Qiao Xi knew this man hadn't given up.
She angrily stuffed the child into his arms.
"Take her, she's yours. Four bottles of milk a day, she doesn't eat carrots, and she's allergic to seafood."
Shang Beichen held the soft, milky-scented little thing.
For a moment, he was at a loss for what to do...
"What's your name?" Shang Beichen asked.
"My name is Qiao Nian, the 'nian' from 'missing,' and my nickname is Little Bean." Little Bean introduced herself seriously, her big, dark grape eyes full of joy.
"Who is she?" Shang Beichen pointed at Qiao Xi.
"She's Sister, handsome Dad." Little Bean called out again, her small hands encircling his neck.
Shang Beichen felt as if he had gained two daughters and growled with displeasure, "Don't call me Dad."
Little Bean was so scared that she cried out "Waa!"
He was a little flustered; he had never coaxed a child before.
He quickly reached out and gently plucked a soft strand of her hair, stuffing the child back into Qiao Xi's arms.
"Baby, don't cry, Sister will take you to play on the slide."
Qiao Xi patted the child's back and coaxed her, glaring fiercely at him.
"Shang Beichen, you're bullying a four-year-old child, hmph."
She had deliberately made her daughter's birth year appear half a year later. Even if he investigated thoroughly in the future, the dates wouldn't match, and he wouldn't be able to find out that Little Bean was his daughter.
After speaking, Qiao Xi coaxed the baby while carrying her towards the car.
Shang Beichen's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
But he wouldn't argue with her now; he had more important things to do.
He would settle the score slowly later!
Closing the car door, Qiao Xi was still trembling all over. She took two deep breaths and called Xia Cheng.
"That bastard, he really did try to pluck Dou Ding's hair."
Fortunately, Xia Cheng was smart and had made preparations in advance...
At seven in the evening, the dinner banquet was held in a luxurious private room at the Imperial Hotel.
Pushing open the door, Qiao Xi saw three distinguished men: Shang Beichen, Shen Xiran, and Gu Chen.
Shen Xiran was a long-time friend of Shang Beichen, the heir to Ningcheng's second wealthiest family, and a typical playboy.
Ningcheng previously had four major wealthy families: the Shen, Gu, Jing, and Bai families. After the Bai family immigrated overseas, only three remained.
Now that Shang Beichen had returned, he occupied a seat of his own.
According to financial magazines, his current net worth was 184 billion. He was the founder of Bei Qiao Capital, known as the "Black King of Hell" in the investment world, capable of bankrupting someone by the third watch and never letting them see the fifth.
Any company he set his sights on would either soar or be utterly destroyed.
There was no third possibility.
Therefore, from the moment he set foot in Ningcheng, the business world was shaken, and a large number of high-quality startups returned from overseas.
The three major families bowed their heads in submission.
From then on, Ningcheng belonged to the Shang family, no, it belonged to Shang Beichen.
And Gu Chen was the Second Young Master of the Gu family, elegant and refined, but he suffered from misandry; he would go mad whenever a woman got close.
Because of this, Old Master Gu had specifically acquired two hospitals to treat him.
It had been completely ineffective.
Shang Beichen gestured for Qiao Xi to sit down, and Gu Chen began to toast her.
"Secretary Qiao is young and capable, and you are President Shang's right-hand man. I must toast you with this drink!"
Qiao Xi picked up her tea cup and smiled politely, "I'm sorry, Young Master Gu, my alcohol tolerance is poor. I'll toast you with tea instead."
Shen Xiran, watching the fun from the side, swirled his wine glass and spoke.
"Secretary Qiao, that's no fun. How can business be done without drinking? The leadership of this Nanxing Island project is with the Shen Corporation. If you drink this one, I'll give up 5% of the shares; two drinks, 10%."
Qiao Xi's gaze subconsciously shifted to Shang Beichen.
He sat at the head seat, slowly twirling his wine glass, his deep gaze fixed on her, but he showed no intention of intervening.
He just watched.
In the end, she had no choice but to brace herself and pick up the wine glass.
Gu Chen and Shen Xiran took turns, singing each other's praises.
They barely ate a few bites of food, but the wine flowed one glass after another.
Tianyu's letter of intent stated 30%, so she held on until the sixth glass.
The spicy liquid burned down her throat, and her stomach felt like it was on fire.
Qiao Xi's fair cheeks were already flushed, making her look exquisitely beautiful.
She went to the public restroom to vomit. Her steps were unsteady as she stood at the corner of the corridor and called Xia Cheng.
"Chengzi... come pick me up..."
As the call ended, Qiao Xi felt the whole world spinning.
She leaned against the cold wall, her eyes hazy, her body so weak she couldn't stand.
That bastard hadn't helped her.
In the past, he had never let her drink alcohol. Because on their wedding day, she had gotten too drunk, and their wedding night had been earth-shattering. He had never dared to let her touch alcohol since.
