She turned her head to watch the scenery flash by outside the car window, her thoughts racing.
The Shen Group was truly in serious trouble this time.
Half a year ago, the “technology leak” scandal had caused an uproar throughout the country, severely damaging the company’s reputation.
Someone had been manipulating public opinion behind the scenes, causing orders to plummet, banks to suspend lending, and ultimately breaking the company’s cash flow.
But after investigating every domestic competitor, she had found that none of them had actually launched a product capable of replacing the Shen Group’s core technology.
That meant as long as they could contain the public backlash and secure new investment, the Shen Group could survive the crisis.
But if what had leaked was the Tianshu Project…
Then it was over.
The entire Shen family would be finished.
No.
She absolutely could not let that happen.
Shen Shuhe regretted being so shocked earlier that she had forgotten to ask Lu Yanzhou to send her the seventeen photos he had shown her.
Now, trying to recall them from memory, she remembered only the general contents—not the details.
Worse still…
She didn’t even have his contact information.
Should she go back and ask him?
The thought surfaced…
Only to be crushed immediately.
If Lu Yanzhou had been the only person at Xishan Villa, she wouldn’t have hesitated.
But the mansion was still full of guests…
Not to mention Lu Mingshu and Jiang Wanqing, who were undoubtedly waiting to cause her more trouble.
Going back now would only invite unnecessary problems.
Forget it.
He had already said he would contact her again for a detailed discussion.
She only needed to wait.
“Uncle Zhang,” Shen Shuhe said, “take me to company headquarters.”
“Yes, Miss Shen.”
The driver turned the steering wheel and changed direction.
There was no point in panicking.
She might as well return to the company, organize the relevant documents, and search for clues.
That way, she’d be prepared when Lu Yanzhou met with her again.
The car pulled into the underground parking garage of Shen Group headquarters as usual.
Taking the executive elevator, Shen Shuhe arrived on the twelfth floor.
Her office was there.
Shen Shuhe was undeniably beautiful.
Ironically, that beauty often worked against her.
Most people’s first impression was to dismiss her as nothing more than a pretty face.
Just as Lu Yanzhou had questioned her today.
A young heiress who had only graduated recently and worked at Shen Group for three months…
What real ability could she possibly have?
Shen Shuhe had never cared about such gossip.
If she responded to every rumor and argument, she’d never get any real work done.
She preferred letting her achievements speak for themselves.
Of course…
If someone insisted on provoking her to her face, she certainly wasn’t the type to remain silent.
She would simply smile even more sweetly and reply gently,
“The first great divide in life is the womb.”
“Clearly, being born into the right family is one of my talents.”
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the twelfth floor.
As she walked, Shen Shuhe’s thoughts remained focused.
The military-grade neural intervention precision navigation and modulation system had always been handled with the utmost caution.
Everyone with access to the project was a core senior employee who had signed strict confidentiality agreements.
The company also enforced rigid security protocols.
No one was ever allowed to access any project materials alone.
Whenever the project was involved, at least two authorized personnel had to be present.
To prevent collusion, the same pair of employees also couldn’t repeatedly access the project within short periods.
Every access record—including personnel and timestamps—had been meticulously documented.
Lu Yanzhou had said that the first-generation Tianshu technology had been used in that Southeast Asian private hospital as early as eight months ago.
She needed to identify everyone who had access to the first-generation technology before that point.
Only by narrowing the timeframe could she efficiently identify possible suspects.
Yet…
The moment she entered her office, the door opened again.
Her parents walked in right behind her.
Shen Yanzhi and Wen Lingyi both wore hopeful expressions.
Looking her over and seeing she was still wearing her qipao, Wen Lingyi asked,
“You came straight here from Miss Lu’s birthday party?”
Shen Shuhe nodded.
Wen Lingyi immediately quickened her pace, excitement filling her face.
“My good daughter…”
“Did you secure a new investor at Miss Lu’s birthday party?”
Yesterday, the marriage alliance with the Zhou family had collapsed.
Their promised investment would certainly be withdrawn.
But Miss Lu’s birthday banquet had gathered countless powerful business and political elites.
Perhaps Shen Shuhe had found another investor and rushed straight back to the company because of it.
Lu Yanzhou’s words echoed through Shen Shuhe’s mind.
“Everything we discussed today must remain confidential.”
“You are not to tell anyone.”
“Including your parents and family.”
Why had he specifically emphasized that even her parents couldn’t be told?
Such an enormous matter…
Why did only she need to cooperate with the investigation?
Was Lu Yanzhou suspicious of…
Her?
Or…
Her parents?
Seeing no response for quite some time, Wen Lingyi called softly,
“Sweetheart?”
Shen Shuhe snapped back to reality.
She couldn’t tell them the truth.
Nor could she bear to shatter their hopes.
Even more, she didn’t want them pinning all their hopes on something so uncertain.
So she answered vaguely,
“Yes… but whether it succeeds is still uncertain.”
It was an ambiguous answer…
But not a lie.
If she and Lu Yanzhou could uncover the truth, clear the Shen Group’s name, and restore the military contracts…
The company would undoubtedly survive this crisis.
When Wen Lingyi and Shen Yanzhi looked ready to ask more questions, Shen Shuhe spoke first.
“I’ll tell you everything once it’s confirmed.”
They knew their daughter well.
She appeared gentle on the outside…
But was intelligent, independent, and always had her own ideas.
Ever since childhood, she had rarely caused them worry.
So neither of them pressed further.
They quietly left, allowing her to work.
Shen Shuhe stayed busy until late into the night.
Only when her back and neck began aching did she stretch lazily, rolling her stiff shoulders before finally picking up the phone she had left on Do Not Disturb mode.
As usual, she checked her messages in case she had missed anything important.
While scrolling…
She noticed a text message from an unfamiliar number.
Opening it, she found only three words.
Still hurting?
She checked the number.
It was completely unfamiliar.
The area code was from Beijing.
She replied simply:
?
The response came almost instantly.
You said it hurt last night.
Shen Shuhe typed back:
Who are you?
What did he mean by “last night”?
She had gotten drunk and passed out.
She remembered almost nothing.
Another message appeared.
Your husband.
Shen Shuhe stared at those three words with a dark expression.
She was convinced she was dealing with a scammer.
Normally she would’ve ignored such nonsense.
But today…
Jiang Wanqing, Lu Mingshu, and Zhou Jiayan had all taken turns provoking her.
Then Lu Yanzhou had delivered devastating news.
After that she’d worked overtime until late at night.
Her nerves had been stretched taut all day.
She was exhausted.
Hungry.
And this “scammer” happened to become the final spark that ignited her temper.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard.
Bullshit. I’m your father.
After hitting send, she was just about to block the number…
When a photo popped up on her screen.
It was a dark red marriage certificate.
Coincidentally…
She had woken up with an identical one that very morning.
…
Well.
Turns out…
The person on the other end really was her husband?!