What to Do When Your Own Daughter Utterly Hates You? (Kinda Urgent)
Mr. Li had no plans to leave again within the next six months. He’d intended to spend more time with his family—but ever since that night, his daughter avoided him like the plague. Forget talking; even catching a glimpse of her felt like a miracle.
This had Grandma Li tearing her hair out. She’d tried talking to Li Mo, but the girl would instantly play dead whenever the topic came up. She’d even dragged her computer out of her room in a huff and refused to use it.
It hammered home the difference between raising sons and daughters. Back when father and son clashed, they’d always bounced back naturally after a while.
But this time was different. Li Mo utterly loathed her dad. Even during unavoidable encounters, she never spared him a decent look. *He used to glare at me like this all the time anyway,* she thought. *This is just payback.*
“Just swallow your useless pride and apologize first. Anything’s better than this stalemate. Besides, you *were* way too impulsive.”
“I know.”
His wife’s advice was spot-on—he wasn’t blind to that. But the real problem was…
“I’m heading back to school.”
Li Mo had only come home at noon to grab her forgotten textbooks. She refused lunch, claiming she’d eaten at school, snatched her books, and bolted without a second glance.
Exactly. Li Mo gave him zero chance to make amends. Whenever he was around, she sped through everything—minimizing shared space by the second, ignoring every word he said. Her resolve was absolute: even if he snapped and spanked her butt someday, she wouldn’t budge. No one could crack her.
“You’re failing at fatherhood. Just like my dad.”
“Wow, thanks for the guilt trip.”
Born into a wealthy merchant family, Li Mo’s grandfather had clung to old-school values and mistreated Mrs. Wang for years. They’d reconciled now, but just like during visits to his house, she still couldn’t smile at him.
*What if my daughter freezes me out for life… just like my wife did with her father?*
The thought made Mr. Li feel like curling up and dying.
“Take it slow. Be kinder to her, and she’ll warm up. Don’t let her act fool you—she’s a little tsundere. She’s probably over what happened last time; she’s just retaliating because you never gave her a warm look. She’s a good kid. She won’t hold a grudge forever.”
Seeing right through his worry, Mom patted his back. “So starting tonight… you’re cooking dinner.”
“?”
………………
………………
“…”
*Still hungry.*
Li Mo frowned, hand pressed to her rumbling stomach. The emptiness made her extra prickly.
*Lunch at school?* Lies. Classes ended at noon—how could she have eaten at home by 12:30?
She’d just stormed in, seen that annoying dad happily scarfing food at the table, and her blood boiled. *Who’d want to eat with him? He’d just nag.*
So after grabbing her books in minutes, she ducked into a noodle shop, ordered one *liang* of noodles, and rushed back before nap time ended.
Twenty minutes till class. Maybe she’d nap too.
Though senior year was intense, the school was lenient about the last two afternoon periods—they were reserved for sports day rehearsals. Just thinking about Tang Zhe dragging her to run drills gave her a headache.
“Li Mo! Someone’s looking for you.”
Only two or three classmates were awake, including Tang Zhe. Spotting Li Mo tiptoeing in, he whispered about a visitor during her absence.
“A guy. Says he’s your brother. From freshman year.”
“?”
She was an only child. *Brother?*
Tang Zhe’s words froze her. *Did my parents hide a brother from me? And he’s already in high school?*
Impossible. If true, she’d have met him in over a decade. *I’m overthinking.*
But… *brother*… freshman year…
*Brother* didn’t have to mean *blood brother*. Could be a cousin…
*Wait. Could it be Wang Ziheng?*
*He goes here too??*
“You mean a tall guy with glasses? That ugly-looking bastard?”
“The first two fit. But I don’t get why you’d call him that—he seemed perfectly polite.”
Tang Zhe instantly understood: this “brother” wasn’t biological. Probably a cousin.
And they *hated* each other.
“Forget him.”
After what Wang Ziheng said last time—and with their awful history—she refused to see him.
“He said he’d come back after nap time.”
“Later. I’m lying low.”
Li Mo had just sat down when Tang Zhe added that. She shot up and hid in the admin building’s staff restroom for twenty solid minutes, slipping back only as the bell rang.
*Damn, that was slick. Dodged him.*
“You’re brutal. He stood at our door for ten minutes. Not a single glimpse of you.”
Tang Zhe frowned at Li Mo’s smug grin. Objectively, that guy had been polite and easygoing. *Why does she clash so badly with her own cousin?* Given Li Mo’s personality, he blamed her:
“How do you expect to get along with anyone like this?”
“Aren’t you human?”
His words stung. “And I don’t *want* to get along with more people.”
“Should I feel special, then?”
“Mhm.”
*Brat…*
He’d arrived friendless. Even the few back-row students who’d warmed to Li Mo now avoided him. Soon, he’d be her only contact.
But Li Mo didn’t care. She’d survive alone—she still had online friends, right?
Bigger problem: Wang Ziheng. He’d likely ambush her next class. Li Mo saw through him. Two minutes before second period ended, she faked a bathroom break, hiding until the bell. Same after class. *Just survive today. Ask Mom what’s really going on later.*
Too bad plans crumble.
From third period onward, everyone rehearsed on the sports field—even seniors had opening ceremonies.
So when the bell rang and Li Mo sauntered back, relaxed…
She locked eyes with someone blocking her classroom’s back door.