It seemed people really did change.
He wasn't the Shang Beichen from before, and she had waited in vain.
Her eyes turned red, and all her grievances surged up.
A pair of strong hands suddenly reached out from behind, grasped her waist, and pulled her into a solid, warm embrace.
The familiar and dangerous scent of pine surrounded her.
"Shall I take you home?" Shang Beichen's deep voice sounded in her ear.
Qiao Xi pushed him forcefully, but it was soft and lacked strength.
"Don't trouble yourself, President Shang. I can manage."
Shang Beichen was amused by her pretense of strength.
The next second, his arms tightened, and with a forceful movement, he lifted her horizontally.
The person in his arms was light, and her body was incredibly soft.
He looked down at her in this state, her alcohol tolerance still so poor. He really didn't know how she managed to be a secretary.
When he wasn't around, had she gotten drunk like this before?
A surge of inexplicable anger rose from his lower abdomen. He wished he could push her onto the bed right now and punish her severely.
Qiao Xi squirmed restlessly in his arms, like a kitten seeking warmth.
She raised her hazy, drunken eyes and looked at his clear jawline, speaking drunkenly.
"Shang Beichen, I won't... forgive you."
Shang Beichen hooked the corner of his lips, his steps steady as he carried her.
"I wasn't planning on forgiving you either."
"So, the punishment that needs to be given, still needs to be given."
Shen Xiran and Gu Chen walked out of the private room. Shen Xiran handed Shang Beichen Qiao Xi's bag and lowered his voice.
"Have you made up your mind? Aren't you afraid she'll cling to you?"
Shang Beichen strode forward, his gaze unwavering.
"She doesn't have the guts."
Gu Chen said expressionlessly, "I don't see any lingering feelings for you in her. You should just let go."
"That's because you're blind." Shang Beichen shot him a look and walked towards the elevator.
As they stepped out of the hotel, a harsh engine roar sounded from afar, approaching rapidly.
A flashy red sports car, with a beautiful drift, precisely stopped in front of their Rolls-Royce.
The car door opened, and Xia Cheng, wearing high heels, stormed over.
"Shang Beichen, put Xi Bao down!"
Shang Beichen's face instantly darkened.
"She's drunk. I'm taking her home."
Xia Cheng sneered, crossing her arms and looking him up and down.
"She's a divorced, single woman, and you, a shameless ex-husband, are taking her home? Isn't that like a lamb walking into a tiger's mouth? Give her to me!"
Shang Beichen tightened his grip on Qiao Xi, not intending to hand her over.
Xia Cheng's gaze grew colder.
"President Shang, you don't expect me to call the police, do you? Do you want to make the entertainment headlines of Ningcheng again?"
Shang Beichen's thin lips pressed together, and he said again.
"She's my woman."
Xia Cheng smiled, her smile full of mockery.
"She hasn't been for a long time. If you don't want her to hate you for the rest of her life when she wakes up, feel free to take her."
This sentence precisely hit Shang Beichen's soft spot.
In the end, he still lowered his face and carefully placed the Qiao Xi in his arms into the passenger seat of the red sports car.
He even leaned down and carefully fastened her seatbelt for her.
He knew he couldn't rush things.
The red sports car spewed exhaust and disappeared into the night in a flash.
Shen Xiran stood by, offering a cigarette and lighting it.
He exhaled a smoke ring and teased.
"The duck that was about to be eaten, flew away."
Shang Beichen didn't take the cigarette. His eyes, deep and dark, looked in the direction the sports car had disappeared and said slowly.
"You go after this woman."
"Her name is Xia Cheng. She's the daughter of Xia Dong Technology. Her family has quite a few business dealings with your Shen Corporation. You can crush her."
Shen Xiran seemed to hear the biggest joke in the world.
"Damn it! I don't want this tigress! Although she's somewhat attractive, I'm afraid of being bitten to death!"
Shang Beichen turned his head, his eyes carrying a hint of seriousness.
"Once you've chased her down, bite back hard."
"The project will be increased by three billion. I'll give you three months to get her."
Shen Xiran raised an eyebrow and curved his lips.
"Three months? You're underestimating me. In one month, I'll have her lying in my bed, calling me Daddy."
"Begging me to sleep with her."
To him, taking three months to handle a woman was an insult.
With his looks and net worth, the women who wanted to sleep with him could form a line from the south of the city to the north.
Chasing a woman from a less prominent family would be a piece of cake.
"It's settled then." Shen Xiran hadn't played such a challenging game in a long time and was excited. "Get the money ready. When I dump her, we'll have a celebration banquet together."
Shang Beichen didn't speak, just clenched his jaw, turned, and opened the car door to get in.
Gu Chen said coldly, "Aren't you afraid of becoming a eunuch?"
"I'm more afraid of starving to death." Shen Xiran curved his lips.
How could he know that the ending would be so tragic...
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