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On the 22nd floor of the Jin Mao Tower in Shanghai, the glass door of the "Jiuzhoufang" company was suddenly pushed open.

"Eight taels!"

With that trembling call, a woman in a beige trench coat stumbled into the office area.

Before the receptionist could stop her, the woman lunged at Su Ning, who was in a meeting, and hugged him and his chair.

"Mom has finally found you..." The woman cried her heart out, her expensive Chanel suit soaked with tears.

She had a faint herbal scent, and a well-worn wedding ring was worn on the ring finger of her left hand.

The meeting room was naturally completely silent.

The employees stared in disbelief as their young and promising CEO was embraced by a strange woman.

The usually quick-witted Su Ning seemed to be frozen in place, his hands stiffly suspended in mid-air.

"Mom! Slow down!" Then another young girl rushed in.

The other person had a neat ponytail, wore jeans and a white shirt, and had a Canada Goose beanie around their neck.

The moment she saw Suning, the suitcase in her hand fell to the ground with a thud.

“Eight ounces…” The girl covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

The familiar figure in front of her had appeared in her dreams many times, and she never expected to finally find him today.

"Meeting adjourned." Su Ning immediately instructed the staff in the meeting room to leave.

"..." The employees left in a hurry, as if they had been granted a pardon.

Su Ning then slowly stood up, subtly taking a half-step back: "Have you two mistaken me for someone else?"

The woman in the trench coat trembled upon hearing this, her nail-painted fingers gripping the front of Su Ning's suit jacket tightly: "I'm your mother! Look at me! Don't you recognize me?"

She cupped Su Ning's face in her hands, but the moment their eyes met, she was struck dumb; there was not a trace of familiar light in those eyes.

"Mom? Half a jin?" Qi Dongcao came out of the copy room carrying a stack of documents, but was so surprised that she scattered the documents all over the floor. "Why are you back?"

"Winter Grass!" The girl with the ponytail, called Queen, grasped at a straw. "Tell Balang quickly, who are we?"

“Sister Queen,” Qi Dongcao hurriedly interrupted, glancing at the employees around her who were listening intently, “Let’s talk in the office.”

"What exactly is going on?"

As soon as the door to the president's office closed, Zhao Shanghong collapsed to the ground.

This once powerful businesswoman, who once dominated the business world, now cowers at Suning's feet like a lost child.

"Ten years... Mom has been looking for you for ten years..." Her trembling hand reached out to touch Su Ning's shoes, but pulled back at the last moment. "When you were little, you were most afraid of the dark, and every night you would ask Mom to read 'The Little Prince' to you..."

Suning stood silently in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the cruise ships on the Huangpu River gliding past below like toy boats.

He had no recollection of what Zhao Shanghong said; it was as if he were listening to someone else's story.

However, Su Ning turned around and pressed the intercom, "Lisa, pour two cups of hot tea in."

"Ladies, my name is Su Ning."

"Madam?" Zhao Shanghong's face turned deathly pale. "You actually called me...madam?"

The queen suddenly sprang to her feet, grabbing Qi Dongcao by the collar: "What did you do to him?! Why doesn't he recognize us?"

"Is it that bastard Zhao Sanjin...?"

"Queen!" Qi Dongcao broke free. "Ba Liang lost his memory back then, he was..."

"Enough." Su Ning interrupted coldly. "Assistant Qi, take these two guests away! I have a financial report meeting."

Zhao Shanghong suddenly stood up and pulled a yellowed photo from her wallet: "Look! This is your sixth birthday photo, the three of us at the amusement park!"

In the photo, a little boy wearing Mickey Mouse ears is holding a young Zhao Shanghong with one arm and holding the hand of a little girl with pigtails with the other.

Su Ning's gaze lingered on the photo for a moment; the crescent-shaped birthmark on the inside of the little boy's left wrist was exactly the same as his.

But when he spoke, his voice remained calm: "Similarity proves nothing. Lisa, see him out."

"Snapped!"

A slap echoed throughout the office.

The Queen shook her numb hand, tears streaming down her face: "Zhao Jiadi! Do you know how your mother has lived these past twelve years? She almost jumped into the sea! Grandpa was still clutching your photo when he passed away!"

"Your Majesty! Stop this!" Zhao Shanghong pulled the hysterical girl back.

"Security," Su Ning pressed another button, "Please ask these two ladies to leave."

"..." At this moment, both Zhao Shanghong and the Queen were stunned.

"Mother, Your Majesty, let's leave first! We can talk about it later."

"..."

Then Qi Dongcao took away the heartbroken Zhao Shanghong and the Queen, and arranged for them to stay at a hotel.

Zhao Shanghong was exhausted from crying, and the Queen was wiping her face with a wet wipe.

