Outside the mall, Liu Yifeng intended to drive himself to the hospital, but Xu Muqing stopped him. "You're injured, you should take my car instead!"
With that, she opened the car door. Liu Yifeng had no choice but to get in, with Yao Yao sitting beside him.
The drive was filled with Yao Yao's chatter, which helped ease the awkward atmosphere in the car.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the three of them walked to the lobby. Xu Muqing used Liu Yifeng's ID to register for two emergency appointments, one for Liu Yifeng and one for Yao Yao.
Although Yao Yao appeared unharmed, she had fallen from such a height, and Xu Muqing worried about internal injuries, deeming a check-up necessary.
Fortunately, after the doctor's examination, Yao Yao was perfectly fine.
Liu Yifeng only sustained superficial injuries. Besides his elbow, he had large bruises on his back.
The doctor applied some medication and prescribed some liniment for bruises and sprains for him to use at home.
Xu Muqing snatched the prescription and paid at the cashier before heading to the pharmacy to collect the medicine.
Seeing her navigate the hospital with such familiarity, Liu Yifeng grew curious. Was this woman often unwell and a frequent visitor to the hospital?
As if sensing Liu Yifeng's confusion, Yao Yao spoke up. "When I was little, I was often sick. Mom would take me to the hospital, constantly running around. Sometimes she wouldn't sleep all night."
Liu Yifeng didn't know what to say upon hearing this.
However, this alone showed she was a capable mother.
Yet, even capable mothers could be careless at times. As in today's situation, she had made a fatal mistake.
But this mistake didn't negate her dedication to her child. If Yao Yao had been seriously hurt, she would have been more distressed than anyone.
A moment later, Xu Muqing returned with the medicine. "This includes an ointment and a spray. The instructions are all marked. Just follow them!"
She handed the medicine to Liu Yifeng as she spoke.
"Thank you!" Liu Yifeng accepted it.
"If anyone should thank you, it's me. Do you have time for lunch? I'd like to treat you," Xu Muqing said.
She disliked owing favors, especially such a significant one.
Liu Yifeng shook his head. "No need for lunch, I actually have something to do."
"Alright, where are you going? I'll drive you!" Seeing that Liu Yifeng didn't seem to be lying, Xu Muqing didn't insist.
"Just take me back to the mall. My car is parked there."
"Can you drive with your injuries?" Xu Muqing asked, concerned.
Liu Yifeng replied, "Yes, these are just minor injuries, really."
Seeing Liu Yifeng's determination, Xu Muqing nodded. "Okay, let's go then!"
Just as they were about to leave the hospital, a young couple walked towards them. The woman was visibly pregnant.
Yao Yao spotted them and shouted excitedly, "It's Daddy, it's Daddy!"
Xu Muqing quickly covered her daughter's mouth, fearing the man would hear.
Liu Yifeng recalled the gossip from the other parents at the kindergarten.
He couldn't help but glance at the pair. The man was quite handsome, but his eyes held an indefinable slyness, making him look like a scoundrel.
As for the woman, he could only think of one word: ugly.
Not that she was repulsive, she possessed average to above-average looks among ordinary people, with a delicate, demure charm.
But compared to Xu Muqing, she was truly ugly. Their attractiveness was on entirely different levels.
He couldn't understand how this man, with a wife as beautiful as a celestial being, would seek out such a woman as a mistress. Had his eyes been eaten by dogs, or blinded by ghosts?
No wonder they say the grass outside is greener. It truly seemed like even external filth was fragrant.
As Liu Yifeng was observing Xu Muqing's ex-husband, the man heard Yao Yao's voice and noticed the three of them.
However, he merely cast a glance their way before carefully and protectively arm-in-arm with the woman, walking into the hospital.
He didn't even spare a single glance for his daughter, who was so excited she'd called him "Daddy."
Seeing this, Liu Yifeng felt a pang of sympathy for Yao Yao. She had almost the same experience as Tongtong.
Earlier, at the Western restaurant, Tongtong's mother had also seen her daughter but had left without even a greeting.
Although her reason wasn't having another man, but rather her career.
Yet, being heartless was heartless; no excuse could render such heartlessness justifiable.
Seeing her ex-husband leave, Xu Muqing finally released her daughter's mouth. Yao Yao asked, confused, "Mommy, why isn't Daddy talking to us? Who is the auntie next to him?"
Looking at her innocent daughter, Xu Muqing's heart ached. She knew she couldn't give her daughter the father's love she deserved.
Suppressing her sorrow, she smiled gently. "Yao Yao, you're mistaken. That's not Daddy. He's still abroad on a business trip."
Her child was still young, and she couldn't bear to tell her that her father had abandoned her.
She wished for her daughter to believe that her father still loved her.
Only in an environment filled with love could a child grow up healthily.
"But..." Yao Yao started to say more.
Liu Yifeng interrupted her. "Yao Yao, Uncle's arm hurts a bit. Can you rub it for Uncle?"
"Uncle, I'll rub it for you!" Yao Yao's attention was easily diverted. Children were indeed simple and easily fooled.
Watching her daughter diligently massaging Liu Yifeng's arm, Xu Muqing shot him a grateful look.
Without him, she wouldn't have known what excuse to use to continue deceiving her daughter.
On the way back, Yao Yao fell asleep, and the atmosphere in the car became awkward again.
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the recent incident.
Liu Yifeng had no inclination to pry into others' affairs; he simply sat there, gazing out the window.
Xu Muqing glanced at Liu Yifeng's profile in the rearview mirror and realized he wasn't as detestable as she'd initially thought.
"That... about what I said at the kindergarten on Friday, please don't take it to heart. If the children play well together, let them be friends," she finally broke the stiff silence.
Liu Yifeng snapped back to attention. "It's fine. After all, it's only been a week since school started. Parents don't know each other well, so it's normal to be a bit cautious.
But my son isn't the bad boy you might imagine. You can rest assured about that!"
Xu Muqing nodded without replying. If a father could risk his life to save someone else, his son wouldn't be too bad.
Perhaps she shouldn't judge all men so harshly.
Arriving at the mall, Liu Yifeng got out of the car. "The child is asleep, you should go home quickly."
"Okay, drive carefully on your way back!" Xu Muqing nodded.
Having received her response, Liu Yifeng closed the car door and watched Xu Muqing's car drive away before heading to his parking spot.
By the time he returned to the village, it was already half-past eleven. Instead of going home directly, he went to Liu Chenguang's house.
"What are you doing here?" Liu Chenguang's father, Liu Shengyang, asked with a scowl.