Zhang Mingzhe tapped his fingertips lightly on the leather desk and said coldly to his assistant, "Go and check Zhao Zixi's mother's detailed information, including where she lives now, who she married, and her bank account balance."

Three days later, the investigation report made him frown.

Zhao Zixi's mother is quite impressive. She currently lives in a villa area on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland, and her husband is the US regional manager of a top 3 global pharmaceutical group.

Tsk, he's actually a tough nut to crack.

However, the records show that the manager's assets are mostly registered under his children's names.

"...Zixi and her mother have a very bad relationship and almost never contact each other."

Lu Xiaomi suddenly thought of something.

A flashback to her previous life: the day after Zi Xi's father's funeral, the woman in the mink coat boarded a flight to Europe without even glancing back at Zi Xi.

“Interesting. Let’s let this good mother know how successful her daughter is now.”

Zhang Mingzhe grabbed his phone from the office, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

*

At 11 p.m., Zixi had just applied an SK-II face mask when her phone screen suddenly lit up in the dark.

The international number starting with +41 made her frown.

Are you receiving scam calls from overseas?

Is she still the same mother who abandoned the original owner at the funeral home and left for another country without even attending the funeral?

Curious, Zi Xi pressed the answer button, and a long-lost yet unfamiliar female voice came through the receiver: "Zi Xi...it's Mom..."

The voice was as gentle as if it were soaked in honey, yet it trembled slightly, "Mom... I miss you so much."

Zi Xi's brows curled up at the edges of the face mask.

She was speechless. It had been ten years. Since her mother remarried and went abroad, she had never contacted the original owner of this body again. What was this supposed to mean by a deep mother-daughter bond?

Anyone can see that this is a weasel paying New Year's greetings to a chicken!

In her memory, she impatiently checked her watch even before the funeral began, and when she received a phone call, her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, tapped incessantly on the phone case.

Finally, he didn't even glance at his father's portrait, and left hastily without shedding a single tear.

"Get to the point."

Zi Xi's voice was colder than a face mask.

"Mom is just too sad and wants to hear your voice..."

The sound of porcelain clinking came from the other end of the phone, followed by a deliberately lowered voice.

"You'd better just say what you mean. If you really care about your daughter, wouldn't you remember the time difference? I don't have time to listen to your sentimental musings."

Zi Xi suddenly sneered. If she really wanted to ignore her daughter for ten years, why didn't she consider such details instead of just doing whatever she wanted and calling whenever she needed something?

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone, with only slightly rapid breathing sounds.

Lin Yaqin covered the microphone and kept sneaking peeks at the second floor.

The silk robe was soaked with cold sweat, and the hyaluronic acid injections I had just received on my face were throbbing.

This little bitch is so difficult to deal with.

Although her husband was indeed away on a business trip, the nanny and housekeeper could pass by at any time.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on her meticulously maintained face, smudged her newly applied semi-permanent eyebrow makeup.

She has had a difficult ten years. She has not been able to give birth to any children for her current husband. Her stepchildren publicly mock her as a vase that has been bought. Even the housekeeper dares to put one less sugar cube in the afternoon tea.

"Zixi, Mom knows you're working hard filming... Mom didn't mean to bother you... It's just that I miss you so much..."

She walked to the French windows to make sure no one was in the garden before continuing.

"How did you know I was working hard on set? Who gave you my number? And what's your purpose?"

Zi Xi interrupted her, wanting to end things quickly and directly.

"What?"

"No, Mom just... wanted to ask if you're doing well."

Lin Yaqin almost knocked over the bone china cup in her guilty hand.

"Do you think I believe that? Ten years without contact, and the first thing you do is say you miss me? What kind of loving mother are you pretending to be now?"

"Who would wait ten years before finally remembering they have a daughter?"