"...When the reservoir police officer Su Daqiang found him, he was found to be injured and suffering from amnesia." Qi Dongcao explained in a low voice, "The doctor said it was post-traumatic stress disorder, selectively forgetting the most painful memories."

"Then why didn't you bring him back sooner?" the Queen said through gritted teeth.

“Su Daqiang and my dad have a grudge.” Qi Dongcao smiled bitterly. “He deliberately trained Ba Liang to be a weapon against the Zhao family, but he never expected…”

"How could this happen? Is there no cure?"

"Ba Liang is very resistant to the Zhao family now, and neither my father nor my grandmother can change his mind?"

"This……"

"Furthermore, he now insists that he is Su Ning! Regardless of the DNA test results, he is now Su Ning, raised by Su Daqiang, and has his own life and career, and does not want any dealings with the Zhao family."

Then Qi Dongcao looked out the window at the darkening sky, "Everything about the Zhao family is just a stranger's story to him."

The Queen suddenly rushed up to Qi Dongcao: "Dongcao, then why are you able to stay by her side?"

“Dad arranged for me to protect Su Ning because he was worried that his enemies would take revenge on Su Ning. In addition, I kept pestering Su Ning, so he had no choice but to accept it and even arranged for me to be his personal assistant.”

"I don't think so! What's with the bracelet on your wrist?"

“This…this was given to me by my grandmother. She approved of me becoming Suning’s child bride.”

"No! I want to stay too, I want to stay by Ba Liang's side."

"Half a jin?" Zhao Shanghong, who was standing to the side, was stunned.

"Mom, I'm not going back to Canada this time. I will never allow Ba Liang to disappear again."

"Waaah... It's alright! With you and Dongcao by Baliang's side, I can rest assured."

At this moment, Qi Dongcao reminded Zhao Shanghong and the Queen, "Mom, you should call him Su Ning from now on. He really dislikes the name Ba Liang."

"..."

……

Late at night, in the CEO's office of Jiuzhoufang.

Su Ning sat alone in front of the computer screen, which displayed information about the Zhao family compiled by Qi Dongcao.

Zhao Shanghong, Zhao Jiadi's mother, and Zhao Xin's legal wife, the kind with a marriage certificate.

He immigrated to Canada but didn't divorce, all to spite Huang Fenfei and to ensure that Ba Liang could get his rightful half of Zhao Xin's assets.

During the Jinhai crisis, he transferred his shares to Qi Dongcao, saying that doing it for his daughter-in-law was doing it for his son.

Queen (Wang Banjin), the non-blood-related elder sister of Zhao Jiadi, whose mother was Zhao Xin's first wife, and whose family was the Wang family of the capital, a quasi-first-tier red family.

As her name suggests, she was the undisputed queen in both the Wang and Zhao families, with a straightforward personality and a strong sense of love and hate.

She and Zhao Jiadi adopted the couple name "Half a Catty Eight Taels" (Wang Half Catty, Zhao Eight Taels), and she once said that she would become a nun at the age of 30.

When Zhao Jiadi was eleven and nine years old, they were kidnapped as children. Later, Zhao Jiadi immigrated to Canada with Zhao Shanghong...

A flash of lightning streaked across the window, illuminating the faceless photo frame on the desk.

That was a photo of him and Su Daqiang at the restaurant's opening. He was smiling broadly, a rare sight, with his arm around Su Daqiang's shoulder.

My phone vibrated. Shen Jiayi had sent me a goodnight text: "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? I'll bring it to you~"

Suning replied with a simple "OK".

In a suite at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel on the Bund, Zhao Shanghong woke up from a nightmare.

"Mom," the Queen, who was sleeping on the sofa, immediately turned on the bedside lamp, "had another nightmare?"

Zhao Shanghong broke out in a cold sweat: "He still doesn't acknowledge me... just as heartless as his father was back then."

The Queen whispered, "Mother, Ba Liang may really have lost his memory."

“He remembers…” Zhao Shanghong picked up the medicine box with trembling hands, “He must remember something!”

Outside the window, the neon lights of Lujiazui illuminate half the night sky.

In an apartment building not far away, Suning stood by the window, gazing in the direction of the hotel.

Two gazes met silently across the night sky over the Huangpu River, yet were blocked by countless lights, just like the blood ties buried deep in memory, so close yet so untouchable.

……

In the basement of an abandoned factory in Tangshan, the blue light from a monitor illuminated Chen Hongxiong's sinister face.

Twelve surveillance screens were transmitting real-time footage from various locations within the Zhao family's residence: the villa gate, the company parking lot, and more.

"Yang Ce." Chen Hongxiong pressed the communication button. "Where did Zhao Sanjin go today?"

A hoarse male voice came through the earphone: "I met with two bankers at the golf course, and now I'm going to Shanghai United Real Estate to discuss a project."

