Shen Zhi nearly sprayed out her milk.
She jerked her head up and met Shen Wang's cold, temperatureless eyes, instantly wide awake.
Bankruptcy?
Had she just said that out loud?
No way!
She had only been complaining in her head!
Could it be that on her very first day of being transmigrated into a book, her mouth had already stopped obeying her brain and started digging her grave?
A layer of cold sweat broke out across Shen Zhi's back.
She set down her cup and produced a smile more standard than anything from a wealthy-family etiquette class.
"Big Brother, you must have misheard?"
"How could I possibly say 'bankruptcy'?"
She blinked, her tone innocent, like something freshly scooped out of cotton candy.
"Big Brother is so capable, and Shen Corporation is so strong—how could it possibly go bankrupt?"
Shen Wang stared at her.
He said nothing.
Father Shen's gaze also settled on her face.
Mother Shen gripped the napkin in her hands, her eyes clearly filled with shock and doubt.
Shen Zhi's scalp tightened under their stares.
She quickly lowered her head and picked up a shrimp dumpling, trying to hide her guilt behind eating.
[That scared me to death, scared me to death.]
[I almost thought I'd spoiled the plot out loud.]
[But why is Big Brother asking about bankruptcy? Do all overbearing CEOs come with a bankruptcy radar?]
Shen Wang's brow twitched slightly.
There it was again.
That voice hadn't come from Shen Zhi's mouth.
Her head was clearly lowered, her mouth still holding half a shrimp dumpling.
Yet the voice rang out crystal clear inside his mind.
Shen Wang's fingers beneath the table slowly tightened.
He looked at Father Shen.
Father Shen was looking at him at the same moment.
Father and son's eyes met, and each saw the same gravity in the other's gaze.
It wasn't an auditory hallucination.
At least, not his alone.
Shen Zhi had no idea she had already been placed on the whole family's key observation list.
She was still working hard to play the carefree fool.
"Brother, don't you have to go to the company today? Hurry up and eat—don't let me delay your work."
She smiled sweetly.
But inside, her mind was already flooding with messages.
[Go, go, go already.]
[If you don't go soon, your company is going to start leaking.]
[Zhao Wencheng, the CFO, is transferring out the first sum of money this afternoon. And you're still so capable? Your underwear's about to be stolen right off you.]
Shen Wang's hand stopped completely mid-cut through his toast.
Zhao Wencheng.
CFO of Shen Group.
Twelve years at Shen Corporation, risen from the bottom ranks.
Prudent, with clean accounts and an impeccable record.
It was precisely because of this that he held extremely high-level authorization over Shen Corporation's capital approval process.
A trace of coldness surfaced in Shen Wang's eyes.
If what Shen Zhi said was true.
Then this man was hiding even deeper than he had imagined.
Father Shen had heard it too.
His fingers tightened around his coffee cup, and the cup gave off the faintest clink.
Mother Shen's face went pale, but she forced herself not to lose composure.
She looked at Shen Zhi.
Her daughter was lowering her head, eating shrimp dumplings, cheeks slightly puffed, looking impossibly well-behaved.
Yet the words in her heart were more terrifying with every sentence.
[Zhao Wencheng really is something.]
[Drawing the Shen family's high salary while selling out the Shen family's life.]
[Acting all honest and dutiful on the surface, while secretly passing information to Lu Corporation. The first sum is just a test—the real money comes later.]
[Once Shen Corporation's capital chain is drained dry, Lu Jingheng will step in and reap the harvest.]
[Classic overbearing-CEO novel playbook: first wreck the company, then control public opinion, and finally make the Shen family kneel and beg him.]
Shen Wang lowered his eyes.
Lu Corporation.
Lu Jingheng.
He had memorized them both.
Shen Zhi finished eating a shrimp dumpling and found the atmosphere at the dining table still frighteningly cold.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Why hasn't the topic moved on yet?
Do wealthy families not allow juniors to urge the eldest brother to go to work during meals?
So many rules.
She immediately softened her voice.
"Big Brother, did I say something wrong?"
"I just thought you've been busy with work, so you shouldn't go hungry."
Shen Wang raised his eyes to look at her.
The girl's eyes were clear, her expression innocent.
As if she truly knew nothing.
She didn't know her inner voice had been heard.
Even less did she know that one casual complaint from her was enough to put the entire Shen Corporation on early alert.
Shen Wang picked up a napkin and wiped his hands, his tone calm.
"No."
"Eat."
Shen Zhi felt as if a great weight had been lifted.
"Oh."
She obediently lowered her head and drank her porridge.
[That was close, so close.]
[Overbearing CEO Big Brother's aura is terrifying. Good thing I reacted quickly.]
