"Xu Fan, where did you take my daughter to? I'm telling you, if anything happens to Tongtong, I absolutely won't let you off the hook," Xu Yixue roared into the phone, holding it tightly.
Xu Fan rubbed his ear gently on the other end of the phone; Xu Yixue's volume was practically on par with the roar of a lioness from Hedong.
"Tongtong is your daughter, but she's also my daughter; don't use words like 'abduct'! As her father, it's my freedom to take my daughter wherever I want," Xu Fan's cold voice came through the phone.
"Now you're the one who sounds reasonable? Hand Tongtong back immediately—my biggest mistake coming to Zhonghai was to let you take her!" Xu Yixue continued to berate and yell at Xu Fan.
"Tongtong isn't an object to be given away just because you say so. As her father, I also consider her own wishes," Xu Fan didn't buy into her act and ignored Xu Yixue's furious tone.
"Right, Tongtong?" At this moment, Xu Fan was watching Tongtong drink milk from a cup and passed the phone to her mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, Tongtong wants to be with Daddy," Tongtong put down the milk, pursed her lips, and happily responded.
Upon hearing Tongtong's voice on the phone, a weight lifted off Xu Yixue's heart—Tongtong was safe; finally, she could take a moment to relax.
Xu Yixue held the phone, took a light breath, and started to worry again.
Although Tongtong wasn't in danger, the environment in Xu Fan's little cabin was simply not fit for human habitation.
When Tongtong was with Xu Yixue, she had always lived in a spacious luxury home of over two hundred square meters and wore high-end children's clothing worth thousands, if not tens of thousands. Seeing how down and out Xu Fan now seemed, it was evident that Tongtong would suffer living with him.
Thinking of her delicate precious daughter living poorly with Xu Fan, Xu Yixue's heart clenched tight once again.
"Where are you now, I want to see my daughter immediately!" Xu Yixue demanded coldly into the phone.
"Eh, it's Mommy's voice too." Tongtong stretched out her chubby little hand, took the phone from Xu Fan, then cradled the phone, chatting with Xu Yixue.
"Mommy, Mommy, Tongtong has been so happy these past two days, eating KFC, big pizza, and drinking yummy milk," the little girl babbled to Xu Yixue while she casually picked up the milk cup from the table and gulped down two big mouthfuls of milk.
"KFC, Pizza Hut… Xu Fan, how could you take my daughter to eat such junk food? And what about the milk? My Tongtong only drinks pure Dutch imported milk. What trash milk you're letting my daughter drink indiscriminately—can you afford it if she gets sick from it?" Xu Yixue gritted her teeth, her beautiful face full of anger.
When she was abroad, she never allowed her daughter to eat such junk food, only the best food; looking at the conditions of Xu Fan's place, it was clear he lived in hardship, there was no way he could afford good food for his daughter.
Living with a poor dad like that, she guessed that her daughter, treated like a little princess, would start eating spicy strips and instant noodles from small workshops within three days.
Of course, Xu Yixue was entirely unwilling to accept this.
"Mommy, it's all what Tongtong wanted to eat. Daddy is so nice to Tongtong; whatever Tongtong wants, Daddy will buy," Tongtong pouted her lips, still trying to justify Xu Fan's actions.
But in Xu Yixue's eyes, this was clearly Xu Fan deceiving her naive and innocent child with junk food that Tongtong normally didn't come in contact with. Junk food, while tasty, is neither hygienic nor nutritious, not realizing the meals Xu Yixue prepared for Tongtong every day were high-grade dishes made by a three-star Michelin chef, far surpassing fast-food chains like KFC and Pizza Hut.
"He's already got my daughter all confused, and in a few days, she might have to live a hard life with him. I absolutely won't agree to it!" Xu Yixue secretly made up her mind, determined not to let Xu Fan take Tongtong any longer, she had to bring her daughter to her side immediately.
If she stayed any longer, Tongtong might turn into a wild child, rolling in the mud under Xu Fan's guidance.
Her child, Xu Yixue's child, from the start, was meant to live the best life, receive the best education, all of which only Xu Yixue could provide.
As for Xu Fan, just by looking at where he lives, one could tell he was living in poverty. How could he possibly afford the enormous expenses of raising a daughter? She guessed that eating chicken at KFC for two meals would probably make him feel the pinch for half a day.
Xu Yixue thought about this and, without hesitation, said to Tongtong in a stern tone, "Tongtong, let Xu Fan take the call."
"Xu Fan? Who is Xu Fan?" Tongtong asked with her bright, innocent eyes. She only knew Xu Fan as her dear daddy, but didn't know her father's real name.
"Right," Little Tongtong slapped her forehead as if she remembered the story Xu Fan told her last night. In the story narrated by Xu Fan, the Five-Direction Heavenly Emperor was his name.
Tongtong's voice was sweet and milky as she spoke into the phone, "Mommy, are you looking for the Five-Direction Heavenly Emperor uncle from the story?"
"What kind of messy Heavenly Emperor uncle? Tongtong, let your, uh, your daddy take the phone, I need to talk to him about something."
Tongtong shook the cellphone in her hand, reached out with her little hand, and handed the phone to Xu Fan, then she shook her head and said to Xu Fan, "Daddy, isn't the Five-Direction Heavenly Emperor called Xu Fan in the story?"
"Ha-ha, my precious daughter is so smart, remembered it after just being told once. She will definitely get into a good university in the future." Xu Fan took the phone and gently rubbed Tongtong's head, his face full of affection.
Xu Yixue's voice came through the phone, "Xu Fan, where exactly are you? Tell me right now. I don't want to waste words with you. The child is mine, and I need to make sure that Tongtong isn't in any danger."
This time, Xu Yixue spoke very calmly, having contained her emotions.
Tongtong was still young, ignorant of many things, but as her mother, she had to take responsibility for Tongtong. Growing up with a useless father, what could she achieve? Probably wouldn't even be able to afford a house when she got older.
"I'm at Star of Zhonghai, villa number 88," Xu Fan's voice came calmly through the phone, without a hint of hesitation.
"Star of Zhonghai?" Xu Yixue was shocked. Star of Zhonghai was the signature villa area of Zhonghai City. Those who could live there were either rich or noble. Xu Fan, downtrodden as he was, had no reason to be living in such a high-end villa.
Could it be wealth left over from when he was the young master of the Xu Family? Xu Yixue's mind flickered with this thought, but she immediately dismissed it. The whole of Yan Country knew about Xu Fan being kicked out of the Xu Family. No matter if he had any assets left, he wasn't going to turn his life around.
So, Tongtong still had to go with her, Xu Yixue.
On this point, there was no doubt.
"Alright, I will go to Star of Zhonghai now and get Tongtong," Xu Yixue said, and then she hung up the phone abruptly.
"Let's go!" Xu Yixue waved her hand and, along with Ye Xiaoning, stood up and headed straight for her BMW car.