The computer screen glowed with a cold light, displaying an old, yellowed photograph.
In the photo was only a crying infant girl, her tiny fists clenched tightly, tears still streaking her cheeks.
Though the image was blurred with age, the familiar shape of the eyebrows and eyes unmistakably belonged to the young Shi Sheng.
Her gaze moved to the lower right corner of the photo, where two small characters, “Beijing,” were written in ink.
That alone was enough to confirm it: Shi Sheng had been taken from Beijing to Jiangcheng 18 years ago.
“Also this…” He Qiuqiu’s fingers flew across the keyboard, bringing up another encrypted file.
It contained a recording and a bank transfer record.
When the recording played, a woman’s voice came first, tinged with obvious disdain, as if evaluating a product.
“Where did this child come from? She isn’t sick, is she?”
Shi Sheng narrowed her eyes. After eighteen years in the Shi family, she could immediately recognize the voice it was her so-called adoptive mother.
A hoarse male voice chuckled strangely: “No illness, for sure. As for where she came from… you don’t need to know.”
“How much do you want?”
“Two million!”
“Are you out of your mind? A baby girl, and you’re asking for two million?”
After a brief pause, Ye Xiangwen spoke again, impatience dripping from her tone: “The maximum is fifty thousand. If you don’t want it, I’ll find someone else.”
Unexpectedly, the man agreed without hesitation: “Deal.”
No one knew that the man had already been handsomely paid for handling the infant; the fifty thousand was essentially a bonus why would he refuse?
He Qiuqiu trembled with anger at the recording, a thousand curses forming in her mind.
But Shi Sheng remained unusually calm, turning instead to the bank transfer record she had found.
The recipient was an individual account named “Zhang Qiang,” with the note “repair fee.” The amount? Exactly fifty thousand.
Shi Sheng stood and walked to the window. Lightning illuminated her thin silhouette, which somehow radiated a quiet, unshakable resolve.
“Continue the search,” she said softly. “I want to know who Zhang Qiang is. Alive or dead, it doesn’t matter.”
He Qiuqiu nodded. “And Ye Xiangwen’s side…”
Strangely, both she and Sheng had always assumed the daughter swap was orchestrated by Shi Mingqian, but from the recording, it seemed more like Ye Xiangwen had secretly taken the child first, leaving Shi Mingqian to clean up for his wife.
A clap of thunder lit up Shi Sheng’s eyes and her lips curved into a chilling, icy smile.
“I’ll go to Ye Xiangwen myself.”
At the Shi family villa:
“Mom, what do you think of this one?” Shi Yiyan twirled, the newest H-brand dress flaring as she spun.
Of course, beyond the dress, her entire outfit from head to toe was designer labels, every hair meticulously styled.
All because Shen Shaowen was coming to take her out that afternoon.
“Of course it looks good. My Yiyan looks good in anything,” Ye Xiangwen said, her eyes full of indulgence but her heart felt like it carried a stone.
She knew her daughter well. That earthy, worldly air in Yiyan’s movements couldn’t be masked by any luxury brand.
Previously, she hadn’t worried because she thought her daughter had enough time to learn how to be a proper heiress.
But who could have guessed that just one visit to the Shen family would fix the wedding date?
She had been fretting for days. When Shen Shaowen came over, her smile almost faltered.
He had been disrespectful, radiating impatience.
After sending the two off, Ye Xiangwen’s face fell.
The Shen family was prestigious, but with her daughter marrying there, and a husband showing obvious displeasure, wasn’t Yiyan bound to suffer?
The idea of putting Shi Sheng ahead of Yiyan began to stir again.
Shi Sheng had grown up in a wealthy family, knew all the rules, and could handle affairs for Yiyan. At the critical moment, if she could turn against that bastard, Yiyan would be able to secure her position in the Shen family with her wit.
But no matter how much she coaxed her husband over the past two days, he refused.
Shi Mingqian had been tempted but ultimately said no.
First, in the elite circles, having two daughters marry into the same family at the same time was unheard of it would make the Shi family a laughingstock.
What would others think? Competitors would mock them for having no sense of propriety, rushing to cling to the Shen family with both daughters.
Although true, it was not something to advertise.
Second, thinking of Shen Luli reminded him of the pressure he felt that day in the private room. Calculating against Shen Luli seemed unwise.
Still, he wanted Shi Sheng married off just with a new strategy.
After all, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket; it’s safer to have a backup.
For now, Shen Qinghui seemed dominant, but who could predict the outcome?
If the brothers fought to mutual ruin, the Shi family might even advance further…
Shi Mingqian never shared these thoughts with his wife, only warning her not to intervene.
But Ye Xiangwen worried about her daughter. Seeing Shen Shaowen’s attitude just now, how could she remain calm?
Yiyan was her only daughter, the apple of her eye. She had grown up beside her, and Ye Xiangwen wanted to give her all the best things in the world.
So even if her husband disagreed, she would act.
With her own family backing her, no matter how angry her husband got, he couldn’t interfere.
Before acting, she sent all the household staff away to prevent anyone from reporting to Shi Mingqian.
When the villa was empty, she called Shi Sheng.
After hanging up, she couldn’t regain her composure not because the call ended, but because Shi Sheng had agreed so decisively.
Had that stubborn girl changed?
Before, when Yiyan hadn’t returned, Shi Sheng hadn’t been particularly obedient. Why was she agreeing so readily this time?
Although she didn’t like her adoptive daughter, living together for so many years meant she understood her temperament.
She had rehearsed what to say before calling, but ended up not needing a word.
As long as Shi Sheng returned, she could enforce her plan.
Thinking of Yiyan’s future happiness in the Shen household, a smile appeared on Ye Xiangwen’s face.
Shi Sheng was equally pleased.
She had been looking for a chance to question Ye Xiangwen about what happened eighteen years ago.
Since Shi Yiyan returned to the Shi household, Ye Xiangwen had stayed by her daughter’s side daily, rarely leaving. Even at social gatherings, she was accompanied by multiple bodyguards.
Who could have expected such thoughtfulness, delivering the opportunity directly?
When Shi Sheng arrived at the villa, it was empty. Her smile deepened.
Her adoptive mother had truly maintained her routines for decades.
All the household staff had been sent away. Windows tightly shut, curtains drawn. The living room was empty, except for faint “clicking” sounds from a servant room in a corner of the first floor.
She knew this all too well. When she was little, Ye Xiangwen did the same to ensure “family secrets stayed inside.”
No bodyguards, no outsiders, not a single disturbance.
A perfect environment for interrogation.
This time, however, the positions of hunter and prey were reversed.
Shi Sheng’s eyes fell on the corner’s surveillance monitor. She tapped the buttons on her shirt lightly and spoke softly:
“Take all the Shi family’s surveillance offline.”
Then, she walked toward the room she had feared most as a child.