The investigation report showed that this child had been unruly since a young age.
In school, she bullied classmates and loved to compare herself with others. After entering middle school, she started dating early and picked up smoking and drinking. She even frequently skipped classes to go online. Despite receiving several major demerits from the school, she never acknowledged her mistakes.
If not for the nine-year compulsory education system, she would likely have been expelled long ago.
Even so, this child dropped out after finishing eighth grade and has been drifting in society for three or four years now.
He was a top graduate from a prestigious dual-first-class art university in China, and Fang Yunwu was a genius from a globally top-tier institution. So why would this girl despise studying?
Could it truly be that "two negatives make a positive"?
Ning Sang watched Nie Lingchuan calmly. They had collaborated for over a decade, ever since his debut, and Ning Sang had always been by his side. At this moment, he could more or less discern three-tenths of his thoughts.
"Take it easy. We don’t even know if she’s your child yet." The young lady herself had said she wanted a paternity test first.
He had also seen that investigation report.
To be honest, when he first read it, Ning Sang felt a headache coming on.
If it was truly as described in the report, this was a bomb that could be detonated at any moment, enough to shatter Nie Lingchuan into pieces.
The key was that it seemed anyone could light the fuse.
Now, however, he had slightly changed his mind. Perhaps that little girl wasn’t Nie Lingchuan’s daughter after all?
In that case, they could just give her some money and send her away.
He hoped the girl wouldn’t stubbornly refuse to leave.
Otherwise, things would become difficult.
Nie Lingchuan rubbed his face. "I’m certain she’s my daughter."
"…" Ning Sang was at a loss for words. After a while, he chuckled, "If that’s really the case, then there’s going to be quite a spectacle."
This spectacle wouldn’t be on their side but among industry insiders and fans.
There are no walls without cracks. Once her identity was confirmed, Nie Lingchuan would undoubtedly make it public. This matter couldn’t be kept hidden.
But that little girl—no matter how they handled her, it wouldn’t be appropriate.
Just as he was worrying to the point of pulling his hair, Ning Sang suddenly said, "Didn’t our company plan a variety show? Once her identity is confirmed, why don’t you take her on the show?"
"Me?" Nie Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, his refined features thoughtful. "Do you think that would work?"
"Whether it works or not, we have to try. We can’t keep this hidden. Even if you want to keep her confined at home, would the media allow it? If things blow up, it could affect the company’s development." Ning Sang analyzed the situation carefully. "Even if you don’t care about the company, think about the two or three thousand people working here. They have families to support."
Nie Lingchuan chuckled softly. "What I meant was, is it feasible to take her on a live-streaming variety show?"
"In what sense?" Ning Sang blinked. "Are you referring to the little girl’s willingness?"
"What else?" His beautiful peach blossom eyes curved slightly, making his already handsome face even more captivating.
Even after working with him for over a decade, Ning Sang occasionally found himself drawn to his good looks—though he wasn’t gay, of course.
"Ask her tomorrow." Seeing that it was getting late, Ning Sang plucked two strands of his hair and placed them in a sealed bag. "I’ll send the samples tonight. Barring any surprises, the results should be out by tomorrow evening. I’ll head off now."
**
In the second-floor bedroom, Nie Fuyao looked around and opened the wardrobe.
Inside were clothes of various colors, both pants and dresses, all summer wear.
Beneath the wardrobe were two separate drawers containing undergarments.
The energetic young man had mentioned before leaving that these clothes were prepared by a female assistant, so she could wear them with peace of mind.
She took a two-piece silk pajama set to the bathroom and, after bathing, slipped directly under the covers.
After a long and exhausting day, she was utterly worn out.
Nie Fuyao came from a prestigious family—a third-generation red aristocrat and a second-generation wealthy heir—and had been the "child of other families" since childhood.
At fifteen, she skipped grades and completed university; at seventeen, she earned dual doctoral degrees abroad. After returning to her home country, she joined the physics department of her alma mater as a faculty member. By twenty-two, she became a professor, and at twenty-five, she was elected the youngest academician in the country. At twenty-seven, she inexplicably transmigrated in her sleep, completely unaware.
She didn’t know what triggered it. The Nie girl had already died, and in her view, this young girl had contributed nothing to society. Instead, she was universally despised, and even her death would only be met with applause.
Yet her own life was at its peak—gone in an instant. How absurd.
As drowsiness set in, she pulled the thin blanket tighter around herself and soon drifted into a dream.
In the morning, Nie Fuyao tidied up and went downstairs wearing a simple tracksuit.
Nie Lingchuan was already seated downstairs. Hearing the movement, he looked up toward the staircase. "Awake?"
"Mm," she nodded slightly. Seeing his bright, delighted smile, which seemed genuine, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion.
If that girl had held on for even half an hour longer, her life might have taken a different turn. What a pity.
Observing his daughter’s frail frame—tall but as thin as a bamboo pole—he thought that since she was only eighteen this year, she still had room to grow taller. Both he and Fang Yunwu were tall, so their daughter was bound to be no exception.
"After breakfast, I’ll take you to the hospital. You’re too thin."
Nie Fuyao opened her mouth but offered no objection.
Hospitals are perhaps the busiest places in the world, bustling all year round without a moment of quiet or leisure.
On the seventh floor, the door to the operating room opened, and the waiting family members surged forward.
A tall, upright man emerged. Even in a white coat, his impossibly long legs were impossible to miss.
Removing his surgical cap and mask, a strikingly handsome face came into view—as if meticulously painted by a divine hand. His eyebrows were like slanted swords, his eyes like cold stars, his nose bridge high and straight, and his thin lips reminiscent of peach blossoms in March, utterly captivating.
Against the hospital’s monotonous backdrop, the young man in the white coat gazed coldly and distantly at the family members crowding around him. He didn’t resemble a life-saving physician; instead, he gave off the aura of a king of the underworld, one who could easily dictate life and death.
"Doctor, how is my sister-in-law?" a young woman in her early twenties asked anxiously.
"Very successful," Feng Zhan replied, hands in his pockets. His slightly elongated, auspicious phoenix eyes swept coolly over the crowd. When he spoke, his voice seemed tinged with opium, sending shivers down the listeners’ spines.
As his words fell, two of the women went limp, quickly supported by their family members as they steadied themselves to the side.
While the patient was wheeled to the intensive care unit, a young nurse hurried down the corridor.
"Dr. Feng, your scheduled patient has arrived and is waiting in your office."
Feng Zhan nodded in thanks and strode away with his straight, long legs.
The young nurse couldn’t help but blush, murmuring to herself, "Dr. Feng is really so handsome."
"What, feeling tempted?" A middle-aged nurse emerged from the operating room, teasing with a playful tone.
The young nurse snapped back to reality and, upon seeing her, couldn't help but cover her face. "Head Nurse, how many of us young nurses in this hospital aren't tempted? We used to dread overtime, but ever since Dr. Feng joined our hospital, even if we can't see him, our hearts feel sweet as long as he hasn't clocked out."
"Sweet, go ahead and feel sweet. Dr. Feng just turned twenty this year, and with his family background, it's not something just anyone can get into."
The head nurse patted her shoulder reassuringly before hurrying away.