Chapter 22: A Lifesaver?

Woken up by the sun shining through the window, Liu Heming sat up and looked around for a while. It was indeed his own shabby home. He had been in a bad mood yesterday and ended up drinking too much at George’s place.

The fireplace was still warm, so it seemed George had taken good care of him. Coming to the United States and meeting George and his wife Megan might have been his greatest stroke of luck. Having someone who cared made his heart feel a little warmer too.

His head felt heavy; the strong liquor had quite a kick and was still affecting him. He went to the bathroom and took a shower, which made him feel a bit more refreshed.

He had no appetite in the morning. He picked through the canned fruit for a long time but ended up putting it back. He really couldn’t accept it—five thousand US dollars had vanished in an instant.

He walked over to the small pond he had planted. It was looking good; the sprouting seeds were full of life, and some had already broken through the surface soil, revealing their tiny white shoots.

His mood improved a little. He had already given up on the idea of calling Liu yi. It was too unrealistic and not his lifesaver. Now he had to think about whether, after paying the penalty, he could discuss borrowing David Roy’s wheat seeder with him.

While lost in thought, he saw a dust cloud rising outside the farm. Looking closely, he realized it was a small convoy of four SUVs. The vehicles had already driven through the always-open gate of his ranch and were heading straight for his little rundown log cabin.

“Who could that be?” Liu Heming wondered. “It couldn’t be the bank having a change of heart and coming here to offer me a loan on the spot.”

Whoever it was, they were definitely here to see him, so he decided to go down and find out. But after a moment’s thought, he loaded his Remington 870 shotgun and stuffed a few extra shells into the pocket of his pajamas.

He didn’t want to harm anyone, but he had to be cautious. Who knew what these people were here for? Even if they meant to bully him, he wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

He went downstairs and leaned against the doorframe, his right hand gripping the gun handle, using his body to conceal it as he waited for the convoy to arrive.

Even with the small lake nearby, the land was still dry. It hadn’t rained lately, and when the vehicles came to a stop, they kicked up another cloud of dust in the small, dusty yard.

The way they parked was interesting too: three vehicles stopped in front, and the remaining one parked behind them. The three in front formed a barrier.

“Must be someone important,” Liu Heming thought.

From the three front vehicles, six bodyguards stepped out. As they exited, their hands stayed tucked inside their jackets, which made Liu Heming nervous. His hand gripping the gun handle started to sweat.

“Hi, Dexter! Mommy brought me to play with you. Where’s the gift you prepared for me?” Then, Liu Heming heard a voice that sounded like heaven to him.

He was so startled he nearly pulled the trigger. If his ears weren’t deceiving him, that was his precious little Alex!

He quickly looked toward the fourth vehicle, and sure enough, there was the daughter he had been missing so much. She still had that playful strand of hair tied to the side, swaying as she moved, paired with those chubby little cheeks that made him want to plant a kiss on them.

“Alex, Alex! I’m over here,” Liu Heming stammered excitedly.

But in his excitement, he forgot one thing: he wanted to run to his daughter but didn’t realize he was still holding the gun. Before he could even step down from the stairs, he found himself staring down the barrels of several guns pointed right at him.

“Uh, it’s a misunderstanding. I thought you were bad people at first,” Liu Heming explained carefully, not daring to make any sudden moves as he placed the gun on the ground. He even untied his pajama belt to show them he wasn’t carrying any other weapons.

Once the bodyguards confirmed he was harmless, they holstered their guns. But Liu Heming still felt they were watching him as if he were a thief.

Just then, the door of the car where the little one was sitting opened, and Sasha stepped out, holding the child’s hand. Liu Heming’s eyes were glued to his daughter. He never expected Sasha would bring her to see him.

“Get dressed properly,” Sasha’s emotionless voice cut in before Liu Heming could even greet his daughter.

Liu Heming looked down and realized that in his excitement, he had forgotten to retie his pajamas. Even though the little one was his own daughter, this wasn’t really appropriate.

Flustered, he tied his pajamas back up. He lifted his head, nodded at Sasha, and then crouched down in front of the little girl. “My adorable Alex, the gift I prepared for you is just a little small.”

He had to lift his head; he was just over 170 cm tall, while Sasha was nearly 180 cm. If he didn’t look up, he couldn’t even see her face.

“Dexter, is it a kitten or a puppy?” Alex asked curiously.

“Uh… neither. It’s some sprouted seeds,” Liu Heming replied, a bit taken aback. “But don’t worry, I’ll get you some little animals to play with later.”

When Sasha heard Liu Heming’s words, she frowned slightly but didn’t say anything.

Liu Heming paid her no mind and scooped up his daughter’s soft, little body. Nothing else mattered to him now; all he wanted was to spend time with his little girl.

“How did this place become so rundown?” Sasha muttered to herself after following Liu Heming into the log cabin.

“You know exactly what this place is like, don’t you?” Liu Heming retorted, his tone neither friendly nor hostile.

Sasha frowned again, about to say something, but held back. Instead, she took out a checkbook from her bag, wrote something quickly, and handed the check to Liu Heming.

“What’s this for?” Liu Heming asked, frowning at the amount of one hundred thousand US dollars written on it.

“I’ve been away from here for too long. I had no idea it had gotten this bad,” Sasha said, looking down at Liu Heming.

“I thought it over carefully and decided I shouldn’t keep you from spending time with Alex, so I brought her here. Use this money to fix up the house. It’s too run-down, and I don’t want Alex to get hurt.”

Sasha’s words left Liu Heming stunned. If what she said was true, then he had misjudged her. Maybe Sasha wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

One hundred thousand US dollars—for him right now, it was absolutely a lifesaver. He wanted to refuse, but facing this check, his resolve wasn’t that strong.

He was really torn. This was special funds to build a house for his precious daughter, but it was Sasha’s money. Was it right for him to use it like this?