"Ning’an..."

Lin Tian called out softly, as if afraid to wake her up.

Upon hearing Lin Tian’s voice, Xu Ning’an visibly trembled, then turned her face to see Lin Tian, her expression complex.

There was happiness, blame, mixed feelings, making Lin Tian’s heart tighten again.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Tian asked cautiously.

"The mask my dad had, you gave it to him, right?" Xu Ning’an asked.

Lin Tian suddenly understood, so it was because of this.

"I gave it to him. I just thought he was too pitiful, and no one was there to take care of you... After all, he is your father. What’s the matter, are you two not getting along?" Lin Tian said with a dry laugh.

"I..." She hesitantly said a word, then lowered her head, falling silent.

To Lin Tian, this was not a good sign. He could only observe Xu Ning’an’s expression while asking, "How did you find out?"

"He told me himself?" Xu Ning’an still had her head down, and Lin Tian couldn’t see her expression.

"..." This left Lin Tian a bit dumbfounded. Xu Haohai, who had seen so much of the world, couldn’t even understand his own daughter’s feelings?

Is this kind of thing said casually? Now he has upset his daughter, not to mention getting me in trouble too.

Looking at the pitiful expression of the beauty in front of him, Lin Tian felt like a heinous criminal.

"You still haven’t forgiven him, have you? Otherwise, your mood wouldn’t be so low," Lin Tian tentatively asked.

"Forgive?" Xu Ning’an murmured twice, then said, "I left home when I was very young, so I’ve never felt what fatherly love is. But recently, he’s taken care of me for so many days. Thinking about it now, I feel warm all over, and it’s really nice to have him around!"

"Then why aren’t you happy about it? Shouldn’t you be smiling like a flower?"

Xu Ning’an smiled, but it was a bitter smile.

Lin Tian looked around and saw no trace of Xu Haohai, and couldn’t help but curiously ask, "Where did he go? Did you chase him away?"

Lin Tian thought of Xu Ning’an’s temperament and indeed thought she might do such a thing.

"He..." Halfway through her words, Xu Ning’an suddenly changed the subject and said, "Lin Tian, can you sit over here? I’m really troubled right now and want to find someone to talk to. But... I don’t have any friends to share my thoughts with. Can you listen to some of my worries?"

Lin Tian immediately laughed and said, "Of course, I’d be happy to be your emotional trash can."

With that, Lin Tian took a couple of steps forward and sat on the sofa.

Xu Ning’an was speechless for two seconds before suddenly saying, "Sit a little closer..."

After saying this, Lin Tian could see her cheeks turning red, as if she was shy.

In addition to that, Lin Tian also found her somewhat pitiable.

Xu Ning’an gave Lin Tian the feeling of a small sailboat on a stormy sea, ready to be swallowed by the violent waves at any time.

Thinking about it, this girl has been independent for so many years after leaving her family, she must be extremely lacking in a sense of security.

"Alright."

Agreeing to it, Lin Tian got up and obediently sat by the side of Xu Ning’an’s hospital bed. After hiding such a thing from her, isn’t it only right to behave a little more docilely?

Their faces were less than half a meter apart.

Lin Tian and Xu Ning’an could both hear her little heart beating rapidly, the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

This wasn’t the first time Xu Ning’an had been this close to Lin Tian. She had even clung to his back before.

But for some reason, this was the most nervous time. She felt that at such a close distance, Lin Tian could come in for a kiss at any moment, but this feeling... she kind of liked it.

"You..."

"I..."

They both spoke at the same time, then simultaneously stopped, so awkwardly that Xu Ning’an wanted to find a hole to hide in.

"You go first," Lin Tian said.

"Hmm..." Xu Ning’an organized her words for a moment and said, "My dad left yesterday. He stood in front of me before he left, tore off the mask, and told me the truth. He went abroad..."

"What for?"

"To avenge my mom! To find those Wolf Fang Mercenaries!" At this point, Xu Ning’an’s eyes turned a bit red, both fists clenched tightly, her gaze unusually sharp.

Her mother’s revenge was her greatest obsession. Precisely because of the hatred, a Dark Wound Association princess chose to join the inspection force and became a glorious officer.

Lin Tian moved a little closer to where Xu Ning’an was sitting. Gently patting her back, he said, "Are you worried about him?"

"Mm..." Xu Ning’an murmured, "My dad still has a formidable force under him. I don’t know the exact number, but it must be substantial. Yet despite that, he’s dealing with foreign terrorists this time, how can I not be worried? Even though I hated him for so many years, he’s still my dad." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Lin Tian gently patted her back and said, "Actually, I also have a grudge with those mercenaries. My brother died at their hands; if your dad had waited for me a few more days, I would have gone with him!"

"I want to go too... but my leg’s not fully healed. I really want to kill those beasts myself!"

Lin Tian smiled and said, "Half of your mother’s revenge has already been avenged. I believe your mom in heaven will also bless your dad."

"Half avenged?" Xu Ning’an raised her head, looking at Lin Tian’s eyes in confusion.

"All because of that son of a gun, Du Dahai. Now that that son of a gun is dead and has taken many people from Sakula Country with him, isn’t half the revenge taken?"

Speaking of this, Xu Ning’an smiled brilliantly, saying, "I owe you thanks for all of this."

"There’s no need to thank me. I wasn’t on good terms with that guy either. As for your dad, you don’t need to worry too much about him. I’ve checked his face, living to over a hundred isn’t a problem."

"Pfft... you can read faces too?"

"A little. By the way, how’s your leg feeling now? Let me take a look."

As he spoke, Lin Tian placed his hand on her leg, carefully feeling it with his spiritual Qi.

After a while, Lin Tian retracted his hand and said, "It’s recovering well. The bones are pretty much healed, and that medicine is still effective for you. Your rehabilitation training is also good; you shouldn’t have any problem walking now, right?"

Xu Ning’an glanced at her leg and said, "I still need crutches to walk now; it still hurts a bit to walk unaided."

Lin Tian thought for a moment and said, "That’s a minor issue, nothing major. Alright, pack up your things because I’m here to discharge you today."