37
Bian Xun finished blowing on Ning Ye's fingers.
Ning Ye felt a little embarrassed and pulled her hand back; this was a bit too intimate.
Bian Xun cast his eyes down, only to see a pair of sparkling eyes by his leg. Not shy at all, she clung to his knee, standing on her tiptoes to lift her round, chubby face toward her father.
Bian Xun was still not very familiar with children's body language, but at the thought that this was his own child, he suddenly understood her meaning without being taught.
The child wanted a blow too.
The little girl's eyes looked pitiful yet vivid. Ning Ye was completely melted by her cuteness, feeling both heartache and adoration.
Bian Xun looked down, bent over, scooped the little girl up into his arms, and blew on the red mark on her cheek.
Ning Zhitao was instantly satisfied. She touched her chubby cheek; it didn't hurt anymore.
However, the look in Bian Xun's eyes as he glanced at the other child's parents grew a fraction more dangerous.
Children of this age had delicate skin and tender flesh. If they hurt their arms or legs, it could leave scars or lasting ailments into adulthood. It was impossible for him not to feel distressed, and the fright the child and her mother suffered could not be measured in money.
Bian Xun was not good at expressing all this with words, so he could only solve it his own way.
The bratty child and their parents had received a thorough magical attack; from now on, they would take a detour whenever they saw them.
Ning Ye watched the family of three walk away, feeling a bit hesitant.
Although her own child was the most precious, there was no way this incident warranted tens of millions in compensation, right?
Regarding this, Bian Xun was tight-lipped, his gaze deep and subtle. "Don't worry about it."
He would pluck a feather from a passing goose. Let them sweat a bit.
Ning Ye really had no way to manage him, so she tactfully didn't ask further. Instead, she took Taotao's hand and let her go down the slide she wanted to play on again.
Bian Xun was no longer excluded from the warm atmosphere between mother and daughter. After this battle, the structural integrity of their family of three had subtly solidified.
He stood to the side with his arms crossed; learning to be a father was indeed a long-term job.
However, after taking on the role of a mother, Ning Ye quickly became very good at it.
How did she feel when the child first appeared?
Frantic, juggling work and family, while trying hard to accept this unbelievable situation.
Yet, in just one National Day holiday, she had resolved all the problems. Moving, the child's household registration, kindergarten enrollment, pick-ups, drop-offs, and meals—everything was handled systematically.
It was just like when she was in school, aiming for scholarships by scoring high in every subject, while doing work-study to earn money, and still setting aside some time to date.
This vibrant vitality had never changed.
Ning Ye, however, felt that she was equally inadequate. Now that she had calmed down, she felt a lingering fear.
In that situation just now, what if she couldn't fight off the two terrible parents alone, and it ended up causing the child even more fright and harm?
When it came to being parents, both of them were novices, and both felt they owed the child.
But as long as it was something she could do for her child, she would try her best to do it.
Under the streetlights of the small park, the young mother had a beautiful, smiling side profile as she played with the little girl.
The emotional sighs in Bian Xun's heart slowly settled, and a thought surfaced.
Then, when she realized that she would have a child with her ex-boyfriend in the future, how did she feel?
Bian Xun's eyes flickered slightly.
Did she accept it very easily?
The CEO inhaled slowly, the corners of his lips twitching upward for a brief moment.
Ning Zhitao stood at the top of the slide, her height exactly level with her father's. She stretched out two chubby arms, and Bian Xun had already learned to catch her automatically.
Actually, there was no change in his expression; the man still looked aloof and cool. But Ning Zhitao hugged his neck, blinked her eyes, and suddenly said near his head, "Daddy, you are just like before now."
Although no matter what her father was like, it wouldn't affect her attitude towards him.
She was truly the most mature person in this family!
Whether her mom and dad recognized her or not, she treated them the same!
Bian Xun raised an eyebrow, realizing that the "before" the child spoke of was actually the "future." It was the kind of family life straight out of a perfect-score essay.
He cast a meaningful glance at Ning Ye and asked with great interest, "What was it like before?"
Ning Zhitao thought for a moment.
How to describe it?
It seemed impossible to describe with just one word. But the daddy from before would blow on her and her mommy just like this. He was very, very good to them. He would always take the initiative to pick her up, and he would hold mommy like this too—
Ning Zhitao mumbled to herself in thought for a while, trying to summarize it concisely: "Anyway, you just act more like Daddy!"
