Still, Wait For Me (Web Novel)
chapter-345

Apple's birth father who had left the family twelve years ago was one of the investors of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Even as many were shocked and more were excited and moved, Apple was totally infuriated.

If not for Li Juan hugging her tightly, she would grab the bottle of mineral water on the table, the branded goods, the microphone…grab everything and fling it all towards the back of that bastard before her.

Everything was shattered. All her empathy, even her laughable worries and thoughts of him-they were all shattered. He had been living so well, so well it was almost impossible to imagine.

Compare that to the rainy nights of her and mother in Shenghai as they tightly hugged each other in a dilapidated, leaking rented house. The happy Apple had turned into the constantly bullied Apple who had had to act like she was not at all times. Mother and daughter had only each other to depend on as they waited foolishly for twelve long years.

Therefore, could it still be that there was some unspeakable reason that had forced him to act against his will? How could anything be said in his defence?

Yet, at this very moment, right before her, he had actually…returned, with such a status, in such a manner.

"You…sob…go…" Apple wanted to cry out in grief, yet a hand covered her mouth.

She only wished that he would disappear as soon as possible, after which she would treat it like he had never appeared at all.

In that case, the two of them, she and her mother, could still live just like they had before. Her mother could still be magnanimous and empathetic. Sometimes, not being able to understand something was actually a good thing as well.

Also, she already had the ability to take care of her mother. She didn't need this person to come back and do anything.

However, if this person, if this news was learnt by her mother…she would surely be overcome by despair.

……

At this moment, far away in Yanzhou, Xu Tingsheng was completely taken aback as he received the news from Tianyi's personnel.

Apple's birth father had appeared, and he was a super rich dude, someone even more wealthy than Xu Tingsheng…at the very least, if the current Xu Tingsheng wanted to invest in the Cesar-Carlton Corporation, everyone would laugh out loud as if it was a total joke.

This occurrence had already completely surpassed Xu Tingsheng's expectations.

In his previous life, had this person returned in the end? Had he influenced Apple's eventual fate? Her suddenly marrying far away, residing overseas with no news being heard of her thereafter…did these things have anything to do with this guy at all?

It was already impossible to know this.

Xu Tingsheng knew too little about Apple from his previous life. He had not been interested enough to ask around and investigate how she had lived thereafter. Everything had only been coincidentally heard from a classmate who was similarly no longer in contact with Apple, so who could verify truth and falsehood here? Who would even truly care enough to do so?

Also, with Xu Tingsheng's social status at that time, the state he had been in, even if someone had reminded him of this, it would still have been impossible for him to imagine something so far-fetched…

Now that he thought about it, Apple had not been a singer in his previous life. As an ordinary girl from an ordinary family who had graduated from an ordinary university, even if she was beautiful, she had suddenly married a British noble who was remarkable in terms of both appearance and character, going far away to Australia and living a happy and blissful life.

Wasn't this matter far-fetched in itself? Wasn't it like a Cinderella story? Being from traditional nobility, wouldn't the other party be concerned about bloodline and status? Purely falling in love with Apple's beauty and sexiness just like that, next bearing his status as a noble and vast familial assets in…solidifying his marriage for life, heedless of whatever others all said?

Such a tale would only appear in the fantasies of girls, right?

Expanding on this, it was very likely that this person's identity had still played a big part in Apple's life thereafter. Whether it had been overt goodwill or the arrangements had been covertly made, he should still have done something for her in the process.

It was just that his appearance would definitely not have been like this as he showed up in such a setting and environment.

Yet, he had still appeared. So, how would things develop from here on out? Apple was already completely different in this life from in that previous one. What sort of choice would she make?

What about that person? Would he still make the same arrangements?

Xu Tingsheng did not know.

He called Huang Yaming who was nearly arriving at Shenghai, reminding him to stay unaffected by this matter as he did what he had set out to do. Also, he was not to disturb and disrupt Apple, who should make any decision on her own without any outside interference.

It was Xu Tingsheng who had arranged for Huang Yaming to go to Shenghai, this being the only feasible plan he could think of after thinking painstakingly for the entire night which he could use to help to free Apple from her encirclement as best he could without overly exposing his identity.

In the end, just as Huang Yaming arrived, such a twist happened to the tale.

In this life, Xu Tingsheng's existence had already affected Apple's fate by far too much. He had even virtually changed her life trajectory completely…yet even as this was so, he was unable to give assurance and show determination to take care of her for her entire life.

Comparing these two fates, which one was better for Apple herself, exactly?

