Chanchan was like a walking corpse, dazed and unresponsive as Su Xiang led her away.
Ji Yan stood with both hands in his pockets and looked at Shang Xu. “You’re not going to comfort her? She really needs someone with her right now.”
Shang Xu was as cold as ever. “She has Su Xiang with her.”
“But you know your comfort and companionship would help her more than anyone else’s.”
“The corporation still has work waiting for me.”
Ji Yan gave him an ambiguous smile. “From what I saw, He Ting seems interested in you too. How do you plan to choose?”
“What do you mean?” Shang Xu shot him a dangerous look. “Ji Yan, you’ve become a stranger to me. Besides, this is my business; it has nothing to do with you.”
“I only feel that Chanchan is being treated unfairly. Of course, you’re free to choose.”
Ji Yan’s tone did not change, but his gaze made Shang Xu deeply uncomfortable, as though it branded him a heartless man who had betrayed someone.
“I never asked Chanchan to make any sacrifices.”
“He really said that?” Su Xiang’s chest heaved with anger. She kept her voice low so Chanchan would not hear and feel hurt.
“Mm.” Ji Yan nodded. “This is only the beginning. Once news of the true and false heiresses spreads, He Ting’s demands will grow, and The Shang Family will grow more indifferent.”
“I don’t know whether this is good or bad for Chanchan.”
“Don’t worry, and don’t let anything slip. Uncle He has considered this more thoroughly than we have. Better a short, sharp pain than prolonged suffering.”
“Then go back first. I need to stay with Chanchan for a while.”
“Call me if you need anything.” Ji Yan kissed her forehead and closed the door with care.
Chanchan looked at the embarrassed Su Xiang, her spirits low. “Did I interrupt your relationship?”
“What are you talking about? You’re my best friend. No one is more important than you right now.”
Chanchan only gave a bitter smile. “You should have been her best friend.”
“Nonsense!” Su Xiang scolded sternly. “There’s no such thing as what was supposed to happen. People have different personalities, and I might not necessarily have become friends with her.”
“But without the switch, you and I would never have become best friends, and I wouldn’t have met Shang Xu.”
“But the fact is that we are best friends now, and you’re the one who met and came to know Shang Xu.”
“Xiangxiang, did you see that? He Ting is interested in Shang Xu too. Now that I’m no longer father’s daughter, who do you think Shang Xu will choose?”
Su Xiang sighed. As it turned out, her best friend understood everything. She knew that Shang Xu’s aloofness toward her was all because of Uncle He’s identity.
“Why am I not father’s daughter? I’ve called him father for so many years! I thought things like this existed only in novels and on television.” Chanchan hugged her knees and buried her head in them. “Xiangxiang, how am I supposed to face this? My biological parents are actually people like that.”
Su Xiang wrapped her arms around her back. “There will be a way through this. At least Uncle He doesn’t blame you, and Ji Yan and I are still here.”
Chanchan’s bitterness deepened. The less father blamed her, the guiltier she felt. Even now, Shang Xu had not given her so much as a comforting hug or phone call. Would Shang Family uncle and Aunt also...
“It’s true!” Shang Father and Shang Mother could not hide their shock when they heard the news.
Shang mother in particular looked regretful. “Then wasn’t all the kindness we showed her wasted? Will He Zheng still help our Shang Corporation for Chanchan’s sake in the future?”
Remembering Ji Yan’s sarcastic remarks, Shang Xu grew impatient. “Mom, isn’t it too soon to talk about that?”
“Too soon? We need to sever ties as quickly as possible. Everyone in The Entertainment Industry knows she likes you. Now that she’s lost The He Family’s support, she’ll cling to you even more desperately. You mustn’t let yourself get entangled.”
Shang Mother spoke with relief. “Fortunately, you never seemed interested in her and always kept her at a distance. Otherwise, cutting ties now would make you look cold-blooded and heartless.”
Shang Xu wore a cold expression, his mood sour.
Shang Father said, “What? Have you grown fond of her? If you’re interested in her, you could marry her. After all, we’ve raised her for so many years. He Zheng wouldn’t abandon her at once, and she would still be of some use.”
Lin Ranran’s vivid face flashed through Shang Xu’s mind, making him even more troubled.
“I’ve never liked Chanchan, and I won’t marry her.”
Shang mother said regretfully, “Actually, if you ask me, He Zheng is precisely at the point where he feels guilty toward his biological daughter. If He Ting also liked you, it would be even better for our Shang Corporation. Unfortunately, if we immediately switched targets, it would inevitably make us look too calculating and invite gossip. Besides, that girl grew up in the countryside, so we don’t know what her character and bearing are like.”
After a pause, she sighed. “Looking at things now, that little girl from The Su Family has better prospects. Although her family’s industry has fallen behind, its scale remains substantial, and Su Xiang is an only child. The Ji Family got a bargain.”
Shang Xu frowned. “Mom!”
“What? I’m only making an observation. I’m not going to say it outside.” Seeing her son leave, Shang Mother asked, “Where are you going at this hour?”
“The corporation. I still have work to handle.”
Shang Xu drove along the road and saw Lin Ranran standing by the roadside. He slammed on the brakes. “What are you doing here?”
Lin Ranran pressed her lips together, her eyes red and her expression helpless. She grabbed Shang Xu’s hand. “My younger brother may be in trouble. President Shang, please help me. I’m begging you.”
Shang Xu’s throat bobbed. “Get in.”
“It should be this way.” Lin Ranran pointed ahead. “He’s always impulsive. He said he was going to help a friend vent one's anger, and I’m afraid something might happen.”
“Don’t panic.” Shang Xu comforted her with unusual patience. “He’ll be fine.”
At the same time, Ji Yan drove toward an abandoned residential complex in the suburbs and called the Police Station. “...Yes, a group of delinquent youths are fighting. Please come deal with it as soon as possible.”
According to the memories the System provided, this accident would leave two young men with cerebral hemorrhages. One would become a permanent vegetative patient. In the end, the Police Station would arrest Lin Ranran’s younger brother, Lin Heng, and Ji Yan would take Lin Ranran to bail him out, causing the first misunderstanding between Shang Xu and Lin Ranran.
Now that he knew the Plot, he could not stand by and do nothing. After all, an entire family’s happiness was at stake.
The boy who would become a vegetative patient had committed no serious wrongdoing. Like Lin Heng, he was an impulsive, hot-blooded adolescent who valued loyalty. He should not become a sacrifice for advancing the relationship between the male and female protagonists.
The Police Station arrived before Shang Xu and Lin Ranran, preventing the accident.
Lin Ranran arrived at the scene and saw that Lin Heng was safe and unharmed. She cried as she struck him. “Thank goodness you’re all right! Why did you come running here? Do you know how worried I was?”
“So your older sister called the police.” The youths receiving the lecture looked at Lin Heng with disdain. “If you’re a coward, say so. Lin Heng, we look down on you and your friends. Just wait!”
“Wait for what?” A female police officer stepped forward and blocked their hostile gazes. “All of you, behave yourselves. Come to the police station to give statements and wait for your parents to pick you up.”
Lin Heng also thought his older sister had called the police, and his expression turned sour. “I don’t need you looking after me! You’ve made me lose all my dignity.”
“You!” Lin Ranran nearly fell when he shoved her, but Shang Xu was right behind her.
Shang Xu shot him a dangerous look, and Lin Heng’s body went rigid.
✦✦✦