Bian Xun's eyebrows twitched slightly. Children really had a natural, keen sense of smell. Even with the slightest differences, they could sniff them out like little puppies.
He glanced at Ning Ye from the corner of his eye and saw that she didn't look deeply into the meaning of those words. So, Bian Xun calmly hoisted the child up a little higher in his arms.
The history of him being a stepfather would be buried forever.
Now, the focus had shifted—
If he remembered correctly, Ning Ye said the child had time-traveled from five years in the future.
...
Bian Xun quietly shifted his stance. His gaze drifted far away before drawing back.
Five years from now, the child was already over four years old.
Although this logic was unimaginable, even something like a child time-traveling had already happened, so he did not doubt it at all and actively pondered it.
Actually, it was just a rough math problem.
Bian Xun's neck straightened slightly, displaying a reserved, expectant posture, his dark eyes profound.
Based on his shallow medical knowledge, they should, in the very near future.
—be creating the crystal of their love.
The porcelain-white side profile of the person in front of him was soft and smooth. The diamond necklace around her neck faintly glimmered against her well-proportioned collarbones, looking as if it could melt a person's fingertips into her flesh and bones.
A clear, dark fire ignited in Bian Xun's eyes, while his mind raced rapidly.
The focus of this matter wasn't just how they were going to create it.
But rather, in the original course of events, why would Ning Ye agree to have a child with him?
First of all, he couldn't possibly force her.
He himself had always disliked children before having one, and hadn't even planned on having any.
Secondly, Ning Ye was a woman who took responsibility for her own life; she must have known about and agreed to this matter.
She wouldn't hastily have a child due to other factors. The father she chose for her child had to be someone she accepted herself.
Finally, based on their past dating experiences, their views on physical relationships were quite aligned. Neither had ever had intimate contact with anyone without an emotional foundation; they were clean in both body and mind.
To sum up.
The birth of the child.
When love reached its deepest point, it would happen naturally.
Bian Xun suddenly closed his eyes, feeling a shower of rain and dew sprinkling down from the crown of his head, an intense rush of pleasure pouring in.
"What's wrong with you?"
Ning Ye saw him suddenly close his eyes and grab the railing of the playground equipment, completely ignoring his germaphobia. She thought something was wrong with his health.
He really had been having huge emotional fluctuations lately.
Could it be that once a man reaches a certain age, his body really starts to fail?
Ning Ye suddenly felt a sense of urgency. She had to try to create the little one during the peak of the child's father's physical functions. This matter was truly imminent.
A pair of watery, bright eyes looked at him nervously.
Bian Xun slowly opened his eyes.
He was so thrilled that the light in his eyes surged wave after wave.
"I'm fine."
In just a few short seconds, his voice had gone completely hoarse.
The birth of the child was the ultimate display of their emotional state.
Just because of the child's unexpected time travel, everything that was supposed to happen had deviated, but people's emotional states remained largely the same.
His dark eyes fell on her eyelashes, the tip of her nose, and the corners of her lips.
Even though the six-year rift was still there.
But why hadn't he noticed before that she still had lingering feelings for him?
So, what was the exact time? It actually wasn't hard to figure out.
The child's birthday was the exact date she went through the hardships of labor.
By counting backward from that date and calculating based on her menstrual cycle, he could get a rough timeframe.
So now, he only needed to know one answer.
The man looked composed, his posture noble, as he asked the little kid in his arms,
"When is your birthday?"
Ning Zhitao blinked.
And blinked again.
Her dad locked eyes with her.
Then, a strong sense of disbelief suddenly welled up in those watery, dark grape-like round eyes.
"Dad, you don't even remember my birthday!!!"
"?"
The little kid's heart was shattered into pieces; the little kid could not forgive this!
Ning Zhitao reached out to hug her chubby self, feeling that she was so pitiful.
The severity of her dad's offense was now second only to her grandpa's!
"?" Bian Xun didn't know how to explain this complex cause-and-effect relationship for a moment. His thin lips parted slightly as he looked at Ning Ye.
However, Ning Ye was already being pulled away by the little kid. She could only turn back and throw him an apologetic, helpless smile as the two of them trotted far away together.
Bian Xun stood alone in the cold wind.
"...?"
Being a dad really meant walking on thin ice.
...
But by coincidence, both parents began to make active preparations.