"Brother Xiong, shall we make our move now?"

“Keep an eye on it.” Chen Hongxiong touched the scar on his face. “The key is his adopted daughter, Qi Dongcao. That girl’s recent movements have been a bit strange.”

"clear."

He brought up another scene: at the entrance of an upscale residential complex in Shanghai, the Queen was carrying supermarket shopping bags as she walked into the apartment building. Chen Hongxiong narrowed his eyes. This girl, who had been kidnapped along with Su Ning years ago, had now grown into a beautiful young woman, but had become an unexpected variable in the plan.

"Brother Xiong." Immediately afterward, the iron door to the basement was pushed open, and a henchman handed over a document, explaining, "It was sent by Mr. Nalan."

The file folder contained several slightly yellowed photographs: the scene of a kidnapping case in 1995, with the bodies of three adult men twisted at bizarre angles, and the surrounding blood telling the story of the horrific scene.

Chen Hongxiong's fingertips lightly traced the photo: "Find that policeman Su Daqiang who resigned; he must have something we want."

"Yes, Xiong-ge!"

……

At a French restaurant on the Bund in Shanghai, Suning looked at his watch for the third time.

"Ms. Wang," he said, trying to be polite, "I'm on a date with my girlfriend. Is it inappropriate for you to sit at the next table?"

The Queen, however, swirled her wine glass nonchalantly, her ponytail stubbornly sticking up: "You all chat, pretend I don't exist."

She deliberately slurped the mushroom soup loudly, attracting the attention of the surrounding diners.

Shen Jiayi squeezed Su Ning's hand under the table: "Su Ning, how about... another day?"

"No need." Su Ning waved to the waiter and said, "Move this lady to the furthest seat, and put the bill on my tab."

"Zhao Jiadi!" The Queen slammed her hand on the table, her right eyebrow scar turning bright red. "When you were a child, I was the one who washed your sheets for you when you wet the bed! And now, for a woman you've known for three months..."

"Enough!" Su Ning stood up abruptly, a flash of barely concealed anger in her eyes. "My name is Su Ning. If you follow me again, I'll have security escort you back to Tangshan."

The queen's eyes instantly reddened.

Then she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door, knocking over the tray in the waiter's hands.

Amidst the sound of shattering porcelain, Qi Dongcao appeared out of nowhere, sighed, and chased after them.

"Is your friend... alright?" Shen Jiayi asked cautiously.

Su Ning pinched the bridge of her nose: "She's mistaken me for someone else! Her family has been coming over to harass me a lot lately."

He was tired of using that excuse. "Try the foie gras, the chef here is..."

Before I could finish speaking, my phone vibrated.

Qi Dongcao sent a message: [Banjin is crying, saying she won't live if you disappear again. I'm taking her back to her apartment. You two have a good date.]

Shen Jiayi's foie gras on her fork froze in mid-air: "Is it that Assistant Qi again?"

She put down her cutlery. "Su Ning, it seems we need to talk. I have a feeling you've been hiding a lot from me."

"Jiayi, it's not unreasonable for me to want to have my own secrets, is it?"

"Hmph! What do you think?"

"..." At this moment, Su Ning was truly speechless.

“Su Ning, actually, my mother wants to see you, so she doesn’t want your family’s issues to affect things.”

"Jiayi, don't think too much! Once we've been together for a while, you'll understand my situation."

"..."

Shen Jiayi was naturally very dissatisfied with Su Ning's statement, but she still took Su Ning to meet her mother the next day.

"Su Ning, what does your family do?"

"My dad runs a Jiangxi restaurant in Hongkou."

"Oh? So your father is... a restaurant owner?"

Shen Jiayi's mother pursed her red lips into a straight line.

Her well-maintained fingers tapped lightly on the rim of the glass, and her Cartier bracelet sparkled under the Peninsula Hotel's crystal chandeliers.

“Yes, it’s Jiangxi cuisine.” Su Ning smiled, not noticing anything amiss with the restaurant owner. “Auntie, you can come and try it when you have time. Stir-fried water chestnut is their signature dish.”

Shen Jiayi's mother frowned almost imperceptibly: "Su, Jiayi attended an international school in Shanghai since she was little, and spent a year as an exchange student in France during college."

Then she glanced meaningfully at her daughter and said, "Although our Shen family is not extremely wealthy, we still own two properties in Jing'an."

"Mom!" Shen Jiayi's face flushed red. "Su Ning's entrepreneurial venture has been quite successful!"

"Start a business?" Shen Jiayi chuckled lightly. "You mean... that online shopping platform?"

Then she turned to Suning, "Do you know what Jiayi's father does? He's the director of the credit department at Shanghai Pudong Development Bank. Countless entrepreneurs have begged for loans on their knees, and quite a few have ended up jumping off buildings."

