned to one of the employees, Sister Li.

“Sister Li, where’s my mom?”

Seeing Tang Shu, Sister Li immediately wore a troubled expression.

Lowering her voice, she sighed heavily.

“Shu Shu, you’re back.”

“Who else could it be?”

“Your eldest aunt came again with her whole family.”

“They’ve occupied the best private room on the second floor and refuse to leave.”

“Not only are they eating and drinking for free as usual, but they’re also insisting that Sister Tao personally wait on them.”

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