Chapter 592: Chapter 592
Pu Sangzhi had been worried about her dad for more than half a day already.
Since earlier this year, when her dad had messaged them, mother and daughter, asking to borrow ten thousand, he had vanished without a trace, as if evaporated.
She and her mother had almost thought her father was already dead, likely unknown, perhaps in some foreign land with no one to claim his body.
But even with such terrifying conjectures, the mother and daughter never stopped searching for her father.
Pu Sangzhi still kept sending QQ messages to her father.
She had sent messages before the incident, and she had sent them after.
Watching the messages disappear into the sea one by one, the slight hope in her heart had long since turned to disappointment...
But unexpectedly, just when she was most despondent, she actually received a reply from her father!
Tonight, it truly was a fortunate evening.
Pu Sangzhi had not only found Huo Feng but had also reconciled with him as before. She had not expected such a surprise to be waiting for her...
She was holding her phone, typing swiftly, replying quickly to her father.
Her father had sent her a message: "Sorry, child. How are you and your mom doing now?"
Fortunately, all was settled by now, Pu Sangzhi had already become calmed down...
So, she replied to her dad, "Dad, Mom and I are staying at Aunt Xu’s place. Aunt Xu is very good to us, we are okay for now. How about you? Are you alright?"
After replying, Pu Sangzhi couldn’t help but take a deep breath, soothing her chest, as if she were nervous, yet also relieved after being nervous...
Huo Feng, seeing this, sat up, his eyes intently focused in the dark on her face lit by the phone’s glow.
"What did your dad say?" asked Huo Feng.
"He asked how Mom and I are," Pu Sangzhi replied to him.
After replying, she also turned her head, looking somewhat tensely in the direction of Huo Feng, "Huo Feng..."
Huo Feng stretched out his hand towards her, and quickly, in the darkness, he grasped her small hand. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖•𝗇𝗲𝘁
Before, they had just comfortably turned off the lights and lied down on the bed to chat.
So now, the room was dark, the darkness enveloping them both. But with Huo Feng by her side, Pu Sangzhi felt not a hint of fear, especially when holding his big hand, she felt particularly reassured!
"Huo Feng..." Pu Sangzhi called him.
Huo Feng softly and gently answered, "Say whatever you want, don’t hold back."
Pu Sangzhi then, after a few seconds of hesitation, began to speak, "Actually, I feel like I hardly recognize my dad anymore."
Huo Feng raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"
Pu Sangzhi continued, "After everything happened at home, he vanished quickly. Leaving my mom and me to fend for ourselves, destitute and wandering. Every time my mom and I were bullied, he wasn’t there, he wasn’t there when we needed him most, and when we didn’t need him, he still worried us. Moreover, we don’t even know where he is, what he is doing, or if there is a way to resolve the family issues..."
Huo Feng squeezed her small hand, seeing her so unsettled, he could only soothe her with a clear conscience, "Trust your uncle. Perhaps this time he really is sorting things out, he is your dad after all, how could he teach such a good daughter like you if he didn’t have good qualities and character?"
Of course, Huo Feng himself felt that these words were merely to comfort her. Because, from the bottom of his heart, he truly felt her dad was unreliable, not a responsible man.
But being astute, he knew what could be said and what couldn’t.
Such derogatory remarks about his future father-in-law could only rot in his stomach, never to let Pu Sangzhi know.
Just then, as Huo Feng finished speaking, Pu Sangzhi’s phone emitted the sound of a message.
She quickly picked up her phone and checked the message.
She saw her dad had replied in succession, "Is it convenient to talk on the phone?"
Pu Sangzhi turned to look at Huo Feng beside her, quickly instructing him, "My dad wants to call me, don’t make a sound, okay?"
Huo Feng obediently nodded.
Then, Pu Sangzhi connected to the phone with Pu Wenhua...
After the phone connected, she hesitated, not knowing what to say, and Pu Wenhua was also silent on the other side.
Thus, after enduring a silence lasting several tens of seconds, in the end, it was Pu Sangzhi who broke the silence first, "Dad..."
She said nothing else, simply calling out to Pu Wenhua.
Because, she really couldn’t think of anything to say.
Complaining, expressing grievances, seeking comfort, reprimanding, etc., all seemed unimportant at the moment the phone connected.
Once the call was made, what she really wanted to say was to know what he had been up to recently? Was he well? Was his life going smoothly?
