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Shen Baili quietly memorized Meng Jiu'an's face, her thoughts stirring.

What the girls didn't know was that the boys on the field had started talking about Shen Baili.

"Shen Baili is so pretty."

"She's the undisputed campus beauty of No. 1 High School. My goddess!"

"In the forum's campus beauty poll, Shen Baili is miles ahead. One of those votes is mine."

"Why isn't she in our class? It shouldn't be hard to transfer from Class One to Class Two, right?"

Remembering the girl's gaze from not far away, Meng Jiu'an pricked up his ears.

Ji Qi ran over carrying a bag and tossed him a bottle of water. Meng Jiu'an caught it without thinking.

"Why are your ears so red?" Ji Qi spotted the curious detail.

Meng Jiu'an gulped down half the bottle. "It's hot."

Ji Qi handed the remaining bottle to Lu Mingqian. "It really is hot. Serves you right for coming out to the field instead of playing indoors."

Lu Mingqian took the water. "Thanks."

"There's a breeze outside. It feels better when we play," he explained.

Meng Jiu'an tapped his bottle against Lu Mingqian's and grinned. "I agree."

Ji Qi rolled his eyes. "You two are impossible."

Then he got smacked by both of them.

Ji Qi swallowed his protest. "Oh, right, Anzi. Isn't your grandpa's birthday coming up?"

Meng Jiu'an said, "Yeah. His birthday banquet is on November ninth."

"That's only a little over a month away!" Ji Qi worked out the date.

Lu Mingqian said, "My dad's been preparing a birthday gift. He's lost a lot of hair over it."

"Hahaha, mine too. He's nearly bald," Ji Qi said with a laugh.

Meng Jiu'an said, "I've been thinking about what to get Grandpa too."

"How about I give him a pair of limited-edition sneakers?"

"No."

"...I'm with Ji Qi on this one."

Meng Jiu'an fell silent.

A few days later, Shen Baili went to pick cherry tomatoes with Shen Wan after school.

Shen Wan brought up Xie Liuzheng, sounding a little troubled.

Xie Liuzheng was easy to get along with. Over the past few days, she had often joined Shen Wan for afternoon tea and talked about Xie Chengyue's childhood.

But today, her sister-in-law had left her with a difficult task.

Curious, Shen Baili asked, "What happened with Auntie Xie?"

Shen Wan said softly, "Liuzheng and Duan Xing are planning to adopt a child from an orphanage. She asked me to sound out your Uncle Xie about it."

Ding!

Shen Baili had triggered a key plot point.

The Phoenix Man's Scheme. Early that morning, in a spacious apartment in central Haicheng...

Xie Liuzheng had a rare day off and slept until she woke naturally.

Sunlight streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, lighting every corner of the room.

By the time she woke, Duan Xing had already left. A pink heart-shaped note was stuck by the bed.

Xie Liuzheng rolled over, took down the note, and lay on her back to read it.

"To my darling wife: I've gone to work. There's a sandwich in the fridge; remember to heat it in the microwave before you eat it. Love you. —Your husband." "P.S. Things are busy at the company today. I'll be home around eight tonight, so don't wait for me to have dinner."

Warmth filled every line. Xie Liuzheng sat up, found her phone, and took a photo of the note to save in her gallery.

Another lovely day had begun.

After eating her lovingly prepared breakfast, Xie Liuzheng drove to a nearby private Pilates studio.

She had been busy touring for months and hadn't trained regularly in a long time. Now that she had the chance, she wanted to work on staying in shape.

After an hour and a half at the studio, she headed for the Xie Residence feeling refreshed. She had arranged to have lunch with Shen Wan and couldn't be late.

At first, Xie Liuzheng had approached Shen Wan because she wanted to gauge her brother's attitude through her.

But after spending time together these past few days, her impression of Shen Wan had changed dramatically.

When they first met, Xie Liuzheng had thought Shen Wan was beautiful and gentle. Her beauty was undeniable—understated as a lily, leaving a faint fragrance in its wake when the breeze passed. Beyond that, she hadn't made much of an impression.

Xie Chengyue had been single for years. He had met women prettier, more educated, and more poised than Shen Wan, yet had shown them no interest. Even when he dated, he had never considered marrying any of them.

Shen Wan was the exception.

Xie Liuzheng hadn't understood why her brother had remarried Shen Wan. Now she thought she was beginning to. She, too, had grown to enjoy Shen Wan's company. Being with her was comfortable and easy, and even an ordinary day felt happy.

When Xie Liuzheng arrived at the Xie Residence, Shen Wan was sketching in the courtyard.

In the past, Shen Wan had had neither the money nor the time to learn such things. Now that she had the chance, she wanted to make the most of it, and she studied diligently.

She was taking basic drawing and design classes at the same time.

The courtyard grass was lush and green. Dressed in cotton loungewear, Shen Wan sat cross-legged on a chair, her long black hair pinned up with a plain hairpin. Behind her, asters in full bloom swayed gently in the breeze.

She was painting, unaware that in Xie Liuzheng's eyes, she was part of the scene—a living painting herself.

Xie Liuzheng didn't disturb her. Instead, she quietly went into the living room and leaned by the window, openly admiring both the view and the beauty in it.

An hour slipped by.

Shen Wan put down her final stroke, stood, and stretched. She admired her work, thoroughly satisfied.

She didn't put the painting away at once, leaving it where it was to dry.

Shen Wan walked back into the living room with a spring in her step, then stopped short.

On the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window lay what looked like a sleeping beauty... No, wait. That was her sister-in-law, Xie Liuzheng.

When did she get here?

Butler Lin answered her unspoken question. "Miss Liuzheng arrived over an hour ago. She saw you painting in the courtyard and didn't want to disturb you."