The piano music in the restaurant suddenly became jarring.

Su Ning noticed that Shen Jiayi was nervously wringing her napkin, and some of her nail polish was peeling off, which showed that she also disliked her mother's words.

“Auntie,” Su Ning put down her fork and asked directly, “please just state your terms.”

"Sure thing." Shen Jiayi's mother popped two large wads of cash out of a paper bag beside her. "Twenty thousand. Leave my daughter. Or..."

She paused meaningfully, then said, "Have your restaurant arrange a meal with Jiayi's father."

Shen Jiayi suddenly stood up: "Mom! Do you think this is a TV drama?"

Suning, however, laughed.

It wasn't a polite smile, but a genuine laugh: "Auntie, you watch too many TV dramas."

He looked at the woman in front of him with disdain and said, "First, Jiayi and I haven't reached the point of discussing marriage yet; second..."

He glanced at the paparazzi who were secretly taking pictures not far away, "Are you sure you want to put on this act in front of the Wen Wei Po reporters?"

At this moment, Shen Jiayi's mother's expression suddenly changed. She didn't notice the man wearing a baseball cap in the corner.

What alarmed her even more was that the aura this "son of a small restaurant owner" exuded was far stronger than any other rich second-generation she had ever met.

"Jiayi, let's go!" Shen Jiayi's mother grabbed her bag. "This kind of ill-mannered person..."

"Mom!" Shen Jiayi burst into tears. "You've gone too far!"

……

On a bench by the Huangpu River, Shen Jiayi's makeup was ruined by tears.

"Su Ning, why didn't you try?" she sobbed, questioning him. "My mother humiliated you like that, and you... you just smiled like that..."

Suning handed over a tissue: "Because it's ridiculous."

He gazed at the river and said, "A good match? Do you know my bank account balance? Do you know how many houses I own?"

"This isn't about the money!" Shen Jiayi suddenly looked up. "It's because you don't care at all! The way you look at my mother is like she's an idiot!"

The night wind tousled her long hair.

Su Ning suddenly felt speechless. The family genes were really strong. It was obvious that Shen Jiayi was greatly influenced by her family.

"Jiayi." He rubbed his temples wearily. "We've only known each other for three months, there's really no need for this..."

"Three months?" Shen Jiayi sneered. "You knew I liked you the day at the French Corner! Do you know how many people I rejected for you?"

She grabbed her bag and stood up. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Su Ning: you simply don't know how to love someone."

The sound of high heels faded into the distance.

Su Ning sat alone on the bench, suddenly feeling both amused and exasperated. She never expected such a ridiculous thing to happen to her.

He took out his phone; Qi Dongcao had sent him over a dozen messages, the latest one being: "[Banjin kept insisting on drinking, and I couldn't stop him.]"

Suning replied speechlessly, "Let her be."

At the bedroom door of Suning Apartment, the Queen, drunk, pounded on the door: "Eight Ounces... open the door... I know you're home..."

Qi Dongcao struggled to support her: "Half a jin! Stop fooling around!"

The door suddenly opened.

Wearing a bathrobe, Su Ning frowned as she looked at the two girls. The Queen's face was streaked with tears, and Qi Dongcao's suit was wrinkled like pickled vegetables.

"How much did she drink?"

"A bottle of red wine," Qi Dongcao said, panting, "He insisted on talking to you about our childhood..."

The Queen suddenly rushed forward and hugged Su Ning: "Ba Liang, do you remember... the rabbit we raised... its name was Xiao Bai..."

She hiccuped, "Later, Dad stewed him... You cried for three days... You were such a crybaby when you were little..."

Su Ning quickly handed the Queen to Qi Dongcao, who was standing nearby: "Dongcao, settle her in the guest room."

"it is good."

At two o'clock in the morning, the queen was awakened by thirst.

She rubbed her temples and reached for the kitchen, only to see movement coming from Suning's master bedroom.

Upon discovering that the door was not closed properly, I couldn't help but peek out out of curiosity, and then I witnessed something I will never forget.

"What are you doing?!" The Queen suddenly pushed open the door and angrily questioned the two.

"Ah..." Qi Dongcao was terrified by this sudden scene.

"Get out! Can't you see we're doing serious business?"

"You...you people...how could you do this?"

However, at this moment, Su Ning, holding Qi Dongcao, looked at the Queen at the door and said, "Your Majesty, I want to tell you formally once again that I have no memory of the past. We are really like strangers, so I hope you will not interfere in my private life."

"Eight ounces, we're the real couple! You promised to marry me when we were little."

"Don't call me Eight Ounces! I hate that name."

"you……"

"What? You want to watch the live stream?"

With a loud bang, the Queen slammed the door shut in anger...

……

(End of this chapter)