The milky white liquid soaked into the carpet.
“Who does she think she is? We’d just barely stabilized the situation at Yan Corporation, and now her fox tail is already showing. She can’t wait to kick every one of us out so she can have the entire Yan family all to herself.”
Yan Feiyu had never been subjected to such humiliation.
Here she was, with Yan Shi completely disregarding her, and yet she was utterly helpless to do anything about it.
“Enough, Feiyu. Just keep your head down for now.” Yan Feihong shook his head, his face full of helplessness, and could only hurry to escape this place of trouble.
Yan Feiyu stared at his retreating figure, wanting to say something but holding back. Just as she was about to speak, she turned around to find the dining room already empty.
The moment Xu Rou stepped out of the villa, she saw Butler Wang at the entrance explaining something to Ye Nan, so she quickly walked over. “Uncle Wang, let me explain things to Cousin Ye.”
Hearing this, Butler Wang didn’t hesitate for a second to hand off the hot potato.
Xu Rou walked out through the Yan family’s main gate. “Cousin, you’ve come at a bad time. Yan Shi had something to attend to and just stepped out.”
As she spoke, she glanced in the direction Butler Wang had gone.
“Is that so? Then do you also have somewhere to be right now?” Ye Nan curled the corner of his mouth into a sly, charming smile, reaching out to wrap his arm around her slender waist and pull her close to him.
The man naturally had upturned eyes—a classic peach-blossom gaze—and wore a casual blazer with his shirt buttons only fastened up to his chest, giving him an extra air of unruliness.
Xu Rou looked nervous, pressing her hand against his chest. “Let’s talk in the car.”
After pushing him into the vehicle, she looked around to make sure no one had noticed them before getting into the passenger seat.
“What are you afraid of? It’s not like Chu Yan is here.” Ye Nan grabbed the back of her head, leaned over, and planted a deep kiss on her.
“Mmm…” Xu Rou clutched at his lapels. The tense atmosphere and the uneasy surroundings only heightened the thrill for her, making her unable to suppress her arousal. With what little rationality remained, she spoke up coyly, her face flushed with shyness: “Let’s go to your place.”
The man in the driver’s seat smiled with satisfaction and started the engine.
“What the hell is Yan Shi playing at? I came all the way here out of the kindness of my heart to see her, and she won’t even show her face? That damn girl—she’s getting bolder and bolder.”
Ye Nan’s arrogant face was written all over with displeasure.
If it weren’t for hearing that Yan Shi had taken control of the Yan Group, he wouldn’t have bothered coming to deal with that girl at all.
“You haven’t seen what she’s like now. She’s nothing like before. On the very day she came back, she nearly kicked me and Mother out…”
Xu Rou’s mood sank, her eyes full of grievance, her voice choked with emotion. Her lowered gaze made her look as though she had suffered a tremendous injustice—pitiful and delicate.
“Aww, baby, don’t cry. Seeing you like this breaks my heart.” Ye Nan kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached out with the other to pat the top of her head in comfort.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get even for you. When I see Yan Shi, I’ll make sure she apologizes to you. Chu Yan might still have lingering feelings for her, but I’m one hundred percent on your side.”
Xu Rou nodded obediently, a hint of tenderness surfacing in her eyes.
Yan Group.
Wang Cheng knocked on the door of the CEO’s office.
“President Yan, Lin Li is here. He says he was passing by and came on behalf of President Shen to pay you a visit.” Wang Cheng carefully gauged the expression on the other person’s face.
Yan Shi’s fingers, which had been typing on the keyboard, paused. “Tell him I’m not here.”
Such a flimsy excuse really didn’t seem like something Lin Li would come up with.
It appeared Shen Ci still hadn’t let go of his suspicions about her, resorting to such a clumsy method to test her.
“I’ve already told him, but Lin Li said he’s in no hurry. He also mentioned he has a project he’d like you to personally review, and insisted on waiting until you returned.”
Wang Cheng had no choice but to come and ask Yan Shi.
“Shen Ci wouldn’t rashly cooperate with someone he’s not familiar with. Go tell Lin Li to either leave the documents or take them and leave.”
She had never intended to cooperate with the Shen Corporation anyway.
People were strange like that. When she was by Shen Ci’s side, that man wouldn’t even spare her a glance. Now that she was gone, he was going out of his way to find her.
Yan Shi sneered, then withdrew her gaze only to find Wang Cheng still standing nearby, unmoving.
“Relay my exact words.”
The Yan Corporation was no longer what it used to be. Even if Shen Ci harbored any resentment toward her, he wouldn’t dare make a rash move against the Yan Corporation. She had nothing to fear.
Wang Cheng nodded and delivered the message.
After leaving the Yan Group, Lin Li’s face was deathly pale. He clutched his phone, unsure how to report back to the man still waiting for news.
The other party had clearly shown no regard for the Shen Corporation.
No one had ever dared to show such contempt for Shen Ci.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Li finally dialed the number and, steeling himself, relayed Yan Shi’s words.
Silence fell on the other end, dead and heavy. Even through the phone, Lin Li could imagine the dark, grim expression on Shen Ci’s face.
“She came back from abroad. Send people overseas to investigate—look into everything and everyone connected to her.” Shen Ci’s face was overcast.
Setting down his phone, his mind suddenly conjured the wreaths that had appeared at the Shen family’s doorstep.
That style of doing things… it bore a certain resemblance to the Yan family’s young lady.
Knock, knock, knock! A knock sounded at the door.
Shen Ci looked up and saw Shen Qianqian standing at the entrance, her eyes red.
“Qianqian? Why are you at the company?”
“Brother Shen, I’m so scared…” Shen Qianqian threw herself into the man’s arms, clinging to him tightly, refusing to let go.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Shen Ci cupped her face, showing a rare gentleness.
Shen Qianqian sniffled and was about to speak when the phone on the desk rang.
She started in alarm and moved to grab the phone, but Shen Ci beat her to it and answered.
“Shen Ci! Get to the hospital right now!” Shen Zhenhua’s voice was frantic with rage, his deep tone barely containing his fury as he barked the order.
“What’s the matter?” Shen Ci glanced at the tear-streaked young woman before him, and combined with the angry roar in his ear, he could guess the gist of it.
It seemed news of his divorce hadn’t managed to stay hidden from the Shen family after all.
“Your grandmother’s old illness has flared up and she’s been hospitalized. Get over here this instant!” Seeing the doctor step out of the ward, Shen Zhenhua hung up immediately.
Shen Ci opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, all that remained on the phone was the dial tone.
“Brother Shen, I really didn’t mean to. I didn’t know Grandma would suddenly show up. She wouldn’t listen to my explanations—she just kept pressing me about Miss Yan’s whereabouts.”
Shen Qianqian’s eyes were full of tears. She gripped Shen Ci’s wrist, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“You told her?” Shen Ci’s brows knitted tightly, a hint of coldness creeping into his eyes.
He had said he would honor his promise, but that didn’t mean he would be forced into a decision.
“It wasn’t me. It really wasn’t me, Brother Shen. You have to believe me. Grandma already knew about your divorce before she came. She told me to leave you… She said she only recognizes Yan Shi as her granddaughter-in-law.”
Shen Qianqian covered her face with both hands. “I really didn’t expect Grandma to faint because of this, and Uncle Shen wouldn’t let me go to the hospital with him. I really don’t know what to do now.”
The harder she cried now, the more innocent she would appear in Shen Ci’s eyes.
Shen Ci held the utmost respect for Old Mrs. Shen, and now that she had suddenly fallen ill, Shen Qianqian had to distance herself completely from any blame.