And Chi Huaijin sneaked into the study room with the house phone and copied the Lin family office number from the internet.
She made her voice as clear and innocent as possible, a tone that wouldn't raise suspicion.
"Hello?" came a crisp, professional voice on the other end.
"Hello!" she chirped. "I'm calling from Chi Family's office! This is Assistant Zhang, from Mr. Chi Yuanfeng's side. I was told to inform Ms. Lin Shuying that today's appointment has been postponed to next week."
The woman paused. "Postponed?"
"Yes! Mr. Chi had an urgent flight this morning," Huaijin said, keeping her tone serious, just as she had heard adults do. "Please let Ms. Lin know that he sends his apologies."
There was a shuffle of papers, then a sigh. "Alright. I'll make sure she gets the message."
"Thank you!" Huaijin said sweetly before hanging up.
Her heart pounded wildly. Her hands trembled, half from nerves, half from excitement.
She did it.
The call was short and simple, but it was enough. In the last life, Lin Shuying had been offended by Yuanfeng's calm and disinterest during their first meeting, but also captivated. Without that meeting, the obsession would never have been born.
And if she didn't show up today, the two of them might never cross paths again.
Huaijin pressed her palms together, breathing out slowly.
'I changed it. I really changed it.'
Now all she needed to do was to wait for the result patiently.
Meanwhile, at an upscale restaurant downtown, Chi Yuanfeng sat waiting at the reserved table. The arrangement was impeccable, candlelight, crystal glasses, and the faint sound of violin music drifting through the air.
But across from him, the seat remained empty.
Minutes turned into half an hour. Then an hour.
The waiter approached awkwardly. "Sir, it seems the guest has not arrived…"
"It's fine," Yuanfeng said quietly, closing his watch. His expression was unreadable.
In truth, he wasn't disappointed, just quietly relieved.
He had no desire for this kind of arrangement, and the thought of sitting across from a stranger pretending to feel attraction only made him tired. Still, a part of him feared his father's wrath for "failing" the meeting.
He sighed, signaling for the bill. Perhaps fate had spared him this once.
Back at Auntie Lin's house, Huaijin felt a strange calm settle over her. She spent the afternoon drawing pictures, pretending to be an innocent child once again. But her mind replayed the possible outcomes:
'Father would return home unharmed, but I bet grandfather would be furious. But the plan will have failed by then, and so would the chain of tragedies. If everything goes right, Grandfather would only yell at Father, but he wouldn't be able to set him up with the same woman again.'
It wasn't much, but it was a start.
For once, she had managed to protect him, even if he never knew it.
When evening came, she waited eagerly by the door of their small apartment. The familiar click of the lock made her heart race.
"Daddy!"
Yuanfeng entered, loosening his tie. He looked a little tired, but not wounded. No cold anger, no empty sadness. Just quiet relief.
She rushed to him, hugging his leg tightly. "You're back!"
He smiled, running a hand through her hair. "I am. Did you miss me that much?"
"Of course! I always miss Daddy!"
As he crouched down to meet her eyes, Huaijin noticed something subtle, a shadow of confusion behind his calm expression.
"It's strange," he murmured. "I waited for almost an hour, but the other person never came. They must've mixed up the schedule."
Huaijin blinked innocently. "Maybe they didn't want to come because they don't like you, Daddy. They are bad people!"
He chuckled softly, brushing the tip of her nose. "Maybe you're right."
But that night, when he sat by her bedside, Huaijin saw something different in his gaze, the faintest spark of freedom.
He didn't owe anyone an explanation anymore. The meeting was over before it even began. For now, they were safe.
***
The city outside had gone quiet. Moonlight spilled through the curtains again, the same way it had days ago, soft, silver, and gentle.
Yuanfeng leaned against the doorway of her room, watching her sleep. Her tiny figure curled under the blanket, her breathing even and peaceful.
He didn't know why, but lately, he felt… a bit different about her. Ever since Huaijin woke up from that fever a few weeks ago, she had changed in subtle ways.
She spoke like someone older. Sometimes, her eyes carried emotions too deep for her age.
And sometimes, when she looked at him, he felt an inexplicable warmth, as though she understood things he could never say aloud.
Well, maybe, having to experience so many ups and downs at this small age made his girl a bit more mature than other children?
He smiled faintly. "You're really something, little one."
He turned off the light.
It didn't matter, because no matter how much she changes, Huaijin was his daughter, and will be in the future. That's a fact that can't be changed even if the world ends, right?
.
.
.
Meanwhile, across the city, in the grand Chi Manor, Chi Wenzhong sat behind his desk, his expression dark as thunder. The phone in his hand trembled slightly.
"What do you mean the meeting was postponed?!" he barked.
The Lin family's secretary stammered on the other end. "We… we received a call from your assistant saying Mr. Chi had cancelled—"
"My assistant?" Wenzhong hissed. "I gave no such order!"
He slammed the phone down, veins bulging in his temples. The fury in his chest burned hotter than any fire.
"That ungrateful boy!"
He thought for a long moment, then sneered coldly. "Fine. If he refuses to obey… then I'll remind him who holds his leash."
But far from the manor, in their small, humble home, Chi Huaijin slept soundly in her bed, her face half-buried in her pillow, a faint smile curving her lips.