Shen Yanzhi seemed to let out a slight laugh.
It was as if he had already guessed what Shen Hongguo would do. “Give me the two projects in your hands that are about to run into trouble? Uncle, you certainly know how to play your cards well—under the guise of making amends, you’re actually dumping two hot potatoes in my lap.”
Shen Hongguo: “…”
That was precisely what he had been thinking.
He had two projects that had just developed problems, though the issues hadn’t been exposed publicly yet. He’d been worrying about how to resolve them.
Shen Hongguo’s original plan was that if Shen Yanzhi didn’t ask which two projects specifically, he would dump those two messes onto Shen Yanzhi and let him deal with the headache.
After all, once the contracts were signed, even if Shen Yanzhi discovered the projects had problems, it would no longer be his concern.
As for the old master, that would be even easier to handle—he would have already apologized, Shen Yanzhi would have accepted, so there was no way he could be forced to hand over the management rights to Xiangshan Hotel as well.
But… this nephew of his was indeed not someone so easily fooled!
Shen Hongguo took a deep breath and hurriedly said, “How could that be? Dear nephew, you haven’t even asked me which two projects I’m giving you.”
He rapidly ran through all the projects in his portfolio and named two with relatively good prospects, one of which was actually a key project in his hands.
Shen Hongguo hadn’t originally planned to mention this project, but after being repeatedly exposed by Shen Yanzhi just now, he gritted his teeth, wanting to regain some ground, and thus brought up this most important project as well.
He wanted Shen Yanzhi to see that he wasn’t the selfish, black-hearted villain Shen Yanzhi made him out to be!
“I didn’t expect Uncle still remembered things from childhood until now. Since Uncle’s apology is so sincere, I’ll gladly accept this gesture of amends.” Shen Yanzhi spoke.
Then, as if something occurred to him, he added thoughtfully to Shen Hongguo on the other end: “Oh right, Grandfather also called earlier, saying Uncle expressed willingness to transfer the operating and management rights of Xiangshan Hotel to me as compensation for secretly installing a bug in my car last night. Since they’re meant to be given anyway, Uncle should have someone deliver all these transfer contracts together later.”
Chi Yu: “!!!”
So that’s why Shen Yanzhi was being so cooperative with Shen Hongguo—the follow-up move was waiting here all along.
Shen Hongguo was stunned for two seconds, not quite processing what happened.
These two projects were clearly meant as his apology for last night’s bug incident—who said they were compensation for those childhood matters? And now he had to hand over both the projects and the hotel?
Once it sank in, Shen Hongguo immediately flushed with humiliation and anger.
So Old Master Shen had already called Shen Yanzhi, and Shen Yanzhi knew the old master had told him to hand over Xiangshan Hotel’s management and operating rights, yet deliberately didn’t mention it, watching him make a fool of himself over the phone?
Shen Hongguo’s mask of false benevolence could no longer be maintained. He snapped at Shen Yanzhi through the phone: “Dream on!”
“Choose one—either those two projects or Xiangshan Hotel!”
By now, no matter how reluctant he was to part with Xiangshan Hotel, he knew the choice was no longer in his hands, but in Shen Yanzhi’s.
“Uncle, I already said to have someone send over the contracts for both projects and Xiangshan Hotel.” Shen Yanzhi’s tone carried a hint of coldness. With the conditions now laid bare, he no longer gave Shen Hongguo any patience: “This is a notification, not a negotiation.”
Shen Yanzhi even deployed his final trump card: “If I don’t see someone deliver the documents before I get off work this afternoon, I don’t mind going to the old estate for dinner after work.”
The implication was clear—he was going to tell on him!
If Shen Hongguo didn’t cooperate, tonight he would tell Old Master Shen about how Shen Hongguo had repeatedly tried to abandon him during childhood.
By then, what Shen Hongguo would lose wouldn’t be limited to just these two projects and Xiangshan Hotel.
Shen Hongguo never expected that just days after he and Shen Yuanzhong went to complain to the old master, he would be threatened by Shen Yanzhi using the same method today.
Moreover, while his and Shen Yuanzhong’s complaint had been ineffective, Shen Yanzhi’s threat struck at his vital point, directly seizing his lifeline.
Shen Hongguo took a deep breath: “Fine! They’re yours!”
Once again, Shen Yanzhi’s temperament and capacity for endurance became painfully clear to Shen Hongguo. Back then, because Shen Yanzhi was so favored by the old master, he realized Shen Yanzhi might pose a threat to his son inheriting Shen Group, so he repeatedly took Shen Yanzhi outside with the intent to abandon him.
But unexpectedly, this kid was precocious—each time he found his own way back.
Failing time and again, plus with the old master watching, he never found another opportunity.
At the time, Shen Hongguo worried Shen Yanzhi would tell about these incidents, but he seemed completely oblivious to Shen Hongguo’s malice and never brought it up.
Over time, even Shen Hongguo himself almost forgot about it.
Who could have imagined that Shen Yanzhi not only remembered, but brought it up today, making it the leverage to control him!
After uttering those words, Shen Hongguo could no longer contain himself and directly hurled his phone to the ground.
With a loud crash, the brand-new phone was instantly shattered into pieces.
Staring at the wreckage on the floor, Shen Hongguo gasped for breath.
Back when he tried to deliberately abandon Shen Yanzhi, how old was the boy? Four or five years old?
At such a young age, he already knew how to assess the situation and lie dormant for so many years?
Shen Hongguo suddenly broke out in a cold sweat down his back.
On the phone’s end, Chi Yu and Shen Yanzhi only heard Shen Hongguo agree, then a piercing crash came through the phone before the call was disconnected.
From that shattering noise, it wasn’t hard to guess what Shen Hongguo had done to his phone.
Chi Yu pointed accusingly: “That old geezer definitely smashed his phone.”
Old geezer?
This was the first time Shen Yanzhi had heard such a term.
It felt rather fitting.
He gently set down his phone and said to Chi Yu: “Yes, he’s a very bad person. You should stay away from him in the future.”
After a pause, he added as if making a promise: “Don’t worry, I would never hand you over to him, and I don’t have a habit of smashing phones either.”
However, perhaps because he’d just heard the sound of Shen Hongguo smashing his phone, looking at his own phone’s bare appearance now, Shen Yanzhi inexplicably felt a sense of vulnerability.
His phone had no screen protector and no protective case—it was completely naked.
He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now no matter how he looked at it, it seemed utterly unsafe.
He picked up the phone and wiped the dust off the screen: “Is your true form the data or the phone itself? Should we get you some protective clothing?”
Chi Yu: “……Huh?”
True form???
Chi Yu suddenly understood—no wonder Shen Yanzhi had so easily accepted her identity and was so patient and accommodating toward her. He thought she was a phone spirit!
Such an absurd yet somehow fitting identity as a “phone spirit”—he dared to believe it even though she wouldn’t dare claim it…