Chapter 1

It was a very ordinary morning. Xu Ai woke up to find her little one still asleep beside her. The child had kicked off the blanket, exposing a small leg and a cute little belly.

Xu Ai had been extremely busy with work lately, her studio bustling with tasks. She often had to leave for the company early in the morning, while Nuo Nuo usually woke up around eight. Not wanting to disturb her daughter’s peaceful sleep, Xu Ai couldn’t resist gently kissing her daughter’s soft cheek. The little one, feeling ticklish from the kiss, lightly patted her mother back, but not with much force. Xu Ai smiled, got up, and started getting ready for work.

When she finished washing her face and came out, Nuo Nuo was already awake. The clingy little girl immediately reached out for her mother and said, “Mommy.”

Her soft voice, still drowsy, tugged at Xu Ai’s heartstrings. At that moment, Xu Ai was tempted to take the day off and stay home with her daughter. But she couldn’t, she had too much work to handle. Ever since she had that strange dream, Xu Ai had been feeling inexplicably anxious.

They were living in a novel, where Nuo Nuo’s biological father was the villain.

Villains never meet good ends, and naturally, Nuo Nuo’s father wouldn’t either. Xu Ai would eventually divorce him. Even though she’d have their child, her own fate wouldn’t improve much. The Xu Ai in the novel was very naive, thinking that even if Sheng Zexi didn’t like her, he had plenty of money, and the child support he sent would be enough for her and Nuo Nuo to live well. But she didn’t expect Sheng Zexi to go bankrupt in the end.

Later, Xu Ai’s life became very difficult, and her attitude towards her daughter wasn’t good either.

Xu Ai didn’t fully believe these events would come true. After all, she was different from the woman in the novel. Though she spent money extravagantly, she was still a loving mother to Nuo Nuo. She had always been confident and privileged, never believing she and Nuo Nuo would end up in such a dire situation. But gradually, many things started happening that seemed to confirm the dream, suggesting it might indeed be her future.

She hadn’t believed Sheng Zexi would leave for such a long time, but after that dream, he did indeed leave for more than six months to expand his overseas business.

Xu Ai and Sheng Zexi’s marriage was purely a business alliance without any emotional connection. During his year-long absence, they hardly kept in touch, and he barely called her. If it weren’t for their daughter, Xu Ai would have doubted if they were even married.

However, Sheng Zexi’s absence brought peace to the household. Despite their lack of communication, all the household matters were managed by appointed staff, and there were no financial restrictions on her and Nuo Nuo.

But post-divorce life wouldn’t be as easy. For her daughter and herself, Xu Ai had no choice but to leave Nuo Nuo in the care of the nanny and go to work, no matter how much she missed her child.

The garden was full of birdsong and flowers, with summer roses in bloom and lush greenery all around. The sun was blazing.

Shortly after Xu Ai left for work, a white Rolls Royce suddenly stopped at the house entrance. The nanny, who was watching Nuo Nuo, glanced outside and saw a tall, long-legged man stepping out of the car. The man had a well-proportioned, youthful figure and an air of coldness about him.

The nanny stared for a moment before finally recognizing him as Mr. Sheng. Excitedly, she picked up Nuo Nuo, who was playing with her toys in the living room, and said, “Daddy’s back.”

Nuo Nuo was happily playing with her building blocks when she was suddenly carried outside. The usually calm Auntie Lu looked thrilled and said, “Nuo Nuo, daddy’s back.”

Nuo Nuo glanced up, not recognizing the man. She wanted to go back to her toys and didn’t care to greet the stranger outside, so she struggled to get down from Auntie Lu’s arms.

Nuo Nuo wasn’t weak, and in her efforts to get free, Auntie Lu couldn’t hold onto her. Soon enough, Nuo Nuo was free and dashed back into the house.

When Sheng Zexi got out of the car, he was on the phone and didn’t pay much attention to the little girl who quickly ran into the house. He then noticed the nanny standing nearby and remembered that he had a daughter, Nuo Nuo, whom he had left at home for nearly six months. She seemed to have grown quite a bit.

