Kyoto
A commercial center in a prime downtown location.
At the entrance to the most dazzling building of them all, the Shang Group Tower,
three-year-old Shen Yinheng stood with a huge bundle on his back, a large water bottle slung over his shoulder, and a soft, adorable pet in his arms.
A bright, dusty gray smudge stood out on his milky-white little face.
“Xiaohua, is Shang Yinheng’s daddy here?”
“Meow~” The little white cat with black stripes gave a soft reply.
All the way here, the little boy had relied on a pair of his daddy’s underwear, following Xiaohua’s keen little nose right to this place.
Mama had told him what Daddy looked like. With this strip of cloth that smelled like Daddy, he could find him.
But somehow, it didn’t sound very reliable to him.
“Whoosh…”
A gust of wind swept past.
“Skrrt!” A sleek black luxury car sped by and stopped at the entrance to the building ahead.
The door opened, and a young man in a suit and glasses stepped out.
The pet in the little boy’s arms sniffed the air deeply, then meowed toward the car.
“Is that Daddy?”
Xiaohua seemed more reliable than Mama.
The little boy’s heart leaped with joy. He ran over, calling “Daddy” over and over in his tiny voice.
Lin Fei had just gotten out and was about to open the rear door of his boss’s car when something soft and squishy suddenly clung to his leg.
He looked down. A filthy little child was wrapped around it.
“Little one…”
“Daddy?”
The little boy tipped up his dirty face. The moment he saw the man’s real face, the delighted look on his own little face fell away.
“Is this what the most handsome man in the world looks like?”
“Meow~~~”
Xiaohua drew out her meow, then turned her head beside her little owner and pointed her rear end at the man.
“Xiaohua, this very ordinary-looking man isn’t Shang Yinheng’s daddy, right?”
Lin Fei: Kid, where are your manners?
“Meow~”
The kitten’s tail swished.
The little boy let go of the man’s leg.
“Then where’s Daddy?”
“Assistant Lin, what is it?”
A low, magnetic voice rang out. The disappointed little boy suddenly looked up and saw the ordinary-faced uncle from before open a door. A very, very tall man stepped out.
The little boy craned his neck as far back as he could.
And came face-to-face with a handsome face just as good-looking as his own.
“Daddy?”
His little hands immediately wrapped around the man’s leg.
Shang Zhan: …
“Mr. Shang, this child must have mistaken me for someone else. He just grabbed my leg and called me Daddy. I’ll get security to bring him inside and wait with him for the police.”
“Daddy, Daddy, Shang Yinheng finally found you! Waaaah…”
All the little boy’s pent-up sadness from the journey burst out in an instant.
Beside him, the kitten circled her little owner, tail wagging.
“Little thing, let go. You’ve got the wrong person. Let the police help you find your daddy. Lin Fei, get him off me.”
He struggled to hold back the urge to kick the filthy little thing away, forcing himself to speak patiently.
“No, no! Shang Yinheng doesn’t want to be separated from Daddy! Mama says Shang Yinheng is a burden. Daddy, don’t leave Shang Yinheng behind!”
The little boy blinked his tearful eyes. His words left both Shang Zhan and Lin Fei stunned.
A burden?
Usually, it was old-fashioned people who called little girls burdens. Why would a boy’s own mother say that about him?
And if you overlooked the grime on his face, he was a beautiful child—prettier even than the child stars on TV.
Suddenly, Shang Zhan had a powerful premonition.
He bent down, picked up the filthy little boy, and studied his dirty little face intently.
“Your mama?”
The little boy blinked. His bright, misty, black-grape eyes overlapped with those of a heartless little liar from deep in Shang Zhan’s memory.
His heart began to pound.
“Who is your mama?”
“Daddy, Shang Yinheng’s mama is… a fairy descended from heaven, rarer on Earth than anywhere in the universe, so beautiful she could make fish sink and geese fall, the moon hide and flowers blush—the one and only, super-duper gorgeous Shen Yuetao.”
Mm-hmm, not a word out of place. Shang Yinheng’s little head was so clever. He remembered Mama’s words perfectly.
“Shen! Yue! Tao?”
“Mm-hmm! Daddy, the little fairy Taotao is Shang Yinheng’s mama. Mama said Shang Yinheng was a freebie and she couldn’t afford to raise him, so she told Shang Yinheng to come find Daddy. Daddy, you are Shang Yinheng’s daddy, right?”
Shang Yinheng is so…” hungry!
Before he could get the word “hungry” out, the man cut him off with a cold laugh.
“Hah! A burden? A freebie? Those are exactly the sort of ridiculous things that woman would say. Where is your mama now?”
Shang Yinheng’s little stomach was about to cave in, but he still answered Daddy politely first.
