Chapter 3

Bai Yi walked down a street in Hamilton, New Zealand, his mood as gloomy as the dark clouds in the sky. He had chased his ex-girlfriend all the way from China to New Zealand, only to receive a definitive "breakup." However, Bai Yi wasn't the type to fall apart without love. Since the relationship was over, he wouldn't continue to cling to it.

The sky, already overcast, began to pour down rain. Bai Yi immediately ran towards the eaves of a nearby building.

He had just said his mood was as bad as the weather, and now it was really raining. Bai Yi felt a slight self-mockery. Looking at the continuous curtain of rain, he thought he should return to China. Since he had received a clear answer, there was no longer any reason for him to stay in this foreign land.

At this moment, Bai Yi suddenly thought he heard the cries of a baby and the barking of a dog.

He tilted his head slightly and listened carefully. The sound of the rain drowned out everything else, and he couldn't hear anything. It must be an illusion, he thought. How could there be a baby's cry at this time? Standing at the edge of the street to avoid the rain, Bai Yi still felt uneasy. He was convinced that the crying wasn't an illusion.

"Customer...!"

The employee of the shop where Bai Yi was standing opened the door, ready to let him in to take shelter from the rain. However, at that moment, Bai Yi dashed into the heavy rain. The employee's outstretched right hand paused in the air, and he stood there for a moment, thinking, "What a strange Chinese tourist." Shrugging, the employee closed the door and returned to the shop.

Following the faint cry he had heard earlier, Bai Yi ran into a small alley and searched carefully. He must have heard it, really heard it, the cry of a baby.

Suddenly, the barking of a small dog was heard again, and Bai Yi immediately perked up and ran in that direction. Passing a secluded corner, Bai Yi suddenly found a small cardboard box and a small Shar-Pei dog barking wildly in the rain.

Bai Yi immediately rushed over and opened the box.

A baby girl!

A girl under a year old was lying in the box, but by now, the rain had almost soaked her completely. After a moment of shock, Bai Yi quickly picked up the baby and took off his coat to shield her from the rain. He then ran out to the street, with the small Shar-Pei dog following him.

"Taxi, Taxi!" Bai Yi ran out of the alley and immediately stopped a passing taxi, almost getting hit by the car.

"To the nearest hospital, please." Bai Yi opened the taxi door and got in, and the small Shar-Pei dog cleverly jumped into the car as well.

Bai Yi and the small Shar-Pei dog were both drenched. The taxi driver was about to complain, but when he turned around and saw the baby in Bai Yi's arms, the rain had soaked her face, making it look abnormally pale. Instantly, the driver's complaints were silenced.

"Hold on tight." After saying this, the driver immediately started the taxi and sped off.

Soon, the taxi arrived at a hospital. Bai Yi hurriedly opened the door and ran into the hospital, anxious. The driver, seeing Bai Yi's actions, shook his head helplessly. This guy hadn't even paid for the ride. But the driver just smiled and didn't say anything, then started the car and drove away.

"Is anyone there!!! I need emergency care, quickly, she's not doing well."

In the loud calls of the service desk nurse, Bai Yi rushed to the emergency room and kicked open the door. Inside the emergency room, a female doctor holding a teacup was startled and almost dropped it.

"Doctor, please save her, she's not doing well." Bai Yi said nervously, handing over the clothes in his hand.

The female doctor was about to say something, but when she lifted the clothes and saw the pale face of the baby, she immediately became serious and responsible.

After seeing the baby taken into the emergency room, Bai Yi realized he hadn't paid for the taxi and immediately ran out, but only saw a thick curtain of rain, with no sign of the taxi.

...

"Hey, dry yourself off and change your clothes, or not only the little princess you brought, but you might also need to see a doctor." A nurse brought a towel and a hospital gown to the outside of the emergency room and said to Bai Yi.

Bai Yi saw the items in the nurse's hands and immediately understood. "Thank you!"

After changing his clothes, Bai Yi returned to the outside of the emergency room and noticed that the small Shar-Pei dog had been guarding there all along. Bai Yi felt a bit surprised and patted the dog's head. Feeling hungry, Bai Yi said to the dog, "Keep guarding for a bit, I'll go buy some food."

