Chapter 170

“Certainly, please wait a moment, Third Young Madame,” Lin Shuangxia acknowledged and hauled her luggage into the hotel.

“Is this where Miss Xiaojie used to live?” Shang Mingming gazed at the hotel in front of them with his large, round eyes and inquired, then tilted his head and remarked, “Is this really Miss Xiaojie's home? There are so many people coming and going.”

“Silly child, how could this be Miss Xiaojie's home? This is a hotel.”

Shang Cijie chuckled at his adorable innocence, ruffled his hair, and planted a kiss on it.

“Then why didn't Miss Xiaojie go home? Didn't you want to take me home?” Shang Mingming didn't understand, so he continued to inquire.

Go home? Shang Cijie found that notion bitterly ironic, for he no longer knew if he had a home.

However, Shang Mingming was just a child, and the truth couldn't be shared with him. So, Shang Cijie quipped, “Miss Xiaojie has two homes. Which one does Mingming want to return to?” It was a smile tinged with bitterness as they entered the hotel.

Unaware of the situation, Shang Mingming raised his small hand high and declared, “Mingming is going back to Mr. Mu Sifa the Bastard's house.”

When he used the term “bastard,” Shang Mingming seemed quite delighted. He probably didn't grasp the meaning of the word as an insult, maybe he'd heard Shang Cijie say it often.

Shang Cijie abruptly halted in his tracks. His expression revealed his shock at Shang Mingming's statement.

“But who is Mu Sifa? Mingming's other father? Miss Xiaojie's husband?” He continued to ask with his head cocked, displaying his cuteness.

Shang Cijie's demeanor suddenly turned icy. “That kind of person has nothing to do with us.”

Shang Mingming's smile disappeared, replaced by an anxious look. “Miss Xiaojie, is Miss Xiaojie upset?” he inquired carefully.

Shang Cijie was taken aback for a moment, then promptly laughed. “How could that be? No,” he reassured. He resumed walking, his expression still frigid.

Sensing Shang Cijie's foul mood, Shang Mingming remained silent.

By this time, Lin Shuangxia had completed the check-in process. She lowered her head toward Shang Cijie and gestured for him to join her in the elevator.

Shang Cijie didn't say a word. He approached her with a cold expression and entered the elevator.

Lin Shuangxia wheeled her luggage along and followed suit, pressing the button for the fifteenth floor.

As the elevator doors were about to close, Shang Cijie was confronted with a face so familiar that it filled him with resentment. With his head lowered, he focused on the information panel, while Elina stood by his side.

Elina's body suddenly jolted, and she swiftly turned to peer inside the elevator, but the doors had already shut.

“Shang… Shang Xiaojie?”

Elina's face turned ashen, and she trembled where she stood.

“What's the matter?”

At this moment, Mu Sifa was engaged in a discussion with Elina about an operation. As he spoke, Elina found it challenging to keep pace, which earned her an unhappy frown from him. He appeared much colder compared to five years ago.

“I… I'm sorry, it's nothing,” Elina stammered in a panic.

In contrast to her feigned smiles from five years ago, Elina seemed genuinely fearful of Mu Sifa.

“Why aren't you following me?” His cold tone harbored an undercurrent of anger.

“Yes.”

Trembling with fear, she resembled a subordinate overwhelmed by a superior.

After their departure, Xiao Ming, who had been standing not far from the reception desk, widened his eyes but remained fixated on the elevator.

“That must be Shang Xiaojie! Can it really be him? Wasn't he reported missing?”

Concerned about his distressed expression, a nearby staff member asked, “Manager, is everything alright?”

“I'm fine,” Xiao Ming replied, though his tone hinted at something amiss.

Then, in an anxious tone, he inquired, “Do you know the name of the guest who just arrived? Which lady is handling their check-in?”

“Oh, her! They booked two rooms, but it's not under his name; it's registered under a man named Shang Cijie.”

Xiao Ming shuddered once more. Shang Cijie? Had he changed his name?