Zhou Tong’s expression froze as he sensed Ning Wanwan’s displeasure. He forced a smile and said, “Mrs. Shen, this is all our fault. We haven’t disciplined our child properly. My daughter is the one who stained this little girl’s dress, and we’ll cover the cost of replacing it.”
He then glared at his daughter and snapped, “Hurry up and apologize! Do you want another beating?!”
The little girl, terrified, turned and hid in Mrs. Zhou’s arms.
Jiang Xian was also startled; a flash of fear crossed her wide eyes. She tugged at Shen Yan’s sleeve and said, “Yan Yan, I don’t want her to apologize anymore.”
Shen Yan clasped her hand tightly, his face darkening. He raised his eyes and shot a cold glance at the Zhou couple. “This is my birthday party. I don’t want you here. Please leave.”
“What?” A flicker of panic crossed Zhou Tong’s face. If he were kicked out of the Shen family’s party today, it would be very difficult for him to maintain his standing in Beijing’s high society in the future.
Without a second thought, he reached out and yanked his daughter from Mrs. Zhou’s arms. “This is all your doing. Hurry up and apologize—beg Young Master Shen and Mrs. Shen for forgiveness.”
The little girl was so frightened she began to scream. Crying, she stammered, “I’m—I’m sorry… waaah…”
The girl’s wails echoed throughout the entire venue.
“Mrs. Shen, what do you think?” Zhou Tong looked at Ning Wanwan with a fawning expression.
Ning Wanwan glared at him coldly, a flicker of annoyance and anger rising within her.
He was clearly using the child to pressure her.
Betting that she would have a soft heart.
How ridiculous.
If he didn’t care about his own child, how could he expect others to?
Even if she did feel compassion, it would be reserved solely for her own child.
Ning Wanwan said coldly, “If you wish to discipline the child, Mr. Zhou, please do so at your own home. Making a scene at my son’s birthday party is hardly appropriate.”
Zhou Tong met Ning Wanwan’s gaze, and his heart gave a sudden jolt. It seemed this Mrs. Shen was not someone to be trifled with.
“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault. I’ll apologize to Young Master Shen and this young lady on my daughter’s behalf. I hope Mrs. Shen will cut her some slack considering her young age.”
“Of course I wouldn’t hold a grudge against a child. But you heard what my son said—he doesn’t welcome you here. I’m afraid we’ll have to ask Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou to leave now.” Ning Wanwan issued a direct order to leave.
Zhou Tong’s face darkened. Though he was inwardly annoyed that Ning Wanwan had refused to save face for him, he knew full well that he couldn’t afford to offend the Shen family at this moment.
“Then we won’t disturb you any longer.”
The couple slunk out of the venue with their daughter in tow.
Ning Wanwan took Jiang Xian’s hand and said, “Come on, Auntie will take you to get your dress cleaned up.”
Watching Ning Wanwan lead the two little ones away, the crowd couldn’t help but speculate about the little girl’s identity.
After all, everyone knew that the Shen family had only one grandchild.
Earlier, Mrs. Shen had said that the child was also a member of the Shen family—could she possibly be an adopted daughter of the Shen family?
“Did you see the bracelet that little girl was wearing just now?”
“It looked very familiar to me. I think I’ve seen Mr. Shen wear it before.”
“That’s right, it looks just like it to me too.”
“I heard it was specially designed for Mr. Shen by the Shen family’s jewelry company. He’s been wearing it ever since he took over the company.”
“If Mr. Shen gave her such an expensive bracelet, could she really be the Shen family’s adopted daughter?”
“That girl looks about the same age as Young Master Shen. Could she be a child bride the Shen family picked out for him?”
“……”
At a birthday party, the thing everyone was most curious and concerned about turned out to be the identity of a little girl.
Halfway through the birthday party, Jiang Xian and Shen Yan slipped out quietly.
The little girl was sitting on the steps outside the hotel, cupping her face in her small hands and sighing like a little adult.
Seeing she was upset, Shen Yan asked, “What’s wrong?”
Jiang Xian looked troubled and said, “I kind of miss Shu Shu and Zheng Zheng.”
Shen Yan said, “We’ll take you to see them.”
Hearing this, the little girl’s eyes lit up immediately. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm!” Shen Yan nodded.
“Then let’s go!” Jiang Xian stood up and pulled him toward the exit.
Outside the hotel, two men were lurking in a corner.
When they saw Jiang Xian and Shen Yan come out, the two men immediately stood up.
“Boss, look! Two little brats are coming out. The Shen family’s young master is having his birthday party here today, and all the guests are wealthy people from Beijing. If we just kidnap these two, we’re sure to get a hefty ransom.”
They’d heard the Shen family was throwing a birthday party for their young grandson, so they’d come to try their luck. If they happened to run into one or two kids on their own, they figured their families wouldn’t hesitate to pay up.
They never expected they’d actually catch someone.
And not just one, but two at once.
“I’ll go get the car. You figure out how to get them in.” The man called the boss had a rough, hoarse voice, a face full of rugged features, and a scar the length of a thumb at the corner of his eye.
The other kidnapper wasn’t very tall, was on the thin side, and had an ordinary appearance—the kind of person who’d get lost in a crowd.
Hearing this, the shorter kidnapper walked up to Jiang Xian and Shen Yan, forcing a friendly smile. “Hey kids, where are you headed? Uncle’s got a car—want a ride?”
Jiang Xian stared at the kidnapper who’d suddenly appeared before her, blinking her big eyes. “Uncle, your smile is so weird. It looks just like the Big Bad Wolf on TV. My mom said that strangers who smile too fake at little kids might be bad guys.”
The short kidnapper’s smile froze on his face; he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. After a long moment, he forced another smile: “…Uncle is a good guy. Look, Uncle has some candy. Uncle will treat you to some candy. Will you play a game with Uncle?”
As he spoke, he pointed toward the corner: “Uncle hid something over there. If you can find it, you win. And the winner gets another piece of candy from Uncle, okay?”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
The little girl grabbed the candy from the short kidnapper’s hand without hesitation. Just as the short kidnapper thought he’d successfully tricked her and couldn’t help but let a look of joy show on his face, he heard the little girl in front of him shake her head sweetly, her high-pitched voice ringing out clearly: “But no way. Mom said I can’t just play games with strangers.”
So she’ll take the candy, but no games.
A brief smile flickered across the short kidnapper’s face.
Just as he was racking his brain over how to get these two little rascals to come along willingly, a van pulled up. The back door swung open, and the scar-faced kidnapper inside barked at the short one, “Stop wasting time. Just grab them and go.”
Hearing this, the short kidnapper immediately grabbed one in each hand and swiftly shoved the two little ones into the van.
Inside the van, the two little ones weren’t afraid at all. The little girl, in particular, blinked her big eyes excitedly and lifted her face to ask, “Uncle, are you guys playing a kidnapping game?”