lcionline Chapter 395 Doubts
Chapter 395 Doubts
Chapter 395
Zhou Duhufu
Miss Zhou Baozhu, rumored to be suffering from a serious illness, was currently sitting across from Protector Zhou in the study. Though her face bore faint traces of bruises, she appeared to be in good spirits. She sat slightly straighter, her eyes bright, showing none of the frailty she'd been rumored to have.
Protector Zhou removed his armor and returned exhausted to his mansion. He had barely entered when his daughter, Zhou Baozhu, came looking for him. He looked at her, his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes revealing an unconcealed frustration. "Why are you rushing to see me when you can't just rest in your room?"
Zhou Baozhu shook her head. "I can't sleep. I'm worried about Dad."
Zhou Duhu sighed, "Why are you worried about me? Aren't I fine now?"
"That being said, children love their father, and they will think long-term. I'm just worried about you." Zhou Baozhu took two steps forward, grabbed Zhou Duhu's arm, and started to act coquettishly.
Zhou Duhu looked at his daughter and gently patted her shoulder. His daughter had grown up now and knew the strict rules between men and women. She rarely got this close to him. He was delighted by her proximity.
He was naturally very tolerant and receptive to his daughter's occasional "nonsense". "Okay, I'm back safely now, you can go back to sleep."
However, Zhou Baozhu bit her lip when she heard this and looked at him as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Zhou Duhu knew that his daughter was genuinely worried about him, but her clinginess wasn't just out of concern. She probably wanted to tell him something, but she just didn't know how to start. So he pointed to the seat beside him and said, "Sit down. Just ask whatever you want to say or ask."
Zhou Baozhu didn't refuse and sat down beside him. After thinking for a moment, she asked directly, "Dad, what are you going to do with her?"
"Who?" Zhou Duhu was momentarily bewildered, but only for a moment before he realized who his daughter was asking about. His previously gentle expression darkened. He hadn't wanted to tell his daughter about this, but she was so concerned, and he feared it would leave a lingering grudge. He tilted his head slightly and asked, "Are you going to plead for her?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Baozhu first shook her head, then nodded.
This action confused Zhou Duhu. He really didn't understand why his daughter was so ambiguous. Did she want to plead for the man or not?
"Her actions nearly ruined my life and even tried to take my life. I should hate her. I'm not a kind person, so I won't forgive her easily. But..."
Zhou Baozhu hesitated, her expression conflicted. "After all, she gave birth to a child for you, father. If I'm too cruel to her, wouldn't it chill Second Sister's heart? It would only make her resent you and me even more."
Although Zhou Baozhu felt annoyed with her younger sister, she also harbored a sense of guilt. They were both daughters of their father, yet his attitude towards them was worlds apart. Zhou Baozhu was loved and cherished by her father, while her younger sister rarely received such tenderness. Because of this, her younger sister was filled with resentment, often venting her frustration on Zhou Baozhu.
If it weren't for this guilt, why would she have given in to her second sister so often? But her repeated concessions only made her second sister more unscrupulous and even more rude to her. After all, they were born of the same father, sharing an unbreakable blood bond. Furthermore, they were their father's only two daughters, so how could she allow her second sister to continue to hate her and resent her father?
Zhou Duhu had always taken care of his daughter personally, so he naturally knew her well. He also knew her usual tolerance and the reason behind her current words. He sighed inwardly. He had not wanted to tell her that, but given the current situation, he had to.
"Baozhu, Dad has only one daughter, that is you, and you don't have any sisters." Zhou Duhu looked at Zhou Baozhu gently and spoke slowly, with a hint of complex emotions in his eyes, as if he was helpless and reluctant.
"what?"
Zhou Baozhu's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't quite grasp what her father was saying, much less the meaning behind it. "What do you mean Dad only has one daughter? Then who is the second sister?" Her voice rose unconsciously, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Don't worry, listen to dad. After you were born, I went to war with the army and accidentally injured my foundation. Later, after the doctor examined me, I was afraid that it would be difficult for me to have children again." Zhou Duhu felt a little embarrassed when he said this to his daughter. His voice gradually lowered and a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face.
"Ah!" Zhou Baozhu was, after all, an innocent girl who was well protected by Protector Zhou. She did not understand the connection between her father's words "damaged the foundation" and "difficulty in having offspring".
"Since it's difficult to have children, then my second sister is not your child?" She looked puzzled, her eyes wide open, staring straight at her father, eager to get an answer.
"Well, she is indeed not my child." Zhou Duhu was a little embarrassed, with a blush on his face. He covered his face with his hands and answered softly in a slightly hoarse voice, with embarrassment that could not be concealed in his tone.
"Then whose child is she?" Zhou Baozhu was stunned.
As a child, she longed for a younger sister to play with, and initially she genuinely loved her half-sister. Later, as her younger sister grew older and her personality changed, the relationship between the two sisters became increasingly incompatible. Even so, in her heart, she still recognized her younger sister. But now her father told her that this younger sister wasn't her biological sister. So, whose sister was she, exactly? Zhou Baozhu was puzzled, her eyes filled with confusion.
Seeing his daughter's determination to get to the bottom of things, Zhou Duhu, having already said so much, stopped hiding anything and spoke frankly, "I don't know whose child she is, or rather, I only know she's not mine. I don't want to find out. Back then, your father and I were involved with her because of a conspiracy, and later, I was forced to take her as a concubine. When she became pregnant, I was delighted. The doctor only said it would be difficult for me to have children, but he didn't say it was absolutely impossible. So I thought of making her my principal wife. How could my children be illegitimate? Later, she gave birth to your sister prematurely, and the midwife said it was premature. But I'm not completely ignorant. I was the one who delivered you myself. I didn't think your sister was premature. She looked healthier than you, who was born a full month ago, so I've always had doubts. But in the end, nothing was found out, and I can't disown them based on this suspicion alone. But there's still a knot in my heart that I can't untie."