Love in the Midst of Mistaken Identities

“Thank you, Granny.” Xiao Pangzi had a sweet mouth, and Song Wan was rather happy with him calling her ‘Granny’. She took out a few sweets from her pocket and stuffed them into his Xiao Pangzi’s hands.

“You’re such a good kid. You almost disfigured your face from the fall, and yet I didn’t see you cry at all.”

Chu Jiang, “...”

Was that a compliment or an insult?

“Thanks, Granny.” After getting a handful of sweets, Xiao Pangzi ran like the wind back into the classroom.

“Eh? Rainy Gao, why are you here?” Upon seeing Rainy, Xiao Pangzi beamed from ear to ear. “Look at this, that granny over there is really nice. She gave me sweets.” As he spoke, he took out all the sweets he got and put them in Rainy’s small palm. “Here, I’ll give them all to you.”

Rainy lowered her head and opened her small hand. In the palm of her hand were several pretty-looking candies.

“Who let you take my granny’s sweets?” Chu Xiang, who was listening in, walked over and forcefully snatched the sweets from her hand. However, how could a child’s hand be able to withstand such force? The sweets fell onto the floor, and a scratch was left on Rainy’s small hand.

Rainy flattened her lips. “Mommy, Rainy

hurts.”

As long as she was in pain, she would look for her mother because once Mommy blew on her wound it’d stop hurting.

“What’s wrong?” Teacher Xiao Meng ran over. The moment she saw the scratch marks on Rainy’s hands she was so shocked that she was at a loss for words. How did this happen-oh, my God. She frantically went to look for the medicine kit and was just about to disinfect the wound...

When a large hand reached over and hastily pulled Rainy into an embrace.

“My lovely child, what’s wrong?”

The moment Rainy saw that the person was her grandfather who treated her really well, she reached out her small hands. When Chu Jiang saw the wound, his entire face turned black. Who hurt his granddaughter like this? Did they not have any upbringing?

In the end, Xiao Pangzi pointed to Chu Xiang who stood at the side. “Grandpa, it was Chu Xiang who scratched Rainy’s hand.”

Chu Jiang’s old face was boiling with anger, and Song Wan had a sudden urge to send Chu Xiang back to the foster home.

“Does it hurt?” Chu Jiang carefully applied the medication onto Rainy’s small hands. Rainy retracted her hands slightly but didn’t cry.

Chu Jiang caressed Rainy’s soft hair. “You really remind me of your father when he was young. Back then, he was just as big as you. Even when he fell down or when he was in pain, he never cried.”

“Daddy is a doctor. That’s why it doesn’t hurt.” Rainy retracted her small hand. In her memories, she only hurt when she went to the hospital. However, after that, she didn’t hurt anymore.

Chu Jiang heaved a heavy sigh. He didn’t know how to make this child understand that her actual father was Chu Lui. However, at the same time, his son had no right to be her father and no right to have her call him ‘daddy’.

Although Chu Lui wasn’t fully to blame-after all, everything was part of that woman, Li Manni’s foul plan. It still didn’t change the fact that he had given up the chance to save this child... this child who was actually his daughter.

Who would have thought—who would have thought that everything was all because of Li Manni? As he thought about this, the hatred in him made him bite down so hard that his teeth had started to hurt.

“Grandpa,” Rainy reached out her hand to grip Chu Jiang’s finger.

“Yes. What’s wrong, darling?”

Chu Jiang’s heart ached for his granddaughter’s small hands. It was only in front of this child that he was not the almighty Chu Jiang that he was in the market. Instead, he was simply a grandfather, embracing his one and only granddaughter in his arms.

“Grandpa, don’t tell Mommy that it was Xiao Jiejie...” Rainy clenched her fists. “Rainy isn’t hurting anymore. If Mommy finds out, she won’t let Rainy come to school anymore.”

Upon hearing her words, Chu Jiang’s entire face flushed.

What have their Chu family done to this child?

In the afternoon, Rainy sat in her grandfather’s embrace, waiting for her mother to come pick her up while Song Wan held Chu Xiang’s hand. One moment, Chu Xiang complained that she was hungry; and in the next, she complained that she was feeling unwell, followed by other similar excuses. In short, she wasn’t willing to wait there any longer.

“Why don’t you bring her home?”

Chu Jiang took a glance at the temperamental Chu Xiang and said to Song Wan.

However, Song Wan wasn’t willing to part with her granddaughter.

“Go back. Don’t let her whine anymore; my head’s starting to hurt.” Chu Jiang really couldn’t take any more of Chu Xiang’s high-pitched screaming. In the past, he simply felt like that child was finicky and wily; but now, he really disliked her. How was this simply being wily? She was practically a manipulative schemer.

In the end, Song Wan had no choice but to drag Chu Xiang into a car and head home, whereas Chu Jiang remained sitting on the steps, waiting for Xia Ruoxin’s arrival.

“Mommy...” Rainy suddenly called out and ran forward. She was so fast that even Chu Jiang had yet to realize that the child’s mother had arrived.

Xia Ruoxin tidied her daughter’s messy hair. “Were you good today?”

“Yes, very good.” Rainy hid her injured hand behind her back and then pointed behind her with the other hand. “Mommy, it’s Grandpa.”

By then, Chu Jiang had already stood up and headed towards them. Rainy had seemingly never thought about wanting to go home with this grandpa.

“Thank you,” Xia Ruoxin thanked Chu Jiang. As for where Song Wan had gone, it wasn’t something that she cared about. She was also never going to send Rainy to the Chu family. Letting them meet with her daughter was already her bottom line; anything more than that, and she was going to refuse.

“Don’t mention it.” Chu Jiang rubbed Rainy’s small head. “Ruoxin, I should be the one thanking you.”

Xia Ruoxin didn’t understand. Thank her for what?

“Thank you for raising Rainy so well. She’s very polite and sensible.” Chu Jiang truly felt that his granddaughter had a really good upbringing. She was very educated. If she was brought up in their house—with Song Wan’s character, there was no knowing how she would’ve turned out.

However, sometimes, it also depended on the person. If Rainy really could be brought up in the Chu family—with the Chu family’s blood running through her, there was no way she would turn out badly.

Xia Ruoxin gripped her daughter’s small hand tightly. “She was well-behaved since she was young. I didn’t really do much. Maybe because children from poor families mature faster.” She laughed. She had no deeper meaning to her words, but it made Chu Jiang sad to hear that. He knew that this mother and daughter have had it tough for the past few years, but now, he was really grateful to her for giving birth under such difficult circumstances and raising the child so well.

He took out a card from his pocket.

“Ruoxin, take this card.”

“That’s alright, Mr. Chu. We don’t need it.” Xia Ruoxin didn’t reach out to receive his card. “I have a job. I am capable of raising my own daughter.”

Rainy leaned against her mother’s leg and nodded her head vehemently. “Rainy and Mommy don’t accept other people’s things. Rainy will grow up and buy many dolls for Mommy. I’ll protect Mommy, too.”

“Baby, you’re such a good kid.” Xia Ruoxin picked up her daughter and kissed her cheeks. “Let’s go. Let’s go home and eat some fish.”