"Yutong, slow down. See if there's anywhere to park along the curb."
Lin Xi's tone was urgent and rapid; startled, Liang Yutong instinctively followed her instructions. Liang Yutong found a spot, located about a hundred meters or so from the Tianhong Pavilion. "What's wrong?" Liang Yutong followed her gaze. "Why have you been staring at that little girl?"
Lin Xi replied, "The adult standing next to her—doesn't he look like Uncle Duan?" Liang Yutong took a close look and said, "The build is certainly similar, but he's wearing a face mask, and since it's nighttime, I can't be certain."
The man was dressed in casual wear; he playfully teased the little girl standing beside him, his movements affectionate and familiar. Lin Xi tapped Liang Yutong on the shoulder. "Let's go." Liang Yutong restarted the car and drove on without asking any further questions until they reached the garage at Tiandu Yuxi.
"So, what's the situation?" Liang Yutong turned to her. "Was that really Duan Mingxuan's father?" The situation was somewhat complicated; since Lin Xi couldn't be certain, she could only shake her head at Liang Yutong.
She recognized the little girl—they had already crossed paths twice before. But if Duan Zheng was with the little girl... Lin Xi could barely bring herself to contemplate the implications. "I'll tell you about it later," Lin Xi said. "Please keep what happened tonight strictly confidential." Liang Yutong nodded. "Got it."
Upon returning upstairs, Lin Xi didn't even turn on the lights; she simply collapsed onto the sofa. What exactly was the relationship between Duan Zheng and Anqi? Could the mother Anqi was looking for be Ke Yu? If Anqi was Ke Yu's biological daughter, then would her father be Duan Zheng?
This revelation felt incredibly heavy to Lin Xi; given the history between Duan Zheng and Ke Yu, it was entirely reasonable for such a suspicion to take root in her mind. She couldn't just lie there any longer, so she picked up the phone and called Duan Yiheng. When the call came through, Duan Yiheng and Meng Huaishan were just leaving Zheng Jiayi's private club.
Duan Yiheng answered immediately and asked, "What's up? Are you finished with your work yet? I have something I need to talk to you about." It was already approaching midnight; Duan Yiheng hadn't originally intended to go over there, but upon hearing what she said, he changed his mind:
"Alright, I'll head over right now. I'll be there in twenty minutes." Lin Xi replied simply, "Okay." As the twenty minutes ticked by, she still didn't know how to broach the subject to Duan Yiheng. Yet, she couldn't very well keep it to herself; she had no one else she could rely on to investigate the connection between An Qi, Duan Zheng, and Ke Yu.
Twenty minutes later, Duan Yiheng arrived at Tiandu Yuxi. As she ushered him inside, Lin Xi wrinkled her nose in mild distaste. "Shall I go take a shower first?" Duan Yiheng asked. Lin Xi nodded. "You reek of smoke and alcohol." As he walked toward the bathroom, Duan Yiheng said:
"Could you grab my clothes for me? I'll put them on after I get out." He wanted to avoid touching them right now, lest his pajamas end up smelling of smoke and booze as well. Lin Xi went to the walk-in closet, retrieved the pajamas he kept there, and laid them out; she then went to the dresser drawer to fetch him a pair of underwear.
Afraid that Lin Xi might be repulsed by the smell, Duan Yiheng took an unusually long shower. When he finally emerged—wrapped only in a towel—Lin Xi had just stepped out of the bathroom herself. She pointed toward the clothes lying on the bed. "Over there. Put them on yourself." Duan Yiheng let out a sudden, soft chuckle:
"If I don't put them on myself, are you expecting *you* to dress me?" Lin Xi was momentarily tongue-tied; after a brief pause, she finally managed to say, "Get dressed, then come out to the living room." Instead of sitting on the sofa, she settled onto the floor cushion in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Duan Yiheng sat down beside her, gazing out at the night sky—a vast expanse of black silk.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Lin Xi turned to face him. "You know that Tiandu Yuxi and Tianhong Hall are right next to each other, right?" Duan Yiheng looked completely baffled. "I do. Why? What about it?" Lin Xi suddenly reached out and took his hand.