"Woof...!" The small Shar-Pei dog seemed to understand and barked softly.

After a short while, Bai Yi returned with two boxed meals and ate them hastily with the dog, then waited outside the emergency room. After a while, the doctor came out, and Bai Yi immediately approached anxiously.

"Doctor, how is she?"

"She's out of danger, but how do you manage as a father? Your daughter has a congenital condition, and you didn't take good care of her." The female doctor first reported the good news and then started lecturing Bai Yi. Bai Yi stood there, stunned by the doctor's reprimand.

"Wait, wait, that's not my daughter." Bai Yi protested.

"What a joke, so young and already a father. Are you going to abandon her just because she has a congenital condition? Young people, you need to have limits. Life is not a joke..." The doctor clearly had a strong aversion to early relationships. Bai Yi stood there, being scolded mercilessly.

"She really isn't my daughter. I'm a tourist who just arrived in New Zealand a few days ago. You can check. I found her on the street because I heard her crying." Bai Yi quickly explained in broken English. The doctor, hearing Bai Yi's explanation, looked at him skeptically for a long time before reluctantly believing him.

"I see, her parents probably abandoned her there. What cold and selfish parents, sigh!" The doctor sighed after understanding.

"What congenital condition does she have?"

"Congenital visual impairment. She can only see a few meters now, and as she grows older, her vision will get worse. By the time she's five, she will likely be completely blind. With such a condition, it's no wonder her parents abandoned her." The doctor said, sounding somewhat dispirited.

"You need to pay the registration and medical fees. The emergency costs will be covered by social welfare."

"What will happen to her?"

"What will happen... what do you think? She will be sent to an orphanage. But in a place like that, do you think a girl who will go blind will have a good life?" The doctor's mood was not good as she walked to her office. It was clear that she was a good person, but because of that, she felt even more helpless about the situation.

Bai Yi's mood was also heavy. After the doctor left, he went to the ward to check on the baby.

A nurse was taking care of the baby. Seeing Bai Yi come in, she immediately said to the baby, "Look, your daddy is here, smile." Clearly, the nurse, like the doctor, thought Bai Yi was the baby's father.

Bai Yi smiled bitterly and didn't explain, but the baby, who had been calm, really looked in Bai Yi's direction and gave a tender smile.

Innocent!

Bai Yi suddenly thought of this word. He couldn't think of any other word to describe the baby's smile. However, now he had to reject this smile because he wasn't the baby's father.

"Sorry, I'm not her father."

"What are you saying? Such a cute daughter, be careful not to hurt her." The pretty nurse, thinking Bai Yi was joking, was stunned for a moment before gently saying.

"I'm not her father." Bai Yi said and turned to leave.

"Stop, stop, how can you be so irresponsible? Are you going to abandon your daughter and leave?" The nurse grabbed Bai Yi at the door and loudly accused him.

"What responsibility do I have? She's not my daughter."

"How can she not be your daughter? Seeing how anxious you were bringing this little princess to the hospital, I thought you were a responsible man. I didn't expect this from you." The nurse continued to accuse him. At this moment, others in the hospital noticed the commotion and gathered around.

...

"Look, look, that couple is arguing!"

"Hmph, I bet the man played with her and then left. Now the woman is chasing him to take responsibility."

"Sounds like there's a daughter too. The man says it's not his, maybe the woman had an affair?"

"You're so stupid. This is a common tactic for men. They get women pregnant and then say the child isn't theirs to avoid responsibility."

...

More and more people gathered around, though they didn't crowd in, they were whispering, and the whispers were quite loud. The nurse, hearing the increasingly exaggerated comments, blushed and suddenly grabbed Bai Yi's ear.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? Have you ever seen a nurse act like this? Let go, I haven't done anything to you." Bai Yi tried to struggle, but the more he struggled, the more it hurt his ear.

"See, a woman needs to have the courage to grab a man's ear. Otherwise, she'll just be bullied." The crowd, seeing the interaction between Bai Yi and the nurse, started to cheer. Amidst the laughter, the nurse quickly pulled Bai Yi's ear back to the ward.