He only knew it was a daughter, yet he hadn’t even glanced at her once!

She shuddered, fearing he would demand to see the child. "The child... the child isn’t here."

"Your whole family of three came to the wedding, and the child is only a few months old. Do you really think you wouldn’t bring her along?" He pierced through her lie with a flick of his eye. "Saint Roa Island isn’t that big. If I wanted to dig up that child, I doubt it’d take me more than ten minutes."

Her eyes widened. "What the hell are you trying to do? What gives you the right to go after my child!"

His voice suddenly sharpened. "If she’s not my child, why are you so nervous? Or is it because you’re hiding something? Afraid I’ll discover the truth when I see her?"

She steadied her voice. "...She’s not your child. She has nothing to do with you. There’s no reason you need to see her, and I don’t want you to either. She’s just a baby—I don’t want her frightened!"

The more this woman refused to let him see the child, the more desperately he wanted to.

A few months ago, when Kasey had returned to A Country with the DNA report and the story of Liang Anya fleeing with the child in the middle of the night, he had turned pale with fury and slapped Kasey hard across the face.

Even though Kasey had sobbed, explaining that Liang Anya had fled out of fear of his punishment, and cried that the child looked nothing like him, with the hospital’s DNA test proving she wasn’t his, doubts had still plagued him.

Si Yuheng sneered, pressing closer step by step. "You just said she’s a baby. What could she possibly understand about being frightened?"

He paused, then took another step forward, gripping her chin as his icy voice cut to the bone. "...But if you insist on not letting me see her, I can’t guarantee your two family members on this island won’t end up scared instead."

"Si Yuheng, you—" He was threatening her again using her father and brother!

No—

She couldn’t let him see her daughter—

Even though Xiaoxiao didn’t closely resemble this man, he was far too cunning. She couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t notice something from Xiaoxiao or insist on conducting another DNA test with her...

If that happened, it would all be over!

Clenching her sweat-soaked palms, she was frantically thinking of a way out when a knock sounded at the door:

"Anya, are you in there?"

It was Mr. Jiang’s voice!

Her eyes lit up. Summoning strength she didn’t know she had, she shoved Si Yuheng away hard while his attention flickered toward the sound, then rushed to the door and flung it open, dashing out in a few steps.

Jiang Pinhao was startled to see her rush out, panting. He steadied her without even asking what had happened, only to see a tall man following close behind her, walking out of the women’s restroom.

Si Yuheng’s striking appearance immediately stood out, and Jiang Pinhao recognized him in an instant as the mixed-race guest who had shown up last, the man Liang Anya had run away upon seeing.

"What’s going on?" he asked softly.

Liang Anya clung tightly to Jiang Pinhao’s arm, pressing her body close to his as if a wife instinctively leaning on her husband. "Pinhao. It’s nothing. Let’s go."

Pinhao?

The intimate address made both Jiang Pinhao and Si Yuheng freeze momentarily.

Jiang Pinhao quickly caught on—she was seeking his help, trying to use him to avoid the man in front of them.

He didn’t hesitate and immediately hooked her arm into his own. In a low voice, he said, "Let’s go."

They hadn’t even turned around when Si Yuheng’s voice, cold as ice, cut through the air: "Who is he?"

Liang Anya halted, biting down on her lips before blurting out, "He’s my boyfriend, also the father of my child. We’re back together. Reunited. Got it? We came to the island this time to attend the Huo Family’s wedding as a family. Didn’t you just question why I didn’t let you see the child? That’s your answer! I didn’t want Pinhao to know about the disgusting past I had with you! Si Yuheng, I’ve laid it all out for you. What else do you want? Can’t you just leave our family of three alone?"

She exhaled deeply, then turned her voice gentle toward Jiang Pinhao. "Pinhao, don’t misunderstand. There’s really nothing between him and me... I’ll explain everything to you once we’re back."

Jiang Pinhao’s expression flickered briefly, but he showed nothing outwardly. He simply cast Liang Anya a faint glance, gently patting her hand as though offering reassurance.

Liang Anya breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Mr. Jiang was willing to play along and hadn’t exposed her. She couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude as she looked at him.

Si Yuheng’s face, however, darkened considerably with each word she had spoken, leaving him silent for a long time.

Was this her way of flaunting her love and harmony with this pretty boy in front of him?

Leave their family of three alone?

Ha!

Jiang Pinhao released Liang Anya’s arm, stepped forward, and extended a hand to Si Yuheng. "Hello. My surname is Jiang. Mr. Si, correct? Whatever misunderstandings or emotional entanglements you had with Anya in the past are behind her now. I don’t care, but I ask that you refrain from harassing her any further. She is no longer available."

No longer available—

A vein throbbed on Si Yuheng’s forehead as his expression grew even colder.

Surname Jiang? His brows knitted tightly together.

Could this be the "Mr. Jiang" she had murmured about in her dreams?

That was during the time he’d abducted her to his villa while investigating Huo Zhenyang. It had been her most vulnerable and fearful days.

For days on end, she had talked in her sleep, mumbling this "Mr. Jiang" again and again.

When he’d asked her who Mr. Jiang was, she had blushed—a rare sight.

So it turned out to be this man now standing in front of him.

The father of her child?

Si Yuheng’s gaze darkened as he stared hard at the man before him, leaving Jiang Pinhao’s hand hanging in midair for several seconds.

Jiang Pinhao, with impressive composure, showed no anger. With an even temper, he withdrew his hand and slowly turned back to Liang Anya’s side. "Let’s go."

"Mm." Liang Anya quickly nodded.

Si Yuheng curled his lips into a faint, mocking smile and looked toward Liang Anya. "So this is ’Mr. Jiang’?"

Liang Anya’s face shifted slightly, but she steeled herself and replied, "Yes, he’s Mr. Jiang—the man I’ve always loved. I’ve had feelings for him since my school days!"

He sneered sarcastically. "Slept with your own teacher and even had his child? Liang Anya, you’ve really outdone yourself."

"Mr. Jiang is a gentleman. Back then, he thought I was too young and didn’t want people gossiping about an unethical teacher-student romance, so he turned me down. Now, we’ve realized our feelings are genuine. It’s destiny. I’m so grateful the child is his... and not yours!"

The sneer froze on his lips, and a sinister glint flashed in his gaze. This woman was actually grateful her child wasn’t his but this Jiang Pinhao’s!

The thought of her being with this man, possibly just before or just after being with him, sent him into a seething, unexplainable rage!

He raised his arm, holding back the urge to punch Jiang Pinhao. She, however, instinctively pulled Jiang Pinhao backward, shielding him tightly as if she already expected Si Yuheng’s temper might spell danger for him.

"Let’s go, Pinhao." Liang Anya quickly latched onto Jiang Pinhao’s arm, dragging him away from this place of chaos.

If they delayed any longer and Si Yuheng’s fury boiled over, it would spiral completely out of control.