Apple was not in the know and had no way of choosing. As for Xu Tingsheng…he actually had no way of determining it.

After all, her happiness from his previous life had only been a rumour that he had heard from someone else, with no one being aware of the full specifics. As for this life, subtracting those romantic entanglements she had with Xu Tingsheng, after the adversity, her future seemed bright now too, didn't it?

The road to stardom had already been opened.

Whatever the case, Xu Tingsheng dared not interfere any more with the current situation…if Apple's fate was destined to return to its original trajectory from his previous life, let it return then…

Despite feeling pained, Xu Tingsheng knew that he did not have the qualifications for such.

"If things really turn out that way, it should be a good thing too. I will give you my blessings…"

At this moment, Xu Tingsheng did not consider that as Apple's father, since the other party had chosen to appear at such a time to protect his daughter, how would it be possible for him not to be aware of his existence?

……

In front of Apple, obscured behind a veil of mysterious affluence, the man named Cen Qishan faced the reporters, saying, "I think that all the questions you asked my daughter just now are now explainable?"

Actually, he still had a Japanese name that he hadn't revealed as well as his identity as one of the nine members of the board of 'Ruanjin International Investment Corporation'. Still, this was already enough. Just that little bit of the veil of mystery which he had just lifted off was already sufficient to prove that he had not just been speaking empty words.

If a birth father like this wanted to give a piece of his mind on his daughter's behalf, paving the way for her…what stuff wouldn't he be able to do? Which of those doubts weren't explainable?

The reporters discussed this in hushed tones.

It was indeed true that many problems could already be explained.

If one were to insist that Apple had retaliated and taken revenge on her former company when terminating her contract with it, with this being an undeniable point, if there was no reasonable explanation for this, it would actually harm Apple's image greatly. One could only guess at and analyse things from the standpoint of her character and 'backer'.

A minor artiste gained the support of some magnate with power and authority, thus acting arrogantly and overbearingly, maliciously and viciously…it was very easy for those with malicious intentions to suggest and hint at this.

Tianyi's PR team had carefully analysed this problem before this. They had believed that the only way the problem could be solved completely was Xu Tingsheng making an appearance as Apple's boyfriend…

With a girlfriend having been bullied, a boyfriend had gained sufficient capabilities and helped her to deal with the problem, venting his fury while helping his girlfriend to make sure justice was upheld. It would still be totally reasonable even if the method he used was a bit more vicious as it would be easily understood and accepted…this might even be a tale which uplifted the mood inspiringly.

The logic therein is simple, really. It is like how the general public usually despises a man who hits someone in public, yet if that man does this because his girlfriend is maliciously harrassed and bullied for no reason, however viciously he may attack, everyone will only applaud for him.

Apple had not just been bullied. She had been pressured to the point of severe depression! Her furious boyfriend feeling pained and exacting revenge on her behalf…wasn't this simply natural?

The proposal of the PR team had been rejected by Apple at this point. At that time, she had already understood Xu Tingsheng's attitude and thoughts on this matter, not wanting to make things difficult for him.

Afterwards, the PR team had not been able to come up with another solution which could make everything appear 'completely reasonable'.

Never would they have thought that a birth father with sufficient capabilities who bore guilt and had come late…seemed to have even more of a reason to do all this for his daughter. Also, it seemed even more reasonable and would be even more easily understood.

Now that he had really appeared, everything else aside, all the problems regarding Apple had already been resolved. Her image would also not be affected in the slightest.

Everyone, including the reporters present, would naturally have their minds drift in such a way…

Successful father who had left home for over a decade had seen his daughter grown up and now in showbiz, next silently paying attention to her. Then, after his daughter had been bullied and suppressed, being prevented from singing, because he was afraid that she couldn't accept it, he had helped her to take care of her problems with her being wholly unaware. He had taken revenge on those who had bullied his daughter and made arrangements for her development…

In the end, when his daughter had been forced into a predicament which she had been unable to find a way out of…he had finally revealed himself…

The way Apple had acted earlier could not have been falsified. It should be true that this was her first time seeing her father in over a decade.

Everything felt perfectly reasonable now.

The only thing that didn't make sense was this. Why had this successful father allowed his wife and daughter to be alone while suffering for so many years, only appearing after his daughter had suffered so many grievances? Maybe he didn't have feelings for his wife, but this surely was not the case for his daughter? But then, why had he only appeared now?

This could only go to show how much said father sucked.

Still, this should be their 'familial affair', right?