"Earlier today, right outside Tianhong Hall, I saw someone who looked remarkably like Uncle Duan. It was dark at the time—I felt certain it was him, but I couldn't be absolutely sure." Duan Yiheng froze. "What would he be doing there?" "Do you remember that little girl I mentioned to you a while back?
The one I nearly ran into with my car? I was out picking out a gift for Sun Wenxin a few days ago when I saw her again." Duan Yiheng's expression darkened. "You saw Duan Zheng with that little girl?" Lin Xi gave a soft "Mm." "Her name is An Qi. She lives at Tianhong Hall with just her nanny."
Duan Yiheng was no fool; he immediately arrived at the exact same suspicion that Lin Xi had. "I'll have someone look into it tomorrow." Duan Yiheng looked at Lin Xi and ruffled her hair. "Don't overthink it." Lin Xi leaned against his shoulder. "But if it really turns out to be true, what will you do?"
Duan Yiheng gave a cold sneer. "I'll ensure that every single one of his plans and schemes comes to nothing." Lin Xi remained leaning against him, silent. If Duan Zheng truly did have an illegitimate daughter with Ke Yu, that child would possess a legitimate claim to the inheritance.
The fact that Ke Yu and Duan Zheng had joined forces to undermine Duan Yiheng now seemed to have a far more compelling motive. Fighting for control of the company for the sake of their child—that was a justification that held far more weight. Lin Xi tilted her head back, gazing up at Duan Yiheng's chin; she reached up and gave it a gentle stroke.
"I imagine it was Ke Yu's idea to have Uncle Duan publicly announce my engagement to Duan Mingxuan to the media back then." Duan Yiheng replied, "If An Qi truly is their daughter, then the two of them are inextricably linked. Regardless of whose idea it was, that debt will have to be settled sooner or later."
Lin Xi sighed. "If Grandfather were to find out…" She wasn't sure whether he would be more inclined to rejoice or to grieve.
After all, An Qi was a living, breathing human being; it would be entirely understandable—and only natural—if Grandfather couldn't bring himself to be ruthless toward her. Yet, Duan Zheng had shown a complete disregard for his own reputation; once the truth of their affair was exposed, the fallout would ultimately jeopardize the company's growth and operations. "This is the path Duan Zheng chose for himself; whether the consequences are good or bad, he must bear them alone."
Duan Yiheng offered Lin Xi some reassurance. "No one held a knife to his throat; he is simply incorrigible." "How did your meeting go today?" Lin Xi decided to change the subject. "Did Zheng Jiayi meet with you personally?" Duan Yiheng nodded.
"I don't just meet with *anyone*; since I made the trip, I naturally insisted on meeting with her in person. She has been locked in a power struggle with Ke Yu for so many years that she inevitably possesses some dirt on him—information that could prove damaging. That said, it probably won't play a decisive role."
He simply needed a member of the Zheng family to step forward and make an appearance. Once Ke Yu was defeated, he would need someone from their family to step up and negotiate with him. If An Qi's true identity were to be conclusively confirmed, it would spell checkmate—a complete and utter dead end—for both Ke Yu and Duan Zheng.
He needed to find someone to collect the necessary samples as soon as possible. While this turn of events regarding An Qi had come as a surprise to Duan Yiheng, it was by no means a bad thing; in fact, it could very well allow him to seize complete and total control of the situation. Whether dealing with Duan Zheng or the old man, he now possessed the necessary leverage for negotiations.
Lin Xi sprawled bonelessly in Duan Yiheng's arms; having already taken her bath for the day, she saw no reason to kick him out. The Tiandu Imperial Seal was renowned above all for its absolute privacy. Duan Yiheng wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her into a bridal carry. "I'm taking you to bed." Leaning against him, Lin Xi murmured:
"And I mean *actual* sleeping." "Alright," Duan Yiheng replied. "I'll let you off the hook tonight." Lin Xi simply ignored him and closed her eyes. With expedited processing, the results of a paternity test could be ready within two days; however, collecting the samples would take some time.
Obtaining samples from Duan Zheng and Ke Yu would be relatively easy: Sister Mei could handle Duan Zheng, while Zheng Jiayi could secure Ke Yu's sample. As for An Qi, judging by Lin Xi's description, she was constantly under the watchful eyes of nannies and bodyguards, so they would need to devise a foolproof method to obtain hers.