The charity auction for Warm Heart Orphanage ended, and Ning Xiaoxiao, drained, walked out of the venue. As she thought of the children's satisfying smiles, a hint of consolation couldn’t help but appear in her eyes.

"Miss Ning, please wait..."

"Miss Ning..."

Suddenly, a series of flashes forced her to step back. Looking at the swarm of journalists coming at her, Ning Xiaoxiao was dumbfounded.

A male journalist standing at the front took the lead in asking: "Miss Ning, I have a question for you."

Ning Xiaoxiao assumed it was about the auction and she nodded blankly.

However, his question made the color drain from Ning Xiaoxiao's face instantaneously.

"I want to ask you, given your apparent fondness for these orphans, why don't you have your own child with you?"

A flicker of fear flashed through Ning Xiaoxiao's eyes as her gaze on the journalist suddenly became guarded.

"I have no idea what you are implying. I'm still a university student, unmarried, and I certainly don't have child as you're implying."

The journalist seemed not to hear and continued pressing, "Is your so-called affection for children conditional? You don't even care about your own child, so why do you care about these orphans?"

Ning Xiaoxiao, now furious, said, "I..."

"Miss Ning, please answer truthfully," the male journalist's gaze carried a hint of warning.

His look suddenly reminded Ning Xiaoxiao. A few days ago, another man had asked her the same question.

What did that man say again?

He said, "Miss Ning, our young master asks you to hand over his child. Otherwise, unnecessary actions will be taken against you."

Ning Xiaoxiao had no clue where the young master's child was supposed to come from.

She could only say, "I'm still a student and I've never seen your young master's child before."

However, the man in black was relentless, "We hope Miss Ning would willingly hand over the child."

Ning Xiaoxiao shook her head adamantly, only to receive his response, "Our young master said he would give you three chances out of past affection. Once those chances are exhausted, bear the consequences yourself."

Just today, a reporter - the third person this week to ask her about this, came up.

Does this mean...

Her three chances are already up?

Ning Xiaoxiao bit her lip, a wave stirring inside her heart, "Sir, I really don't know your young master, could you tell me who he is?"

The reporter was unconvinced, a mocking smile flashed in his eyes, he said: "Miss Ning, stop putting up such a futile resistance."

Ning Xiaoxiao: “......”

Not far from them, a group of reporters were eyeing the scene predatorily. And behind them stood her classmates, teacher, and her first love.

She couldn't withstand such defamation.

"I really don't have any child, stop making slanderous accusations! If you've got the guts, show me evidence!" Being watched under various peculiar gazes, Ning Xiaoxiao, meek as a sheep, finally lost her cool.

The reporter sneered at her and suddenly pulled out a cellphone from his pocket.

The screen of the mobile phone showed that it was in call. The reporter said respectfully into the phone, "Young Master, Miss Ning would like to speak with you."

With that, he pressed the speaker button on the phone screen.

Ning Xiaoxiao was taken aback, but before she could react, a deep, magnetic male voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Ning Xiaoxiao, how much money do you want, name your price."

Ning Xiaoxiao felt a pang of fear rising against her will at the unfamiliar but chilling voice.

"What on earth do you want?"

Man: "Hiding my child, aren't you just after money?"

Ning Xiaoxiao laughed out of anger, "Are you the Young Master in their mouths? Do you have a persecution complex, I mean do I even know you, yet you keep insisting that I carry your child?"

The man's voice remained cold as always, "Whether you do or not, you know it in your heart."

"I know what?" Ning Xiaoxiao's tone was sarcastic, "Do you have so much money that you don't know where to spend it? If you want a child, just find a woman to bear you one, I’m not interested!"

The man chuckled lightly, "From your reaction, it seems like you're going to deny it to the end?"

Ning Xiaoxiao: "Exactly! I don't have a child, so of course, I’ll deny it!"

She couldn't see the man's face, but facing just his voice made her feel less confident.

Even though she was sure of her innocence, she didn't have the child he was talking about.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll expose all your deeds?" the man threatened.

"What makes you think I have anything worthy of public announcement?" Ning Xiaoxiao retorted, "I'm just an ordinary student, do you think you can find any evidence that I've had a child?"

The man's voice grew colder, and even over the phone, Ning Xiaoxiao could feel his frosty aura, chilling her to the bone.

"Since we can't solve this over the phone, why don't we chat face-to-face?"

His tone was neither warm nor cold, but the hint of warning in his words was clear.

Listening to him, Ning Xiaoxiao glanced at the aloof journalist in front of her and suddenly realized, this person was probably not an ordinary journalist.

"I'm too lazy to argue with you. If you keep bothering me, I'll call the cops!"

Ning Xiaoxiao thought that mentioning the police would at least make the man back off a bit.

