Fu Xushu raised his arm to block the man’s path, his expression displeased. “Mr. Shen, if you continue to cause a disturbance, I’ll have security come up to handle this.”
Shen Ci’s eyes narrowed slightly, his long, narrow gaze carrying a hint of danger as he sized up the person before him.
Unexpectedly, the other man showed no sign of fear or timidity.
“Who’s inside?” Shen Ci asked in a low voice, the intense sense of familiarity unsettling him.
That woman had vanished out of thin air and somehow become entangled with the Yan family—and most importantly, Yan Shi was carrying his child in her belly.
“That’s none of Mr. Shen’s business,” Fu Xushu replied calmly and collectedly. But the very next second, Shen Ci reached out and shoved his arm aside.
With a rustle, the curtain was yanked open.
“Ah!” The startled woman let out a shriek and immediately turned her back, frantically covering her belly, which was already the size of a ball.
Shen Ci froze, then quickly turned around. “My apologies.”
The man’s deep voice came from not far behind her. Yan Shi’s hands, clutching the hem of her clothes, were slick with cold sweat.
Seeing this, Fu Xushu quickly drew the curtain shut again and said sternly, “Mr. Shen, please leave immediately.”
Footsteps sounded, and the noisy examination room gradually fell quiet.
“Miss Yan? You can come out now,” Fu Xushu said tentatively.
Yan Shi took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and walked out holding the pregnancy belly model, forcing a light smile. “Sorry, I used your things without permission. I was just a little curious about what it looks like at a later stage.”
Fortunately, she’d spotted it just now and, without a second thought, tucked it into her clothes—barely managing to dodge Shen Ci.
It was her carelessness to have forgotten the examination report in the trash bin.
“It’s no problem. I failed to control the situation and gave Miss Yan a scare. Are you feeling any discomfort now?”
“Thank you, I’m fine.”
Fu Xushu studied the woman’s distracted expression but didn’t call out her lie.
After leaving the obstetrics and gynecology department, Yan Shi received a call from Old Master Yan.
When she saw Old Master Yan again, Yan Shi couldn’t help but redden her eyes. The old man lay on the hospital bed, looking somewhat weary, his head already covered in silver hair in his twilight years.
“Grandfather.” Yan Shi sat by the bed and took his noticeably thinner hand.
“It’s good that you’re back, good that you’re back.” The old man smiled with relief. “I heard about what happened that day. Once you’ve calmed down, you still need to move back to the Yan residence. You can’t let someone else take over the nest, right?”
Yan Shi nodded firmly. “Grandfather, I don’t want to move back just yet. Focus on your treatment and get better soon. Don’t worry about too much.”
In her heart, Old Master Yan was her only family left.
The old man just smiled faintly, patted the back of her hand, and gestured for Yan Shi to lean in closer.
Yan Shi bent down, pressing her ear to Old Master Yan’s lips.
After hearing what he said clearly, Yan Shi’s eyes widened in surprise. “Grandfather, are you sure?”
“So you must go back. Grandfather will have to rely on you from now on. Protect the Yan Corporation, don’t let—” The old man suddenly coughed hard, his breathing turning rapid.
“Grandfather!” Yan Shi was startled and immediately called for the doctor.
Watching the doctors come and go, Yan Shi knitted her brows tightly. Only when Old Master Yan’s condition stabilized and he gradually drifted off to sleep under the effects of the medication did she finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Uncle Wang, Grandfather just told me someone tampered with his regular medication. Is that true?” Yan Shi’s gaze was sharp, her hands hanging at her sides unconsciously clenched into fists.
Butler Wang couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s true, but I haven’t been able to determine who exactly made the move yet.”
The faces of the Yan family members flashed through her mind one by one. Yan Shi’s expression was as cold as ice. “Keep pretending you know nothing. Don’t tip them off. Leave this matter to me.”
She was determined to find out who the real culprit was, and she would never let that person off easy.
“Are you heading home now, Miss? I’ll arrange a car to take you.” Butler Wang asked.
Yan Shi shook her head. “I do need to go back, but now isn’t the time.”
She would make those arrogant people come begging her to return on their own.
Sitting in the car, Yan Shi furrowed her brows, the image of Shen Ci appearing in the obstetrics clinic earlier today surfacing in her mind. “Uncle Wang, I need to get some things done. Does the Yan family still have people available?”
Butler Wang nodded and recommended his own son, Wang Cheng, to Yan Shi.
That night, in the presidential suite of the hotel, Yan Shi met Wang Cheng—a man of unremarkable appearance but with a hint of righteousness in his brow.
“You were recommended by Uncle Wang, so I won’t waste words. Just remember that from now on, you take orders from me alone. Understood?”
“Yes, Miss.” Wang Cheng nodded.
“Now, help me with two things. First, have someone keep an eye on Shen Ci of the Shen Group. I want to know of any move he makes immediately.”
She couldn’t let Shen Ci come barging in and cause trouble at a time like this.
He was neither friend nor foe, and if things went wrong, it could backfire.
And besides…
Yan Shi unconsciously touched her slightly swelling belly. Her pregnancy wouldn’t stay a secret for much longer—she needed to prepare early.
“Understood.”
“Second, spread the news that the Fu family is about to acquire the Yan family as soon as possible. Make sure every single member of the Yan family hears about it.” A faint smile curled at the corner of Yan Shi’s lips.
She believed it wouldn’t be long before those people came knocking on her door, begging her to return as their savior.
“Yes, Miss. I’ll get on it right away.” Wang Cheng gave a deep bow and quickly left.
The next day, Yan Feiyu stormed back from a social gathering, furious. “Second Brother, what the hell is going on? Why is everyone saying the Yan family is about to be acquired by the Fu family? Didn’t that damn girl already come back?”
She’d been surrounded and mocked by a bunch of nosy gossips asking if the Yan family was about to collapse.
Yan Feihong looked deeply pained. “This is all trouble you lot stirred up! I told you not to be so eager to provoke Yan Shi—she still holds shares in the Yan family, after all.”
He was like an ant on a hot pan right now. With news like this out, the whole Yan family was in a panic. He’d tried to contact the Fu family, but they kept avoiding him.
For the moment, he couldn’t even confirm whether the news was true or false.
“I don’t believe she’d really sit back and watch the Yan family go bankrupt.” Yan Feiyu continued to talk tough.
“What makes you think she wouldn’t? She has shares and money now. If she sells off the Yan family, what does she have to lose?” Yan Feihong couldn’t help but raise his voice.
“Then what do you suggest we do now, Second Brother?”
“What else can we do? Go find Yan Shi and bring her back!” Yan Feihong paced anxiously around the living room.
Yan Feiyu looked reluctant. “Whoever wants to go can go. I’m not going, no matter what.”
“Then you can just wait to starve,” Yan Feihong said, pointing at the women before him with a look of frustration, as if disappointed that his words had fallen on deaf ears.
They were all troublemakers who only knew how to stir up problems.