Butler Xiao was taking a short nap on the comfortable sofa when his phone rang. However, before he could even take it out of his pocket and answer the call, a middle-aged woman in a maid's uniform suddenly burst into the room.
"Butler Xiao, not good! The young master got into an accident."
Butler Xiao's face changed. "What happened?"
"Young master was on his way home from school when the car was crashed into by an out of control truck. I heard that Driver Chen at the forefront died on the spot while young master broke his head and was rushed into the nearest hospital. Right now, he is in a critical condition and Sheng Yi* Hospital is now calling for related people to sign the papers." The woman said everything in one breath, looking pale and anxious.
Butler Xiao's expression turned serious and he headed straight for the door. "I'm going out for a while. You take care of the master and madam."
After he got out, he paused and said to the two sturdy bodyguards guarding the door. "While I'm gone, except for the master and madam, no one is allowed entrance or exit from this room."
"Understood."
...
After Butler Xiao left, the room was instantly submerged in silence. The middle-aged nanny stood woodenly for a moment with her head lowered.
When she raised her head again, the anxiety on her face had already vanished without a trace, replaced with a cautious expression as she went forward to check on the unconscious couple, making sure that they wouldn't wake up for a while before walking towards the crib only to see that the newborn baby had it's little head turned towards her direction with eyes wide open, seemingly spying on her every action.
Nanny Zhang turned stiff for a second before she regained her senses, feeling absurd.
Newborn children can't see, much less understand anything. The baby must have only been attracted by the sound of her footsteps.
The sneaky Nanny Zhang tried to calm herself not knowing that she had inadvertently stepped on the truth.
Indeed. Xiao Xi was vigilantly staring at her, alerted by her suspicious behavior.
Nanny Zhang stretched out her hands, taking the small and fragile body into her arms. "Little young miss, please don't blame me. In order to send my son into a good college, I also have no choice."
A bad premonition arose in Xiao Xi's heart as alarm bells kept ringing in her mind. She understood in an instant. This woman was up to no good!
However, soon, she calmed down again when she sensed no killing intent coming from this woman and the gears in her head turned.
As a former 'crown prince' and legitimate heir to the throne, she had seen no small amount of schemes. During the time she had spent lingering in various brothels, entertainment establishments, and teahouses, she had come into contact with people from all walks of life and had also come to know no small amount of noble and imperial secrets such as which and what schemes were and are about to be implemented, who killed who, and which noble miss, madam, or concubine had a tryst with whom, etc.
This nanny's thoughts, she figured out in an instant.
Abduction.
However, although unfamiliar, judging from the low-key extravagance of the room she is in, her current parents should be of the wealthy type and should not be short of bodyguards guarding the door, so the possibility of sneaking her out should be ruled out.
No. Not entirely impossible.
Xiao Xi's eyes flitted towards the window where sunlight streamed in through the gaps of the turquoise-colored curtains.
Jumping out the window or passing her to a person stationed outside? Xiao Xi was unsure.
However, the woman's next course of action left her confused.
Nanny Zhang went towards the coffee table and emptied the fruit basket and took out a coil of durable rope from inside her pocket, tying it unto the handle.
Huh?
A series of question marks floated on top of Xiao Xi's head and before she knew it, she was already placed inside the fruit basket and was dangled swayingly outside the window, facing the white walls of the building that she didn't know how high it was while further upwards was the ever slowly darkening sky with the orange afterglow of the setting sun.
If she didn't guess wrongly, she should be far, far, far above the ground.
Xiao Xi "!!!"
Help, ah! Benwang* is afraid of heights!
Xiao Xi shivered in fright, too afraid of making the slightest sound in case of startling the old witch who was holding the rope with her already not so steady hands into accidentally letting go and letting her fall to her death.
Heavens, ah! Isn't it just abduction? Let it be done and over with already!
Xiao Xi closed her eyes as she muttered incoherent prayers under her breath until she regained her center of gravity as a pair of hands took her out of the basket and opened the small blanket wrapped around her little body before carelessly opening her clothes and brazenly inspecting her from head to toe before she heard a woman's soft yet seemingly pleased murmur beside her ear.
"No birthmarks indeed. Let's proceed according to plan."
Xiao Xi abruptly opened her eyes, only to see two people, a man and a woman, gazing back at her with subtle expressions.
Traffickers?
Xiao Xi stared at them in doubt.
The next moment, she was brought in front of a crib with a newborn baby dressed in clothing identical to her own, sleeping inside.
Xiao Xi was stunned.
Nima!*
This wasn't just a simple abduction— they were clearly trying to replace her!
Indeed. The next moment, the man took out the baby from the crib while the woman placed her inside.
Xiao Xi watched helplessly as her substitute was stuffed into the basket and was soon hoisted up, back into the room where she came from.
"It's done. Let's leave this place and get rid of the child."
___________
Sheng Yi - meaning "Vitality" or "Life force".
Benwang- it is a form of address used by the princes of ancient China to adress themselves.
Nima - short for Cao Ni Ma (Grass Mud Horse). Used as a substitute for 肏你妈 (cào nǐ mā), to mock or avoid censorship on the Internet.