But to her surprise, the man completely disregarded her warning and simply said, "I advise you not to waste time, the longer you drag this on, the worse it is for you. My patience has its limits."

Ning Xiaoxiao's eyes widened, but before she could retort, a series of beeping sounds came from the phone signaling an ended call.

The journalist slid the phone back into his pocket, expressionless, and said, "Well, Miss Ning, have you changed your mind?"

Ning Xiaoxiao snapped, "Is your Young Master sick or something? Has he been reading too many overbearing CEO romance novels?"

The journalist: "…”

"I’ll also warn you, I’m a law-abiding citizen, I’m not afraid if you dig up any dark history of mine."

Ning Xiaoxiao assertively declared, "If you continue to pester me, I will really call the police, accuse you of slander and threats!"

With that, she turned and walked away without a second glance.

The reporter didn't stop her; he just turned around and watched her leave with cold eyes.

Not far away, her college professor and first love, Qi Ming, were waiting for her. Ning Xiaoxiao had to gather her emotions and put on a smile.

She initially wanted to go out with her boyfriend, but as she glanced around, she suddenly encountered a set of glum eyes. Not far away, under a tree, stood a tall man leaning against a car.

The shade of the tree hid his expression, and Ning Xiaoxiao couldn't quite make out his face, making her feel inexplicably uneasy.

She waved goodbye to her teachers and boyfriend, intending to avoid the man by walking away.

However, she didn't get far before the reporter who had previously questioned her stopped her. "Miss Ning, please hold on."

Ning Xiaoxiao: "......"

"Xiaoxiao, what happened?" Seeing her being stopped, Qi Ming and his group quickly gathered around, eyeing the reporter warily.

Ning Xiaoxiao looked at her boyfriend and couldn't help but feel a little guilty, afraid that the man would repeat what he had said earlier.

"I'm fine, you guys go on, don't mind me." Even though she was afraid of this strange reporter, she still wanted Qi Ming to leave.

However, before Qi Ming could say anything, the reporter spoke first: "I'm a reporter and I still have a few questions about this fundraising event I would like to ask Miss Ning."

Qi Ming was taken aback, looking doubtfully at the reporter: "What questions?"

Ning Xiaoxiao felt her breath quicken: "Qi Ming, don't bother with him. I don't know him!"

The reporter smirked: "Miss Ning doesn't need to know me, she just needs to answer my questions." Without giving Ning Xiaoxiao a chance to speak, he continued, "Miss Ning, where have you hidden your illegitimate child?"

Ning Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat as she saw Qi Ming's face suddenly change.

"You... you're just talking nonsense." She defended weakly, "Qi Ming, don't listen to him. I don't have any illegitimate child."

Qi Ming, "Xiaoxiao, you..."

The reporter added fuel to the fire: "Miss Ning came from the warm heart orphanage. It seems that you must love children so much, so why have you hidden the fact that you were pregnant from so many people?"

In order to convince the crowd, she even took out Ning Xiaoxiao's birth certificate and recounted her background without missing a word. Many things even Ning Xiaoxiao didn't know herself.

Upon this, Qi Ming had to believe it. He looked at Ning Xiaoxiao with deceived anger, "Xiaoxiao, you clearly told me I was your first love. I can't believe you were once pregnant."

Looking at her boyfriend's angry face, Ning Xiaoxiao's mind was blank, and she could not utter any words to defend herself.

Her silence was taken as admission by most, and the teachers and classmates behind her began whispering. The looks they gave her were mixed - surprise, contempt, mockery.

"I didn't..."

Watching Qi Ming leave in anger, Ning Xiaoxiao's heart was desolate.

There was no hint of triumph on the reporter's face, she still said expressionlessly, "Miss Ning, are you ready to tell the truth now?"

Ning Xiaoxiao, "Is there no end to this? I’m really going to call the police!" She pretended to pull out her phone to dial 110.

The reporter didn't even try to stop her, not even changing her expression, and said, "Since Miss Ning is unwilling to tell me the truth, please go and talk to our young master yourself."

"What talk!" Ning Xiaoxiao took a wary step back, "I won't go!"

Her gaze darted around and fell on the man standing under the tree, and she took a deep breath, "You guys aren’t planning to kidnap me in broad daylight, are you?"

The reporter, "I'm sincerely inviting you now, please come with me to meet our young master."

Ning Xiaoxiao, "If it’s an invitation, I should have the right to refuse, right?" she swallowed her saliva, "I formally refuse you. I don't want to meet your young master and I don't have a child!"

The reporter's gaze deepened, seemingly a bit unhappy, she suddenly turned her head to look back.

Ning Xiaoxiao followed her gaze, and saw the man nod his head.

"You..." An ominous feeling rose in her heart, and she retreated repeatedly.