To welcome the child's cyber birth.
Although the directions of their preparations were vastly different.
The next day at the company, after Assistant Zhang finished processing the CEO's work directives, he saw a very rare arrangement in the last line: he was asked to buy flowers.
Assistant Zhang looked at his boss in confusion.
Lately, his boss's mood had been changing with each passing day, and he could barely keep up.
Today, the young CEO was wearing a black suit embroidered with dark patterns. From a distance, he still looked aloof and plain, but upon closer inspection, there was a subtle, elegant charm. His dark hair had also been slightly styled, the broken hair on his forehead carrying a delicate touch, revealing a cool white forehead. His brow bone pressed against deep eye sockets, looking undisguisedly handsome and highly aggressive.
Assistant Zhang: "??"
Why... why did it look like he was going to get married?
Ning Ye continued to go to work with a low profile, taking time out to buy family planning supplies online.
The child-disappearing condoms were no longer needed, but other preparations were still essential.
Besides that, Ning Ye had also been keeping an eye on that photo album.
In the unseen world, it seemed to be a kind of guidance from the future.
After refreshing it for another two days, Ning Ye suddenly saw a photo in the album. Her expression paused, and she looked at it carefully for a long time, a hint of vigilance rising in her heart.
Work continued as normal, and the contract with Wujiang and Fengyu had been completely finalized.
This was a huge project, and by the end of the year, Ning Ye would receive a generous reward just from the big order bonus. But more importantly, maintaining this kind of client would give her more irreplaceability in the workplace.
So at this week's regular meeting, Ning Ye was called up to share her experience. It must be known that she had only transferred to the headquarters a few months ago and was previously just an employee of a branch office, which gave many veteran employees a sense of crisis.
Where there were people who were unconvinced, there would naturally be gossip.
"Do you guys think she has any background? Does she know President Bian..."
"If she knew him, would she have suffered in the branch office for two years before being promoted? Isn't it because she got an A in performance for two years straight?"
At this point, the colleague also choked up, realizing that they either had to admit Ning Ye had a strong background, or they had to admit she had strong working abilities.
Ning Ye's attitude was peaceful, and the experience sharing she did was also very honest. In fact, whether her colleagues' blessings or their wariness, they all indirectly proved her work achievements.
After the meeting, Sister Zhou directly put her arm around her shoulder and ordered from the sky, "I want to drink Starbucks."
Ning Ye smiled, "No problem."
Although she didn't love money as much as those black-hearted capitalists, who wouldn't be happy to make money?
Ning Ye's steps were brisk, thinking about how she could take the little kid to eat at that very expensive roast goose restaurant she liked tonight.
But her good mood stopped at the entrance of the company when she and Sister Zhou were carrying their coffees back.
A woman wearing sunglasses and a mask stopped a few steps away, her face unclear. Sister Zhou fixed her eyes and took a closer look, "Isn't that who? Movie Queen Xu??"
Sister Zhou was so sharp that she immediately thought of those rumors that had been suppressed before. Movie Queen Xu was interested in President Bian, and she and Ningning had formed some kind of weird competitive relationship...??
On the one hand, Sister Zhou's gossiping soul was burning fiercely; on the other hand, she was also worried that it would be disadvantageous for Ning Ye, so she asked seriously, "I'll accompany you, do we need to call anyone else?"
Ning Ye smiled helplessly and let Sister Zhou take the coffee in her hands upstairs as well. The things Xu Lanyi wanted to talk to her about were definitely not suitable for colleagues to know.
She faintly sensed that an important plot node in the original novel was coming.
This was a corner of the building with no one passing by. Xu Lanyi slowly took off her sunglasses. It could be seen that the condition around her eyes was not very good.
She had to admit that when she watched them walk over just now, she envied Ning Ye's current state—young, light, full of passion and drive for her work, just like when she was young.
But what she envied even more was last night outside the small park, when she sat in the nanny van in the distance and witnessed the whole process of Bian Xun backing up their mother and daughter.
That kind of scene was simply a critical hit for a single mother.
Especially for those single mothers who were struggling, lonely, and in pain. At that moment, Xu Lanyi even felt that Bian Xun stepping out as a father figure and standing in front of them was more attractive than his wealth, power, or any other halo.
In the plot Xu Lanyi had dreamed of, such a Bian Xun should have appeared beside her and her son. She could not deny that she, a female star with tens of millions of fans, was actually jealous of an ordinary person who was completely inferior to her.
