The playground was very well-equipped and spacious, though only a few babies were playing inside. Among them was a child of about seven or eight who was having a blast.

Zhao Lizhen felt the child looked familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before, but she couldn't quite place them. It wasn't until the child's guardian arrived that Zhao Lizhen remembered.

Isn't that the aunt of Yu Xi's friend, Du Qian?

They had met a few times before.

"Aren't you..." the other woman began, also finding Zhao Lizhen familiar but unable to recall her name.

"You're Du Qian's aunt, aren't you? I remember you," Zhao Lizhen said coolly.

Du Qian's aunt slapped her forehead. "I remember now! You're Zhang Yuxi's mother, Teacher Zhao!"

Zhao Lizhen was a good judge of character. Her daughter used to have two best friends. She knew An Lan inside and out. As for Du Qian, she had transferred to Yu Xi's class in high school, and they'd known each other for four or five years. For the first few years, Zhao Lizhen hadn't thought much of it. Later, she discovered the girl was calculating and had a mind of her own. In truth, she admired people like that, unlike her own daughter who only looked sharp but was actually simple and kind. But after that incident, Zhao Lizhen had even gone to Du Qian's home to find her. Her gut told her she had to cut ties with that girl, Du Qian.

She'd heard from someone else that Du Qian and Lu Boyu were getting married. Now, she had absolutely no favorable impression of Du Qian left. And she was deeply disappointed in Lu Boyu as well.

"Grandma, look! I found a little flower!" Second Baby toddled over, holding a beautiful, flower-shaped hair clip adorned with faux diamonds.

Zhao Lizhen couldn't help but admire it. "It's lovely," she said softly. "How about we take this to the front desk later so its owner can claim it, okay?"

Second Baby was reluctant. "But I found it!"

"Its owner might have dropped it here by accident. See how pretty it is? The owner must love it very much. She must be very worried about losing something she loves, just like you would be if you accidentally lost your favorite toy. Wouldn't you hope a kind person would find it and return it to you?"

Second Baby thought about it and was convinced. "Okay then."

Zhao Lizhen took the clip. "Grandma will keep it safe for you, and when we go downstairs, you can take it to the front desk yourself, how about that?"

Second Baby nodded obediently. "Okay."

Du Qian's aunt hadn't taken her eyes off Second Baby. "Is this your granddaughter? She's so pretty! Just like her mother!"

Zhao Lizhen smiled. Any compliment about her grandchildren made her happy and proud.

Du Qian's aunt added, "Look, those other children are very cute too, and they look a bit like your granddaughter."

Full of pride but trying to be modest, Zhao Lizhen said, "They are all my daughter's children."

Du Qian's aunt was shocked. "Really? She had four? That's incredible!"

Zhao Lizhen didn't say anything.

A strange expression crossed the aunt's face. "Your daughter is amazing, having so many at once."

Zhao Lizhen smiled proudly. "Not everyone is blessed with such fortune."

"Raising them must cost a fortune," Du Qian's aunt remarked.

Zhao Lizhen snorted softly. "It's manageable. We could afford to raise another four grandchildren."

Du Qian's aunt leaned in and whispered, "Um... have you found the children's father yet?"

Du Qian's relatives all knew Zhang Yuxi had a child out of wedlock. And now she doesn't even know if the father has been found? Du Qian is truly despicable!

Zhao Lizhen's expression changed in a flash, but then she smiled again. "Oh yes, we found him!"

"You did?" her aunt asked, surprised.

Zhao Lizhen changed the subject. "What brings you here?"

Modu isn't a big city, but it isn't small either. We just got back, and on our very first meal out, we run into them. Fate really does work in mysterious ways.

"Today is Du Qian's birthday. She had a poor appetite recently because of her pregnancy. She's just started feeling better, and since it's her birthday, we booked a table here to celebrate."

Hearing this, Zhao Lizhen seemed to think of something. "Is she expecting a boy?"

"How did you know?" the aunt asked, astonished.

Zhao Lizhen's lips twitched, her eyes glinting. "I saw Du Qian a while ago. She told me herself." After a moment, she furrowed her brow and asked, "So since it's her birthday, is Lu Boyu here?"

Du Qian's aunt nodded. Why is she asking about that?

「On the other side.」

After their meal, Zhang Fuyong took out his phone. "Yuxi," he said, "I'll call your mom to come down so we can head home."

Ten minutes later, Zhao Lizhen entered the private room with a smile and asked Lin Feng, "How was it? Was the food good?"

"The food was excellent!" Lin Feng said sincerely.

Zhao Lizhen smiled. "Then let's get going. But before we leave, I want to take you to see an old acquaintance."

Zhang Yuxi and Lin Feng didn't notice anything amiss.

Zhang Fuyong had been her husband for over twenty years. How could he not know that this smile was different from her usual ones?

She asked a waiter, "Where is private room 808?"

"Please follow me!"

"What are you up to?" Zhang Fuyong asked softly.

Staring straight ahead, a cold smile on her lips, Zhao Lizhen replied, "Stay out of it!"

Zhang Fuyong felt a sense of foreboding.

It was a large private room, capable of seating twenty people. As they approached, they could hear it was filled with lively laughter and chatter. Following behind their parents, Zhang Yuxi and Lin Feng heard several familiar voices, and their expressions changed slightly.

Lin Feng couldn't see the people inside, but with his sharp hearing, he could make out their conversations perfectly. He had a rough idea of what was going on. Seeing the color drain from Zhang Yuxi's face, he shifted Second Baby to his other arm and took her hand. "Honey."

Lin Feng knew a bit about the situation from An Lan, so he naturally understood why Zhang Yuxi looked so distressed.

Zhang Yuxi lifted her head to see Lin Feng looking at her with a gentle smile, his gaze incredibly warm. In an instant, the turmoil in her heart vanished like smoke.

She managed a smile just as she heard Zhao Lizhen's voice ring out.

"My, it's certainly lively in here!"

At the sound of Zhao Lizhen's voice, the laughter and chatter gradually died down as everyone turned toward the entrance. Inside the room were Lu Boyu's parents as well as Du Qian's parents.

Lu Boyu's father, a distinguished-looking middle-aged man, was the first to react. "Teacher Zhao? Brother Zhang, what brings you here?"

Lu Boyu's mother was also a retired dancer, but she couldn't compare to Zhao Lizhen in terms of looks, figure, or professional achievement. Especially in recent years, she had put on a lot of weight and lost all her former grace. Seeing Zhao Lizhen still as elegant and beautiful as ever, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes. She also stood up with her husband. "What a rare honor..."

Du Qian's parents barely knew Zhang Yuxi's parents. But seeing their children's future in-laws stand to greet the newcomers, they felt they couldn't remain seated. They stood up as well but, not knowing what to say, just remained standing there awkwardly, looking rather foolish.

The others at the table stayed seated, looking utterly confused.

"Have a seat, join us," Mr. Lu said with a smile.

Zhao Lizhen waved her hand. "That's not necessary. I heard you were all dining here and just wanted to stop by and say hello."

As Zhang Fuyong stepped fully into the room, his expression turned grim.

Zhao Lizhen's gaze fell on Lu Boyu and Du Qian. "I hear you're getting married?"

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