After five years of a cold marriage, I can no longer hide the child I secretly gave birth to.

After leaving, Xu Daikui intended to return to her office, but then she remembered that she had left her notebook and pen in the meeting room that morning.

She turned and walked to the other side of the corridor.

As I passed the finance office, the door was ajar, and I could hear hushed voices coming from inside.

She hadn't paid any attention at first, but suddenly the words "Miss Xu" reached her ears, and she instinctively stopped in her tracks.

It was the voice of Finance Director Wang Guang, tinged with sarcasm, "Xiao Liang, do you really think Dean Zhao is so eager to curry favor with Xu Jiaojiao just because she's President Zhou's girlfriend and even brought us investment?"

Xiao Liang's voice was filled with doubt, "What else could it be? Our pet hospital would have gone out of business long ago without Zhou's investment."

"Can't hold on any longer?"

Wang Guang sneered, "You haven't brought up the old story from seven years ago. Dean Zhao left the People's Hospital back then because he embezzled a sum of money for medical equipment. He was investigated and left penniless, and his medical license was revoked. But how come he has the money to open this pet hospital again in just one year?"

Xiao Liang paused, then asked, "You mean..."

Wang Guang lowered his voice slightly, "Six years ago, someone dug up his old stories and sued him, which almost caused the hospital to go bankrupt. Who suppressed it in the end? And those charitable foundations from a few years ago, supposedly to buy medical equipment, but none of the equipment records in our hospital match up. Most of that money ended up in his and Xu's mother and daughter's pockets."

Xu Daikui's fingers clenched tightly.

Xu Jiaojiao and her group really have something going on with the pet hospital.

No wonder Dean Zhao's unusually attentive manner was so strange.

Xiao Liang remained puzzled, "How do you know so much? What does this have to do with Xu Jiaojiao?"

"Of the five million yuan invested by the Zhou family five years ago, how much was used for the expansion? Dean Zhao transferred the remaining money to a black card."

Wang Guang's tone was certain, "I personally saw Xu Jiaojiao and her mother take that card. Not long after, news spread that Xu Jiaojiao had been admitted to the People's Hospital. Do you think that's a coincidence?"

"I checked her university grades privately."

Wang Guang scoffed, "Besides being good at behaving in front of teachers, she knows absolutely nothing about medicine. If she goes to the People's Hospital, I'm afraid she'll kill people, not cure them!"

Xiao Liang gasped, "Is that so? Didn't her mother have a medical malpractice case back then? Could this be related to Dean Zhao...?"

Xu Daikui could no longer hear what was said after that.

Her mind was buzzing.

Five years ago, she was admitted to the People's Hospital, but someone impersonated her and took her place.

Could that person be Xu Jiaojiao?

No wonder Xu Guodong only told her to accept her bad luck and not to make a big fuss and become a laughing stock.

It turns out they weren't afraid of being laughed at; it was a scheme they had planned long ago.

Xu Jiaojiao was afraid that starting work too early would arouse suspicion, so she went abroad under the guise of further studies. Now that she's back, she's brazenly taken over her position.

With investment from the Zhou family, protection from Dean Zhao, and support from Mr. and Mrs. Xu Guodong, things went smoothly.

Her protective net is truly very tight.

Zhou Yanci…

Did he know all this from the very beginning?

My heart was aching so badly it felt like it was going to burst when I suddenly heard the sound of leather shoes walking behind me.

"Dr. Xu, what are you doing here?"

Dean Zhao's voice rang out from behind. Xu Daikui froze.

Wang Guang and Xiao Liang inside the door also suddenly stopped talking. A few seconds later, the two hurriedly pushed the door open and came out. When they saw Xu Daikui at the door, their expressions changed drastically.

Xu Daikui's mind raced. Her gaze swept across the inpatient ward across the street. Her throat tightened, but she forced herself to squeeze out, "I...I'm looking for a cat."

She pointed to the half-eaten cat toy sticking out of her white coat pocket, and said in a calm voice, "A kitten that had just been spayed ran out, and I followed its tracks here..."

Dean Zhao frowned, a hint of suspicion flashing in his eyes, but he didn't investigate further.

After all, if a pet hospital loses a cat and the family finds out, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Wang Guang's gaze also swept across Xu Daikui's face.

After staring at it for a few seconds, he suddenly pointed to the fire hydrant pipes, following her words, "I think I just saw a shadow running that way, Dr. Xu, please go and check it out."

"Thank you, Director Wang."

Xu Daikui nodded slightly, then clenched her fists and practically fled.

It wasn't until she returned to her office and closed the door that she leaned against the door and gasped for breath.

Xu Jiaojiao really is her nemesis.

From childhood to adulthood, Xu Jiaojiao has always fought for everything she has.

The person she cared about was taken away.

Her hard-earned future was also stolen.

Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone, her fingertips tracing the number for the discipline inspection and supervision department. The light from the screen reflected her uneasy face.

She wants to report it.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she forcefully suppressed it.

Xu Jiaojiao's father is a section chief, her mother is a chief physician, and they also colluded with Dean Zhao.

Most importantly, Zhou Yanci…

That man, who wields immense power in Beijing, is Xu Jiaojiao's strongest backer.

And behind her was her young daughter.

Without solid evidence, making a report is like throwing an egg against a rock.

They have plenty of ways to suppress the matter. In that case, she will not only lose her job, but Xu Meng will also be implicated.

She can't be so impulsive.

Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated. Looking at that familiar number, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.