Zu Wan just heard a very ridiculous request. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh because of this little girl's silly request.
'What? She wants me to become a father?! A stranger like me? Is she crazy?'
Zu Wan looked at her with disbelief in his dark eyes.
'Well, she is still a kid so she doesn't know what she is talking about,' Zu Wan's alter ego had spoken to himself.
Without thinking twice, Zu Wan answered her with a firm "NO!"
Ella pouted her lips when he rejected her request. Her eyes became misty as if she was about to cry.
"But why? I am a cute little girl. Don't you like me? I'm a good girl! Mom is a beautiful woman as well! You will regret it…"
Ella still tried her best to convince Zu Wan.
Zu Wan didn't want to make her cry but he couldn't accept her request. He had his own family and he was going to find them so that he could reunite with them.
"I can't do that because I have my own family. I have a wife and a daughter," Zu Wan patiently explained to her.
He wondered when he started softening his heart for a child aside from Zhen-Zhen. But in his mind, he had to reject her.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Who is more beautiful, me or your daughter?" Ella didn't want to give up. She really liked Zu Wan to become her father.
"I can be her sister!" She added.
Zu Wan fell silent as he wondered how long he had gone. Was Zhen-Zhen still small? But whatever her age was, Zu Wan was certain that his daughter, Zhen-Zhen grew as beautiful as her mother.
'Sigh, I missed them so much! Are they missing me too? Are they thinking about me?'
Zu Wan was still lost in his thoughts when Ella tugged his hands. "You didn't answer me yet…"
Zu Wan snapped out of his train of thoughts because of Ella. He looked down and met the blue eyes of this little girl. He would give her an honest answer.
"Of course, it's my daughter! For me, she's the prettiest, second to my wife!" Zu Wan said proudly.
Ella felt like losing her hopes. Zu Wan had his own family. As for her young age, she already understood the importance of a complete family which she had never have.
The young girl lowered her gaze, fighting the urge to cry. She knew she couldn't take away this man from his own family. It's just that she was yearning to have a father. She was jealous of other kids who had a father by their side.
"Why are you asking a random stranger to be your father? Where is your father?" Zu Wan asked her with intrigue.
"He is gone. My mom said my father is gone. He died when I was still a baby."
Ella started to shed some tears but she didn't make a sound. Her tears just flowed down from the corner of her eyes.
Zu Wan could see the droplet of her tears, falling to her small hands. She was looking down because she didn't want Zu Wan to call her a crybaby.
Zu Wan sighed deeply. He didn't know what to do to comfort her. Well, in fact, he knew but he didn't want to. If he would comfort her then she might become more attached to him.
He learned how to console a child because of his bonding time with Zhen-Zhen. They were together most of the time.
He watched her smile, cry and get mad. He took care of Zhen-Zhen very well. He became a good father to her.
In the end, Zu Wan just decided to ask her, diverting her attention.
"How old are you now?"
Ella wiped her tears using the back of her palms before answering him.
"I'm six."
"Where is your mother? How were you able to bring me here?" Zu Wan asked her curiously.
'There was no way a kid could carry me. Did she ride those moving objects?' Zu Wan thought to himself.
Those moving objects… he was referring to the different vehicles he saw on the road a while ago.
"One more thing I am curious about… how were you able to see me? Don't tell me you were wandering around at night?"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmElla looked up to meet his gaze. She was biting her lower lip.
"I got scolded by my Auntie. I ran away from home. Then I found you on the sidewalk. I called Mom right away. She just got out of her workplace when she received my call. She went to our location and brought you here."
Zu Wan didn't know what to say. This child planned on running away from home but ended up seeing him lying unconscious.
"My mom just bought dinner. I haven't eaten anything yet. She will be back soon."
Zu Wan nodded his head. "Alright. I get it. Thank you for helping me. But I can't fulfill your request. You can ask me anything, but not to be your father."
Ella became quiet. She was sad because Zu Wan couldn't become her father.
"I will think about it. But make sure to return the favor and fulfill my other requests!"
Zu Wan nodded his head. "Yes, I will give you my word. I will return the favor. You can tell me now since I have to leave as soon as possible."
Ella shook her head, folding her arms over her chest.
"The doctor said you were still weak and sick. You were dehydrated. You have to stay in this hospital for a while and take a good rest. If you leave here, who knows you might pass out again!"
But Zu Wan didn't want to stay longer in that place. He had to find a way to go back to their world where he thought Eva and Zhen-Zhen were waiting for him.
"Ella, I can't stay here."
After saying that, Zu Wan removed the IV drip on his arm and got off the bed. He was about to leave the room when the door suddenly opened and a woman emerged from it.
Zu Wan froze in his spot the moment he saw the woman's face.
"Eva…?"