Chapter 5

Lin Li finished speaking and, without adding anything further, waited gravely for Chairman Fu’s response.

After graduating, Lin Li had joined the Yating Group. Reliable and exceptionally capable, she had climbed the ladder step by step to become Chairman Fu’s private secretary. Over the years, beyond professional matters, Lin Li had also helped manage the Chairman’s private personal affairs.

Fu Minya was entirely devoted to her career and had few personal matters to attend to; the only thing that could truly trouble her was her only daughter.

When Ji Ning was first in that car accident, the Ji family had fallen into chaos.

The doctors had issued notices of critical condition countless times. Lin Li recalled that during those days, her own life had continued as usual; she had not shed a single tear for her daughter.

Employees within the group whispered that Fu Minya was cold-blooded. Colleagues who were closer to Lin Li would even sneakily ask if the Chairman was truly so heartless that she didn't even care about the safety of her own flesh and blood.

Lin Li wasn't sure. In truth, she didn't know what kind of person Chairman Fu really was. Indifferent, aloof, and a ruthless capitalist—these unflattering descriptions, when pieced together, formed Fu Minya’s public image.

It was also during those days when Ji Ning was in a coma that the little heiress went missing.

Very few people knew that Fu Minya had become a grandmother.

Sometimes, Lin Li suspected that for Ms. Fu, suppressing the scandal of Ji Ning having a child out of wedlock was even more important than whether she could safely pass through the critical period. Regardless, Lin Li was tight-lipped and never pried into her boss’s private life. It was for this reason that Fu Minya trusted her and entrusted her with the task of finding the little heiress.

In the blink of an eye, three and a half years had passed.

Lin Li had never forgotten the task, and finally, she had brought back new information.

"What?" Fu Minya’s hand paused over the files on her desk.

"About three days ago, a variety show called *Changing Life* held guest auditions in Yongrui Village, Southern City. A camera accidentally captured a little girl. There were comments saying that this little girl looks very much like the former child star Ji Ning."

Lin Li paused here, noting that Fu Minya did not like to mention the past when Ji Ning had been a child star.

"The child’s situation at home is quite difficult; the family is poor, and the elders favor boys over girls—they don't even hide it in front of the cameras."

"Last night, a public welfare streamer went to Yongrui Village again. It was strange; the child’s mother suddenly changed her attitude for some reason, claiming they were celebrating the child’s third birthday. I found the clips of this charity livestream online, and the mother seemed unnatural."

"Chairman Fu, I have the footage here."

Lin Li opened the video clip on her tablet and held it out with both hands. Seeing that the Chairman had no intention of taking it, she gently placed it on the desk.

Fu Minya said coldly, "Ji Ning’s car accident happened during the time we were negotiating the acquisition of the Cenqin Group."

Lin Li immediately understood the Chairman’s meaning.

Back then, Yating’s acquisition of the Cenqin Group had coincided with the time of Ji Ning’s accident. The outside world had flattered the Chairman, saying she was truly a person capable of great things, maintaining order and completing the acquisition plan even while her family was in crisis.

Time truly flew; that was in the spring three years ago. In a flash, three and a half years had passed. If that child in Yongrui Village were really the little heiress, the age wouldn't match up.

"I understand. But if that little one was indeed kidnapped or bought by the Zhao family, it wouldn't be hard for them to deliberately hide the child’s birth date," Lin Li said. "Should I continue the investigation?"

"No need." Fu Minya withdrew her gaze and continued reviewing her documents. "You may leave."

Lin Li hesitated for a moment before leaving the office, just in time to see the elevator stop at the top floor.

The elevator doors opened.

Ji Ning had come to the group because she had arranged to have lunch with her mother that morning.

She needed to pick out a wedding gift for Bai Hui but didn't know her preferences. When she mentioned it at home, Fu Minya had offered to go shopping with her.

At this moment, Ji Ning and Lin Li stood face-to-face.

Lin Li hadn't seen her for a long time.

Perhaps it was a preconceived notion, but seeing the once-arrogant young lady now wearing a mask of gentleness felt deeply discordant.

After exchanging polite nods, the sound of Ji Ning’s footsteps gradually faded.

Lin Li turned back to look at her slender silhouette.

She vaguely remembered the last time she saw Ji Ning was also here.

That year, Ji Ning was only twenty. Right in this office, a fierce argument had erupted between mother and daughter. Ji Ning didn't throw a tantrum; she seemed to enjoy seeing her mother enraged. With the corners of her lips curled up and her eyes calm and provocative, she had possessed an incredibly vibrant vitality.

Lin Li realized that regarding the news of the little heiress, the Chairman’s intention was that she should not continue to investigate.

Admittedly, even if she continued to look into the identity of the child in Yongrui Village, the possibility of it being a false alarm was extremely high.

But had Ms. Fu ever felt joy?

Did she really want to find the little heiress at all?

...

The *Changing Life* production team was still looking for other suitable guests, and their official social media account had pinned a post hoping for enthusiastic recommendations from netizens. The audition in Yongrui Village should have passed by silently.

The streamer "Donut’s" charity livestream had ended. The visit to Yongrui Village, which ended with a "happy reunion," never had a high number of concurrent viewers, and her follower count hadn't grown much.

