I Became the Eye Candy: Four Bigshots Claimed to be My Dad?-Chapter 134: Pangtuan’s Childhood Expectation

"Back in Nanyuan, everyone called me a wild child," Ye Qianning said suddenly in a quiet voice.

Xiang Minghou’s heart clenched when he heard this.

Old Master Zhan froze as well.

"When they insulted me, I’d hit them back. When they couldn’t win, they’d run home to tell on me to their fathers, and then their fathers would come and hit me. Every time I got hit, I’d wonder... ’If I had a father, would he stand up for me? Would he be like their fathers...?’" Ye Qianning murmured, recalling memories from her childhood.

Pangtuan was a rather sensitive child. Though she said she didn’t need a father, deep down, she desperately wanted one.

Xiang Minghou’s eyes grew red as he listened, and he was filled with self-reproach. One could only imagine what life was like for a child without a father’s protection.

Zhan Chi’s lips were set in a tight line, his fists clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms, yet he felt no pain. He had failed her. He had failed Ye Qian, who had saved him all those years ago.

The tip of Old Master Zhan’s nose stung. His granddaughter had suffered so much at such a young age. ’From now on,’ he vowed, ’I will ensure she lives a life of splendor. As the sole granddaughter of the Zhan family, no one will ever dare to bully her again.’

"So when my mother told me I had a father, I was so happy. Even though it was a long journey from Nanyuan to Beili, it didn’t feel hard at all. I just wanted to see my father, and I wanted to ask him why he never came looking for me and my mother all these years..." Ye Qianning choked back a sob and sniffled before continuing, "But when Fourth Granny and I arrived in the Capital City, we found that all the men who might be my father didn’t want to acknowledge me. That day, when the Third Prince took me to Immortal’s Drunkenness, I had already made up my mind. If my father wouldn’t claim me, I would just go back to Nanyuan with Fourth Granny and never set foot in Beili again..."

"Pangtuan." Xiang Minghou raised his arms and pulled her into his embrace.

"Luckily, you showed up in the end, Father. If you hadn’t come that day, you might have never seen me again." Ye Qianning felt incredibly fortunate to have found Xiang Minghou.

With such a wonderful father, all her hopes had been fulfilled. The original Pangtuan could finally rest in peace.

"I will protect you. I will be your rock, and I will never let anyone bully you again," Xiang Minghou said, holding her tightly. A thousand words couldn’t express what he was feeling, and he was just so grateful that he hadn’t missed his chance with her.

Zhan Chi’s heart ached so much he could barely breathe. He suddenly understood why the little girl had been so hostile toward them.

The child had been so full of hope for a father, yet at the time, all of them had reacted with disgust—all except Xiang Minghou, who hadn’t questioned a thing...

They had been out of the running from that moment on.

Old Master Zhan had been listening in a complete fog, but he finally managed to draw one conclusion: when the child first arrived, his son had refused to acknowledge her!

’So that’s it!’ he thought. ’No wonder the child is so wary of the Zhan family. This is the root of the problem.’

"Get your ass home," Old Master Zhan hissed, utterly humiliated. ’Just you wait until we get back, I’ll skin you alive!’

"I... I’m not leaving," Zhan Chi said, his voice hoarse.

"Go. Get out of here now."

If the little girl hadn’t been there, Old Master Zhan likely would have taken a whip to him already.

"I’m not leaving. Her... she’s still not well. I have to stay and watch over her..." Zhan Chi twisted away stubbornly, like a pouting child.

Having lost all patience, Old Master Zhan grabbed him and started dragging him away.

’He’d already broken the child’s heart by refusing to acknowledge her back then. Who was there to blame now? Who?’

’It was all his own son’s fault for being such a muddle-headed disappointment!’

"Father," Ye Qianning’s muffled voice called out.

Xiang Minghou loosened his embrace slightly, the tip of his nose stinging.

Ye Qianning lifted her head from his chest and said earnestly, "You will always be my father. That will never change."

’She, Ye Qianning, would always protect and cherish those she had accepted as her own.’

"It will never change."

Xiang Minghou’s voice was grave, as if he were swearing an oath.