Even Gu Feng had indicated to her that Ning Ye might really be a good mother.
What is a good mother? Bearing huge risks to give birth to him, almost ruining her own acting career, not taking any acting jobs for years for the sake of the child, and running around playing a game of chess so that the child could have a happy family in the future.
Xu Lanyi's chest felt stuffy, but then she thought of the purpose of her coming today, and her state relaxed again. She no longer pretended to be kind, and her tone carried a bit of the innate arrogance of a rich girl.
"I came to tell you some good news. The Bian family is currently preparing to let your child acknowledge her ancestors and return to the clan. You didn't know yet, did you?"
Ning Ye really didn't know, because she didn't care either.
But she understood Xu Lanyi's implied meaning—the Bian family wanted Ning Zhitao to acknowledge her ancestors and return to the clan, not her.
She, the mother of the child, had not gained the approval of this old wealthy family.
The one who could truly come together with Bian Xun, in the end, still had to be someone from their social class.
Xu Lanyi looked at Ning Ye. Even if Bian Xun's emotions leaned toward her, class was still an uncrossable chasm. Family background was an asset Ning Ye did not possess, but it was her own source of confidence.
"My grandfather should already be having tea with Old Master Bian right now," Xu Lanyi gave a faint smile.
Now that both major families had illegitimate children, there was value in continuing their marriage alliance and cooperation. It was not just for business, but also to save face for both families.
This was a level ordinary people could never reach.
Hearing this, Ning Ye could basically figure it out.
Xu Lanyi was preparing to go public.
This was a climax in the original novel, where the female lead laid bare her deepest wound, yet won the envy of the entire internet.
She had already laid a lot of groundwork for this—the tied-up news with the Bian family, being photographed praying for family ties at a temple, and the promotion of a movie with a Mother theme. In reality, she was repeatedly testing the public's reaction and figuring out the bottom line of her large fanbase focused on her career.
And now, it was just about time.
Xu Lanyi slowly stroked the hair by her forehead.
Going public was only a matter of time. If she kept dragging it out, the marketing accounts would beat her to the punch.
She had not made an appearance for a while because she had spent a lot of effort silencing all the marketing accounts. Some trashy accounts were like sticky plasters, repeatedly disgusting people.
But Xu Lanyi knew very well that this matter had to be, and could only be, made public by herself. It absolutely could not be leaked by someone else.
Because the nature of it would be completely different.
Going public herself meant that after careful consideration, she had finally decided to be honest with the public and her fans. The narrative could be completely controlled by her team, maximizing their control over the direction of public opinion.
Being exposed by someone else meant being caught by the tail. It would turn from a self-confession into gossip in other people's mouths. Secretly having a child would become a massive scandal, and overwhelming mockery would inevitably follow.
Having been in the entertainment industry for years, Xu Lanyi naturally understood these rules perfectly.
Xu Lanyi waved the document in her hand. "I didn't come specifically to see you today. I am here to discuss the endorsement contract between my studio and Wujiang. Meeting is fate. Actually, I truly hope that your child and my child can both grow up healthy and happy."
This was a warning. Because Ning Ye had publicly mentioned Gu Zixun's name a few times before, Xu Lanyi was telling her to weigh the consequences herself. The Xu family held weight with the Bian family.
However, even if Ning Ye knew Zixun was her child, she had no evidence in hand; otherwise, she would have jumped out to expose her long ago.
She could not get her DNA, could not do a paternity test, and did not have any parent information. After all, she had been cautious enough to even change the child's surname.
When capital intervened, an ordinary person like Ning Ye had absolutely no power to fight back.
As long as the Bian and Xu families joined forces, then Ning Ye, as a mother, would forever be a mistress. Her child would be given the Bian family name and receive all the best resources.
Xu Lanyi finally said in a low voice, "...It is all for the children."
After she left, Ning Ye quietly watched her go, her heart actually settling down.
Yes, it was all for the children.
Then how could she just sit and wait for death?
...
On the other side, at the Bian family's old residence.
Old Master Bian had finished his recuperation at the hospital and was sent home to rest.
Elder Xu, his family friend of many years, sat by his couch and sighed.
"To think that both our families would have such things happen. These children... really do not give us peace of mind."
