Love is a mistake that cannot be escaped

"You are... Dad?" I uttered those two words in disbelief, my mind blank.

How could it be him?

Why is the man who abandoned us and made us struggle in pain for so many years still here?

Gu Yichen's face instantly turned ashen. He pulled me behind him and asked in an icy tone, "What did you say? Who exactly are you?"

The man smiled bitterly, looking at Gu Yichen with a complicated expression, and slowly said, "Yichen, I am your father, Gu Yuanhang."

The park fell silent instantly, with only the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the rapid breathing of the three of us.

I held Gu Yichen's hand tightly, feeling the warmth of his palm, trying to draw some warmth and strength from him.

Gu Yichen's body visibly stiffened for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and said coldly, "I don't have a father. You've mistaken me for someone else."

A flicker of pain crossed Gu Yuanhang's face. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He just gave us a deep look and turned to leave.

Neither of us spoke, and we stood there quietly until the little one's sweet, childish voice broke the silence: "Mommy, who is that uncle? Why does he call Daddy 'Daddy'?"

I snapped out of my daze, quickly knelt down, hugged the adorable child, and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing, baby, let's go ride the carousel!"

Although I tried to act as if nothing had happened, my heart was in turmoil.

Gu Yuanhang's appearance disrupted our peaceful life and cast a shadow over the already precarious trust between me and Gu Yichen.

After returning home, Gu Yichen locked himself in his study without saying a word, and no matter how much I knocked on the door, he refused to come out.

I know that Gu Yuanhang's appearance has stirred up the deepest pain in his heart.

The next day, I took my son to kindergarten and while tidying up his schoolbag, I unexpectedly found a photo.

In the photo, Gu Yichen is standing with an unfamiliar man. Both are wearing black suits and have faint smiles on their faces, appearing to be very close.

And that unfamiliar man was none other than Gu Yuanhang, who had appeared in the park yesterday!

My heart sank. Did Gu Yichen already know about Gu Yuanhang's existence? Why did he keep it from me?

I immediately took out my phone and dialed Lu Mingxuan's number. His usual cheerful voice came from the other end of the line: "What's wrong, Xiao Yan? Missing me?"

"Mingxuan, help me investigate someone named Gu Yuanhang. I need to know all his information."

I tried to keep my voice calm, but my hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Lu Mingxuan's voice became serious: "Xiao Yan, why did you suddenly think of asking him? Did something happen?"

I took a deep breath and told Lu Mingxuan about what happened in the park yesterday and about finding the photos in the child's backpack.

“So that’s how it is…” Lu Mingxuan said with a hint of understanding after listening to my explanation. “Actually, I’ve known about Gu Yuanhang’s existence for a long time.”

My heart skipped a beat: "You knew all along? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you, but Gu Yichen wouldn't let me."

Lu Mingxuan sighed. "He said it was his own family matter and he didn't want to involve you."

"Family matters? Could it be that Gu Yuanhang really is..." I dared not continue, because I was afraid to hear that answer.

"That's right, Gu Yuanhang is Gu Yichen's biological father."

Lu Mingxuan's voice lowered, "Back then, Gu Yuanhang abandoned Gu Yichen and his mother for some reasons. Later, he became successful and wanted to make up for his past mistakes, so he came back to find them."

Hearing this, I felt a mix of emotions.

On the one hand, I am happy for Gu Yichen because he has finally found his biological father; on the other hand, I am sad for him because he has to face this painful past that he deliberately buried.

"How is Gu Yichen now?" I asked anxiously.

"He locked himself in his study and refused to see anyone."

Lu Mingxuan's voice was full of worry, "Xiao Yan, I know he must be in a lot of pain right now, could you go and see him?"

Without hesitation, I agreed: "Okay, I'll go find him right away."

After hanging up the phone, I immediately drove to Gu Yichen's residence.

All the way there, Lu Mingxuan's words kept echoing in my mind, my heart was in turmoil, and I didn't know how to face him.

