020 As long as Shen Zhihan remains alive, the Xia family is doomed.

An’an followed Elder Shen’s gaze and immediately beamed with joy. She scampered over to Zihan Shen, threw her arms around his leg, and looked up at him with an irresistibly adorable expression. “Daddy, great-grandpa is telling me a story! Great-grandpa tells stories so well; it sounds so lovely.”

Hearing his precious granddaughter’s praise, Elder Shen’s mustache would have curled proudly if he had one.

Zihan Shen said, “Oh, really?” He scooped up An’an and headed toward the dining table. “An’an, time for breakfast.”

An’an waved at Elder Shen. “Great-grandpa, come eat!”

Elder Shen stubbornly held onto his dignity.

How long had it been since he last shared a meal with Zihan Shen? A year? Two? Or even longer?

Seeing Elder Shen hesitate, Zihan Shen snorted lightly. “Aren’t you coming? Or do you want me to carry you over?”

Elder Shen snorted in return. “You think just because you’ve been carrying An’an for a few days, you can get cocky?”

Zihan Shen set An’an down in her high chair and approached Elder Shen with a serious expression.

Elder Shen stiffened. “What are you doing? Are you trying to throw me out, you unfilial brat?”

An’an twisted her small body around, curiously watching the exchange between Zihan Shen and Elder Shen.

Daddy is so gentle—there’s no way he’d throw great-grandpa out.

Zihan Shen bent down and lifted Elder Shen up. Elder Shen’s expression froze, his entire face blank.

Butler Liu started wiping away tears again.

Ah, Zihan Shen and Elder Shen would surely mend their relationship.

Once Elder Shen realized what was happening, he began to squirm. “What are you doing? Put me down!”

Zihan Shen looked annoyed. “Old man, if you won’t eat properly, you’ll be nothing but skin and bones! Keep struggling and I’ll toss you out.”

An’an clapped her hands. “Daddy’s amazing! Daddy picked up great-grandpa. Daddy’s so awesome!”

Children’s idea of ‘amazing’ is simple: if they can’t do it but someone else can, that person is amazing.

A faint smile tugged at Zihan Shen’s lips. Elder Shen felt utterly humiliated.

Zihan Shen set him down at the dining table. Seeing An’an so happy, Elder Shen decided losing a bit of face was worth it.

An’an picked up a crystal shrimp dumpling and offered it to Elder Shen. “Great-grandpa, eat this.”

Zihan Shen immediately grew jealous when he saw An’an’s first bite was for Elder Shen.

The next moment, An’an handed him a crystal shrimp dumpling too and leaned over to plant a soft kiss on Zihan Shen’s cheek.

The gentle, tender kiss landed on Zihan Shen’s face. He froze for a moment, then looked triumphantly at Elder Shen.

Elder Shen snorted, clearly annoyed at his grandson’s pride.

Breakfast at the Shen household was a rare moment of harmony.

---

At the Xia family,

Mr. Xia was overwhelmed. The day before, he received news that someone was targeting their family—rumored to be Zihan Shen.

What was going on?

In recent years, Zihan Shen had actually been quite supportive of the Xia family, elevating their status among the elite.

Yet starting yesterday, calls to withdraw investments and cancel partnerships came flooding in.

Potential deals, even those just discussed, fell through.

When they called back, the other parties either claimed to be unavailable or stammered excuses, dodging the issue.

When Jing Xia returned in disarray, everyone noticed she hadn’t come home the previous night.

Mrs. Xia gasped, “What happened? Why do you look like this?”

Jing Xia was utterly exhausted and collapsed to the floor. “Water... I need water.”

Mrs. Xia brought her some and fed her personally.

Yesterday, Kexuan Xia had a nightmare and woke early, coming downstairs with a world-weary expression that seemed out of place on her youthful face.

She coldly eyed Jing Xia, thinking, “You fool! What on earth did you do last night?”

Jing Xia glanced at the servant, and Mrs. Xia understood the unspoken request to have the servant leave.

Coming downstairs, Kexuan Xia heard Jing Xia’s desperate plea. “Xuanxuan, what do we do? Our Xia family is finished. Please, come up with a plan!”

Jing Xia wept, “Our scheme to impersonate Zihan Shen’s savior was exposed. Zihan Shen found out the truth. Yesterday, he sent someone to teach me a lesson. My phone was thrown away. That place was in the middle of nowhere; I had no money or phone and had to walk for hours. Passing cars didn’t dare pick me up—everyone feared a setup. My legs almost gave out.”

All day yesterday, no car stopped for her. When she finally saw one, the driver wouldn’t pick her up.

The wilderness was prime territory for robbery and murder.

If the driver stopped, there might be ambushes waiting to kill and rob.

Few cars passed by, and none stopped.

Jing Xia was even chased by wild dogs, stumbling and falling repeatedly, her body covered in bruises and scrapes.

For pampered Jing Xia, this was worse than death.

---

She hated him. She hated Zihan Shen.

Kexuan Xia’s heart sank.

What was going on?

Zihan Shen should have been dead! Why was he alive and well now?

If Zihan Shen lived, their Xia family was doomed.

But Kexuan Xia forgot that if she hadn’t schemed to have Jing Xia impersonate someone to provoke Zihan Shen, the Xia family wouldn’t be in this mess today.

Her mind raced.

That fool Jing Xia! Two years and she still couldn’t take down Zihan Shen, ending up like this.

“Dad, Mom, what’s really going on? Can you tell me everything?”

Mr. and Mrs. Xia explained the situation, sinking Kexuan Xia’s heart even further.

After a long pause, she looked up at them. “Dad, Mom, do you remember Uncle Ding? He’s always wanted to adopt me as his goddaughter. Call him now and explain everything. Zihan Shen is ruthless. If you can sell off the family assets, do it quickly—Xia family will definitely go bankrupt. Sister, call Xie Zheng. You better settle things with him and get the certificate today. Dad, Mom, don’t worry. Once I’m firmly established with the Ding family, I will make sure our Xia family rises again.”

Mrs. Xia’s tears flowed freely. “Baby, we don’t want to part with you.”

Kexuan Xia threw herself into her mother’s arms, tears streaming. “Mom, I don’t want to leave either. But for the sake of our family’s future, this is the only way. Don’t worry, I’ll work hard to win Uncle Ding’s favor.”

The thought of the Xia family going bankrupt and Kexuan Xia suffering alongside her parents weighed heavily. Despite their reluctance, Mr. and Mrs. Xia had no choice but to entrust her to Ding Jianhui.

The Ding family’s status surpassed even the Xia’s. Ding Jianhui and his wife Huang Liying had been childhood sweethearts, their marriage a beloved story in social circles.

At the last banquet, Kexuan Xia had helped a little girl who’d fallen, showing clear, measured speech and thoughtful kindness—impressing the couple.

Huang Liying had given birth to a son who was now twenty-three. The couple hoped for a daughter, but Huang Liying’s frail health made pregnancy difficult, so they had considered taking Kexuan Xia as their goddaughter.

The Xia family had previously declined the offer, but now, with Mr. Xia’s call, Ding Jianhui was both surprised and delighted.

Kexuan Xia instructed her father not to say more than necessary; just explain that the Xia family had made an enemy and needed guardianship.

That same day, Ding Jianhui and his wife began preparing a room, clothes, and toys for Kexuan Xia’s arrival.