Wang Shuang’s first start-up had reached the do-or-die. Yet Wen Ying, the angel investor he was pinning all his hopes on, remained perfectly calm.
In her heart, Xie Qian’s matters were a hundred times more important than Young Master Shuang’s entrepreneurial crisis.
It wasn’t favouritism. If Wang Shuang failed, he’d only lose money. The Wang family wasn’t short of cash; the fortune Mr and Mrs Wang had built could withstand plenty of his floundering. Xie Qian’s side was different. One careless step and it could become a real catastrophe.
Before sleeping, Wen Ying called Xie Qian and cut straight to the point. “I saw Detective Luo in Shanghai tonight!”
Xie Qian wasn’t surprised at all.
“You ran into him? Good timing. He just got back.”
Wen Ying’s eyes widened. “You know that’s not what I meant!”
Over the phone, Xie Qian held back laughter. “You want to ask about that woman, right? She’s back in the country with her son and daughter. All three are in Shanghai right now.”
He admitted it so readily that all the lines Wen Ying had prepared died in her throat. She felt terribly stifled.
“…You already knew?”
Of course you did. Why didn’t you tell me?!
Xie Qian immediately explained. “It was sudden. I was planning to tell you after the signing, but you found out the moment it ended.”
He gave her the brief version.
It was a chain reaction from the Xie family’s collective punishment of Xie Jinghu. A few days ago, Xie Jinghu had been forced to transfer another 6 % of shares to Xie Qian, a huge loss for him and a massive crisis signal for Sara Zhuo.
So Sara Zhuo ignored the Xie family’s prohibition and flew straight back with her illegitimate children!
Wen Ying felt a pang of regret. “So seeing Old Luo wasn’t coincidence. Tonight I actually dined in the same restaurant as that woman…”
She had already met Sara Zhuo once in Macau.
Thinking of Xie Qian’s tragic fate in the previous life, Wen Ying had always treated Sara Zhuo as a mortal enemy.
Although she didn’t know exactly how Sara Zhuo had pulled it off last time, her eldest son had indeed become the heir to Jinhu Group, while Xie Qian, who should rightfully have inherited it, met a miserable end.
Hearing the regret in Wen Ying’s voice, Xie Qian suddenly wanted to laugh despite the serious mood. The way his little hamster said “same restaurant” sounded like she was grinding her teeth. He could almost picture her puffing up and charging at anyone surnamed Zhuo, ready to bite.
Biting people is wrong.
Especially biting a woman surnamed Zhuo.
What if she carried germs?
Imagining a fluffy, fierce hamster baring its tiny fangs, Xie Qian couldn’t hold back his smile. “It’s better you didn’t know earlier. If you’d realised you were eating in the same place as her, you’d have lost your appetite!”
Afraid his laughter would annoy the hamster, he hurriedly added, “Her rushing back with the illegitimate kids is actually good for us. She’s always hidden behind my dad stirring trouble. Now that she’s close, first, I’ll know what she does faster; second, the roles are reversed. It’s much easier for me to catch her weaknesses.”
What kind of weaknesses?
For example, the true nature of Sara Zhuo’s relationship with Zhang Zhijun.
Wen Ying caught the subtext.
Ever since that DNA report came out contrary to Xie Qian’s expectations, she had been extra careful on the phone, avoiding certain sensitive words.
Although the watch Zhang Zhijun gave Xie Qian had been taken apart and found clean, she still felt uneasy.
What if the problem wasn’t the watch?
Better to play it safe.
So instead of pressing about the weaknesses, she changed the subject to Zou Weijun. “Your family forbade that woman from returning partly to protect Auntie Zou. How is Auntie Zou doing now?”
Xie Qian saw she understood perfectly and cooperated with the topic switch.
“My mom is great. Couldn’t be better.”
Going from passively taking hits to actively striking back, of course she felt great!
Sara Zhuo’s forceful return didn’t rattle Zou Weijun at all. It was Xie Jinghu who got smacked hard.
Xie Qian had heard his scumbag father was getting chewed out by his uncle and grandmother in turns. The thought alone was deeply satisfying.
“Right now my dad is panicking. He’s desperately trying to distance himself from the whole thing in front of my mom, terrified that the sight of that woman and her kids will push Mom to actually file for divorce. That would cost him dearly!”
After the cheating scandal broke, he’s never been this grovelling.”
In the past, when Zou Weijun suffered silently and hurt only herself, Xie Jinghu had nothing to fear.
Now that she got angry and decided to bleed him instead, his own interests were directly threatened. He was genuinely scared.
Ever since Zou Weijun started working at Jinhu, Xie Jinghu never missed a chance to trip her up. She endured every single time.
Yet in the past couple of days, he suddenly turned affectionate, asking after her health and clearing every obstacle at work.
The complete 180 was like a clown act.
Xie Qian couldn’t help laughing as he spoke. Wen Ying was amused too. “A single day of deep affection can’t melt three feet of ice. No matter how passionately he performs now, Auntie Zou won’t forgive him.”
There’s that saying: belated affection is cheaper than grass!
Besides, with Xie Scum’s selfish nature, his current “remorse” definitely wasn’t sincere. Knowing Zou Weijun, Wen Ying wasn’t worried at all that she’d fall for his pathetic tricks.
Sara Zhuo returning was actually a good thing!
The closer she was, the more handles they could grab. Xie Jinghu’s shares would slowly dwindle.
Once Xie Qian held enough, Zou Weijun could finally file for divorce!
The Magnolia Awards were in two days. Xie Qian said he’d arrive the afternoon of the day after tomorrow. Wen Ying hummed in acknowledgement. “Sleep early. See you the day after tomorrow~”
“See you the day after tomorrow.”
After hanging up, Wen Ying didn’t fall asleep right away. She lay there sorting through everything in her head.
From Sara Zhuo, her thoughts went to Dai Chenglan.
From Zhao Dong to Zhang Zhijun.
And the scattered bits she knew from her previous life about “President Zhuo’s” various achievements at Jinhu Group that netizens had dug up.
She mulled it over all night. The next morning, she went back to the restaurant alone.
She wanted to ask the waiter on duty last night for details, to learn more about Sara Zhuo.
But the waiter claimed he had never served the guests she described.
A glamorous beauty like that? Impossible to forget!
When Wen Ying asked, the waiter looked nervous, avoiding eye contact.
Wen Ying narrowed her eyes and softened her voice. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
The waiter’s face was full of conflict, twisting the hem of his uniform into wrinkles.
Should he speak?
Last night he’d taken the 300 dollars on impulse and barely slept a wink.
Yesterday, the people in the private room asked about Wen Ying’s table. Today, Wen Ying herself came asking…
He hadn’t seen the stunning beauty, but there had been a very pretty young girl.
Wen Ying smiled gently and invited him to sit. “I can hear your accent. You’re from Sichuan too, right? I’m from Sichuan as well. I know how hard it is working far from home in Shanghai. If my question puts you in a difficult position, you really don’t have to say anything.”
Zhuo Yue had used money.
Wen Ying used empathy.
Both worked; it just depended on the situation.
This time, Wen Ying won. She also had the halo of being a celebrity author.
News of yesterday’s signing had made the morning papers. The waiter immediately recognised bestselling author “Fish Swimming Against the Current.”
A famous writer was speaking to him so kindly. He couldn’t resist. After a brief struggle, he spilled everything: how the pretty young girl had paid him 300 USD to ask about Wen Ying’s table.
Wen Ying listened quietly, thanked him politely, and left.
She didn’t look angry, but the waiter felt a chill down his spine for the girl from last night.
He suddenly pitied her a little.
