Chapter Twenty-Three: The Child Bore a Striking Seven-Tenths Resemblance to Shang Jiuxu

The little girl was like a delicate piece of carved jade. Su Mian was stunned by the resemblance between the child’s features and those of Shang Jiuxu. Taking a closer look, she realized the girl was a carbon copy of Shang Biehan—no wonder she looked like Shang Jiuxu!

Could it be... that the little nephew from three years ago hadn't died?

Su Mian blinked cautiously, terrified that the little girl might sprout wings and fly away. She spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "Little one, is your mother Zhao Ruolan?"

The little girl, highly guarded, stopped crying the moment she saw Su Mian enter. With a milky, high-pitched voice, she asked, "Who are you?"

Oh my, what a clever little treasure, already wary of strangers!

Su Mian felt her heart swell with affection, her maternal instincts completely melted by the child’s cuteness. She decided to try a different approach: "I’m a friend of your mom’s. I’m here to take you both home." She pulled up her WeChat chat window and pointed to the profile picture. "Look, is this your mommy?"

The little girl looked at it vigilantly and nodded.

The appearance, the age—everything matched. She was definitely Shang Biehan’s daughter. Her second brother was certainly a lucky man! Su Mian was overjoyed.

"What’s your name?" Su Mian pressed on.

"Zhao Shangbao." Shangbao spoke with a soft, sweet tone, yet her pronunciation was crystal clear. Once she confirmed that Su Mian knew her mother, she tilted her head curiously. "Where is my mommy?"

Uh... Su Mian thought of Zhao Ruolan, who was still unconscious outside. The joy of having suddenly gained a precious niece was dampened. She pulled a disposable wet wipe from her pocket and gently wiped Shangbao’s face.

A name that combined Zhao and Shang—Zhao Ruolan’s naming convention for the child was certainly... straightforward.

"Your mommy is a little tired and is resting outside. Your... Auntie will stay here and play with you for a bit. When she wakes up, we’ll all go home together, okay?"

Shangbao tilted her head, seemingly considering the offer. Her cuteness melted Su Mian’s heart before she finally nodded obediently. "Okay."

There was a small cot in the cubicle. Whether it was because Shangbao was exhausted from crying or because Su Mian’s storytelling skills were too rusty and bored the child, the little girl’s soft, doughy body slumped onto the bed and drifted off to sleep.

Su Mian watched the child’s sleeping posture—curled up on her side like a little shrimp, the most insecure position possible. Su Mian had loved sleeping like that as a child, and the habit had only intensified during the two years she spent apart from Shang Jiuxu. Seeing such a small child so full of trepidation made her heart ache.

That jerk Shang Biehan, look at what a mess he’s caused! She was going to drag him back here, no matter what.

After checking the cubicle to ensure there were no dangerous items—even the bedsheets bore UV-disinfection labels—Su Mian stepped out quietly and closed the door behind her.

Outside, Zhao Ruolan was being examined by a private doctor. Fortunately, aside from being frightened and having suffered minor mechanical asphyxiation, she was physically fine thanks to Su Mian’s timely rescue. After a bit of honey water, she would be back to normal once she woke up.

If Zhao Ruolan had been abducted by the young man alone, it might have been understandable as a crime of opportunity—but how could he have brought her to a bar while she was with a child? That was absolutely insane.

Su Mian grabbed the young man’s arm and dragged him into another empty cubicle. Closing the door, she suppressed her anger and hissed, "Why did you kidnap Zhao Ruolan? Didn't you see she had