When he learned of Gu Zixun's existence, Elder Xu had been furious and desperately covered it up. He had not expected that not long after, Bian Xun would also suddenly have an illegitimate daughter who caused a huge scene at the ancestral hall.
The nature of the situation changed instantly.
"The two children are a good match. This might just be destiny," Elder Xu sighed again.
The two families already had a marriage alliance and were both of noble status, valuing their reputations above all else.
Elder Xu's line of thought was the same as Xu Lanyi's. Since this was the case, why not put both children under Bian Xun's name? This way, it would save face for both families at the same time—the Xu family's child was not randomly conceived with some outside man, and the Bian family's granddaughter-in-law was not some ordinary person of lowly origins.
A perfect fig leaf where neither side lost out.
Old Master Bian was currently leaning on the couch, holding up his reading glasses and eagerly looking for the child in the Xialu Kindergarten admission group photo. Hearing this, he only gave a couple of grunts of acknowledgment.
Seeing that his interest was low, Elder Xu secretly cursed this old fox for putting on airs.
Actually, Elder Xu also knew this matter was not easy to handle. In old aristocratic families like theirs, ideas were very outdated. A man having an illegitimate child and a woman having an illegitimate child had completely different impacts, and right now, their Xu family was at a disadvantage.
This was also why he had to finalize this matter as soon as possible.
Elder Xu leaned in a bit closer, confiding from the bottom of his heart to his old buddy, "Otherwise, do you really want to bring in a granddaughter-in-law of unknown origin? Haven't you thought about it? Her child is already this big, so why didn't she look for the Bian family before? She only appeared when Bian Xun came back. Is it possible she couldn't confirm whose child it was before?..."
As Elder Xu spoke, he kept an eye on the time.
Tonight, his granddaughter was going to make the matter of the child public. What their Xu family needed to do was stabilize the Bian family and lay out the terms.
"Guohua, if this works out, that plot of land in Nancheng you had your eye on before is yours."
That was a piece of land worth over a hundred million! Was that enough of a bargaining chip?
At this time, Old Master Bian looked up from behind his reading glasses. "Oh?"
...
As the evening lights were lit, it was the exact time when the entire internet had free time.
Prime traffic time.
Xu Lanyi sat in front of the computer, slowly swirling the red wine in her glass.
She knew the conditions the Xu family offered were entirely beneficial to the Bian family with no drawbacks. Old Master Bian's authority alone was enough to protect her and allow her to turn the tables in this storm.
As long as the Bian family did not deny it, the previous rumors would be confirmed as true.
And the most important point was that the child's true biological father in this world also did not know he was Zixun's dad.
No one could jump out and slap her in the face.
When this moment truly arrived, Xu Lanyi was no longer anxious. She had struggled to uphold this secret for many years. Having lived as a pitiful single mother for so long, why shouldn't she be set free?
She had already taken the initiative to expose herself; the whole world should bless her and forgive her!
Xu Lanyi elegantly closed her eyes and told her manager, "Release the announcement."
The manager carefully reviewed the wording she had ghostwritten one last time, making sure this essay was sincere, genuine, and filled with deep maternal love that would move people. Even the most hardcore career fans would understand her after reading it, so she prepared to send it—
But the assistant suddenly screamed in shock: "Wait! Sister, look at this—"
...
Ning Ye knew time was tight, so she quickly scoured various websites to find the marketing accounts Xu Lanyi had recently been dealing with.
She still had not left after getting off work. Sitting at her desk, her phone, personal computer, and company computer were all running on split screens. She registered a few new accounts and told all the marketing accounts that she wanted to sell a high-priced photo. They could pay a deposit to see it first, and then pay the balance.
If she gave it away for free, the other party would feel suspicious instead.
Ning Ye only needed to achieve her goal and did not care whether she actually received the final payment. And this photo was the key to preventing her and Taotao from being arbitrarily manipulated by fate in this climax plotline—
On this original day, it was also the day Xu Lanyi made her child public.
However, she was photographed entering and leaving Fengyu Pharmaceuticals with her four-year-old son, which forced her to go public.
Ning Ye wasn't surprised at all. The last time she went to Gu Feng's office, she ran into Gu Zixun; Xu Lanyi had probably been there many times already.
What was important was that this photo had appeared in that future photo album.
Now, with the plot repeating, theoretically, the incident of Xu Lanyi being photographed and then going public wouldn't happen again. In a sense, this photo was also a "fake" photo—and this was exactly what Ning Ye needed.