“Daddy, Mama should be beating up wild boars right now. She goes to beat up wild boars every day.”
Shang Zhan: …
Never mind. What could a child this young know? If he really was Shang Zhan’s son, that woman would show up soon enough.
“Lin Fei, make arrangements with the hospital right away. We’re doing a paternity test.”
Assistant Lin had just been force-fed a huge bombshell. He was still in shock.
He’d worked for Young Master Zhan, known as Beijing’s Crown Prince, ever since he returned to the country. In four years, he had never seen a single woman around the young master.
So when had this child appeared?
“A paternity test?”
“Daddy, is this the thing you want?”
The little boy, still dangling in the air, pointed to a document Xiaohua had pulled out of his huge bundle.
Lin Fei took the document envelope from the kitten’s mouth, pulled out the papers inside, and handed them to Shang Zhan.
Only then was the little boy set down.
As soon as Shang Yinheng’s feet touched the ground, his little hands clamped around the man’s leg again.
Shang Zhan glanced down at him, then let him be.
The medical paternity-test report stood out on the document. After reading it, Shang Zhan found a sheet of letter paper tucked inside. It was covered in elegant, neat handwriting.
There was only one line:
Shang Zhan, Shen Goudan, your biological kid.
Shang Zhan took a deep breath.
It was just the sort of thing that woman would write. The handwriting was the same as the letter she had left four years ago, and the contents were just as shocking.
She’d actually borne him a son. But why had she suddenly disappeared?
She’d been pregnant, and he’d told her he would marry her. Why had she run away?
Could she have had some reason she couldn’t avoid?
“Mr. Shang, this is a paternity-test report from the most authoritative medical institution in the country. Do you still want to arrange another test?”
“Yes, but there’s no rush now. Take him to get cleaned up first.”
“Daddy, could you feed Shang Yinheng and Xiaohua first? We haven’t eaten for a whole day and night…”
“Thud.”
Before he could finish, the little boy’s vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.
“Meow! Meow!”
Seeing her little owner fall, Xiaohua cried out anxiously.
Shang Zhan panicked too. He scooped the child up and rushed to the car.
“Lin Fei, get us to the hospital right away.”
By the time Shang Zhan got the child to the hospital,
Yuetao had already arrived at the Shen family’s gate with her daughter.
Xianghu Villas was a lakeside villa community with beautiful surroundings. Entry required a fingerprint or access card.
But Shen Yuetao and her precious daughter had flown in through the air on an eagle and landed safely at the Shen family’s gate.
It was lunchtime. The quiet neighborhood was nearly deserted, so no one noticed them.
The moment she pressed the doorbell, Datuan also arrived with the luggage belonging to the mother and daughter on her back.
“Tuantuan, your mama’s here too! Once we find Big Brother, both our families will be reunited~”
The doorbell rang once, but no one came to open the door. Yuetao glanced at the address on the letter her master had left her.
It was right.
So she pressed it again.
And this time, she kept her finger on it.
The doorbell shrilled without stopping. Inside the villa, Liu Sufen was quietly praying to Buddha when the noise infuriated her.
“Nanny Wang, where the hell have you gone? Which damnable, short-lived wretch is holding the doorbell down like that? Has their finger cramped up?”
Nanny Wang, who was busy in the kitchen finishing the last dish, hurried out to answer the door.
The shrill ringing stopped the instant she opened the front door.
Nanny Wang sighed with relief and looked at the beautiful, unfamiliar young woman outside.
“May I ask who you’re here to see?”
“Hello, I’m Shen Yuetao, the biological daughter of Shen Wansong and Shen Xi.”
“Um… Miss, are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? Our young miss is Shen Baozhu…”
Yuetao’s patience was running out. “She’s the fake!”
Nanny Wang: “…That… that can’t be right. I’ve been with this family—”
“From the way you look, you’re a nanny, right? I won’t make things difficult for you. Just call Shen Wansong out.”
“Miss, Mr. Shen isn’t home.”
“Then call Shen Yi.”
“Eldest Young Master isn’t home.”
“Shen Yang?”
Nanny Wang shook her head. “He’s not home either.”
Yuetao took a deep breath.
“Who is home?”
“Who’s making such a racket at someone else’s door without a shred of manners?”
Liu Sufen emerged from her room, grumbling as she came. The moment she saw Yuetao at the door, she froze.
That face…
“Old Madam, this young lady says she’s the daughter of Mr. Shen and Shen Xi. Who is Shen Xi?”
“Old Madam?”
Yuetao looked at the old woman, who seemed to have seen a ghost at the sight of her, and immediately understood who she was.
“Shen Wansong’s biological mother? Liu Sufen?”
“Y-you… who are you?”
“Shen Yuetao. Your son and Shen Xi’s daughter. Shen Baozhu, the one in your family now, is a fake. Call your son back. Tell him… his biological daughter has returned!”
