Rebirth: I Became Mr.President’s Beloved

Chapter 1280: Our Daughter Comes of Age [10]

The disappearance of Song Xiaohua caused quite a stir at home.

The child’s grandmother was the most emotionally affected.

Such a smart and cute granddaughter, whom she prayed for years to have, it’s one thing if she lost herself, but she couldn’t lose the child!

The parents were also careless and negligent.

The child was gone for the entire morning, and they didn’t even notice.

One was dealing with documents in the study, and the other was having a great time outside, seemingly forgetting they had a daughter who still needed feeding.

Anyone who didn’t know might think they gave birth to a log.

No feeding, no worries.

"I said from the beginning, this child should be raised by me."

Song Jingtian realized that his mother wanted to take the opportunity to seize custody of Xiaohua!

Although he also felt Tang Li was not very reliable, his heart leaned towards Tang Li somewhat, so he couldn’t help speaking up for her: "Mother, you also just realized Xiaohua was missing."

Xiao Minglan: "......"

Everyone is equally guilty, no point in blaming each other.

However, now is not the time to discuss this issue.

At Yunqi Villa, apart from the rooms, surveillance cameras are installed everywhere.

The child’s father immediately went to check the surveillance footage.

Tang Li also returned to the master bedroom, searching under the bed and sofa thoroughly.

But found nothing.

Song Baiyan left the master bedroom at seven thirty in the morning, and Tang Li got up after nine, so Song Xiaohua disappeared within this hour and a half.

Usually, Tang Li wouldn’t sleep so soundly.

After all, last night was New Year’s Eve.

Plus, the Nanny took leave to go home for the holiday, leaving no one specifically to watch the child, inevitably causing lapses in child care at home, like delayed information exchange.

Just like this time, the dad assumed the mom was taking care of the child, while the mom thought the child had been taken by dad.

If someone had hidden the child, there wasn’t even a suspect.

After all, Song Baiyan never delayed paying the servants’ salaries.

Outsiders couldn’t get in either.

Since Li Ruan climbed over the wall once, the villa has upgraded its security system.

And because the President was spending the New Year here, not just outside the villa, but checkpoints were also set up at the foot of the hill.

– Without a pass, no one is allowed up the hill.

So, Song Xiaohua was definitely still inside the villa.

The whole family watched the hour and a half of surveillance footage without fast-forwarding.

The result was—

No one entered the master bedroom during that time.

Not through the front door or the balcony window.

This means Song Xiaohua never left the room.

"Could she have been taken by a fairy?" Song Jingtian asked first.

Tang Li: "..."

Aunt Min saw the old lady clutching her chest, apparently frightened, and immediately said, "Second Master, you can’t say that, where would fairies come from after the country’s founding."

Song Jingtian opened his mouth, but swallowed back his words.

His mother’s ability to handle stress was too weak.

Just mentioning fairies, and she couldn’t take it. If she knew Xiaohua might be the reincarnation of a legendary child with invisibility powers, she’d need quick heart medication.

Just as he was about to tell his brother his thoughts, he turned his head: "??? "

Where is he?

Not just his brother, even Tang Li wasn’t in the surveillance room.

The entire villa was in chaos over Song Xiaohua, but she was found in the closet in the dressing room.

The little girl, sucking on her pacifier, holding a plush pig, curled up in a pile of sweaters and winter clothes, sleeping soundly.

Because the compartment housed long coats and was in a corner cabinet, visibility was extremely low, if the little girl hadn’t accidentally made a noise, she might not have been discovered so quickly.

On the first day of the new year, Song Xiaohua exposed her crawling skill, hidden for half a month.

Tang Li wanted to teach the little girl a lesson for scaring people.

But Song Xiaohua had a protective daddy.

Realizing his daughter might have used the crib’s railing to get out bed, and crawled to the dressing room to find her freshly cleaned plush toy, Song Baiyan could only laugh, making no other comments.

With a doting dad’s indulgence, that night Song Xiaohua once again demonstrated what it meant to be skilled and bold.

However, this attempted escape was caught midway.

While her dad wasn’t paying attention, her mom gave her a smack on the buttocks.

Then pointed at her with a silent warning—

[Don’t crawl around again.]

The little one placed back in the crib became very obedient.

– Sitting there, listening to nursery rhymes and playing with her blocks.

But Song Xiaohua clearly kept her ears open.

When the inner door opened, she dropped the blocks and crawled towards the big bed, landing firmly on her dad’s pillow.

Tang Li glanced at the pillow pressed by the diaper, silently took away her own, not wanting the smell of diapers.

Song Baiyan, however, didn’t mind.

As he picked up his daughter, supporting the diaper lump, he asked, "Is Xiaohua waiting for daddy?"

The deep, gentle voice was so doting, it made Tang Li a little envious.

Wanting to dampen the mood by saying ’she doesn’t understand,’ the little one reached out and patted Song Baiyan’s cheek, babbling a ’ba’ sound.

Tang Li didn’t put anything on her face, turning to look at the eager-to-impress Song Xiaohua.

Song Baiyan didn’t seem surprised, only gently coaxed his daughter in his arms: "Was Xiaohua calling Daddy just now?"

Song Xiaohua touched Daddy’s rougher-than-Mommy’s chin, apparently intrigued. When her little palm was kissed by Daddy, she seemed to discover a new world, giggled, and again patted Daddy’s face, blurting out ’baba’.

As parents, hearing their child call them for the first time is an irreplaceable joy.

Tang Li, watching the touching moment between a loving father and daughter, couldn’t help but suspect if Song Baiyan had taught Song Xiaohua to say ’Daddy’ secretly, otherwise, why defy the natural order?

Children learning to speak usually call their mom first.

With dad’s guidance, Song Xiaohua’s pronunciation became more accurate, after calling a clear ’ba-ba’, Song Baiyan, holding his daughter on his lap, faced Tang Li at the dressing table: "Only calling Daddy and not Mom, soon her lips will pout."

"Ba-ba!" The little one went about her own way.

Playing with her chubby feet, she hadn’t glanced at Tang Li at all.

No calling then.

Tang Li turned her back to continue applying her face cream.

One call can’t be eaten.

Even if Song Xiaohua was still sticky with her dad, she couldn’t follow him to blow-dry his hair. She crawled around the bed, finally sitting in her usual sleep spot—between two pillows.

By then, Tang Li was done applying hand cream and went to bed.

As they say, narrow paths cross.

Tang Li pulled the blanket, amid the hairdryer noise, making Song Xiaohua choose: "To get under the blanket, call Mom."

The little girl gazed at her, seemingly not understanding.

"Can’t do it?" Tang Li had to teach her how to pronounce: "Repeat after me, Mom, Mom!"

Still no response.

Tang Li had to repeat: "Mom, Mom."

Song Xiaohua: "Eh!"

Tang Li: "........."

–

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Good night!