Seven or eight marketing accounts paid her the down payment at the same time. There was no need to worry about whether they would use the photo to extort money from the Xu family instead, because as soon as other peers published it, the photo would become worthless. And if others posted it first, the traffic they could generate would be diverted.
The resulting matrix caused the seven or eight marketing accounts to scramble and release the photo simultaneously.
The triggered traffic spread from a single point to a massive scale.
A minute later, it blew up the entire internet.
Trending: Xu Lanyi Illegitimate Child
Trending: Xu Lanyi Hidden Marriage
Trending: Xu Lanyi Betrays Fans
Trending: Fengyu Pharmaceuticals
The assistant screamed, pointing at the photo: "This is fake?! Sister Xu hasn't been to the Gu family's place recently at all?! This is a photoshopped picture!"
The boomerang their team had secretly thrown before had actually come back to hit them?
But the most crucial part was that they didn't want to draw the public's attention to Gu Feng?!
Their real target was the Bian family, the president of the Wujiang Group.
Xu Lanyi's face turned pale, but she calmed herself down. "Quickly, clarify it."
In entertainment circle public relations, the speed of a celebrity studio's clarification often indicated the truthfulness of the leak.
The faster the celebrities issued a statement, the more likely it was fake news;
The more they cowered and didn't respond, the more suspicious it became.
Therefore, Xu Lanyi's studio account quickly edited a simple and direct debunking post, stamping a large red "FAKE" over that fake photo.
Just at the second the assistant was about to post it, Xu Lanyi suddenly realized something and screamed, "Stop!!"
But the assistant had been rushed earlier and moved too fast; with a tap of the fingertip, it was sent out.
Xu Lanyi's heart sank.
Meanwhile, Ning Ye saw the denial and clarification on her phone. Feeling relieved, she slowly leaned back in her seat.
She knew very well that as soon as this debunking post appeared, the initiative would completely flip.
Because what was being denied didn't matter.
By denying this photo, Xu Lanyi's studio was denying all the information in it.
Even if she only wanted to deny the part about Fengyu Pharmaceuticals...
Would the public distinguish it so clearly?
How would the public know?
They would only think: what you are denying is the matter of having a child.
And so, Ning Ye's goal was completely achieved.
To make Xu Lanyi deny the existence of the child herself.
This way, denying it first and then trying to go public—the nature and implication would be completely different.
Xu Lanyi would become inconsistent, eventually admitting she had a child only under pressure.
Would anyone still be understanding then?
Sitting at her desk, Ning Ye let out a long sigh of relief.
If people don't cross me, I won't cross them.
If people cross me...
A mother's love makes her strong.
At this moment, Xu Lanyi had already figured out this intention. Her face turned completely pale, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
The other party was banking on her subconscious reaction in this exact second!!
Betting that she would subconsciously clarify immediately, which would make her fall straight into the trap!
Who was messing with her?!
And at this moment, even if she deleted the Weibo post in seconds, with the trending topic hanging high, it would be screenshotted and spread immediately, making her attitude seem even more evasive and indecisive.
Her hardcore fans of many years had already started a carnival under the studio's account.
[The studio is tough! This response was fast enough and slapped their faces hard!]
[Dying of laughter, someone actually believed Sister Xu had a hidden marriage and a child? Learn about a career-driven strong female lead, okay?]
[The marketing accounts posting fake photos are dead meat. It's totally reasonable to suspect some rival or another. You can't beat her actual achievements, so you want to smear our Movie Queen?]
[Our Sister Xu is the most clear-headed person in the world, she's drop-dead gorgeous and cool, okay!!]
The fans flooded every marketing account, extremely proud to have completed another group bonding activity, defending their sister's reputation.
This moment profoundly illustrated what it meant to ride a tiger and find it hard to get off.
But today was already the best time to go public after a long period of buildup. Even if she didn't go public today, as long as the "child" matter was out in the open, the public's sensitive nerves couldn't withstand a second provocation. With any further clues, she would be dug out by the masses.
If she didn't go public today, the severity of her "concealment" would grow day by day.
Xu Lanyi braced herself, her face ashen. "Change the beginning of the statement and post it."
Her hand gripped her phone tightly as she messaged the Xu family. "What did the Bian family say? As long as they don't deny it, it's fine. If that piece of land worth 100 million isn't enough, include all my shares too."
