Chapter 97: Outward Compliance

All night, Pei Du stayed by his daughter's bedside.

She never woke again, but her sleep was far from peaceful; she muttered in her dreams, saying intermittently:

"...... Dad."

"...... Don't bother with me anymore."

The tiny uneasy voice struck his heart like a hammer; the young man lowered his lashes, his gaze falling on his daughter's swollen eyelids from crying. He took a warm towel and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, his black pupils filled with anguish and guilt.

He set the towel down, kept his seated posture for a long while, then leaned forward, lightly pressing his cheek against his daughter's warm forehead, closed his eyes, and prayed inwardly.

Can you... not dislike Dad so much?

The next day, Xiao Mu Yin's fever subsided.

Pei Du asked the chef for guidance and learned to make yam, carrot, corn, and minced meat congee; he had no memory of ever cooking, yet surprisingly he picked it up extremely quickly—after the chef briefly explained the procedure and ingredients, he easily managed to make it.

It was so easy, as if he had done it countless times before.

After it was done, he took a clean spoon and tasted a mouthful; the flavor was decent, and the chef praised its sweet aroma, but Pei Du remained uneasy, nervously carrying it upstairs.

At that moment, a hint of color returned to Xiao Mu Yin's little face as she lay on the bed; a floral-scented humidifier sat on the low cabinet, and the room was warmed to a comfortable temperature.

Pei Du entered and saw his daughter's peach-blossom eyes turn toward him, staring at him.

Probably the congee was indeed well made; the daughter ate it heartily, and more importantly, she opened her mouth for each spoonful he fed her.

Pei Du's fingers holding the spoon trembled slightly from being overwhelmed by favor.

Thus the two small bowls of congee were fed to her and finished.

Pei Du then helped wipe his daughter's mouth.

Xiao Mu Yin blinked, lifted her head, and looked at her father nearby; her clear pupils sparkled as she reached out her little hand, about to tug his sleeve and speak, when Grandmother entered at that moment.

Ms. Song said Xiao Mu Yin had sweated from her fever and needed a change of clean clothes.

Pei Du then rose to avoid them, left the room, but before exiting he glanced back at his daughter; seeing her also looking at him, he gave her a gentle smile.

The clothes were changed by the two maids who had come in, and Ms. Song sat on the nearby sofa, arms crossed, observing the bright-eyed girl, and said in an ambiguous tone:

"Xiao Mu Yin looks happy, doesn't she?"

Hearing the grandmother's question, Xiao Mu Yin obediently nodded; her nature, innocent and carefree thanks to her father's protection, made her unable to resist sharing her joy, saying: "Dad kept me company and fed me congee."

"Dad hasn't stayed with me like this in a long time."

Ms. Song snorted: "Yeah, you're certainly happy, but your dad is miserable."

Xiao Mu Yin froze, as if she hadn't understood the grandmother's words.

Only Ms. Song sighed, her tone reproachful: "Because you had a fever, your dad stayed here all night, didn't sleep a wink, and those huge dark circles under his eyes—didn't you see how hard he's worked?"

"Besides, the company still has plenty of work waiting for him to handle; now, because of you delaying things, what do you say—how will you take responsibility?"

"..."

—If it weren't for picking you up from school, how would your dad have gotten into that car accident?

The same voice, different words, yet they overlapped strangely, like a demonic chant.

In an instant.

The girl's hard‑won flush vanished at those two sentences, her face turning pale again.

Pei Du thought he had finally moved his daughter with a bowl of congee; the usually reserved man's joy showed plainly between his brows and eyes.

He personally made lunch for his daughter again, asked the chef, looked up children's recipes, meticulous and focused; that day he "learned" from the main residence's chef that his daughter was allergic to peanuts.

However, this time when he carried the food upstairs, his usual intention to feed his daughter failed to materialize.

Xiao Mu Yin directly took the bowl and spoon from Pei Du's hands and began eating with her head down, eating unusually fast, as if she were racing against time.

She took big gulps, nearly choking herself.

"Eat slowly."

Watching her made Pei Du's heart ache and his brows furrow; he wanted to hand her water, but Xiao Mu Yin had already taken a step forward and walked away with it herself.

"I, I'm done eating."

Xiao Mu Yin's cheeks puffed out as she spoke indistinctly.

Pei Du had the servant come to clear the dishes, wanting to chat with his daughter a while longer, but she shrank into the blankets and hid; even after Pei Du left the bedroom and went back upstairs, her bedroom door was shut from the inside.

The servant said the Eldest Young Lady had driven everyone out, letting no one in.

That "everyone" included Pei Du as well.

"..."

The young man stood at the doorway of his daughter's bedroom, silent as an exquisite yet icy sculpture, his cold expression lost and at a loss.

He seemed unable to understand; clearly, from morning to noon, the atmosphere between him and his daughter had been very good.

Before, to avoid appearing before his daughter, he had not dared to stay in the main residence, instead lodging in an outside house.

At the mere moment his daughter was willing to drink the congee he fed her, Pei Du's mind had already begun to consider buying a larger house, then having a designer make it child‑friendly, attempting to start a proper life together with his daughter.

But how could it have plunged back to freezing point in just a short while?

Ms. Song told Pei Du that Xiao Mu Yin knew he often went to the kindergarten gate to watch her; she thought he was surveilling her, which reminded her of how he had "managed" and "controlled" her before his amnesia‑causing car accident.

She felt afraid of that sensation and thus did not want to see him as her father.

"I advise you: if you want to untie that child's knot, stop sending people to watch her and let her be freer." Ms. Song spoke confidently: "Besides, she's at home—what could happen? Just focus on your work; I'll look after her well."

"..."

After that.

Pei Du's desire to hide in the shadows and steal a glance at his daughter became a luxury.

And indeed, as Ms. Song said, she has been taking good care of Xiao Mu Yin; the girl is growing up slowly in a safe environment day by day, and it is clear that she relies heavily on Ms. Song, and her desire to live together with her grandmother is also very strong.

Thus, Pei Du willingly disappeared from before his daughter; he could not bear to see his daughter sad, he was afraid.

…

Emerging from the lengthy train of thought, the car had already come to a smooth stop.

Hearing Zhou Zhi from the front passenger seat say, "Director Pei, we've arrived at the main residence."

Pei Du opened his pitch-black eyes—