But, for some reason, she simply couldn’t voice these caring words.
In such moments, she felt a growing sense of estrangement from her father...
On the other end of the phone, Pu Wenhua was also very hesitant, seemingly harboring his own feelings of guilt and self-blame, finding it difficult to speak his heart to Pu Sangzhi.
After a long while, he barely managed to speak, his voice raspy and weathered, he asked, "Xiaosang, have you and your mom been really okay recently?"
The addition of "really" in his question made Pu Sangzhi’s nose tingle, and her heart flutter.
She choked up a bit, pondered for a moment, and finally told the truth, "Dad, Mom and I haven’t been doing well recently... We’ve been very bad..."
From across the phone, Pu Sangzhi felt as if she could hear Pu Wenhua sighing.
Feeling his guilt, Pu Sangzhi couldn’t hold back and voiced her complaint, "Dad, when are you coming back? What exactly are you doing? How could you disappear for so long... We all thought you were dead..."
Pu Wenhua sighed softly, "I’ll find some time to come and see you all."
At this moment, Pu Sangzhi couldn’t quite understand what her father was planning.
Previously, he had been completely silent, as if hiding in a place cut off from the world, seemingly abandoned his wife and daughter.
Now, suddenly, he said these words.
It was truly out of character...
It made Pu Sangzhi suddenly think of the phrase "things will develop in the opposite direction when they become extreme!"
"You said, you’re at Aunt Xu’s house, right?" Pu Wenhua asked her.
"Mm..." Pu Sangzhi replied.
"I’ll pack up my things here, and I’ll be back in a few days."
Pu Wenhua spoke firmly, "You and your mom stay at Aunt Xu’s house for now. Stay there peacefully, Aunt Xu will definitely take good care of you."
"Mm." Pu Sangzhi responded.
After responding, she still felt uneasy, "Dad, but what exactly is going on with you? Can’t you really tell me? Also, about the debt, do you, do you have any plans?"
"The debt... it’s getting more and more. They’re pressing me hard, I’m tied up, unable to do anything."
Pu Wenhua briefly mentioned some aspects, but, to not worry Pu Sangzhi too much, he kept it brief and to the point.
"Dad, money isn’t important... Just be, be safe, please don’t end up like Uncle Ye..." she couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence fearing disrespect to the deceased.
But she believed her father understood.
Pu Wenhua reassured her, "I won’t seek death, Dad’s just going to grit his teeth and keep going. Debt is inescapable, the more I run, the more you both suffer. It’s me who realized it too late, it’s my fault you suffered."
Hearing this, Pu Sangzhi felt much better.
She slightly curled her lips, just from this sentence, all the resentments she held towards her father faded away.
"Dad... I think, let’s keep going together. One day, our family can live together united," Pu Sangzhi assured.
Pu Wenhua nodded, "This is my new number, save it. I shouldn’t need to change it anymore. Dad’s not hiding anymore, you face big issues head-on."
Pu Sangzhi smiled, "Mm!"
Thus, this conversation lightened Pu Sangzhi’s spirits immensely.
After hanging up the phone, Pu Sangzhi put it away, her bright pupils seemed veiled by water, she specially turned her head and quietly wiped away her tears, not wanting Huo Feng to see her emotions.
But Huo Feng, who had been paying close attention to her, how could he not notice?
Huo Feng shifted closer, purposely moved the pot of water that was between them aside, and stretched out his arms to embrace Pu Sangzhi’s shoulders gently patting, "There, there, your boyfriend’s shoulder is right here. Lean on whenever!"
As he spoke, he pulled Pu Sangzhi into his embrace, tightly encircling her delicate, thin body.
At that moment, Pu Sangzhi didn’t avoid and leaned on his shoulder...
After a while, she suddenly burst into laughter with a "pfft".
"You’re that happy, huh?"
Huo Feng asked her, chuckling.
Pu Sangzhi nodded, turned her head, and half buried her face in Huo Feng’s shoulder, a muffled voice emerged, "My dad said he’s coming back. He’s not hiding anymore, ready to face it."
Huo Feng also nodded, "Hmm, that’s proper! That’s a man! I respect my father-in-law!"
Pu Sangzhi playfully hit his chest, "He’s not father-in-law yet..."
Huo Feng’s lips curled up, "Almost there. You’ve already fallen hard for me, how could you love someone else?"
Pu Sangzhi: "Stop talking!"
Huo Feng laughed joyously...