Chapter 24: It Turned Out to Be Her Father

"Xinyi, what's wrong with my mom?" Zhang Xiluo sat up nervously.

"Car accident. I can't reach Uncle. You'd better come over right away. The family needs to sign some papers."

Zhang Xiluo rushed to the hospital, where Xu Xinyi waited outside the emergency room.

"How is my mom?" Zhang Xiluo's eyes were red from crying, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She was terrified.

"Don't be afraid. I'll go in and check again. When I came out earlier, Aunt was still conscious," Xu Xinyi comforted her, then turned and entered the ward.

A police officer responsible for taking statements walked over, followed by the driver who caused the accident.

The man was in his forties, appearing honest and sincere, sweat glistening on his forehead. Seeing Zhang Xiluo, he apologized repeatedly.

He'd been driving long-distance for two days, anxious to get home to his wife and kids. His mind wandered for a moment, and he crashed into her mother's car.

"I'm willing to pay for all the medical expenses. I hope you'll forgive me," the driver knelt before Zhang Xiluo, trying to appeal to her conscience. "I can't go to jail. I'll give up everything if I must. My child is still young, and my mother is sick..."

Her mother was still inside, wounded and being treated, while he was already begging for mercy and reconciliation. Zhang Xiluo couldn't accept it and stepped back.

"I'm not the one to decide; you have to ask my mom."

Zhang Xiluo reserved the right to pursue legal action and demanded to see the surveillance footage of the accident.

At this moment, Li Mingye arrived, with Zhou Yao by his side.

"Dad, why are you kneeling? Get up!" Zhou Yao rushed to her father, the driver, trying to help him to his feet.

Zhang Xiluo was stunned. The world truly worked in mysterious ways—the man who hit her mother was Zhou Yao's father, Zhou Lixun.

"Yao Yao, don't worry about me. I made a mistake, and I need to admit it. I don't want to go to jail; I need their forgiveness," he pushed Zhou Yao, who staggered, and fortunately Li Mingye caught her from behind.

"Thank you," Zhou Yao looked gratefully at Li Mingye and stepped aside to avoid any misunderstanding.

"Sister, can you let my dad get up first? He's been driving for years; his knees are bad," Zhou Yao pleaded, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Zhang Xiluo.

Zhang Xiluo felt a surge of disgust. Any goodwill she had for Zhou Yao vanished instantly. Like father, like daughter—both came straight to emotional blackmail.

Her mother was still in the emergency room, her condition uncertain, and yet they were already desperate for forgiveness.

"What does any of this have to do with me?" Zhang Xiluo frowned, not bothering to hide her anger and irritation.

Her gaze brushed past Li Mingye, and her heart suddenly felt freer, as if something had lifted.

Whether in her past life or this one, Li Mingye would never spare her a glance, nor care about her feelings. His eyes held only Zhou Yao.

"If he wants to kneel, that's his business. Don't drag me into it. I'll say it again: forgiveness depends on my mom's wishes. Your moral blackmail means nothing to me!"

Just because someone cries doesn't mean they're right. She wasn't about to indulge them!

As she turned to leave, Li Mingye gave her a long, meaningful look.

Zhou Yao glanced at her father kneeling, then at Li Mingye behind her, biting her lip in grievance as tears rolled silently down her face.

She bent again to help Zhou Lixun, but before she could touch his arm, she collapsed to the floor.

"Yao Yao!" Zhou Lixun cried out in alarm. "What's wrong?"

Li Mingye immediately picked her up and hurried toward the elevator.

Zhang Xiluo turned back, meeting Li Mingye's gaze—full of worry. When he saw her, his eyes flickered, and she felt a blockage in her chest.

As their eyes met, she glared at him fiercely. What a heartless man—her mother-in-law was hurt, and he didn’t even ask after her.

After nearly an hour, Xu Xinyi and a nurse finally wheeled Zhang's mother out. Her condition was stable—mostly superficial wounds, a minor injury to her head, but nothing unusual detected so far.

"Mom." Zhang Xiluo couldn't help herself; tears flowed again. "Does it hurt?"

"Silly girl, why are you crying?" Her mother moved her fingers, and Zhang Xiluo quickly took her hand. "Where's your dad?"

"His phone isn't reachable, and he wasn't at the office. He must be busy with something. I'll contact him later. Tonight, I'll stay here with you."

"Your father—he went out earlier in the afternoon, and I don't know what he's up to. He was acting strangely today, so after finishing up, I drove home. I never expected to get hit halfway."

Xu Xinyi and Zhang Xiluo accompanied her to the ward. Xu Xinyi still had work, so she left to attend to it.

"Mom, the driver wants to reconcile."

"Luo Luo, I don't think it's that simple. There weren't many cars on the road," her mother recalled the situation, about to continue when the ward door opened.

Li Mingye entered, standing beside Zhang Xiluo. "Mom."

"Why didn't you tell me Mingye was here?" her mother glared at Zhang Xiluo. "It's nothing serious. Go home now."

"I didn't know," Zhang Xiluo replied coldly, unwilling to expose him.

He probably waited until Zhou Yao was stable before making a show of concern for his mother-in-law.

"It's fine, I have time," Li Mingye said, pouring a glass of water. "The nurse said you could moisten your lips with warm water. Would you like to do it, or should I?"

Not wanting to watch him perform, Zhang Xiluo took a cotton swab herself and moistened her mother's lips. "Don't get in the way."

Li Mingye frowned slightly and moved to sit on the other side, clearly not planning to leave.

"Luo Luo, that's enough. Go home and check on your father—I’m worried about him."

"No, I'm worried about you. I'll call him again," Zhang Xiluo dialed, but still couldn't get through.

"Still not answering?" her mother asked anxiously, urging Zhang Xiluo to hurry home to find him.

Zhang Xiluo contacted Xu Xinyi and asked her for help keeping an eye out. Xu Xinyi promised to return soon.

"Mom, don't worry. Just rest."

Zhang Xiluo jogged to the parking lot, her frail body leaving her breathless.

"I'll drive," Li Mingye spoke suddenly, taking the keys from her hand.

"No need," Zhang Xiluo tried to grab them back. "Zhou Yao is who you should be helping. I can handle my own affairs."

Li Mingye got straight into the car, commanding, "Get in."

The man was domineering and unreasonable, refusing to listen. She was already annoyed, and now he insisted on lingering.

He’d done enough acting in front of her family—there was no need to continue with her.

"Li Mingye, I don't need you!" Zhang Xiluo would rather take a cab than accept a ride from him.

Too anxious to pay attention to the ground, her heel got stuck in the storm drain's grating, twisting her ankle.

Unable to extract her shoe, she simply took it off and limped barefoot.

Li Mingye came over, trying to help her, but she avoided him.

"Don't touch me."

"Troublesome," Li Mingye said in a low voice, then scooped her up and carried her back to the car.

Zhang Xiluo struggled fruitlessly, then gave up. The embrace she'd longed for in her previous life—now, within a few days, she'd been held many times. Yet her heart felt no ripple.

Her ankle burned, red and swollen, too painful to even touch.

She glared at Li Mingye in anger and continued to call her father.

This time, the call finally connected—but it wasn't her father who answered.