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Such an adorable girl was her daughter.

Shen Wan felt proud.

"Mom, let me know when you start making the dress. I'll help," Shen Baili said, just as excited.

"Sure," Shen Wan agreed.

"Doesn't Aunt Xie ask you to go shopping anymore?" Shen Baili asked. "I haven't seen her in ages."

Shen Wan wrote her daughter's measurements in a notebook. "She's been busy lately. She hasn't had time."

"Is it because of the adoption?" Shen Baili wanted to know how things were progressing. "Have they made a decision?"

"It's not that simple. Adopting a child isn't easy. Both sides have to feel a connection and be a good fit."

Shen Wan and Xie Liuzheng were both busy with their own affairs and rarely met in person, but they still chatted online.

Shen Baili nodded solemnly. "They really should think it through."

The longer they thought, the better. Ideally, they would spend years thinking about it.

She couldn't think of any other way, so she planned to find a chance to tell Eldest Brother in secret.

"Mom, what kind of person do you think Uncle Xie is?" Shen Baili asked curiously.

Shen Wan put away her notebook. "Smart and attentive."

Shen Baili leaned close to her mother's ear and whispered, "Do you think he's a good husband Aunt Xie can count on?"

Shen Wan looked at her in surprise. "Does our Suìsuì have someone she likes?"

"If you do, be brave and go after him," she said, open-minded.

"But don't let it interfere with your studies, and don't let yourself get hurt," she added earnestly. "You're the most precious person."

It was normal for children her age to dream about love.

Shen Wan hadn't expected this day to come so soon. Her Suìsuì had grown up.

She was not only her daughter's mother, but also her best friend.

Shen Baili hadn't expected her mother's imagination to run so wild. "No. I only have room in my heart for studying."

"I've seen how well Uncle Xie treats Aunt Xie. He seems like the perfect husband."

Shen Wan smiled at her. "No one is perfect."

"You have to get to know the real person for yourself."

Shen Baili only half understood. Shen Wan took her hand and led her upstairs. "Don't think about it too much. Let's make a beautiful dress together."

"Okay!"

Shen Wan had converted a storage room in the Xie Residence into a studio for her tools and finished pieces.

"This blue fabric is so pretty." Shen Baili liked bright colors.

"It's called Klein blue. It's a particularly vivid shade." Shen Wan took out the fabric and held it against Shen Baili. "My daughter is so beautiful. You'll look lovely in this color."

Shen Baili draped the fabric over herself and spun around. "How do I look?"

Shen Wan said, "Beautiful."

"Because I look like Mom, I'm beautiful."

By evening, Xie Liuzheng and Xie Zhiyu had returned home one after the other. Xie Chengyue was the last to arrive, while Xie Tingsi was still filming in another province.

Duan Xing did not come.

Xie Chengyue looked at his younger sister in surprise and, in a rare show of concern, said, "Liuzheng, you don't look well."

"Find time this week to get a full checkup."

Xie Liuzheng explained, "I went to the hospital just last week. It's an old problem, and the doctor prescribed medicine."

"I've probably just been too tired lately. I'll be fine after some rest."

Xie Chengyue nodded. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," Xie Liuzheng said.

"Where's Duan Xing?"

"He's busy at school," Xie Liuzheng said. "I wanted to talk with Shen Wan, so I came over."

Shen Wan was startled; she hadn't known Xie Liuzheng was coming today. Still, she backed her up. "Yes, we're going to have a chat."

Xie Chengyue was glad to hear it and asked no more questions.

He glanced at Shen Baili, who was intent on gnawing a bone, then looked away.

After finishing the meat on the bone, Shen Baili looked at Xie Zhiyu and Xie Liuzheng. Even at a family dinner, they maintained such elegant table manners that they were a pleasure to watch.

Everyone in the Xie Family is so good-looking.

I could eat a few extra bowls just watching Eldest Brother and Aunt Xie eat.

Xie Zhiyu's and Xie Liuzheng's chopsticks paused at the same time.

Xie Liuzheng looked at Shen Baili, who was eating with relish.

Just as at the mall, she had heard Shen Baili's thoughts.

Xie Liuzheng realized she didn't understand the girl at all. Could watching them eat really make her eat a few more bowls?

The child was rather adorable.

Should I warn Aunt Xie privately, or tell Eldest Brother about this?

If I tell Aunt Xie, I don't have any proof. If I tell Eldest Brother, I don't have any proof either... I'd better warn Eldest Brother. I'll say I saw Duan Xing acting intimate with another woman...

Eldest Brother will definitely find out the truth and make that scumbag pay!

As Shen Baili rambled to herself, she soon came up with a workable plan.

Hearing her worries, Xie Liuzheng wasn't angry that Shen Baili trusted her nephew instead of her.

They rarely spoke, after all. Xie Liuzheng understood why Shen Baili thought that way.

Perhaps they could grow closer in the future?

What Xie Liuzheng hadn't noticed was that Xie Zhiyu had been watching her reactions ever since he heard Shen Baili's thoughts.

After dinner, Xie Liuzheng, Shen Wan, and Xie Chengyue went out for a walk, leaving the other two at home. As Shen Baili was about to go upstairs, Xie Zhiyu stopped her. "Suìsuì, do you have a moment?"

"There's something I need to talk to you about."

Shen Baili grew uneasy, her mind racing through possible reasons he wanted to speak to her.

"Suìsuì, sit across from me."

"Oh, okay." Shen Baili kept her eyes straight ahead. "Eldest Brother, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Xie Zhiyu noticed her nerves. "Relax."

He took a stack of documents from a drawer. "Take a look first."

Shen Baili opened the documents and froze at the asset records inside. She didn't understand why Xie Zhiyu was showing them to her.