Chapter 21

Xie Liuzheng walked over and crouched beside him. "Your puppy is adorable. What's its name?"

The little boy lowered his head even further, his eyebrows scrunching up like caterpillars. Then he cautiously glanced up at her. "Doll."

"Doll? Its name is Doll?" Xie Liuzheng asked curiously.

The little boy hugged the stuffed puppy tightly and repeated, "Its name is Doll."

"That's a lovely name. Is it your little friend?"

"Mm."

"I'm Xie Liuzheng. What's your name?"

"Little... Little Sheng."

On the way back, Duan Xing glanced at Xie Liuzheng several times.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I thought you'd choose Little Sheng," Duan Xing said. "You seemed to like him."

She had taken a liking to the boy, but after hearing Shen Baili's thoughts, Xie Liuzheng would not make a decision lightly. "Let's keep looking."

"Okay," Duan Xing said.

As if he had only been asking casually, he added, "Adopting a child is something we should think through carefully."

Xie Liuzheng nodded. Watching the Welfare Institute recede in the rearview mirror, she asked, "What did you say we'd name a boy if we adopted one?"

Delight flashed in Duan Xing's eyes. He mistakenly thought Xie Liuzheng wanted to adopt Duan Sheng.

"Duan Muzheng. Duan Xing adores Xie Liuzheng."

"He'll be a child raised with love."

... At the Xie Residence, Xie Zhiyu received a report from the Private Detective.

"President Xie, the man you asked me to investigate keeps his personal life remarkably clean. No women around him appear to have a close relationship with him..."

"Based on what we've found so far, there's no sign that Duan Xing is having an affair."

"His private life is almost frighteningly spotless. His routine is a straight line between work, home, and the gym, with occasional trips to a beauty salon. He pays close attention to his appearance."

"People around him generally praise him. They say he's gentle, handsome, conscientious, devoted to his wife, and so on."

As the Private Detective went into detail, Xie Zhiyu's brows gradually drew together.

At first glance, Duan Xing's image as a good husband was perfect, but something about it felt inexplicably off.

The Private Detective felt the same way. A man understood other men, and he added, "But I don't believe a man this perfect exists. Give me another week to dig deeper... We found that Duan Xing spends an unusually large amount at the beauty salon. I've sent my apprentice in undercover, but it'll take time to hear back..."

"All right," Xie Zhiyu said. "Be careful."

"Contact me immediately if you find anything or need help."

The Private Detective perked up. "Thank you, boss."

What a generous boss. He loved working with wealthy clients like this one. President Xie respected people doing the legwork, and most importantly, he paid promptly. It made the Private Detective eager to get to work.

The Private Detective was determined to dig up something explosive on Duan Xing. In all his years on the job, he had rarely encountered anyone so cautious. He had nearly been spotted while tailing Duan Xing several times. That only told him the man was no ordinary target. There had to be a huge secret behind it all.

A huge secret meant a huge payday.

The Private Detective felt his future brighten. He just had to stake out his target carefully. Very, very carefully.

Lately, that social-climbing husband, Duan Xing, and the wealthy heiress were preparing to adopt an

orphan.

How he wished he could go back to childhood, get adopted by a wealthy family, and change his life in one stroke.

But he could only dream about it. The Private Detective took out his precious Camera and snapped shot after shot of Duan Xing, who had gone out alone.

... After returning from the Welfare Institute, Xie Liuzheng continued reviewing its list of prospective children. When she wasn't practicing piano or exercising, she went to the Welfare Institute with Duan Xing.

After enough visits, Xie Liuzheng began to sense that something was wrong with him.

She had once trusted Duan Xing completely. But now that a seed of doubt had been planted, her instincts were keen.

Duan Xing gave little away, but Xie Liuzheng still noticed how much he cared about Furi Welfare Home.

What was there?

Xie Liuzheng thought it over. She had met many children these past few days, but the only one Duan Xing had asked about twice was Little Sheng.

Could the boy named Little Sheng have some connection to Duan Xing?

Xie Liuzheng took out her phone and called Xie Zhiyu.

"Aunt."

"Zhiyu, could you..." Before Xie Liuzheng could finish, a thought flashed through her mind, and she changed course.

"I left something in your office. Remember to bring it with you when you go back. I'll come home tonight to pick it up."

Xie Zhiyu paused with his finger over a file. "Okay."

Was she being monitored?

Xie Liuzheng hung up and looked at her phone. She and Duan Xing had bought matching ones.

Duan Xing took off his earphones and checked the location on his phone.

Xie Liuzheng hadn't lied.

Just as Xie Liuzheng had noticed something off about Duan Xing, he had noticed the change in her.

They had spent more than a decade together and knew each other well.

Duan Xing was suspicious by nature, and this was a crucial point in his plans. He had grown even more cautious than before. He had even warned Qiao Yun to keep a low profile and, unless absolutely necessary, not to meet or contact him.

He suspected Xie Liuzheng had discovered something, so he checked her whereabouts more frequently. Fortunately, he had found nothing unusual.

Duan Xing thought he needed to speed up the adoption.

... Shen Baili noticed that everyone had been busy lately. Xie Chengyue and Xie Zhiyu were almost never around again, while her mother, Shen Wan, had made good progress with her sewing. Today, Shen Wan was taking her measurements to make her a dress.

"How about a blue dress? Your favorite color." Looking at her daughter, who had grown into a graceful young woman, Shen Wan could already picture her wearing a dress she had made with her own hands.