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Shen Wan looked at Xie Liuzheng. "Okay."

Her sister-in-law looked cold, but she was warmhearted beneath it all.

Shen Wan crept closer and draped the little blanket that had slipped onto the carpet over Xie Liuzheng's stomach.

Xie Liuzheng's long lashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes sleepily. "Sister-in-law?"

"You're awake." Shen Wan glanced at the clock in the corner. "It's almost noon. Lunch should be ready."

"Are you hungry?"

Xie Liuzheng blinked. She wasn't fully awake yet. "A little."

"Then wash your hands and get ready for lunch. Your brother will be back soon," Shen Wan said with a smile.

"I'm back." Xie Chengyue came in through the doorway.

Xie Liuzheng suddenly grew nervous. "I'll go wash my hands first."

Xie Chengyue watched her hurry away. "Why does she seem a little afraid of me today?"

"You two have something to tell me." He turned to Shen Wan, who gave an evasive answer. "You'll find out after lunch."

Xie Chengyue didn't press her.

... Duan Xing had left early that morning, but instead of going to the office, he had gone to an upscale residential complex in the west of the city. He had another home there.

He entered the passcode from memory. The apartment was quiet, and he went into the child's room first.

A little boy lay asleep on the large blue bed, clutching a stuffed toy. Duan Xing sat beside him and watched him for a while, a gentle smile on his face.

He left the room and opened the door to another.

Unlike the little boy's neat, clean room, this one was a mess. Designer clothes and handbags lay scattered across the floor, and cosmetics were strewn across the table.

His entrance didn't wake the woman on the bed. Her long black curls spilled across it, and the straps of her revealing silk nightgown had slipped off her shoulders, exposing her soft breasts. Oblivious, she slept soundly with a pillow in her arms.

Expressionless, Duan Xing pulled the pillow away.

The sudden movement disturbed her. She rolled over and murmured, "Baby, there's bread in the fridge. Eat some if you're hungry. Let Mommy sleep a little longer."

Duan Xing didn't give her a chance to fall asleep again. He hauled her upright. "Wake up. I need to talk to you."

Qiao Yun woke fully and took the opportunity to lean against his shoulder as though she had no bones. "Oh, so my other darling is here."

Duan Xing put an arm around her and caught her wandering hand. "Stop it. I have something serious to tell you."

Qiao Yun nipped at his ear. Feeling him shudder, she laughed coyly. "Pretending to be all proper."

"I've missed you so much. You haven't come to see us lately."

"Now that your wife's back, you've forgotten your old lover." Qiao Yun traced restless circles on his chest.

Duan Xing ignored her jealous remarks and said gravely, "Liuzheng has agreed to adopt a child."

"In a few days, I'll take Little Sheng to the orphanage. Then we'll arrange to adopt him."

Qiao Yun's smile froze. She sat up straight. "...Do you have to take him there?"

"I can't bear to part with Little Sheng. I carried him for ten months and went through so much to give birth to him. Can't we..."

Her voice turned vicious. "Xie Liuzheng can't have a child of her own, so she shamelessly steals someone else's precious son."

Duan Xing had long since seen Qiao Yun for who she was. His face hardened. "I'm telling you what's going to happen, not asking your opinion."

"Do you want him to spend his whole life as your illegitimate son?"

"If the Xie Family adopts Little Sheng, he'll inherit everything Xie Liuzheng owns. And you? What do you have?"

His words were cold and cruel, cutting straight to Qiao Yun's heart.

She lowered her eyes and gave up resisting. "I understand. I'll talk to Little Sheng."

Duan Xing laid his large hand on her head, his tone softening. "That's more like it."

"He's my only child. Of course I'll treat him well."

He was adept at following a blow with a sweet reward. Qiao Yun leaned against his shoulder and said coaxingly, "W just released a new necklace. It's beautiful."

She looked at Duan Xing with adoration and expectation. "Will you buy it for me, darling?"

Duan Xing agreed readily. "Of course. I'll buy you several."

Qiao Yun cheered, threw her arms around him, and kissed him. "You're the best, darling."

Smiling, Duan Xing wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They fell onto the bed and made love.

To Duan Xing and Qiao Yun, the child was nothing more than a bargaining chip. Both cared only about their own interests, not about Duan Sheng.

Neither noticed that the door hadn't shut completely. The little boy stood outside it, clutching his stuffed toy, a flicker of disgust in his innocent eyes.

... In the study at the Xie Residence, Xie Chengyue looked at Xie Liuzheng, who was hesitating to speak. "What did you want to tell me?"

He checked his watch. "I have an international conference call in an hour."

Time was running out. Xie Liuzheng knew that if she missed this chance, there was no telling when she would get another.

She gritted her teeth. "I want to adopt a child."

Xie Chengyue paused, his gaze sharpening. "Is that what you want, or what Duan Xing wants?"

Xie Liuzheng said, "We both want it."

Now that she had started, she stopped hesitating.

"Brother, you know I have trouble conceiving, and Duan Xing is his family's only son... We want to go to an orphanage and adopt a child we connect with, then raise the child as our own."

Her eyes shone with hope.

Xie Chengyue looked at her. "All right."

Xie Liuzheng was still thinking of ways to persuade her brother. She was stunned to hear him agree.

"Brother, you agree?"

All the arguments she had spent days preparing had gone unused.

Xie Chengyue said, "I have no reason to object."

"Thank you, Brother!" Xie Liuzheng smiled happily, her eyes, so like Xie Chengyue's, brimming with joy.

There was a smile in Xie Chengyue's eyes. "When you sign the adoption agreement, remember to bring a lawyer from Xie Corporation."

Ranking List

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Transmigration into a Book

Wish-Fulfillment Fiction

Rich CEO

Female Supporting Character Story

Transmigration and Rebirth Romance

Pumpkin Vine

Mind Reading

Beloved by Everyone