I am Huo Xiaozheng.
At the age of 29, I unexpectedly became the father of a daughter.
The first time we met, she was like a carrot, swept into a snowbank by my car.
When I dug her out, her frailty wasn't much different from that of a carrot.
But her eyes were bright, full of life.
That day, my assistant received a call from the police station. On the phone, the little girl's voice mentioned a location where I had been set up by rivals years ago.
Though I always hold grudges, I dislike trouble.
But that day, as if possessed, I went to the police station.
Fatefully, I brought home my daughter.
At first, I thought she was quite cunning, using a ploy of self-harm at such a young age.
When the paternity test results came back, I held those few thin sheets of paper, my thoughts returning to that day at the police station, and unexpectedly felt a twinge in my heart.
But I still remained wary of her.
Ningning was very perceptive, rarely causing me any trouble.
Oh, Ningning is my daughter's nickname. Her original name was Huo Ning, which I later changed to Huo Guining.
Of course, that's a story for another time.
She was very well-behaved, observing my likes and dislikes.
She would never overstep my boundaries, not even once.
Even when I planned to use her to attack my rivals, and my staff couldn't bear to watch, she would always act very understanding.
But children shouldn't be like this.
When Huo Yueze was young, he was almost a little terror, noisy and willful.
Ningning was the opposite of Huo Yueze.
Quiet.
So quiet that even when she was sick, she wouldn't dare ask for comfort while awake.
It was then that the paternal love dormant in my blood suddenly awakened.
I thought, Ningning shouldn't be like this.
But Ningning clearly didn't think so.
She continued to suppress herself.
Sensing her father's approach, she was happy, but still guarded.
I knew this, but felt helpless.
Ningning's health was poor. Learning that she would fall ill if she left me, for a moment I was quite pleased.
This way, perhaps Ningning would learn to depend on me.
But reality continued to defy my wishes.
I tried my best to keep Ningning by my side, not realizing she was always afraid of causing me trouble.
To put my mind at ease, Ningning deliberately concealed that she was taking medication to avoid chest pain.
When I learned this truth, I felt utterly defeated.
Angry, but more than that, heartbroken.
I hadn't been by her side since she was little, and I didn't know how to get her to open up.
Even in dealing with her birth mother, I performed terribly.
Leaving her exposed to public scrutiny, bearing the brunt of criticism.
Much later, when Ningning grew up and recalled the past, she even comforted me.
Telling me those things were trivial, that she didn't care about the criticism at all.
But I cared deeply.
That guilt remained buried in my heart.
Fortunately, as Ningning grew up healthy, watching her become healthy, happy, and free, my guilt gradually lessened.
Ningning's intelligence had always been exceptional for her age. After the college entrance exam, she chose to study abroad, pursuing her longtime passion for art.
Coincidentally, Huo Yueze was also about to graduate from university.
I handed the Huo Corporation to Huo Yueze, with Xi Chuan assisting him.
At first, Huo Yueze was unwilling, but when he learned I was going abroad to accompany Ningning during her studies, the brat agreed quite quickly.
On the day we left the country, my parents hugged Ningning with tears in their eyes.
I couldn't relate to that sense of sorrow at parting.
I even urged them to go home and rest soon, not to tire themselves out, saying that Ningning and I would naturally return during the holidays.
Ningning comforted her grandparents just as I did.
I couldn't help but recall her first meeting with her grandfather.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The old man, still vigorous despite his age, hearing my laughter, raised his cane to swat at me, shouting not to be smug, and that in a while when the weather warmed up, they would both come over to accompany us during the studies.
This time I didn't dare laugh.
Ningning and I both coaxed the two elders to take care of their health.
Life abroad was even happier than I had imagined.
I became an ordinary father.
In my spare time, I would practice cooking and drive Ningning to and from school.
I had worried that Ningning would feel I was restricting her freedom.
After all, she was in her youth, the age when one loves to have fun.
Fortunately, Ningning's interests weren't that broad.
She did love to play and have fun, but always within reason, returning home on time.
She never gave me cause to worry.
As we spent time together day after day, our relationship became more natural and close.
Ningning would tell me about her classmates' love affairs at school.
I would take the opportunity to ask about her own love life.
But Ningning was completely oblivious, and seemed to have no desire to change that. She proudly declared, "What's so great about dating? I'm a noble single, with my own charm."
Whether Ningning dated or not, I approved.
After all, my hope for Ningning was simply that she be free and happy.
We rarely discussed such abstract topics as father and daughter.
During her time studying abroad, we talked more about everyday, trivial things like the weather, food, and fashion.
I no longer worried whether Ningning was happy or not.
Because her eyes gave me the answer.