I arrived at Gu Yichen's study and knocked gently, but received no response.

I tried pushing the door and found it wasn't locked, so I gently pushed it open and went inside.

A faint smell of tobacco filled the study. Gu Yichen sat on the sofa in front of the French windows, his back to me, motionless, like a statue.

I walked to his side and softly called out, "Yichen..."

He slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on me, his eyes filled with complex emotions—a hint of pain, a hint of confusion, and a hint of...expectation?

I didn't say anything, I just looked at him quietly and gave him a warm hug.

He wrapped his arms around me and buried his head in the crook of my neck. His body was trembling slightly, and I could feel his suppressed emotions.

"Xiao Yan, what should I do?"

His voice was hoarse, tinged with helplessness.

"You don't need to do anything, just know that I'm always here."

I gently stroked his hair and softly comforted him.

We held each other quietly like that until the sun set and the room gradually darkened.

I know that Gu Yuanhang's appearance is both a surprise and a torment for Gu Yichen.

He longed for his father's love, yet he was also afraid of being hurt again.

For the next few days, Gu Yichen shut himself away at home, refusing to see anyone, and even stopped going to the company.

I visit him every day, cook for him, chat with him, and try my best to comfort him.

Gradually, he began to open up to me, telling me about his childhood and his complex feelings towards his father.

That's when I realized that Gu Yichen's childhood was not happy. He lacked fatherly love from a young age, and his mother was frail and sickly. He learned to be independent and strong at a young age.

Gu Yuanhang's appearance disrupted his peaceful life and awakened his deep longing for fatherly love.

To prove his sincerity, Gu Yuanhang began to secretly help Gu Yichen solve some work-related problems.

I noticed that several important projects of Gu Yichen's company were progressing exceptionally smoothly, as if an invisible force was driving them.

Until one day, I overheard Du Yue and Lin Jiaojiao's conversation and realized that Gu Yuanhang had been secretly helping me with all of this.

"I never expected that old guy to be so capable!"

Lin Jiaojiao said in a sour tone.

"Hmph, does he think he can make up for the damage he caused Yichen? Dream on!"

Du Yue snorted coldly, "We absolutely cannot let him succeed!" My heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged into my heart.

What are Du Yue and Lin Jiaojiao, those two vicious women, up to now? I quietly hid in the corner, holding my breath, trying to hear their plan.

"This time, we're going to make Fu Yan completely lose faith in Gu Yuanhang!" Du Yue's voice was icy cold. "I want her to see with her own eyes how Gu Yuanhang abandoned her and Gu Yichen for his own gain!"

Lin Jiaojiao smiled sinisterly: "I have a plan that I guarantee will make Fu Yan hate Gu Yuanhang to the core!"

Their voices grew softer and softer, and I couldn't make out the specifics of their plan, but I could sense that a conspiracy was brewing against me and Gu Yichen, and against Gu Yuanhang. I had to tell Gu Yichen as soon as possible, so he could be on guard.

I left in a hurry, but bumped into someone at the corner of the corridor. When I looked up, it was Gu Yichen!

His expression was grave, his eyes filled with worry: "Xiao Yan, where did you go? I've been looking for you everywhere."

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell him what I had just heard, but I was worried that he would act impulsively and fall into their trap.

"I...I was just taking a walk," I said, trying to cover it up. "What's wrong? You look like you have something on your mind."

Gu Yichen sighed and said, "Something has happened at the company recently, and I'm trying to figure out a solution."

I took his hand and gave him an encouraging look: "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

However, I felt increasingly uneasy, as if something was about to happen.

A few days later, a sudden message completely disrupted our peaceful life.

Gu Yichen's phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID and his face instantly turned pale.

"What's wrong?" My heart tightened, and I sensed that something bad had happened.

He took a deep breath, answered the phone, and his voice trembled: "Hello... What did you say?! This is impossible... How could this happen..."

A strange man's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mr. Gu, your...your father...something has happened!"