Yuetao drew out the last three words, her voice edged with mockery and warning.
Without waiting for Liu Sufen to respond, she took Niannian’s little hand and walked inside.
“Hey! You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about? My son’s daughter? My son has only one daughter, Baozhu! Get out of here!
What kind of stray thing are you, trying to pass yourself off as a daughter of the Shen family? Ahhh! Where did that huge dog come from? Get it away! Get it out! Get it out of here!”
Datuan was still carrying a huge bundle of luggage on her back. Hearing Liu Sufen curse her two owners, she immediately stood in front of them, baring her sharp fangs. Her wolf eyes fixed on Liu Sufen, dark and menacing.
“Keep yelling and make one more sound, and Tuanzi will bite you to death.”
After Yuetao gave her blunt warning, Niannian and Tuantuan caught the delicious smell in the air with their little noses.
“Mama, that smells so good! It seems like the old grandma has made really yummy food in her house~”
“Mm, it looks that way.”
Yuetao glanced at Nanny Wang, who was already too stunned to know how to react.
She said to Nanny Wang, “Bring all the food out. We’re hungry and ready to eat, so make sure there’s plenty. While we eat, you can call the police or summon your masters home—whatever you like.”
Nanny Wang looked at Liu Sufen, who was too frightened to move or make a sound, then nodded and hurried into the kitchen. She brought out the rice cooker and the last dish.
There were only four dishes and a soup on the table. Since Liu Sufen was the only one at home for lunch, Nanny Wang had kept the meal simple. Worried that the young woman claiming to be Miss Shen might not be satisfied, she also took out yesterday’s braised beef to thaw and sliced up a large plate of it.
She put on the braised pork ribs that had been partly prepared for dinner, too.
“Miss, I haven’t prepared that much food yet. There’s a serving of shrimp balls wrapped in vermicelli steaming in the oven, and the ribs need another fifteen minutes.”
Yuetao looked over the dishes, which were arranged quite appetizingly, and nodded.
“First, get Tuanzi some meat—anything that isn’t frozen will do, raw or cooked. Then bring a basin of water and a basin of milk.”
Nanny Wang followed Yuetao’s instructions, bringing Tuanzi by the door a basin of fresh ribs, chicken, lamb chops, and other meat, along with a large basin of mineral water.
She poured two cartons of milk into a small bowl.
Niannian let Tuanzi go and started drinking the milk.
Yuetao filled a bowl with rice for Niannian, and the little girl began eating with her small spoon.
“Mmm, it’s so good! Mama, give Tuantuan some rice, too.”
“Mm, I know.”
Mother and daughter, one big and one small, dug into their meal at the table with gusto.
At the living-room entrance, the two snow wolves, one big and one small, wolfed down their food.
Seeing the big white dog savagely gnawing on a rib, Liu Sufen began edging away on tiny steps, trying to escape.
As Tuantuan ate, she stretched out a forepaw and planted it on Liu Sufen’s foot.
Her sharp claws scored a deep scratch across the woman’s slipper.
“Wah…”
Liu Sufen was so frightened she started crying, but she didn’t dare make a sound. She clamped a hand over her mouth as tears pattered down her cheeks.
Tuantuan gave her a contemptuous look, then went back to gnawing on the rib.
Nanny Wang saw to all four of her distinguished guests, even thoughtfully cutting up a plate of fruit and a plate of pastries, before finally making a phone call.
She first called the master of the house, Shen Wansong, but neither his office nor his private mobile answered.
So she called the mistress of the house, Fang Xuelian.
Fang Xuelian had just finished attending an upscale members-only event with a group of wealthy ladies, where they’d all shown off, and she answered the nanny’s call in a gentle voice.
“Nanny Wang, is something wrong?”
“Madam, a young lady has come to the house. Her name is Shen Yuetao, and she says she’s the daughter of Mr. Shen and Ms. Shen Xi…” Clatter.
Nanny Wang heard what sounded like a cup shattering on the other end of the line.
She asked uncertainly, “Madam?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You believe a scammer like that? Throw her out.”
“But, Madam, she’s already inside. She’s eating in the dining room…”
“What? Are you dead? You actually let a scammer into the house? Has a dog eaten your brain?”
Nanny Wang hurried to explain. “No, Madam. Miss Shen Yuetao brought a very large dog with her. Old Madam is pinned down by it and can’t move at all. Madam, should I call the police? I’ll call right now—”
“Don’t call the police,” Fang Xuelian warned her harshly. “I’m coming back at once.”
After hanging up, Fang Xuelian’s well-cared-for, warm and gentle face turned cold. Shen Yuetao? Shen Xi’s daughter? Wasn’t she dead?