However, the internet is a double-edged sword. When Donut posted the edited vlog to her short-video homepage, many discordant voices gradually appeared.

[Laughing to death, the unscrupulous streamer tried to clout-chase but failed.]

[Nowadays, these so-called self-media bloggers act as if they have cameras glued to their foreheads. Is there no bottom line anymore?]

[Although the kid is cute, it's best not to give the streamer clicks. This only encourages bad trends...]

[No wonder the child’s mother was angry. Their family isn't that poor; they were being talked about like they were a poverty-stricken household receiving charity, and then put on the internet to be judged. Who would be happy about that?]

Donut hadn't just been scolded harshly by Qin Meilan during her trip to Yongrui Village; she had been chased out. Feeling aggrieved enough already, she was now being misunderstood, and to her surprise, she was even losing followers.

She wasn't a major streamer, and stung by this, she refused to swallow the insult. In a moment of impulse, she uploaded the second half of the footage taken by her companions.

It was unedited, without any cute special effects or dubbed music. The video was clearly filmed secretly; the lens was occasionally blocked by lush foliage.

Yet, the little girl’s plight was magnified and magnified again.

In the warm and lovely vlog, anyone with eyes could see that Zhuzhu was looking at that cheap piece of cake with eyes that were practically shining, ready to spark.

At the time, the adults in the family hadn't cut the cake, and everyone had assumed they were waiting for the guests to leave so the family could share it alone. This was normal; after all, even if the cake didn't look exquisite, it wasn't something they could eat every day...

However, unexpectedly, in the secret footage, as soon as the streaming team left, the cake was cut, and Zhuzhu didn't even get a turn.

Of the three candles, one was taken away and thrown on the ground.

The real protagonist of that carefully prepared birthday was the younger brother.

The birthday was fake, and the birthday wish was fake, too.

The little girl didn't get to eat the cake, and the little rabbit pendant in her hand was thrown to the ground.

Her younger brother stomped hard on that little rabbit.

If not for the long-standing indulgence of the adults in the house, where would a spoiled brat get the nerve to bully his older sister like that?

The sentiment in the comment section shifted instantly.

[From the angle of the video, you can only see the baby squatting on the ground, gently wiping the dust off the rabbit’s face. I don't even know if she cried...]

[My heart aches, but there’s nothing I can do. Many families with both a son and daughter are like this, especially with "left-behind children"—they suffer even more grievances.]

[I was a left-behind child when I was young, and I can really understand this little kid.]

The streaming team hadn't expected that their carefully produced video wouldn't go viral, but the behind-the-scenes footage they uploaded in a fit of rage became a hit.

...

The top floor of the Yating Group contained only the CEO’s office and a conference room. Besides the secretary, there was also an assistant.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the office were polished bright. Looking from a short distance away, it was a picture-perfect scene of a loving mother and a filial daughter.

Lin Li was responsible for ordering meals for her boss, her gaze occasionally sweeping across the office before withdrawing without emotion.

She was the definition of professional.

"Ji Ning, wait a moment," Fu Minya said. "I can leave as soon as I sign these few documents."

Ji Ning sat on the plush sofa. The flower tea was still hot, giving off warmth and a faint fragrance.

She brushed the lid against the rim of the cup, back and forth, bored. An untimely noise rang out, and Fu Minya looked over, displeased.

Ji Ning recalled the past.

When she first woke up, she had been completely dazed. It was just like a plot from an eight-o'clock soap opera; she had asked cautiously who she was and where she was.

At first, the doctors suspected post-traumatic stress disorder. After several clinical evaluations, they determined that her amnesia was unrelated to psychological factors and was entirely a condition resulting from brain injury.

In those days, Ji Ning tried to piece together her memories through photo albums and childhood trinkets brought to her by those around her.

Unfortunately, it was all in vain.

Even after returning to the country and familiar surroundings, it hadn't helped her condition.

She couldn't remember a single second of her past.

With a sound, Fu Minya looked up again.

In her peripheral vision, she caught Ji Ning wandering around the office and casually picking up the tablet from the desk.

It was the one Lin Li had left behind. It was unlocked, and the screen remained on the unplayed video.

Fu Minya stood up abruptly. "It’s getting late; let’s go to lunch first."

She took the tablet away, almost snatching it.

Before Ji Ning could react, the tablet was tossed back onto the desk.

Ji Ning raised her eyebrows in confusion.

Lin Li, outside the office, was monitoring the situation inside. She immediately contacted the driver, informing him of the restaurant address and their table location.

Being with her mother always felt like there was nothing to say.

Especially during the long, slow ride of the elevator to the top floor.

Ji Ning took out her phone and scrolled through it, casually clicking into Weibo.

Some trending topics would be pushed to the top of the search page.

She didn't usually like looking at the top searches; instead, she preferred the lower-ranked entries, which were the real data searched by individual users.

She glanced at a few entries, and finally, her attention was caught by an unfamiliar one—

"Little Bitter Melon Baby."

Ji Ning clicked on the entry, her eyes widening involuntarily.

A soft, chubby little person appeared on the screen, delivering a direct hit to her heart.