Wang Fang’s eyes flickered with a momentary sharpness.
Xu Lin, completely absorbed in her beauty, didn’t notice.
He wrapped an arm around Wang Fang’s slim waist and let out a low chuckle. “Of course. I’m the head of the Xu family. All the family money can only be distributed by me.”
Hearing this, Wang Fang’s face lit up with a smile, pressing closer to him. “Husband, when the time comes, you mustn’t treat our precious daughter unfairly.”
Xu Lin nodded. “Naturally. Xiao Die has suffered enough over the years. Once I have everything under my control, I’ll publicly acknowledge that Xiao Die is my biological daughter.”
Wang Fang’s joy peaked.
Her posture became even more alluring as she leaned in and kissed him passionately. “Husband, I knew you wouldn’t let all these years of hardships for me and Xiao Die go to waste.”
Xu Lin held her close, leading her into the small grove behind the house.
The sounds of their breathing mingled with the tense moonlight.
Night deepened…
Xu Mian hadn’t gone far; her car remained parked not far from the Xu family mansion.
Her close friend snorted, glancing at Xu Mian in the backseat. “Mianmian, your fake father and stepmother sure are close. At this age, they’re burning like dry firewood ignited fierce and unstoppable.”
The dim light cast shadows of a woman’s slender legs hooked around a man’s waist, their figures merging on the ground.
Xu Mian didn’t look up. Her laptop, taken from her briefcase, ran at high speed, her delicate fingers flying across the keyboard.
“Mianmian, after all these years, can we find anything?”
Her eyes cold, fingers still moving swiftly. “If it ever existed, it can be traced.”
A month ago, a piece of news had emerged: a jade bracelet that had vanished before her mother’s death had suddenly appeared at an auction.
The source was a doctor at a private hospital.
She suspected there was something suspicious about her mother’s death, involving years of hospital records.
Ten minutes later, Xu Mian paused.
Her friend, Li Jiaojiao, turned to speak, but Xu Mian’s gaze had already shifted coldly out the window.
Two people had just exited the ancestral hall.
Xu Lin looked satisfied.
Wang Fang looked shy.
“The files on my mother are too old; they’re only in paper form now. I’ll need to check the hospital archives,” Xu Mian said coldly, looking at the two walking nearby as if they were garbage. “But it’s not entirely fruitless.”
She scoffed, voice dripping with ridicule. “I just realized… that foster sister of mine is actually my half-sister.”
Li Jiaojiao’s face went pale with shock.
Xu Mian, however, laughed coldly and closed the laptop.
“You…” Jiaojiao whispered, incredulous, “what are you planning to do next?”
Xu Mian smiled, her tone dark, eyes like a lone wolf lying in wait in the shadows. “Move into the Xu family, and play doctor for a while.”
Jiaojiao’s eyes widened. “But your teacher’s medical research institute… they’ve been waiting for you.”
Xu Mian lowered her gaze to the scar on her knuckles.
“I’ll tell my teacher personally.”
Meanwhile, Shen Yanci sat in a bar, eyes glued to his phone.
Three days had passed.
This was the longest he had ever gone without resolving a cold war with Xu Mian.
He had always been aloof and arrogant; in the past, Xu Mian had always accommodated him.
Now, three full days had passed.
Why hadn’t Xu Mian reached out to reconcile?
Shen Yanci clenched his fists, frustration bubbling.
Several attractive women tried to approach him, but he didn’t even glance up.
The outside world had plenty of beauties…
But after seeing them, he found them worthless; how could they even compare?
Shen Yanci was a perfectionist he despised the inferior.
Lin Xiaoxiao entered the bar, noticing the disappointed women leaving Shen Yanci’s side.
She smiled smugly and walked toward him. “Yanci, are you okay?”
Shen Yanci, seeing Lin Xiaoxiao, showed no hint of easing his irritation.
Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, she didn’t reveal anything, just smiled. “I heard you want to become an investor?”
Shen Yanci casually acknowledged with a “hm,” his annoyance growing.
He had spotted a script he wanted to invest in, but his funds were insufficient. He had planned to wait for Xu Mian to return to discuss a project she had previously opposed.
But now, Xu Mian was so patient!
He drank a sip of wine in frustration. Lin Xiaoxiao leaned closer, her red lips near him. “Yanci, I heard from Director Li that your funds haven’t arrived yet. Do you still need money?”
Before he could answer, Lin Xiaoxiao said, “I can help.”
Shen Yanci turned to her. “You can?”
“Yes, not much,” she said. After previously withdrawing a small sum from the bank card signed by Shen Yanci, she had continued to withdraw larger amounts.
Judging by Shen Yanci’s obliviousness, he had no idea about this money. “I can give you ten million as emergency funding. Don’t refuse it’s my intention.”
Shen Yanci stared at her, stunned.
Lin Xiaoxiao’s status wasn’t high, and with her rising fame, she shouldn’t have been able to provide ten million.
“You… have this much money?”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yes, I sold the jewelry my mother left me.”
Shen Yanci’s eyes widened. “That was your mother’s gift… how could you ”
Lin Xiaoxiao lowered her head, looking pitiful. “Shen Yanci, I’ll do anything for you. If my mom knew that her jewelry helped the boy I liked, she’d be happy too. I believe in your talent you’ll shine in the entertainment industry, become a top producer, and prove to everyone who says you rely on Xu Mian your real skill.”
Shen Yanci’s heart stirred, his expression softening.
“Xiaoxiao, thank you,” he said, realizing that while he had always thought Xu Mian was the only one on his side, there were others willing to give their all for him, some even believing in him more than Xu Mian did. “I owe you this.”
With that, the tight knot of frustration in his chest began to loosen.
Xu Mian… she’s just one person. If she wants to leave, fine. There are plenty who understand me, appreciate me, and believe in my abilities.
And he still believed Xu Mian wouldn’t truly leave it was just her usual calculated tactic.
Lin Xiaoxiao watched Shen Yanci’s carefree smile, a faint glint of cunning flashing in her eyes, unnoticed by anyone.
Meanwhile, at Xie Group, Xie Yan frowned.
“Still haven’t found the legendary Lawyer M?”
The assistant lowered his head. “Yes, since six years ago, after winning that internationally notorious copyright case, Lawyer M disappeared. That case wasn’t public, so there’s no personal information on them.”
Xie Yan leaned back on the sofa. “Keep looking.”
“Understood,” the assistant replied.
Xie Yan pinched the bridge of his nose. At that moment, the office door was pushed open from outside.
The assistant’s heart skipped a beat. Who dares enter the CEO’s office without knocking?
Then, the visitor whispered to Xie Yan, “Mr. Xie, we’ve found it. Miss Xu will soon join Shengming Hospital.”
Xie Yan looked at the messenger closely. “Shengming Private Hospital? Joining?”
The messenger was also surprised. “Yes. According to the records, Miss Xu will join Shengming Hospital as an intern. Isn’t she an agent? How… did she study medicine?”
Xie Yan was silent for a few seconds.
Then, decisively, he said to his secretary, “Invest in Shengming Hospital. I want to become a shareholder.”