“What? Are you going to say thank you too?” Feng Yu smiled as he straightened up. “I’m ready, go ahead.”
Yan Songyu had indeed intended to express gratitude, but seeing his deliberately relaxed smile, she paused with the words on her lips. “I…”
“I wanted to say thank you for keeping an eye on the company lately. I need to clock in at the hospital.”
“Pfft—” Feng Yu was amused by her “clock in” remark. “Will there be overtime pay?”
“Is five times enough?”
“I’ll dedicate myself wholeheartedly to Rui Xin—not for the salary, but for the passion I hold for my work.”
Yan Songyu smiled at his antics as they walked downstairs together. After some thought, she voiced her concern. “Are you sure this won’t implicate you? Chen Xu is incorruptible—he’ll latch onto any clue he finds.”
“Don’t worry.” Feng Yu looked relaxed as he ruffled Yan Songyu’s hair. “The person who tampered with the brakes was sent by Xu Huanzhi. If Captain Chen actually uncovers something, we should thank him for helping us eliminate a major problem.”
“Xu Wuye isn’t someone easily fooled.” Yan Songyu swatted Feng Yu’s hand away, still somewhat worried.
“At most, Xu Wuye only suspects something. Who can prove we intentionally allowed it? Besides…” Feng Yu paused before continuing, “Xu Wuye doesn’t care about those nephews of his. He might even thank us for helping him clean house.”
“Hard to say. No matter how fierce the internal conflicts in the Xu Family are, they probably present a united front externally.” Yan Songyu sat down on the living room sofa. Aunt Liu immediately brought tea for both of them. After taking a sip, she continued, “The Xu Family hasn’t been legitimate for long. They won’t be easy to deal with if it comes to that.”
Feng Yu shook his head. “Xu Huanzhi has never been in Xu Wuye’s good graces. Xu Wuye himself rose from being an illegitimate child—he’s used iron-fisted methods to suppress the other branches. Otherwise, why would Xu Huanzhi resort to attacking you just because he failed the Beidian Village bid? That project was crucial for him to secure his position in Jinhe Group. Now that you’ve crushed his hopes, he’s naturally resentful.”
“Illegitimate child?” Yan Songyu was shocked by this sudden revelation. “Wasn’t Xu Wuye the legitimate son born to the first wife in her later years?”
“No. Xu Wuye’s mother was a pearl diver who saved his father at sea. She was tricked into having his child, then died from postpartum hemorrhage. Xu Wuye was taken back and raised as the first wife’s late-life child.”
“Well, another wealthy family drama.” Yan Songyu sighed, then felt grateful that the Yan Family was remarkably clean and harmonious by Haishi’s standards. But—”How do you know this? This should be a secret—I’m hearing it for the first time.”
“I happened to meet Xu Wuye previously. We’ve kept in touch occasionally since then, and our relationship is fairly good.”
Hearing this, Yan Songyu recalled that in her previous life, after Feng Yu established Hua Sheng Group, his first cooperation had been with Jinhe. Xu Wuye had even been one of Hua Sheng’s shareholders.
“Speaking of which, Feng Yu, have you ever thought about leaving Rui Xin to start your own venture?”
“Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“No, I just feel you’re wasting your talent staying at Rui Xin as general manager.”
After all, he had developed Hua Sheng so successfully in his previous life.
“Rui Xin means a lot to me. Both you and Uncle Yan trust me deeply—I don’t feel constrained here. Moreover—”
Ring ring—
Feng Yu’s words were interrupted by an incoming call. He had no choice but to answer, “Hello?”
“Yes, this is me.”
“Alright, thank you!”
“Was that the hospital?” Yan Songyu asked before Feng Yu could speak.
“Yes, the caretaker said Jiang Chengli just woke up briefly before falling asleep again. The doctor has already examined him—he’s considered past the critical stage.”
Yan Songyu nodded and stood up. “You should return to the company. Keep following up on the Beidian Village project. I’ll go to the hospital to check on things, and later I need to pick up Feifei.”
On the way to the hospital, Yan Songyu sat in the back seat with her eyes closed, contemplating whether there were any flaws in their recent plans.
In her previous life, Xu Huanzhi had secured the Beidian Village project. He had planted a spy within Rui Xin, causing them to lose the bid to Jin He by a mere ten thousand yuan.
Although Feng Yu later uncovered the spy, insufficient evidence allowed the culprit to escape unscathed.
After gaining real power at Jin He through the Beidian Village project, Xu Huanzhi repeatedly provoked Yan Songyu. She countered each of his moves, and their rivalry intensified. Just when Yan Songyu thought Xu Huanzhi was about to make a major move, he was suddenly involved in a car accident. He survived but was left permanently paralyzed from the neck down, confined to a bed for the rest of his life.
It was later discovered that the perpetrator was Xu Huanzhi’s cousin, Xu Minzhi. Only after hearing Feng Yu’s words today did she realize that Xu Minzhi had likely been a scapegoat.
In this life, Yan Songyu allowed the spy in the project department to sell information to Xu Huanzhi. She quietly gathered all the evidence and ultimately won the Beidian Village bid by offering just one yuan more than Jin He.
“President Xu, I appreciate your concession.”
When they shook hands, Yan Songyu’s light remark sounded like pure provocation to Xu Huanzhi.
One yuan!
Damn it!
She did it on purpose!
She had known about his plan all along!
Xu Huanzhi’s eyes darkened with fury. “Young President Yan, don’t celebrate too soon.”
Yan Songyu knew he was about to make his move.
Xu Huanzhi appeared slender and refined, almost delicate, but his true nature was starkly different from his outward appearance. He had always opposed the Xu family’s efforts to legitimize their business. Lacking much talent in commerce, he preferred to solve problems through violence. He was ruthless and intolerant of defiance, and years of suppression by Xu Wuye had filled him with pent-up aggression.
In her previous life, he had intended to target Yan Songyu, but his own misfortune struck first.
Now, things were playing right into her hands.
She had never planned to ruin her life over someone like Jiang Chengli, but if she could use the situation to her advantage, who could blame her? After all, she was merely a victim.
“Miss, we’ve arrived at the hospital,” the driver reminded her.
“Thank you, Uncle Li. I’ll need to pick up Feifei from school later. Please find a place nearby to rest for a while.”
“Of course. Just call me if you need anything.”
Yan Songyu entered the hospital carrying the thermal container prepared by Aunt Liu.
Jiang Chengli had already been transferred from the ICU to a regular room, and a doctor was examining him.
“Ms. Yan, you’re here.”
“Dr. Qi, how is my husband doing?”
As soon as Yan Songyu spoke, her eyes reddened. Anyone who saw her would praise her deep devotion.
“Mr. Jiang’s condition has stabilized. There’s no need to worry anymore.” Dr. Qi glanced at the thermal container in her hand and reminded her, “Mr. Jiang won’t be able to eat until 48 hours after the surgery. He can drink water in 12 hours.”
“Oh, alright.” Yan Songyu handed the container to the caretaker. “Thank you for your hard work. Please have this soup.”
“Thank you, Miss Yan.”
Yan Songyu gave a slight nod and happened to notice Jiang Chengli’s eyelids twitching slightly. She grabbed Dr. Qi’s sleeve excitedly, “Dr. Qi, my husband is awake!”