[But whatever, I'm just a fake daughter of a wealthy family preparing to run away. What does it matter to me whether Shen Corporation goes bankrupt or not?]
[Wait, no, it does matter.]
[Shen Corporation can't go bankrupt right now.]
[If Shen Corporation goes bankrupt, who's going to fund my escape fund?]
Father Shen: "…"
Mother Shen: "…"
Shen Wang: "…"
Very well.
The reasoning was simple, the goal clear.
Shen Wang suddenly felt like laughing.
But he held it in.
He picked up his phone, unlocked it, and tapped a few times on the screen.
His movements were unhurried, as if he were handling an ordinary work message.
Shen Zhi caught sight of it from the corner of her eye and immediately clicked her tongue inwardly.
[See, see, a workaholic overbearing CEO really does do business even during breakfast.]
[If this kind of person doesn't go bankrupt, who will?]
[The CFO is about to burrow into your safe, and you're still elegantly sending messages here.]
Shen Wang sent the message with an expressionless face.
The recipient was his special assistant, Chen Zhou.
The content was brief.
Investigate Zhao Wencheng.
Immediately.
Focus on the group's offshore accounts, the afternoon fund approvals, and recent contact records with personnel related to Lu Corporation.
Don't alert anyone.
After sending the message, Shen Wang placed his phone face-down on the table.
When he looked up, his expression was still cold, showing not the slightest hint of anything unusual.
Shen Zhi watched, secretly impressed.
[Truly worthy of being an overbearing CEO—so calm even when about to have his home stolen right from under him.]
[If it were me, I'd have already stormed into the company, dragged Zhao Wencheng out of the Finance Department, and asked him whether he'd rather confess himself, or have me dig up his entire ancestral ledger.]
Shen Wang: "…"
Well, that wouldn't be impossible either.
Father Shen coughed lightly and set down his coffee cup.
"A-Wang, what's on the agenda at the company today?"
Shen Wang said flatly, "A regular meeting in the morning, and several fund approvals in the afternoon."
Father Shen's eyes darkened.
Afternoon.
Fund approvals.
It matched the timing Shen Zhi had mentioned in her thoughts.
Mother Shen almost instinctively looked toward Father Shen.
Their gazes met briefly.
They both saw the same answer in each other's eyes.
This wasn't an illusion.
Nor was it a coincidence.
They had truly heard Shen Zhi's inner voice.
And hidden within those inner thoughts was the danger the Shen family was about to face.
Mother Shen's fingers trembled slightly.
She looked at Shen Zhi, her eyes stinging with emotion.
This child was still earnestly drinking her porridge.
Completely unaware that her few words just now had pulled the entire Shen family one step back from the edge of the cliff.
Sensing Mother Shen looking at her, Shen Zhi immediately looked up and gave her a sweet smile.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Mother Shen suppressed her emotions and said gently, "Nothing. Is the porridge to your liking?"
Shen Zhi nodded.
"It's delicious."
【The porridge in a wealthy family really is different—it even smells like money.】
【After I run away, I wonder if I'll ever get to drink porridge of this caliber again.】
Mother Shen felt a stab at her heart.
Run away?
Why does she keep thinking about leaving?
Father Shen's expression grew even darker.
Shen Wang picked up his coffee and took a small sip, hiding the emotions in his eyes.
He couldn't rush this.
The most important thing right now was to confirm the matter with Zhao Wencheng.
If Shen Zhi's inner voice was accurate, then the Shen family would have to change their original plans immediately.
And if it wasn't…
Shen Wang's gaze fell on Shen Zhi's face.
She was secretly sliding the small cakes on her plate toward herself.
Like a little hamster convinced no one had noticed.
Shen Wang looked away.
Even if it wasn't accurate, he still had to investigate.
Better safe than sorry.
A brief calm returned to the dining room.
But that calm was only on the surface.
Neither Father Shen nor Mother Shen had much of an appetite.
Shen Wang's phone lay face-down on the table, the screen dark.
Shen Zhi, on the other hand, was eating with great focus.
After all, in her view, nothing in the world mattered more than eating.
The plot wanted to kill her, the male lead was out to destroy the Shen family, and the real daughter of the wealthy family hadn't returned yet.
But none of that stopped her from eating two more small cakes first.
Just as she was reaching for a third, Shen Wang's phone suddenly buzzed.
Vrrr—
The sound was faint.
Yet it was like a needle, instantly puncturing the manufactured calm at the dining table.
Shen Wang picked up his phone.
The screen lit up.
Chen Zhou's reply popped up: Zhao Wencheng did indeed book an appointment this afternoon for overseas fund approval.