My Straight Childhood Friend Successfully Pursued Me After The Breakup - Chapter 23

The final exams were approaching, and Zuo Xian gradually became busy. The already few opportunities to contact Tao Ran grew even fewer.

She could only cherish every chance she got, and no matter how much Tao Ran coaxed her, Zuo Xian was reluctant to hang up the phone.

Tao Ran had no choice but to let her be, and so she often waited until she heard Zuo Xian’s light, gentle, and steady breathing from the other end of the phone before ending the call.

Soon, the day of the final exams arrived.

Although Zuo Xian often slept in class, she was surprisingly good at learning. Coupled with the fact that Tao Ran used to go to her house every weekend before leaving the country to tutor her, Zuo Xian felt completely at ease during these final exams.

After the last subject, Biology, was over, all the students returned to the classroom from the exam hall, waiting for the head teacher to hold one last class meeting before the winter vacation would officially begin.

Class 2 of Grade 1 was extremely restless before the holiday. The teenagers, craving their break, looked at Teacher Su with shining eyes, like wolves eyeing a meat bone—they were practically drooling.

Of course, they weren’t drooling over Teacher Su; they were drooling over the freedom Teacher Su was about to announce.

Teacher Su did not have the quirk of tormenting people. After briefly instructing them on the precautions for the holiday, she announced the dismissal of class.

“Hahahahaha! Holiday! I’m coming!” Xue Shuangxi jumped three feet high, acting as if she had just been released from prison.

“Is it necessary?” Zuo Xian slowly packed her things, glancing at her.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Xue Shuangxi retorted. “Seriously, that’s a holiday! A winter holiday! Not some ordinary three-day mini-break!”

Zuo Xian stuffed the last book into her bag and let out a long sigh. “What’s the point of a long holiday when Tao Ran won’t be back?”

Xue Shuangxi: “…Get away from me, you love-struck idiot.”

After packing up, the two walked out of the school gate together, where Zuo Zhimi was already waiting.

Since she didn’t have to go to school, Zuo Xian naturally had no need to remain a “left-behind child,” and could move back to live with Zuo Zhimi.

Next to Zuo Xian herself, Zuo Zhimi was the happiest about her daughter’s break. She hummed a tune all the way home, her eyes brimming with joy.

However, this joy didn’t last long. When Zuo Zhimi saw Jiang Yuhai at their doorstep, her smiling face instantly turned cold.

“Jiang Yuhai, what are you doing here?” Zuo Zhimi shielded Zuo Xian behind her, not giving her ex-husband a single ounce of courtesy.

Jiang Yuhai was still dressed in a respectable, albeit phony, manner. He smiled slightly. “This was my home, at least, so why shouldn’t I be here?”

“Your home? Does your name appear on the property deed? Shameless.”

Stung by the retort, Jiang Yuhai’s face alternated between green and purple. “Zuo Zhimi, in front of the child, is there really a need for you to be so hostile toward her father?”

At the mention of “the child,” Zuo Zhimi’s expression wavered slightly.

Zuo Xian peeked out from behind Zuo Zhimi. “Watch your attitude towards my mother! Show some respect!”

Jiang Yuhai’s face darkened further.

But thinking of the purpose of his visit, Jiang Yuhai forced himself to swallow his anger, managing a strained, awkward smile.

“Zuo Xian, Dad knows you resent me, but Dad also has his own company. Your mother is also busy with work, isn’t she? Why can you understand her but not me? I came here this time because I want to make up for the mistakes I made when I was younger.”

He pleaded earnestly: “They all say that children from single-parent families lack love, and an absent father can make a child feel inferior, causing great harm to their entire life and their ability to love. I want to make amends. Can you please give Dad a chance to exercise his visitation rights?”

Zuo Xian let out a contemptuous snort, but failed to notice the momentary jolt in her mother’s expression beside her.

“I know I haven’t done well in the past few years, but you and your mother have always been in my heart. Otherwise, I’m a wealthy man in my own right; have you seen me look for another woman all these years? No, you haven’t.”

“Our divorce back then was only because your mother and I had incompatible views and personalities, but you are my only daughter. How could I not love you? I’ve just realized that no job or company is as important as my own flesh and blood daughter.”

Saying this, Jiang Yuhai sounded a little choked up. “Give Dad a chance to remedy the trauma of your childhood, okay?”

What nonsense about childhood trauma! You’re the one with trauma!

Zuo Xian was about to lash back, but Zuo Zhimi stopped her. She looked at her mother in disbelief.

Zuo Zhimi looked at the confused Zuo Xian, a pang of agony in her heart.

That night, she chatted with Xianzai and asked her if she had anyone she liked or had a crush on, and received a negative answer.

Zuo Zhimi didn’t insist that her daughter had to have a crush to be satisfied, but she worried because at this age, in the pure environment of the school, Zuo Xian didn’t even have a tiny spark of romantic interest.

Zuo Zhimi was afraid that her own mistaken choices had caused her daughter to lose the ability to love.

She hadn’t thought Zuo Xian would hide anything from her, because she was certain of how much her daughter loved and trusted her.

She had enough confidence that Zuo Xian would tell her the truth.

“Mom,” Zuo Xian knitted her brows, not understanding why Zuo Zhimi was doing this.

“Xianzai, why don’t we… give your father a chance?” Zuo Zhimi looked at Zuo Xian, seeking her opinion.

Seeing a possible opening, Jiang Yuhai immediately beamed and nodded vigorously. “Give me a chance! Look, I specifically brought you your favorite gift today.”

With that, Jiang Yuhai quickly pulled out the prepared gift from his bag and held it out to Zuo Xian.

At that moment, the streetlights in the villa area flickered on, illuminating the gift clearly.

It was a delicately packaged, pink doll. The texture showed it was likely expensive and not something casually picked up from a supermarket; it seemed to have been thoughtfully custom-made.

But Zuo Xian was long past the age of playing with dolls. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“Are you kidding me?”

Jiang Yuhai chuckled awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed. “Dad only remembers you loving to play with dolls like this when you were little. We’ve been apart for too long, and I didn’t know what you like now. So… you don’t like dolls anymore.”

What an act.

Zuo Xian couldn’t help but inwardly criticize him.

“Enough,” Zuo Zhimi was unexpectedly moved by the gift and let out an imperceptible sigh. “Come in.”

Zuo Xian: “Mom?!”

But looking at Zuo Zhimi’s eyes, which were full of guilt as she gazed at her, Zuo Xian paused. She knew her daughter’s upbringing had always been a source of pain for Zuo Zhimi.

Fine, I’ll put up with it for my mom.