Chapter 858: Afraid She Will Hate Him
"No, I won’t!"
President Shi Mai’er firmly denied.
"Why?" Dr. Charles was slightly surprised.
He couldn’t help but frown, feeling incomprehensible: "Since you don’t intend to acknowledge her, why did you do a DNA paternity test? It would be better not to know, find peace of mind."
President Shi Mai’er rubbed his temples: "Initially, I didn’t plan to do this paternity test, but as I looked at her, she seemed more and more like Yueru, and I increasingly wanted to know the answer... I knew if I didn’t do this, it would be a lifelong regret."
"But isn’t it also a regret if you don’t recognize her?"
"That’s different."
President Shi Mai’er took a deep breath: "Confirming she is my daughter, I can quietly protect her, pray for her, keep her safe."
"But have you ever thought, she actually always wants to find her biological father, and not recognizing her means she’ll never know who her biological father is."
Dr. Charles still felt puzzled.
"She hates me, hates that I ignored her and her mother all these years. I’m... afraid that if she knew I am her biological father, she would stop caring about me. Rather than that, it’s better not to let her know..."
President Shi Mai’er lowered his eyes desolately, his face looking forlorn.
"She doesn’t know that back then, you never knew you had a child with your lover from Country Z, and it was her mother who left you on her own accord; you’re not to blame."
Dr. Charles thought it unfair for him.
President Shi Mai’er shook his head, shook his head, heaved a heavy sigh, "No matter how it’s said, I failed her and her mother. I can hardly imagine how they’ve lived all these years."
Listening to Song Yinyin recounting her and her mother Xiao Yueru’s story that day, President Shi Mai’er felt a pang of heartache, causing him to lose sleep all night.
"I heard her adoptive father wasn’t good to her, and Yueru married him while pregnant with her. Her adoptive father must have felt deceived and betrayed by Yueru, taking out all his anger on them. It can be imagined what their situation at home was like back then..."
President Shi Mai’er took a deep breath.
His face was full of heartache, guilt, remorse... many, many complex emotions surged in his chest, making him feel anxious and overwhelmed.
Though he has confirmed he is her biological father, he deeply knows he is not a qualified father.
He couldn’t find a valid reason to acknowledge her, so he can only watch her from afar.
Seeing his persistence, Dr. Charles no longer tried persuading him and gently patted his shoulder, saying, "Don’t be too hard on yourself; in my view, this isn’t your fault."
President Shi Mai’er pressed his lips together but said nothing.
He stored the test report in a sealed bag, bade farewell to Dr. Charles, and left the hospital.
Sitting in the Rolls-Royce, President Shi Mai’er’s heart felt torn, his vision gradually blurred, and an indescribable irritability filled his chest.
Back at the temporary President’s Mansion, into the study, he sat in that wide green leather chair for several hours.
Finally, he placed the test report on the desk, clasping his hands together in front of his forehead, his somewhat aged eyes fixed straight on the line of text in the report book.
’Biological’—those three words were exceptionally clear and glaring.
He only felt the veins on his forehead pulse twice, then closed his eyes, rubbing his temples twice.