As long as her child's safe harbor was the Bian family, was Wujiang, she would still be envied by all her rivals in the industry. Her fans, after being angry, disappointed, or even leaving her fandom, would eventually slowly accept a sufficiently high-quality "brother-in-law."
The public statement was sent out.
Xu Lanyi's studio comment section, super topic, and trending search hashtags fell silent for a moment.
The fans who were actively jumping around just now went completely silent.
Then, a storm of blood and gore across the entire internet truly hit.
Ning Ye didn't look anymore. She got up to pack her things, getting ready to pick up her child. Tonight, Bian Xun had gone to pick up Taotao first, bringing her to the president's office.
At the same time, Xu Lanyi didn't look either.
She stared fixedly at the Bian family's side. Even having paid such an expensive price, she didn't expect the other party to step out and proactively wade into these muddy waters.
As long as they didn't deny it, things could meander and develop upwards.
But unexpectedly, Wujiang Group issued a statement very quickly.
Trending: Wujiang Group Statement
When she saw this trending hashtag, a flash of wild joy of surviving a disaster crossed Xu Lanyi's eyes.
Fate, fate still favored her!
This world ultimately belonged to people like her!
She clicked on the trending hashtag.
@Wujiang Group V: Miss Xu Lanyi's product endorsement with our company was terminated days ago. Both parties have long since dissolved the cooperative relationship...
Xu Lanyi's expression went blank.
A few seconds later, she completely broke down.
...
Ning Ye went up to the 30th floor, pushed open the office door, and saw Taotao sitting obliviously on her dad's desk. Her little legs dangled back and forth as she scribbled in his planner with his fountain pen.
Seeing this scene, Ning Ye's tense mood completely relaxed.
The little one was doing perfectly fine.
And so, the mother dropped her defensive posture.
"Mommy? You're off work!"
Ning Zhitao had absolutely no idea what kind of torrential rain was pouring outside, as it had all been blocked overhead by her mother's hands.
She threw herself over like a little marble, rubbed her head against her, then grabbed a printed soft tissue from her mom's bag and ran out to the bathroom by herself.
The president's office quieted down for a moment.
Bian Xun was looking down, processing messages, and didn't look up immediately.
The man was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, exuding the luxurious aura of haute couture. Although it was still a black suit, the style was slightly different from usual. The black hair on his forehead was styled neatly, making his overall appearance seem even more handsome and refined than usual. In the deep shadows cast by his high brow bone, the look in his eyes was spinning rapidly.
Naturally, he couldn't accept the Xu family's land worth a hundred million, but the good news was that Xu Lanyi still had to pay him a sum in compensation.
The money paid by the brat's parents had already gone through insurance. Once it was refunded to his card and compounded, he would net another tens of millions.
All things considered, the CEO didn't lose out in the slightest.
Besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Bian Xun slowly lifted his dark eyes, watching the slender and graceful figure walk into the room, a profound light pooling in his gaze.
She was always like this: pure, bright, and gently revealing her sharp edges.
Out there, she had been an absolute force of nature.
Both of them had just dealt a ruthless blow to their respective enemies, yet neither mentioned it, nor did they bother checking the public fallout.
Ning Ye was currently enveloped in a gentle sense of composure, as if shielded by a soft bubble.
It gave her clear, luminous eyes a touch of tenderness.
Bian Xun slowly pushed back his black leather chair. His tall, lean figure rose from the sandalwood desk, setting down a kindergarten registration form.
On the form, Ning Zhitao had filled in her own birthday.
And Ning Ye's last menstrual cycle had been on the day they were at the hotel.
Although more scientific methods were needed for an exact calculation—
Bian Xun closed the distance step by step, backing her into a corner and pressing the door shut behind her.
He lowered his head, slowly and meticulously loosening his tie. His usual ascetic aura silently dissolved into the cold scent of sandalwood. His collar, which was always impeccably buttoned, fell open to reveal the slight bob of his Adam's apple. The man's voice was low and crisp, trying to keep his statement as objective as possible.
"If the information I have is correct, our child comes from five years in the future. She is currently four years and two months old."
"According to your cycle, we have roughly three days left before we conceive her."
This crystallization of their love.
He lowered his head, his dark eyes stirring with emotion. Ultimately, he revealed a fraction of his years-long yearning, drawing close to her soul like a moth drawn to the light.
"Shall we begin?"
