Chapter One The Nearest Yet Farthest Person (Six)

“Me? My surname is Cheng, and I’m called Catherine,” she said gently.

“Are you a foreigner?” Suixin asked.

“No, I am Chinese.”

“If you are Chinese, you should go by a Chinese name,” said Suixin, her little face appearing quite serious.

Catherine Cheng stared blankly at Suixin.

“If you are Chinese, you should go by a Chinese name.” It was the same sentence, only this time it was spoken not with a soft, gentle voice but in a deep, powerful tone.

What a coincidence, this child’s last name is also Tao.

“Oh?” Catherine Cheng couldn’t help but touch Suixin’s earlobe. Soft and tender earlobe. She asked softly, almost as if not asking: “Who taught you this?”

It’s hard to imagine that a little child would have such an idea.

“My daddy,” Suixin replied immediately.

Katherine Cheng stared blankly at Suixin.

Hearing Mei Yanchun’s reminder from behind that it was time to go, she suddenly came to her senses and released the hand that was holding Suixin’s little hand.

“Director Cheng really likes children; she should transfer to pediatrics,” a doctor joked, seizing the opportunity.

“That’s true,” Catherine Cheng also smiled, looking at Suixin.

“What’s your Chinese name?” Suixin asked mischievously.

“My Chinese name is…” Catherine Cheng said with a smile, just about to tell Suixin, when Suixin stomped her foot and exclaimed, “Oh no, oh no.”

It turned out the guards had already caught up.

Catherine Cheng was somewhat baffled; she watched as the guards ran over, and behind them was a man in a military uniform who seemed utterly exasperated, shouting toward them, “Tao Suixin, you little troublemaker, come over here right now!”

Suixin stuck out her tongue and, swift as a nimble little civet, quickly ducked behind Catherine’s back.

Catherine straightened up. Suixin’s warm little hand grasped her robe. The man’s voice was deep and his manner somewhat rough, but Suixin wasn’t afraid; she giggled with a hushed laugh.

Catherine looked at the person who had arrived.

Pang Dunhuang, however, completely failed to notice Catherine. He charged forward, pulled Suixin into his arms, lifted her up, and turned around, saying, “I told you not to be disobedient! The moment I turned around, you dared to run away. Is the hospital a prison? I’ve been talking to your Aunt Qiuwei about letting you go home early…” He spoke intermittently, then looked up and saw Qiuwei chasing after them, saying, “Keep an eye on her. If something happens, how will we explain it to her father?”

“Explain what? Why should we explain anything to him? He already gave up on me long ago! He just dumped me with all of you… Let go of me!” Suixin screamed at the top of her lungs.

“Tao Suixin!” Pang Dunhuang shouted loudly, “Stop talking nonsense! Do you believe I’ll hit you?” His face was flushed. It seemed Suixin had said something intolerable to him.

“Hit me! Go ahead and hit me! He just doesn’t want me anymore, he just doesn’t! He just doesn’t… And you’re being fierce… You’re being fierce to me too… I hate him, and I hate you too! I hate you!”

Seeing tears welling up in Suixin’s large eyes, Pang Dunhuang’s expression softened again.

The child’s sharp cries pierced straight to the heart.

“You!” He picked up Suixin. A man of stature, he felt it was too gentle and embarrassing to hold the child in public, yet he did so anyway. He softly comforted her, then glanced at Qiuwei, who was standing there in a daze. “Qiuwei?”

Qiuwei’s hands were tightly clasped together, her eyes fixed on something behind him.