It was also during this time that they learned that her baby had such a weak heart and failing organs.

Every single day was filled with agony for Teng Man Rui, and each day matters for her. 

She called her little one, DXia, which meant long summers. The new mother wanted her little DXia to prevail from all her illnesses and grow into such a healthy kid.

That was her wish.

However, the baby got weaker each pa.s.sing day.

It was painful enough that she couldn't even touch her little one, yet what's more painful was the fact that this little angel wasn't going to stay for long.

One sunny afternoon, at around three o'clock, Teng Man Rui received such unexpected guests in her private room in the hospital.

"Jie-Jie." Kang Sola timidly knocked at the sliding door already partially open.

"Oh, Sola! Hi!" Teng Man Rui greeted and sat up on her bed.

"I brought you some followers and fruits to liven the mood…"

"So thoughtful of you, Sola."

"And, I'm actually with someone…" She trailed off quietly.

"Hmmm?"

Kang Sola turned towards the door where a tall man emerged reluctantly.

"HUH!" Immediately, Teng Man Rui panicked. She hit the b.u.t.ton attached to the wall for help. She also pressed the number one on her phone which would speed-dial to her husband, Xue Minhe.

When he picked up she uttered hastily, "Come here in my room, quick! Please!"

"Man Rui… I'm, not here to cause trouble." Said the man.

Xue Minhe must have heard his voice over the phone since he arrived in Teng Man Rui's room soon after, sweating hard and out of breath.

Upon seeing the man, he threw the bag that he was carrying on the floor, and hurriedly grabbed the guest's collar, followed by a punch on his cheek. "How dare you show yourself here! If you still have a conscience you wouldn't even want to show yourself!"

"Sir! Young Master! Please hear him out first. We had some serious talking. I a.s.sure you that he's not here to cause trouble."

"Fengyu-Oppa..." She urged him.

Han Fengyu, while smirking and wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand, unexpectedly… knelt in front of the Xue couple.

Teng Man Rui and Xue Minhe looked at each other, doubt clouding their features. 

"I'm here to apologize." Han Fengyu muttered almost inaudibly.

"Forgive me. Teng Man Rui. Xue Minhe."

"Let me see my kid. Please."

Teng Man Rui and Xue Minhe discussed privately inside the room. Kang Sola and her older brother were asked to wait outside.

The Xue couple did some serious deliberation.

In the end, Teng Man Rui's kind heart prevailed despite all the warnings that her spouse threw at her.

"We both know that DXia's… my little DXia's not going to stay here long… I just want her to meet her father before she leaves us. Saying these words is so painful, yet… I have to accept that fact." She was completely shrouded with serene acceptance.

"Who am I to deny my child the opportunity to be acknowledged by her father? This opportunity might not happen again, not for my DXia. I have to do this for her."

Xue Minhe exhaled sharply. "But I'm here for her. In the eyes of all the people, I'm her father."

"And so, you are." Teng Man Rui smiled at him. "But, he is, too."

The Xue young master sighed in exasperation, "We cannot trust that man… But…"

"As you wish, Man Rui."

"I'll request to tighten the security, just in case." 

He placed one hand on her shoulder which the lady hovered with her own, and gave it a soft squeeze.

At around half-past three, all four of them – the Xue couple and the pair of siblings, went on a short trip to the NICU. They were followed with a procession of bodyguards in black suits, with communication devices attached to one of their ears. They kept their distance but they were very much alert.

The nurse inside the NICU rolled the crib where the Xue baby was sheltered for the time being. She picked up baby DXia and approached them near the gla.s.s window that separated them.

The infant was terribly tiny and wrinkly.

At the sight of his biological daughter, surprisingly, the tough s.h.i.+ Fan Hai was moved into an emotional trough. He inconspicuously pursed his lips in a tight, grim line. No more did he wear his gaudy, taunting smile. No more was he mocking nor sneering.

"Such a fragile being." He breathed in awe. "That's my child over there."

Teng Man Rui covered her mouth with a hand as she tried to blink away the tears that were welling in her eyes. For once, she entertained the thought of such a happy complete family with this man – what could have been – if things didn't turn awry between them.

But she knew her heart was tired of this man.

She knew it could never happen.

Even if DXia will make it through this ordeal, she knew they could never become one family.

Instead, this man beside him, whose arms were wrapped around her, comforting her, would be DXia's father, if she's going to live.

'You are so fortunate, DXia. You have two sets of fathers who love you.'

Inside her head, while watching the man that brought her to this fate, this thought lingered, 'I would have to give credit to Fengyu, my first love. He has faults, but this moment is his peak as a human being. It proves that he still has a heart.'

'Maybe he can still change. Maybe.'

Breaking her thoughts, Xue Minhe uttered, "This doesn't mean that we forgive you, Han Fengyu."

"Man Rui?" s.h.i.+ Fan Hai turned to the lady, completely ignoring the man's comment.

"For my little DXia, I forgive you. But, Fengyu, please leave me alone. Can't you do a sacrifice for that angel? Please leave us alone. She will be known as Xue DXia. This is going to be the first and last time you're going to see her."

"I didn't know that I could forgive you, but this tiny angel has set my heart free… and she's your child as well."

"Let's cut all our ties from here on."

"I don't want to have anything to do with you."

"If you truly care for that child, you will give in to this setup."

Han Fengyu clenched his fists and tensed up.

The bodyguards in black were on standby and were ready to pounce anytime.

"Oppa…" Kang Sola latched onto his forearm in a warning.

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai chuckled. "Xue Minhe, you thought it well. So this is my punishment, huh? To see my woman and my child, but not to be with them. To see them with you, of all people!"

He laughed harder. His dark voice reverberated along the whitewashed walls of the corridor. 

Without saying anything more, and with one last filling look at the tiny baby DXia, he walked away, pa.s.sing by the Xue couple, and the bunch of bodyguards in black, Kang Sola tagging closely behind.