Chapter 51 Reunion with Xu Zhaoli

The porcelain doll tilted her head and studied Chen Ang for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "You're that uncle from last time. I almost thought you were a human trafficker."

Chen Ang was taken aback, then smiled. "If you're afraid of human traffickers catching you, why are you still playing here all by yourself?"

"Grandma Mei is over there protecting me."

The porcelain doll pointed not far behind her.

Chen Ang looked in the direction she pointed and saw a middle-aged woman sitting on a bench a few meters away, knitting a sweater and looking over here from time to time.

Seeing Chen Ang approach the girl, she stood up and walked over, her eyes still warily fixed on him.

Chen Ang smiled at her. "We're friends."

With that, he patted the porcelain doll's hair and asked, "Right?"

The porcelain doll looked up, glanced at Chen Ang, and then looked back at Grandma Mei, showing her teeth in a smile. "Grandma Mei, this uncle is my friend."

Hearing this, Grandma Mei finally let her guard down and sat back down on the bench.

"Is Grandma Mei your family's nanny?" Chen Ang squatted down, watching her draw.

She looked up, her exquisite, porcelain-like face filled with surprise. "How did you know?"

Chen Ang smiled slightly. "If she were your relative, she wouldn't have sat back down just now. If I were a human trafficker, I would have run off with you, and she wouldn't be able to catch up."

The porcelain doll furrowed her brows. After thinking for a moment, she nodded. "You have a point. I need to tell Grandma. If I get taken away, Mommy will cry her eyes out."

Seeing how smart she was, Chen Ang smiled and patted her head again. "You're right. You must tell adults about things like this, otherwise it'll be too late if something happens."

"Yeah, I know. I also need to tell my brother. Next time Grandma Mei takes him out to play, he needs to be more careful."

"Sigh..."

The porcelain doll spoke in all seriousness, then sighed again, her little face full of worry for her troublesome brother.

Chen Ang was completely charmed by her little-adult act. He reached out and pinched her little cheek. "Why isn't your brother playing with you today?"

The porcelain doll pushed away Chen Ang's mischievous hand. "Brother went to Grandpa's house. I don't like it there, so I didn't go."

"Why don't you go? You don't like your grandpa?"

"Yeah, Grandma said Grandpa is bad. He made life miserable for Mommy. Whoever hurts Mommy, I won't like them." She rolled her eyes, looking exactly like a champion of justice.

Chen Ang's face lit up with a broad smile. "Then what about your dad? Doesn't he protect your mom?"

The porcelain doll's mood instantly turned somber. "Mommy said Daddy went to a place far, far away."

Chen Ang's heart softened. He sighed inwardly, thinking how pitiful this little girl was to lose her father at such a young age. He decided not to bring it up again.

So, changing to a cheerful tone, he said, "Last time you said you couldn't tell your name to strangers. This is our second meeting, so we're friends now. Shouldn't you tell me your name?"

The porcelain doll instantly put away her sadness and looked up at Chen Ang, seemingly considering the question.

After a moment, she said, "Alright then. My name is Xu Zhaoli. Zhao as in Zhaojun, and Li as in glazed glass."

"Xu Zhaoli. That's a nice name."

Also surnamed Xu, what a coincidence.

Chen Ang stood up and waved at her. "Little Zhaoli, I have to go now. See you next time."

Xu Zhaoli turned and waved her little hand at him, then lowered her head to continue drawing her rabbit.

Chen Ang withdrew his gaze, a smile playing on his lips.

He actually wanted to spend more time with Xu Zhaoli, but he had a lunch date with Yu Fei, so time didn't permit.

~

In fact, Wen Huilin had heard every sound of Chen Ang leaving early in the morning.

Because she had suffered from insomnia again last night.

The shock of the four hundred million was simply too intense and too sudden.

One moment she was thinking about what she would do if she really didn't get a single penny, and the next she was wishing Chen Ang would just die suddenly, so she could rightfully inherit all his property.

Her mind was filled with wild thoughts, making her both anxious and excited, leaving her in a daze all night.

Finally, the alarm clock woke her up.

Resisting her sleepiness, she dragged her exhausted body to drop Chen Zetian off at his Cello class.

Watching her child pout, holding his instrument case and looking back every few steps as he walked reluctantly into the classroom, she couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.

Since she had spent tens of thousands on tuition, he had to learn it whether he wanted to or not.

Suppressing her internal complaints about everything under the sun, she forced a smile. Only when her son's figure disappeared around the corner of the hallway did her smile fade.

Leaving the extracurricular center, she found a print shop to print out copies of all the collected materials before rushing to the law firm.

Outside an office building near the former municipal government building in the old city district, Wen Huilin looked at the sign for Zhou Zheng Law Firm. She gently squeezed her fingertips with her right hand and stepped inside.

Having just entered his office not long ago, Attorney Zhou Zheng sat behind his desk with a case file spread out in front of him, but he didn't seem to have the heart to read it.

He leaned back in his chair, unconsciously spinning a pen with his right hand, while his gaze fell on the screen of the phone in his left hand.

The screen showed a WeChat Moments background that read 'Heaven rewards the diligent.'

And below it was a post from early this morning, posted by Shen Pianran from her private mobile number.

The attached photo showed a moth orchid on the TV cabinet in the background, and half a glass of unfinished plain water on the coffee table in the foreground.

The caption had only three words: 'Good night.'

There was no name mentioned and no hint, but Attorney Zhou Zheng understood at a glance. An image even automatically formed in his mind.

The moth orchid was grown by Shen Pianran, and this was her living room. That half-filled glass of water wasn't drunk by Shen Pianran herself; she drank coffee, not plain water.

Someone had sat in that living room and drank the water she poured. Attorney Zhou Zheng knew better than anyone who that person was.

Because last night, he had watched with his own eyes as that man carried the woman he longed for into her room.

He had known Shen Pianran for three years and pursued her for two, yet they had only been boyfriend and girlfriend for a single week, and they hadn't even held hands, damn it.

And how many days had that man known her? They had probably already slept together.

He knew he only had two paths: either win her back, or give up and let go completely.

But the more he thought about it, the higher the fire in his heart burned.

At this moment, he was like a dog tied to a corner, watching helplessly as someone else carried away the food bowl he couldn't reach in a lifetime.

This made him feel a massive psychological imbalance.

Let alone letting go—while he was still trying to move on, she might already be showing a baby bump.

He slapped his phone face down on the desk with quite some force, making a loud smack.

The receptionist happened to push the door open just then, followed by Wen Huilin.

"Attorney Zhou, Ms. Wen is here."

Attorney Zhou Zheng lowered his head to wipe his face, then put on his professional expression. He made a gesture for her to sit. "Ms. Wen, please sit. Did you bring the materials?"

"I brought them." Wen Huilin sat opposite him, placing the folder on the desk. Her movement of pulling out the documents carried a sense of urgency.

Attorney Zhou Zheng took the stack of documents and flipped through them page by page.