Once a name spoken with awe, he had been cast aside for defying their rules.
He had returned from abroad with her, a child with no known mother, and refused to explain her origins. To the Chi elders, this was unforgivable. They saw him as a disgrace.
Yet, despite everything, a part of him still cared.
Even now, when the old man called, he answered.
Huaijin's eyes burned. She bit her lower lip and quietly slipped out of bed. Her tiny feet padded across the floor.
"Daddy…"
Yuanfeng looked up in surprise, then smiled faintly. "You're not asleep yet?"
She shook her head and walked to him, clutching the hem of her pajama sleeve. "Are you… going to leave me behind?"
The question hit him like a blade to the chest.
He froze, then quickly reached out and lifted her onto his lap. "What nonsense are you saying? I would never."
"But in the manor… they don't like me." Her voice trembled. "Last time, you were gone for so long, and when you came back, you were sad all the time…"
Yuanfeng's eyes softened.
He rested his chin on her soft hair, the scent of baby shampoo calming him just a little. "Huaijin, I'm just going to talk. I won't be gone long. You'll stay with Auntie Lin tomorrow, alright?"
She buried her face in his chest. "Can't I come with you?"
He hesitated. The memory of his father's disapproving face flashed through his mind, the sharp, cold eyes that never softened even once for him.
"…The manor isn't a place for children."
Huaijin knew he was right. That house was like a gilded cage, filled with people who measured others by bloodlines, wealth, and obedience. It was not a home.
But even so, her little heart ached.
In her past life, this visit had been the beginning of everything. Her father was forced into a blind date arranged by her grandfather. A "suitable" match from another family. Things spiraled from there, resentment, rejection, and eventually tragedy.
'Not this time,' she vowed silently. 'This time, I'll protect him.'
The next morning dawned with a grey sky.
Chi Yuanfeng dressed neatly in a suit, his hair slicked back. The sharp features that made countless women admire him were visible again, refined, proud, but with a trace of exhaustion that only Chi Huaijin could see.
As he tied his tie, Chi Huaijin climbed onto the stool beside him, watching in silence. When he finished, she reached out her tiny hands and adjusted the knot clumsily.
"There," she said softly. "Now you look perfect."
Yuanfeng chuckled. "Thank you, my little stylist."
But when he looked at her reflection beside his own, a small, fair child with bright eyes full of determination, his heart tightened.
How much longer could he protect this fragile peace?
When he finally left, Huaijin stood by the window, watching his figure disappear around the corner. She pressed her hand against the cold glass and whispered to herself, "Don't worry, Father. This time, I'll make sure you're not alone."
Her eyes shimmered with resolve.
In her past life, she had been too small to change anything. Too ignorant to see how the Chi family had crushed his spirit bit by bit. But now, she wasn't the same.
She wasn't just a helpless child reborn; she was a woman who had lived and died once. She carried within her the lessons of a lifetime and the love of a daughter who finally understood her father's pain.
The Chi family might have power, but she had will.
'And that,' she thought fiercely, 'was something even they couldn't buy.'
The Chi Manor stood like a fortress at the heart of the city, vast and imposing, its gates guarded by old pine trees and the cold gleam of metal fences. Within those walls lived generations of pride, tradition, and unyielding arrogance.
By noon, Yuanfeng's car entered its driveway. The butler, old Mr. Zhang, greeted him stiffly, eyes flicking briefly with disapproval. "The master is waiting in the study."
As Yuanfeng stepped inside, he could already feel the weight of the air, that suffocating, and familiar chill. Every polished tile, every framed portrait of ancestors seemed to stare down at him, reminding him of his place.
The door to the study creaked open.
Behind the massive desk sat the patriarch of the Chi family, Chi Wenzhong, with silver hair, sharp brows, and a gaze that could pierce stone.
"So," the old man said, without preamble, "you finally remembered where your family is."
Yuanfeng didn't flinch. He bowed respectfully. "Father."
Chi Wenzhong's gaze swept over him, cold and measuring. "You've aged." Then, after a pause, "I heard you're still living outside with that child."
"That child," Yuanfeng repeated quietly, "is my daughter."
The old man's lips thinned. "You still insist on calling her that? Her mother's identity remains unverified, and you refuse to explain. How do you expect the Chi family to acknowledge her?"
Yuanfeng's fists clenched. "Because she's my blood."
For a long moment, silence filled the room, heavy and tense. Then, with a sigh that carried the weight of generations, Chi Wenzhong pushed a folder across the desk.
"Sit. You're here because I arranged a meeting for you tomorrow. A daughter from the Lin family. Proper background, proper upbringing. You'll go."
Yuanfeng's jaw tightened. "Without my consent?"
"I'm not asking for your consent," the old man snapped. "I'm telling you. You've shamed this family enough with your impulsive decisions. If you still have a shred of pride, you'll restore your name."
The words burned like a hiss of a snake.
Yuanfeng rose slowly, his voice calm but trembling slightly. "If the only way to be a Chi is to abandon my daughter, then I'd rather remain a disgrace."
He turned and walked out before his father could respond.
***
Meanwhile, in the small apartment, Huaijin sat on the couch, her small face serious. She had heard the entire story once in her past life, but this time, she would not wait idly.