Shang Beichen's air pressure was very low. He stared at the child's tender face, her big dark eyes, her fair skin, as beautiful as a porcelain doll.
With such genes, whose could they be if not his?
"Heh. You wish!"
Qiao Xi's words directly banished him to the cold palace.
She suppressed her flustered state and asked the child in her arms with utmost seriousness.
"Tell me, why did you call her Dad?"
Little Bean said seriously, "Grandma Hua taught me that if I see someone super handsome, I should call him Dad; if he's generally handsome, I should call him Uncle; and if he's not handsome, I should call him Gege."
This girl has been trained into a master by her mother.
"Then why didn't you call me, since I went to so much trouble to pick you up?"
"Sister, Sister smells so good today." The little girl was sweet-tongued and kissed her on the cheek.
Only then did Qiao Xi turn around and explain with a serious expression.
"President Shang, Little Bean is a child my mother found. Her household registration is under my mother's name. So, she calls me Sister."
"If you like children, you can find someone else to have one."
Shang Beichen had thought she had given birth to a child for him.
He was so choked up for a moment that he couldn't retort.
"I'm taking her home first. You do as you please." Qiao Xi took a couple of steps, then turned back and threw a parting shot,
"Stalking is a very uncivilized behavior."
She carefully placed the child in the seat, fastened the seatbelt, and then drove off in her small car.
Shang Beichen's handsome face was so grim it could drip water.
He took out his phone, dialed a number, and said, "Investigate Qiao Xi's romantic history over the past four years and check for any records of hospitalization for childbirth."
Qiao Xi looked at his figure in the rearview mirror and let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Fortunately, her mother had the foresight to worry about the child becoming a burden. She used her maternal uncle's connections to get the household registration under her own name and always taught the little girl to only call her 'Sister' in front of outsiders.
At first, she strongly opposed it, but later, she got used to it.
She never expected it to be useful today.
She would rather die than let Shang Beichen snatch the child away.
Years ago, after Shang Beichen left, the Bai family drove her and her mother out of Ningcheng, almost digging up her father's grave.
She and her mother went to a remote small town, where she gave birth to Little Bean by the fields.
She had a massive hemorrhage at the time, bleeding profusely, and was on the verge of death.
The town's medical system was backward and not connected to the internet. The blood bank didn't have enough blood. If they had to go to the city, it would take two hours by car. In her condition then, she would have certainly died.
Hearing that there was an old Chinese medicine doctor on the mountain with excellent acupuncture skills, her mother braved the rain to go up the mountain to seek his help. When she returned, her mother was covered in dirt and injuries, having fallen countless times.
At that time, her hands were covered in blood, and she was tightly clutching his agate bracelet.
Where was he at that time?
Likely having a good time with Bai Wei?
Later, she was fortunate enough to stop the bleeding under the acupuncturist's treatment, saving half her life.
And her bracelet, the white beads on one half, had turned red.
Now, the entire bracelet is red, and it's impossible to find its original appearance.
Thinking of all this, her vision blurred.
"Mommy, can that handsome uncle be my Daddy?"
Little Bean suddenly asked.
When no one was around, Little Bean would call her Mommy.
"He can't," Qiao Xi said coldly.
"What a pity." Little Bean pouted. He was the most handsome uncle she had ever seen.
..
Qiao Xi took Little Bean to a restaurant in a mall, where Xia Cheng was already waiting.
Qiao Xi held Little Bean's hand and turned into the Western restaurant on the third floor of the mall.
At a window seat, a woman in a red spaghetti strap dress was listlessly stirring her coffee, her curly hair looking lazy, her eyes bright and bold.
It was Qiao Xi's best friend, Xia Cheng.
Little Bean's eyes lit up, she broke free from Qiao Xi's hand, and rushed over.
"Hello, Sister Cheng!"
Xia Cheng immediately dropped her languid demeanor, her face broke into a smile, and she scooped Little Bean into her arms.
"Oh my, my good girl."
She pinched Little Bean's chubby cheeks and, like a magician, pulled out several gift bags from the bag behind her.
"Sister, I brought you lots of gifts."
Xia Cheng first took out a small pink box and opened it to reveal a children's smartwatch.
Then she took out a fluffy princess dress and held it up against Little Bean.
Little Bean was overjoyed and clutched the dress, refusing to let go.
"Thank you, Sister Cheng!"
Xia Cheng then took out a small velvet square box and pushed it towards Qiao Xi.
"Your birthday is coming up. I'm afraid I might be busy then, so I'm giving you your gift in advance."
"Thanks." Qiao Xi took it and gently lifted the lid with her fingertip.
The moment the box opened, her eyes suddenly narrowed.
It was the latest "My Star Has You" bracelet from Cartier, platinum with diamonds.
It was exactly the same as the one Shang Xu had given her.
Xia Cheng proudly raised her wrist, wearing the same bracelet, which sparkled under the light.
"Sister bracelet." She winked at Qiao Xi, "Here, let me put it on for you."
With that, she picked up the bracelet from the box and personally put it on Qiao Xi.
"Thank you."
Qiao Xi looked at the bracelet worth hundreds of thousands on her wrist, feeling its weight.
She said with a half-joking tone,
"Next time, don't spend so much. Just give me cash."
"This amount of money is enough for Little Bean to go to university."
Xia Cheng didn't join in her joke; she looked at her seriously.
"Xi Bao, I wasn't by your side when you gave birth to Bean back then."
"From now on, I will never let you fight alone again."
She paused, then added,
"I'm planning to find someone for a flash marriage to anger my father."
Three years ago, Xia Cheng had loved a man, but her father had forcefully broken them up. At that time, Xia Cheng had fallen into depression and thrown herself into the sea.
It was Qiao Xi who rushed into the sea and pulled her out. It was only after Qiao Xi stayed with her through therapy that she slowly recovered.
For the past two years, she had been chatting enthusiastically with an online friend. They only chatted and never met, but they seemed to have developed unusual feelings for each other. She planned to have a flash marriage as soon as they met.
"Don't be impulsive. You can date, but don't rush into marriage!"
Qiao Xi sighed.
"Shang Beichen is back."
"He acquired Tianyu and is now my direct superior."
The warmth on Xia Cheng's face instantly solidified.
The air was silent for a few seconds.
She squeezed out a syllable through gritted teeth.
"Damn it!"
Qiao Xi felt uneasy and picked up her school bag, wanting to leave.
"No, Shang Beichen has already seen Bean. I need to have my mother quickly take her away, so he doesn't find out and try to take the child from me."
"Miss, isn't that a case of 'protesting too much'?" Xia Cheng grabbed her.
"Don't worry, I'll help you get through this."
..
At seven in the evening, Shang Beichen brought Qiao Xi to a private dock.
They boarded a luxurious yacht.
Qiao Xi thought he might be discussing some important business, which was why he arranged it at sea.
To her surprise, after they boarded, the yacht set sail.
"We... weren't you meeting someone else?"
Qiao Xi exclaimed.
Shang Beichen curled his lips and slowly approached her.
"What's the hurry? They'll be here themselves in a moment."
Qiao Xi ignored him and turned around, standing by the railing to feel the sea breeze. Suddenly, a pair of large hands embraced her from behind.
Her heart leaped in fright.
His deep, hoarse voice sounded by her ear,
"Xi Bao, do you remember what you said back then? That when you had money, you'd buy a big yacht and then crazily do... with me at sea."
Qiao Xi's heart jolted.
He tricked her into coming out to sea?
To seduce her?
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