Chapter 268: Chapter 268: I’m Just Jealous of Jiang Li, I’m Annoyed by Her!

To ensure the company’s successful listing, Shen Lan even went so far as to bet her entire fortune and sign a bet agreement with the investor.

Everyone thought she was doomed to lose, but she managed to turn the tables against all odds with a variety show that no one had faith in. Not only did she meet all the conditions proposed by the investors, but she even exceeded the terms of the bet.

Any one of these experiences would have been more than enough to make anyone else shine, yet Shen Lan monopolized them all.

As for him, just a minor employee in the new media department, he naturally crumbled swiftly in the face of Shen Lan, who possessed such a powerful presence and resolute character.

“I, I……”

Xiao Cai struggled desperately, just about to utter the name when the phone beside him rang.

It seemed that he also found a brief reprieve, and he exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Mr. Shen, can I take a call?”

Shen Lan frowned slightly but eventually nodded.

“Yes, but don’t go outside. Take it here.”

Xiao Cai swallowed nervously and hesitantly picked up the phone to his ear.

“Hello….”

After a few seconds, a strange man’s voice came through the earpiece.

“Your name is Cai Shaoguang, from Xiangcheng in A province, 31 years old, single, with a younger brother at home. Your parents are both from the countryside, retired at home, and the family’s income depends entirely on a small convenience store…..”

Cai Shaoguang’s face turned completely pale.

“Who are you, and how do you know so much?”

Shen Lan noticed something was off about him and her eyes narrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Over the earpiece, the man spoke again.

“You can’t afford the consequences if I am exposed.”

Cai Shaoguang trembled in fear and quickly covered the phone, turning to Shen Lan, “It’s nothing, Mr. Shen. I got it wrong; it’s just a friend asking to borrow money. I’ll handle it quickly.”

Seemingly satisfied with his response, the man chuckled softly and continued, “Good, it seems you know the current affairs. The following negotiation will be even simpler.”

“Take all the blame yourself. If anyone finds out that this matter is related to Su Yinwan, a far worse fate awaits you.”

“But……” Cai Shaoguang shook even more violently, “I…”

“I know what you’re worried about.” The man tapped his fingertips on the desktop twice. “If you take responsibility, at most, you’ll serve six months in prison. After half a year, I will arrange a respectable job for you, plus an additional five million, and someone will take good care of your family.”

“But if you don’t……”

The man’s voice grew colder, and although he said no more, Cai Shaoguang was already sweating coldly.

The other party knew his background so well; they must have gone to some lengths to investigate him, and their status and background were undoubtedly beyond his reach.

He was as a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot when up against them.

It was better to take a gamble.

“Is everything you said true?”

“Of course.” The man said, “Tomorrow your family will receive a transfer of five hundred thousand as the start-up capital for our deal.”

“Alright, I understand.”

After hanging up the call, Cai Shaoguang took a deep breath. His gaze then firmed, and he looked straight into Shen Lan’s eyes and said:

“Mr. Shen, no one has bribed me. I acted alone in this matter. I am just jealous of Jiang Li; I can’t stand her. Do you honestly believe she didn’t use nepotism? I can’t believe that a little missy who was cursed by the entire internet could suddenly clean up her act and become an internet sensation!”

Anger crept onto Shen Lan’s face as she abruptly stood up and slammed her hand on the table.

“I warn you to watch your mouth, kid. Jiang Li has nothing to do with Director Sun!”

“Because she is my niece!”

…

After hanging up the phone, Shang Shaojing’s face looked bad in the study, his mind full of Su Yinwan’s sobbing voice on the call.

He felt she had changed somehow, but he couldn’t quite say how.

Before, when he thought of her, his mind was filled with wild desire, but now he was gradually becoming calm.

Maybe he was just too tired lately.

At this thought, Shang Shaojing’s gaze fell upon the mess on the floor, and the frown at the center of his brow tightened in irritation as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

The next second, there came a knock on the door of the study.

“Shaojing, are you in there? It’s me, your elder brother.”

Hearing this, Shang Shaojing’s expression instantly cooled.

Ha, the weasel comes knocking.

He quickly regained his composure and said coldly, “I’m here, come in.”

The door opened, and Shang Shaobai, dressed in a set of light gray loungewear, came in.

Seeing all the knick-knacks scattered across the floor, he paused for a moment before looking at Shang Shaojing with concern on his face.

“Shaojing, are you alright? Has Father been harsh on you again?”

Shang Shaojing squinted his eyes and chuckled coldly, “Isn’t it because elder brother has been fanning the flames in front of Father that made him so angry?”

Shang Shaobai opened his mouth but hesitated, “Shaojing, how can you think so poorly of me? I’ve been persuading Father these past few days, but he won’t listen at all.”

“But you too, how can you leave the whole company behind to dash off into the mountains? Even if you really like that Su Yinwan, you can’t be so reckless.”

Shang Shaojing laughed outright before standing up and walking over to Shang Shaobai, his eyes suddenly darkening.

“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, big brother. I didn’t go to Chixia Village just for Yinwan but for the big secret hidden there.”

“Oh, by the way, I shared this secret with Father, so he left home without a word, not because he was angry.”

After he finished speaking, he slapped Shang Shaobai’s shoulder in a challenging manner and walked out, opening the door.

As the door closed again, the smile on Shang Shaobai’s face faded, replaced by a profound and solemn expression.

Chixia Village’s secret?

What kind of secret could Chixia Village hold to interest both the old man and Shang Shaojing so much?

…

…

The sky turned a fish-belly white, and the early hours of the morning brought brief tranquility to the Capital.

Shen Lan stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the skyscraper, looking at the fading lights of thousands of homes, her restlessness peaking inside her.

For no good reason, why did Cai Shaoguang change his story?

She firmly believed there had to be someone behind him.

But an entire night of investigation had turned up nothing.

Jiang Li had done her such a big favor, but in the end, she wasn’t able to catch the one spreading rumors — she was failing miserably in her duty as an aunt.

Thinking of Jiang Shixu’s expectant look when he had asked for her help, Shen Lan grew even more agitated.

She couldn’t report back to him if the matter wasn’t sorted out.

The more Shen Lan thought about it, the more depressed she got, pacing around the office. Then her eyes landed on the packet of cigarettes on the desk.

Just as her fingers touched it, the image of a man appeared before her eyes.

It was as if he was standing right in front of her, hands on hips, a disgruntled look on his face as he pointed at her.

“Ah Lan, smoking again, huh? Do you even want to get better? Didn’t you say you wanted to be with me for a lifetime? Do you want to leave before me?”

Shen Lan couldn’t help but smile wryly, then raised her hand and tossed the cigarettes into the trash bin.

Having chosen to be his wife, she was determined to be responsible for his family to the very end.