In under a week, Zhang Jiren and the interior decorator had managed to finish converting the other room into a nursery. The crib was already ready and the wallpapers newly installed. Even the drawers containing her baby's clothes, diapers and necessities were already prepared ahead. The only thing missing in the room was the baby herself.

  Zhang Jiren lifted his head once he heard her footsteps coming his way. The couch remained next to the window which allowed natural light to brighten up the room.

  "What do you think?" he asked, as he brought down the pregnancy book he was reading before Li Meili came in.

  For someone who was just pretending to be a husband and father to her child, Zhang Jiren surely took his role seriously, Li Meili thought.

  "Looks good." Li Meili looked around and nodded, pleased at how simple the room was. The colors of baby blue and pink really made the place stand out.

  She then took a seat at the other end of the couch, leaning her back against several comfy throw pillows and rested her feet next to Zhang Jiren. As if it was the norm, Zhang Jiren automatically started massaging her feet and legs, earning a sigh from her lips.

  "That feels incredibly good," she g.r.o.a.n.e.d as she felt herself starting to doze off again which she did.

  Li Meili wasn't sure how long she managed to take a nap this time and only woke up when she felt Zhang Jiren shook her shoulder.

  "Meili, Zhi Ruo just called. She said you need to call her back. It's important," he told her.

  She took this time to call her assistant back to find out what needed her attention.

  "Zhi Ruo, what is it?" she asked.

  "Remember when you asked me to investigate, Liu Ruoyan? I found leads and evidence that would prove that she bribed some of the judges to win the competition." Zhi Ruo didn't waste her time and informed Li Meili.

  "Oh, so Moyu and I were right." Li Meili cupped her chin, pondering her next move. If Liu Ruoyan managed to cheat from the previous years, then there's a higher chance that she would do it again this year considering The Black Nightingale was also participating.

  "That's not all, Meili. I also found out that she hired several amateur designers to join her team only to be kicked out after the competition. There were three designers so far, all of them coincidentally got the job before the competition started and was fired by Liu Ruoyan a few weeks after she won. There's a pattern," Zhi Ruo added.

  "How about this year? Did you manage to find out if she got new blood and took it under her wing?" Li Meili asked. It seemed that Liu Ruoyan was bold enough to steal someone else's idea to use it as her own and bribed some of the judges as plan B just in case her entry wouldn't secure her win.

  "Yes, she got two this time. She also made phone calls to the two judges that are part of the panel. I'm afraid she's plotting to make sure you won't have a chance to win, Meili." her assistant replied; worry laced her tone.

  "Moyu and I already expected it, Zhi Ruo," Li Meili said with all honesty. She wouldn't ask her assistant to conduct a thorough investigation on Liu Ruoyan if she and Tang Moyu didn't suspect the woman was cheating to win.

  To use amateur designers and steal their works like that? Liu Ruoyan really stooped so low! How could she take advantage of other people's weakness? Those designers probably felt they were wronged by her but weren't able to voice out their grievances given how influential Liu Ruoyan's family was.

  "Don't worry. Just make sure to collect the necessary evidence that would prove her crime. Liu Ruoyan won't be able to get away this time," Li Meili said with conviction.

  It would be hard for Liu Ruoyan to suppress and intimidate her using her Liu family considering that she was a Li and the Li family had a higher standing in society compared to the Lius.

  Li Meili finished the phone call after giving her assistant some instructions before hanging up. When Zhang Jiren returned, he was confused to see her looking annoyed and restless at the same time.

  "Something happened to your shop? Do you need help?" he offered as he brought her a glass of cold lemon water.

  Li Meili gave him thanks as she took the drink from his hand before taking a sip from it.

  "No need. It's nothing Zhi Ruo and Miss Wu couldn't handle," she replied, glancing at her husband who had picked up the same pregnancy book he abandoned when she joined him earlier.

  Thinking about it, wasn't Liu Ruoyan attracted to her husband? What was the best way to anger Liu Ruoyan to death? It's to flaunt her handsome husband in front of her, reminding the shameless woman that she had lost for the second time.

  Who gave Liu Ruoyan the courage to covet Feng Tianyi and Zhang Jiren anyway? She must be really outrageous if she thought she could easily seduce men with a pretty face but an empty head.

  "Hey, Jiren. Do you think you can escort me at the awarding ceremony in Beijing? Do you think you could make time for it?" she asked her husband.

  Zhang Jiren easily understood what she was talking about and nodded.

  "Just give me the date. I'll ask my assistant to clear my appointments and reschedule the others."

  These days, he realized that it was starting to get hard for him to say no and decline any request Li Meili had. He could only hope that he wasn't digging his own grave by allowing himself to spend more time with her.