For some reason, hearing these words, Gong Zhijing inexplicably felt like crying.
This was her father, a father who had always loved her without complaint.
He bore the heavy responsibility of the nation, enduring immeasurable hardship to set aside his own family.
Now that she was a mother herself, being separated from her daughter would undoubtedly be worse than death.
"What's wrong? Are you in pain again?"
Seeing her eyes welling up with tears, Gong Ye became instantly flustered.
"Dad, I'm not in pain." Gong Zhijing curved her lips into a smile. "I'm just too happy, crying with joy."
This warm scene made Gong Ye quite unaccustomed to it. He awkwardly averted his gaze, feeling utterly uncomfortable.
Just then, Ling Leyou began to cry, easing his embarrassment.
Her entire little face turned red as she cried, her voice like a kitten's meow.
Ling Yuchen immediately panicked, not knowing what to do. He didn't know how to soothe a baby and was sweating profusely with anxiety.
"Here, give her to me."
Zhu Yunfei quickly took the baby and tried to comfort her, but she continued to cry incessantly.
Hearing her cries, Gong Zhijing felt a pang of distress.
"Mom, is she hungry?"
Zhu Yunfei tentatively touched her lips and saw that she was opening her mouth as if wanting to eat.
She then looked at Gong Zhijing.
"Zhijing, do you want to breastfeed or use formula? If you want to breastfeed, you can feed her now.
If you prefer formula, I'll have the confinement nanny bring the milk powder."
Zhu Yunfei would respect Gong Zhijing's decision on all matters concerning the child, supporting either breastfeeding or formula.
"Breastfeeding."
"Formula."
Gong Zhijing and Ling Yuchen spoke almost simultaneously, but their opinions were opposite.
Gong Zhijing looked at Ling Yuchen in confusion.
Ling Yuchen frowned and said, "Breastfeeding is too tiring. You have to wake up in the middle of the night to feed her, endure the pain of feeding, and you might get engorgement. And weaning will be very painful. I don't want you to suffer."
Gong Zhijing knew he was concerned about her, but breastfeeding was a special love between mother and child, with breast milk at the perfect temperature of 37 degrees Celsius.
Seeing Gong Zhijing hesitate, Ling Yuchen pursed his lips and fell silent.
Although he didn't want Gong Zhijing to bear these hardships, he also didn't want to force her to do something she didn't want to do.
Hearing the baby's cries, Gong Zhijing felt an unbearable pain and said without hesitation, "Mom, I want to breastfeed."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yunfei quickly handed the baby to her and then discreetly left the room with Gong Ye.
Even though it was her first time breastfeeding, Gong Zhijing felt no shyness. At this moment, all she wanted was for the baby to be able to feed quickly.
Ling Leyou sucked greedily, but no milk came out. Her face turned red with effort. Unable to get any milk, she wailed loudly.
Gong Zhijing also felt a tearing pain.
Gong Zhijing suddenly became flustered and shouted outside, "Mom, Mom, what do I do? The baby can't seem to get any milk, do I not have any milk?"
Ling Yuchen, unable to help, had a grim expression, but seeing the crying child, he felt heartbroken.
Zhu Yunfei called from outside the door, "The baby is weak. Why don't Yuchen try to suck it out first!"
Gong Zhijing's face flushed crimson, and she looked at Ling Yuchen for help.
Ling Yuchen knitted his brows slightly but still leaned down and took her nipple. This time, without any distracting thoughts, he only wanted to help his daughter get the milk.
"Use some strength, it doesn't hurt me."
Gong Zhijing gritted her teeth, her eyes only on her child.
Ling Leyou only cried for a short while before quieting down, but her puckered lips looked incredibly pitiful.
Gong Zhijing felt anxious and looked at Ling Yuchen.
Ling Yuchen was still sucking, but his Adam's apple could be seen bobbing up and down.
"What are you doing? Eating?" Gong Zhijing's mouth gaped in surprise.
Ling Yuchen immediately let go and said with a serious expression, "It's all out, why waste it by spitting it out!"
Saying that, he took out a wet wipe and handed it to Gong Zhijing. "Wipe yourself before feeding the child."
Gong Zhijing was speechless and could only take it, wipe herself, and then feed the child.
The child was clearly starved. As soon as she was brought close to her mouth, she latched on and sucked greedily.
This time, she closed her eyes in satisfaction, but her mouth continued to suck.
A baby this small has a stomach the size of a peanut. A tiny bit of milk is enough.
While the baby was feeding, Ling Yuchen sucked the milk from the other breast.
With the double pressure, Gong Zhijing felt like a mere tool.
After a few moments of feeding, the baby fell asleep, and she was utterly exhausted.
Mother and daughter slept soundly in each other's arms, a scene of great warmth.
Ling Yuchen carefully covered them with the blanket, his expression extremely gentle.
This was his wife and daughter.
He had a daughter, and the thought seemed incredible.
...
After everything had settled down, he had the time to think about other matters.
Due to the unexpected situation, he had forgotten about Xia Linfeng. Ling Yuchen left the ward and said to Zhu Yunfei.
"Mom, you go in and take care of them. Your dad and I need to talk."
Zhu Yunfei nodded without asking any further questions and went directly into the ward.
Gong Ye and Ling Yuchen exchanged glances, understanding everything without words. This was not the place to talk, so they walked outside together.
Once they were in the car in the underground parking lot, Ling Yuchen spoke.
"Xia Linfeng has already made a move."
Saying this, he took out his phone and showed Gong Ye the video Xia Linfeng had sent.
Gong Ye rarely used smartphones because his work was dangerous and he was constantly on the move, making phones too fragile.
Therefore, if Ling Yuchen hadn't informed him of this news, he would have remained unaware. But not using it didn't mean he wouldn't eventually find out.
He scrolled through the videos Xia Linfeng had posted within a day, his expression growing increasingly grim. His hawk-like sharp eyes blazed with intense killing intent.
By the end, he couldn't help but let out a laugh, but there was no trace of mirth in his eyes.
"Good, very good. Well done twisting facts and confusing right from wrong, hahaha..."
"Dad, please try not to be angry."
Ling Yuchen's heart remained unmoved, his expression as calm as still water.
"Let him be arrogant for now. When we strike, it will be a decisive blow, leaving him no possibility to cause trouble again!"
Gong Ye took a deep breath, his face turning ashen. The hideous scar on his face became even more terrifying, but for the sake of the larger picture, he suppressed his rage.
"I know you've always kept a low profile, Dad, and the Gong family doesn't care about these things, but this time, for Zhijing, please be high-profile for a while."
Gong Ye let out a cold laugh, his gaze arrogant. "I've never held an awarding ceremony before! This time, I must be high-profile!"
Hearing this, Ling Yuchen was finally relieved. As long as Gong Ye was on board, Xia Linfeng would have no chance of recovery.
The reason Xia Linfeng dared to be so arrogant was his reliance on the fact that no one knew Gong Zhijing's background, allowing him to leverage moral pressure by claiming to have raised her.
As soon as Gong Ye appeared, coupled with his esteemed status, Xia Linfeng would be exposed as the villain.