What surprised her was the fact that Cheng Liyue had a child. But this was a point in Shen Junyao’s favor. Single mothers did not hold much appeal to men.

But were the rumors true — that Cheng Liyue and Gong Yexiao were an item?

If that was indeed the case, then Gong Yexiao really had poor taste, or it could be that Cheng Liyue had concealed the truth from him. Gong Yexiao had been captivated by Cheng Liyue’s looks and was unaware that she already had a child!

Just thinking of the sort of man whom Gong Yexiao was, caused her heart to quicken. If Cheng Liyue had even the slightest chance to grab hold of him and cling to his side, would she even let such a chance slip by?

In actual fact, the opposite held true — Gong Yexiao was the one being rejected.

Shen Junyao’s wedding anniversary was coming up at the end of the month. The design of her ring had been sent to a foreign jeweler. They have already responded. Her ring would be completed and delivered to her within 10 days.

She had to make a show of their conjugal bliss. Her diamond ring which was a representation of their love would surely make the headlines. With this, she would be able to show Cheng Liyue how blissful was her marriage.

Lu Junxuan drove to the Lu Group. On the way there, he received a call from his assistant. “Hello, President Lu. I’ve checked all hotels, 3-star and above, in the city as per your instruction. There are no records of Ms Cheng Liyue’s stay.”

Lu Junxuan was slightly startled. Could she not even afford to stay in a 3-star hotel?

Because he was sympathetic towards Cheng Liyue, his mind unintentionally drifted to thoughts of her plight. He thought about it again. Did she not drive a sports car worth several millions the last time they had met? Could it be that she was currently living with a man?

At the thought of this, Lu Junxuan’s face became taut with displeasure. Cheng Liyue was his ex-wife. Although he had never touched her, their wedding had not been a sham. She had made her wedding vows — swearing to love him forever. But now, she was actually with another man.

This upset him.

Thinking it over, Lu Junxuan had some regrets. Why had he not touched her when they had been married? At least then he would harbor no regrets.

“President Lu, do you need me to check further?”

“Forget it. You don’t have to look it up anymore.” Lu Junxuan answered coldly.

He ended the call. He couldn’t help but recall the last time he met Cheng Liyue at the restaurant. She had worn a white blouse and a black skirt, with her hair in a sleek ponytail and a fresh-faced appearance, it had stunned him.

Women wearing heavy makeup had become the norm over the recent years. He had grown bored of seeing it. The sight of Cheng Liyue with an au naturel face was particularly refreshing.

Just thinking of her caused his regrets to intensify. But Lu Junxuan was unaware that it was his betrayal that had molded Cheng Liyue into the present her.

Gong Yexiao carried the little boy to his office from the underground parking lot. Stepping out of the elevator, the father-son pair made a lovely picture.

The little boy was very polite. He gave a charming smile to every employee who passed by. This sort of smile was something that they would never see on their president. So they were flattered to be on the receiving end of this bright smile which this handsome young master — a miniature version of their boss — was directing at them.

Gong Yexiao pushed open the door to his office. Lowering the little boy onto the sofa, Gong Yexiao said to him, “If there’s anything you would like to eat, tell it to Aunt Yan.”

“I am not hungry. Daddy, you can just pass me your iPad and get on with your work.”

“And what will you be doing with it?”

“Learning how to read! I find that there are many words that I still do not recognize.” The little boy appeared eager to learn.

The corners of Gong Yexiao’s mouth rose as he praised, “That’s my boy.”

He handed the iPad to the little fellow. Sitting quietly on the sofa, the little boy put on the headphones and began learning.

Gong Yexiao smiled. At this moment, his cell phone rang. Taking a look at the screen, the name that appeared caused him to feel apprehensive. His face was drawn taut as he answered the call. “Grandpa.”

“Yexiao ah. Bring the child back. I want to have a look at him.” The raspy, powerful voice of an old man sounded from the other end of the line.

Gong Yexiao’s face clouded over. It seemed that Gong Yexiao did not have to personally tell him — his grandfather was already aware of the child’s existence.

“Alright. I’ll take him home to meet you this afternoon.” Gong Yexiao answered with his deep voice.

Old Master Gong stressed, “Bring only the child.”

It was implied that his grandfather didn’t want to meet the mother of the child.

Gong Yexiao replied, “Alright, I’ll bring him home.”

Once the line went dead, Gong Yexiao glanced at the child sitting on the sofa who was staring intently at the iPad while learning how to read. He breathed out a sigh and walked over to the little boy. The child took off his headphones and looked up at his daddy.

“Xiao Ze, would you like to accompany me to meet someone in the afternoon?”

“Who?” Blinking his eyes, the little boy asked curiously.

A smile appeared on Gong Yexiao’s face. “Your great-grandfather[1].”

“Great-grandfather? Is that like my grandpa?” The little fellow didn’t know much about seniority.

“No, he’s the father of your grandpa and also daddy’s grandfather.” Gong Yexiao patiently explained.

“Wow! Does that mean he’s really, really old?”

“He’s almost eighty-six.”

The little boy widened his eyes. “Then wouldn’t great-grandpa… be a really old man with white mustache?”

“You’ll like him. And he will like you too.” Gong Yexiao was sure of it. His grandfather would definitely be fond of this adorable little boy.

“En! I’d like to meet great-grandpa.”

In the afternoon, Cheng Liyue who was diligently working was absorbed in her work, wholeheartedly devoting her time to it. Once she was done with her sketch, she glanced at the time displayed on the bottom right corner of the computer screen and couldn’t help but push her fringe up off her forehead.

It was already twelve and her son had not given her a call which could only mean that he was having his lunch with Gong Yexiao.

However, unbeknownst to her, at this moment, her son was currently sitting in Gong Yexiao’s car as they headed to the Gong estate.

The Gong estate was situated in the western district. Although the century-old estate was unostentatious, there was a sense of majestic grandeur about it. The land which encompassed this estate was out of reach of the government. Many large villas had even been built around it.

Gong Yexiao’s car entered the Gong estate. The steward who was in his sixties and the rest of the domestic help were already waiting to welcome them. Gong Yexiao stepped out of the car and proceeded to help the little boy out.

Seeing the child’s appearance, the steward was amazed. This little boy was definitely a child of the Gong family.

He was a carbon copy of the young master when he was a child!

“Master, this way, please.” The steward respectfully extended his arm towards the house.

Chapter 57: Returning to the Gong Estate

[1] 太爷爷 [tài yéyé] = great-grandfather