"Dad, why would you say that? I just want to have a quiet space. Please don't be so agitated, okay?"
"Then are you going to stay like this quietly all the time? You've never even come home for your birthday?"
Ni Moqiang lowered her eyes and listlessly twisted the belt of her bathrobe, remaining silent. Her slightly damp hair caught Ni Zhengguo's attention.
"Your hair is wet. Hurry up and dry it."
Ni Moqiang was stunned for a moment and was about to nod when she heard her stepmother's cold sneer.
"Dry it? She doesn't want to dry it now!"
Ni Zhengguo gave her a strange look and asked in confusion, "Why?"
"You'll know if you take a look at what's on her neck!" Qi Ruoling blinked at him pretending to be mysterious.
Ni Zhengguo turned his head and stared intently at her neck with his sharp eyes. That gaze made Ni Moqiang's scalp tingle. She nervously shifted her body, clutched the collar of her bathrobe, and said cautiously, "It's nothing. I'll go dry my hair." She turned to leave, but Ni Zhengguo was quick - handed. He grabbed her hand and swiftly moved her hair behind her. The little bruises on her neck were now exposed in front of him without any cover. A furious shout almost lifted the roof.
"Who did this?" He widened his angry eyes and stared fixedly at Ni Moqiang, but she was so frightened by his roar that she couldn't come to her senses for a long time.
Qi Ruoling sat on the sofa leisurely, crossing her legs. With a look of gloom on her face, she said, "Oh, honey, let's just leave Moqiang's business alone. Anyway, she just told me that I have no right to interfere with her—"
Ni Moqiang secretly glanced at her, turned around frankly, no longer trying to hide it, and looked at Ni Zhengguo firmly, saying, "Dad, I'm an adult now. I can take responsibility for my own affairs, so—" Before she could finish, Ni Zhengguo interrupted her impatiently and angrily, "So you've grown up and can do whatever you want. Even if you act dissolutely, I'm not allowed to ask a single question?"
"Dad!" Ni Moqiang exclaimed in shock. Her originally calm and composed eyes were instantly filled with pain and grievance.
He was her father. Why would he say such things to her?
Ni Zhengguo was so angry that he lost control a bit. Seeing her dissatisfied expression, he became even angrier and blurted out words without thinking.
"Ni Moqiang, I really didn't expect you to become like this. Are you still a daughter of the Ni family? Are you still the Mo'er in Yongwei's heart?"
His cold and harsh words were like sharp knives stabbing into her heart, digging at it fiercely, making blood gush out and draining all the emotions in her heart.
Her body swayed, and her face turned pale. Her tender lips trembled slightly, and she choked out, "Dad, I didn't expect that I'm so despicable in your eyes."
"Then tell me, you don't have a boyfriend. How did these marks on your body come about? Was someone bullying you?"
She bit her lip tightly and didn't answer, just shook her head gently. In her clear eyes filled with tears, there was a look of vulnerability and sadness.
Looking at his daughter's sad appearance, Ni Zhengguo didn't dare to ask anymore. He knew that his daughter had always disdained to lie since she was a child. But if she didn't want to say something, no matter how hard he forced her, she wouldn't say it. Besides, she looked so vulnerable now, and she must be feeling very sad in her heart.
He sighed and shook his head helplessly, not knowing what else to say. Since her mother passed away, there had always seemed to be a barrier between her and him. They could never get along intimately like they used to, and they could never play and laugh without restraint as they did before. This situation only changed after Qi Youling married into the Ni family with Yongwei. It wasn't because of the new mother, but because of the addition of a stepbrother who truly loved her.
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