Jiang Wan had no choice but to spend the whole night calling Dou Ming “Daddy.” The next day, he slept until noon, waking up with a sore back. When he checked his WeChat, he saw a message from Dou Ming: “My dad finally got arrested. I’m heading home this afternoon to send the evidence of his gambling and unpaid debts to the police station.”
Jiang Wan felt a bit conflicted: “I don’t know if I should say this, but I was the one who had your dad arrested.”
Dou Ming immediately replied: “Well done.”
Pfft.
So it’s that kind of loving father-son relationship, huh?
Jiang Wan couldn’t help but think how alike he and Dou Ming were. Both of them had parents who caused them trouble, so they teamed up to give their parents a taste of their own medicine.
Dou Deli had been thoroughly dealt with by his own son and future daughter-in-law. Two months later, he was sentenced to prison and wouldn’t be out for at least three to five years.
On the day Dou Deli was taken into custody, he asked the prison guards to let him make a call home, begging to see Dou Ming one last time. However, Dou Ming was busy with his second mock exams and didn’t have time, so he asked Jiang Wan to go in his place.
“Ask him what he needs,” Dou Ming said. “As long as he’s suffering, I’ll be at ease.”
Jiang Wan delivered Dou Ming’s words to Dou Deli without any sugar coating. Dou Deli trembled, his lips turning pale. “I-I’m still his father. If I’d made a lot of money, I would’ve let him live a good life. I just wanted to give it a shot.”
Jiang Wan didn’t bother with niceties and simply asked, “Did you know Dou Ming hurt his hand while working part-time and can’t play the piano anymore?”
Dou Deli froze. “I-I was planning to make money and buy back his piano. It was something his mother bought for him. He’s been gifted at piano since he was young. His teachers always praised him as a piano prodigy. Many people invited him to play at their homes.”
His tears were worthless, and Jiang Wan remained unmoved, coldly saying, “When you mortgaged the house and borrowed a million from me, what did you say? You said you’d use the money to pay off your debts immediately, that no matter how hard things got, you wouldn’t let it affect your child. That sounded great, didn’t it? But when you got the money, you took off without a word, leaving Dou Ming, a child, to deal with your ruthless creditors. Did you think about him back then? Even for a few minutes?”
Dou Deli couldn’t say a word, tears streaming down his face.
Jiang Wan, still unsatisfied, sneered, “You’re a worthless piece of trash pretending to be a loving father. Just looking at you makes me want to puke.”
Dou Deli trembled violently and suddenly raised his hand to slap himself. “I am trash! I’m a worthless piece of trash!”
He seemed to have found an outlet for his guilt, slapping himself left and right until his mouth bled.
The prison guards quickly intervened and reminded Jiang Wan, “Sir, your time is up.”
Jiang Wan nodded and left without looking back.
Dou Deli, in a frenzy, stood up and shouted after him, only to be tackled to the ground by the panicked guards.
Pinned down, with tears and snot all over his face, Dou Deli still struggled to yell, “Jiang Wan! You and Dou Ming, take good care of each other!!”
Jiang Wan passed the message on to Dou Ming, who calmly responded with an “Oh,” without giving any further comment.
After all, no one can truly remain unaffected when it comes to their biological father.
No matter how mature Dou Ming seemed, he had just turned eighteen. He was still a kid at heart.
As Jiang Wan held Dou Ming’s hand and got out of the car, he stopped in front of the house and said, “I have a gift for you today.”
Dou Ming smiled. “You’ve already given me so many gifts… Is that my old piano?”
He stared, stunned, at the familiar grand piano in the living room. The large “D” he had carved into the lid when he was little was still there.
He quickly walked over, sat down at the piano, gently stroking the lid, his lips pressed into a thin line, and turned to look at Jiang Wan.
Jiang Wan stood there awkwardly, tilting his body to the side and nervously asking, “You’re not going to cry, are you?”
Dou Ming stayed silent, gazing at Jiang Wan. His eyes seemed a little red, but they were clear, filled with love rather than sorrow or regret.
Jiang Wan walked over, pulling Dou Ming into his arms, pressing his ear against Jiang Wan’s stomach. As he gently smoothed Dou Ming’s hair, he softly said, “It’s okay. If you want to cry, go ahead. Daddy’s arms are always open for you.”
After a few moments of silence, Dou Ming solemnly asked, “Is the real gift in your belly? I mean, I’ve been listening for a while and can only hear your stomach gurgling, but maybe the baby’s not big enough for me to feel it kicking yet?”
Jiang Wan froze and immediately pushed Dou Ming away. “What the hell are you talking about?! You still haven’t even fully grown up, and you want to be a dad?!”
Dou Ming stood up and, without missing a beat, scooped Jiang Wan up in his arms. As he carried him upstairs, he calmly said, “Why don’t you check again if I’ve fully grown?”
Jiang Wan panicked, “Alright, alright, I admit I was being mouthy! Put me down. Hey, you’ve got exams coming up soon! Don’t waste your energy on me!!!”
Dou Ming replied matter-of-factly, “I’ll relax after the exams.”
Jiang Wan’s fear grew. “Don’t tell me you’ve been practicing some secret technique to drain my yin energy and boost your yang energy?”
Dou Ming answered, “A little bit of Wanwan’s energy makes me feel great. The more I get, the better I feel.”
Jiang Wan: “………..”
He’s going to drain me dry!!!
Two months later.
When the college entrance exam results were released, Dou Ming took the top spot at his school and was admitted to his dream university.
Jiang Wan claimed, “This is all thanks to me.”
Dou Ming, massaging Jiang Wan’s waist, agreed wholeheartedly. “Of course. Wanwan’s special energy is refreshing and helps with focus. A little bit every day, and I had no worries about the exams.”
What kind of wolfish words are these, geez.
Faced with Dou Ming’s increasingly thick skin, Jiang Wan had no way to fight back. He just lay there, defeated. “Looks like I’m stuck with you for life.”
Dou Ming leaned in closer with a smile. “Same here.”
Jiang Wan: “??! Again?!”
These young people have way too much energy.
His poor waist!!!
There’s no way it’ll recover in this lifetime.
— End —