Sheng Zexi walked into the house with his long strides and saw the little girl sitting on the sofa, engrossed in playing with her building blocks. She was wearing a cream-colored puff dress and looked adorable. When he entered, she glanced at him briefly but quickly returned to her play.

Their brief eye contact felt like that of two strangers.

Sheng Zexi didn’t dwell on it. Despite being back, he had too much work to catch up on, so he had no time to attend to a child. After a quick glance at Nuo Nuo, he went upstairs to deal with his tasks.

Once he finished his work, he took a shower and rested a bit to alleviate his fatigue. As he came downstairs, he saw the nanny bringing Nuo Nuo back inside. The little girl was covered in dirt and sand, crying with tears streaming down her face. Her once clean face now looked pitiful and dirty, causing Sheng Zexi to frown.

If he remembered correctly, there was always the sound of a crying child when he left. Back then, Nuo Nuo was young, and he could understand her crying, but now she was two years old. Why was she still crying?

Frowning, Sheng Zexi asked, “What happened?”

Although Sheng Zexi hadn’t been home for six months, the nanny, Auntie Lu, knew him as a cold and indifferent man. Several nannies had been replaced because they couldn’t care for Nuo Nuo properly. Despite being from a wealthy family, Sheng Zexi rarely lost his temper, but his cold demeanor made him intimidating. Auntie Lu always felt uneasy around him.

Holding her breath, Auntie Lu explained, “It was too hot at noon, and Miss wanted to play outside. I was worried she’d get sunburned, so I didn’t allow it, and she started to make a fuss.”

Sheng Zexi looked at Nuo Nuo’s eyes, which she had inherited from Xu Ai. Her tear-filled eyes looked pitiful, unlike Xu Ai, who rarely cried unless pushed to her limits by him.

Sheng Zexi then realized he hadn’t seen Xu Ai since his return and asked, “Where’s Xu Ai? Is she out shopping again?”

Auntie Lu was slightly taken aback. She assumed that even with his busy schedule, he would be aware of the changes at home. It turned out he knew nothing. He didn’t realize that the once shopaholic Xu Ai had become a workaholic.

Auntie Lu replied, “Madam has gone to work.”

Sheng Zexi was momentarily stunned, recalling that his assistant had mentioned Xu Ai starting a studio when he first went abroad. He had thought she was just playing around, given her personality. But it seemed she had taken it seriously.

Sheng Zexi had never been involved in taking care of children. When he was home, Nuo Nuo was always looked after by her mother and the nannies. Sheng Zexi believed that the multiple nannies they had should be enough. Even now, looking at the dirty and tearful Nuo Nuo, he had no intention of comforting her. Instead, he looked sternly at the nanny and instructed, “Take her for a bath and change her clothes. It’s almost lunchtime.”

“Yes, sir.”

The nanny took Nuo Nuo upstairs. As they ascended, Sheng Zexi glanced up and met the tearful, pitiful eyes of the little girl. She seemed to have been crying for a long time, with her red eyes and nose looking very pitiful.

The bath took a while, and Sheng Zexi felt it was inappropriate to start eating without Nuo Nuo. He waited for her to come down, expecting that once cleaned up, she would stop crying. However, when she finally came downstairs, she still had tears in her eyes, as if she had been crying again.

Irritated, Sheng Zexi asked, “Why is she crying again?”

Auntie Lu, facing his stern look, felt a bit scared. Sheng Zexi was already hard to approach, and his displeased expression made him even more intimidating.

Auntie Lu lowered her head and quickly explained, “Miss doesn’t want to eat and wants to play with her toys. I asked her to come down and eat first, so she started fussing.”

Normally, she would have brought the food upstairs, allowing Nuo Nuo to eat while playing. But with Sheng Zexi home, she couldn’t indulge Nuo Nuo like that, fearing it would displease him. However, without indulging Nuo Nuo, the little girl would throw a tantrum, leaving Auntie Lu with a headache.

Sheng Zexi, inexperienced with children, didn’t know if it was common for kids to dislike eating, but he felt it was wrong. Frowning, he told Auntie Lu, “Put Nuo Nuo next to me.”