Chapter 23: Are You the Little Girl from Back Then?

“Sasha, could I borrow this money?” Liu Heming asked hesitantly after a long pause.

“Why?” Sasha looked at Liu Heming and asked.

She personally found Liu Heming quite interesting, but she barely remembered him. If not for the ID card she had kept, she might not have found him at all.

She had offered him compensation and given him this ranch, and he promised to return everything. Now, with the money for building the house, he was again insisting on paying her back. In most divorce situations, people usually tried to take as much as they could for themselves.

Liu Heming’s expression was troubled. After a brief hesitation, he decided to tell the truth. He explained his plans for expansion and the issue with the bank loan, sharing everything with Sasha honestly.

He didn’t want to be like this, but this involved “misusing funds”—the money wasn’t intended for him but for his daughter. Now he needed to firmly set boundaries with Sasha. Accepting gifts left him indebted, so he had to be financially independent.

Sasha’s eyebrows twitched. She held back for a moment but couldn’t help it, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. She was naturally beautiful, and her smile stunned Liu Heming for a second. But he quickly realized she was laughing at him for being tricked by the bank so foolishly.

“I’ve seen the house at Bumper Farm. It’s much better than this one. Consider this money as a loan from you, and I will pay you interest at the bank’s rate,” Liu Heming said with a frown.

“I will also take good care of that place. Even though it won’t be up to your standards, I won’t let Alex feel deprived. Besides, if I start making money here, I originally planned to build a nicer villa.”

“OK,” Sasha nodded after watching Liu Heming for a while.

“You really agreed?” Liu Heming was caught off guard, feeling uncertain.

“Why wouldn’t I agree? The money was meant for building Alex’s house, and now you’re even offering me interest. I’m making a profit,” Sasha shrugged.

“Oh, then you can’t go back on your word. I’ll find some paper right away and write an IOU. I’ll be borrowing sixty thousand US Dollars,” Liu Heming added, just to be sure.

Sasha didn’t say anything but nodded with a smile.

Liu Heming couldn’t bear to put his daughter down for even a moment. Holding her, he rummaged around and found a slightly crumpled piece of paper. He wrote the IOU on it, complete with the date and his signature—in both Chinese and English.

Sasha didn’t hesitate either; she casually slipped the IOU into her bag. Then she stood to the side, as the place was too messy and dirty for her to sit.

With the big issue resolved, Liu Heming’s spirits lifted considerably. Who could have guessed Sasha would show up today? No matter how the bank tried to trick him, he now felt much more confident.

“Alex, look, beneath this layer of soil, there are seeds sprouting. You can see these little things poking out—they’ve already broken through the dirt,” Liu Heming carried Lisa over to his handiwork and explained.

“Over here are the cucumbers, and here are the tomatoes. When they grow up… I’ll send them to you so you can taste how delicious they are.”

He had wanted to say “Daddy,” but he held back. This was part of his agreement with Sasha—to let Alex gradually get used to the idea. In her life so far, there had never been a Dad around.

“Dexter, will they be tasty? What are these?” Alex asked, pointing with her little hand.

“Over there are green peppers, eggplants, and green beans,” Liu Heming continued explaining to the little girl.

“Ah, Alex doesn’t like green peppers. They don’t taste good at all. Dexter, can you please not send green peppers?” the little girl said with a worried look, her small eyebrows furrowing together.

“Alright, then I won’t send any green peppers,” Liu Heming agreed immediately, seeing how troubled his daughter looked.

“Dexter, you’re so nice,” Alex said, then gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Liu Heming was so overjoyed he felt like he was floating, the corners of his mouth stretching almost to his ears.

Maybe the bond between father and daughter played a role—Alex didn’t mind being close to Liu Heming. The two of them explored the house for a while, then ran to the lakeside, where he showed the little girl around.

He also shared everything he had been doing since he arrived, picking out the fun parts to tell her. It felt like giving a work report, except the audience was his own daughter.

“Dexter, Dexter, do you have visitors?” George drove up at that moment, calling out to Liu Heming from a distance.

He was worried about Liu Heming and had come to check on him. He figured Liu Heming would be up by now, but he didn’t expect to see this scene.

“Sasha, can you let him come over? This is George, my friend. May I introduce Alex to him later?” Liu Heming asked, looking at Sasha.

Sasha hesitated for a moment, then nodded. With her approval, the bodyguards allowed George to approach.

“Dexter, what’s going on here?” George hurried over to Liu Heming, panting as he asked.

“George, let me introduce you to a special young lady. This is Alex, my daughter,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

“Oh my, Dexter, are you serious?” George asked in surprise.

“Of course I am! Look at her hair, her eyes, her face—she’s my daughter!” Liu Heming replied, a bit flustered.

“That’s not what I meant. If this is true, why did you go to the bank for a loan?” George shook his head and lowered his voice.

“Uh… well… the money issue is resolved now. You can contact David Roy, and we’ll sign the transfer agreement tomorrow. As for the rest, I can’t really talk about it right now,” Liu Heming said awkwardly.

“OK, OK, as long as the money problem is solved, that’s good,” George said with a smile. “Alex, right? You truly are a Little Angel.”

“Hello, I’m Alex,” the little girl greeted him politely.

Liu Heming felt a sense of accomplishment. He wondered if other fathers felt this happy when introducing their daughters to others. For him, it was pure joy, like showing off his most precious treasure.

“Wait, I think I remember you. Are you that little girl from back then?” George suddenly exclaimed in surprise as he caught sight of Sasha.