Watching An Xin's back as she climbed the stairs, An Jingsheng sighed. "Ah, a daughter grows up and can't be kept. The boy already has a girlfriend, yet you still side with outsiders."
He muttered complaints, but still pulled out his phone.
He pressed the call button without hesitation.
The line connected almost instantly.
A steady middle-aged voice answered.
"Hello, Chairman. Good evening."
An Jingsheng said, "Stop the investigation."
The other party hesitated a second. "Then… do we keep looking into the other angles? "
"Can you actually find anything? "
"I… I'll do my utmost."
Seeing no confidence, An Jingsheng shook his head. "Tell everyone to drop it."
An Xin was right—this had nothing to do with An Sheng Group in the first place. Why meddle?
The trail was ice-cold; the deeper they probed, the more they'd doubt their own suspicions.
Maybe he'd been wrong from the start.
Besides, he now knew Jiang Cheng's background was anything but simple.
Wen Ang was already dead. Why charge into danger for a son-in-law who hadn't even stepped through the door?
The caller exhaled relief. "Understood, chairman. One more thing: the eldest young lady has been following the tender closely, and it looks like she intends to step in."
An Jingsheng rubbed his temples. "If she wants to manage it, let her."
"However, the other party is a newly formed company with no track record. The project is huge—awarding it to them feels risky."
An Jingsheng shook his head.
He'd already looked into the firm.
A joint venture of several second-generation scions—each backed by formidable families.
If they were motivated, the execution should be fine.
"Didn't the bidding just enter the third round? Passing the first two proves they have the scale and ability. Don't interfere; let her decide this round. We'll revisit it in the fourth."
"Yes, chairman. And Wenan Group? "
"At this stage we can't openly cut ties. They'll advance to the third round; the fourth will test their real strength."
"Have they changed their project leader yet? "
"Not officially decided."
"Keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't stir trouble inside our company."
After ending the call, An Jingsheng sighed again.
He picked up the photo frame on his desk.
He traced the young, beautiful face inside. "Your daughter's got your stubborn streak. Looks like a tough executive, but deep down she's what the kids today call a hopeless romantic...
"Your parents opposed you marrying me, yet you insisted. Turns out marrying me was a mistake. Had I skipped drinks and come to pick you up, you wouldn't have crashed, and An Xin would still have her mother..."
"I don't know if my decisions now are right. I've worked nonstop to give her the best life. Now she has everything material, and I wish she'd find someone to lean on.
"After studying abroad she came back changed—so laid-back. Others her age chase romance; she spent college building a museum. If she hadn't adopted Annie, I'd have thought she'd become a nun.
"At last there's someone she likes—he's a bit young, but if they can make it work, great. He has a girlfriend, yet they aren't married, so strictly speaking he's still fair game. Should I give them a nudge? "
...
On the other side, Jiang Cheng had no inkling of An Xin's family drama; right now he was demonstrating his handiwork on Qiao Yinyin.
Though none of the techniques were new,
Every time he still marveled: damn, they work like magic!
They always left her dazed,
Crying out to heaven.
That was exactly Qiao Yinyin at the moment.
Meanwhile, his wechat kept buzzing nonstop.
Seeing Yinyin too spent to move,
He washed his hands unhurriedly in the bathroom,
Then sat on the bed and opened the chat log.
In the small Social Media Platform group, Chen Hao had spammed links:
"Wenan Group's head accidentally drowned; investigation ongoing."
"Wenan Group to re-select leader; shareholders convene emergency midnight meeting."
"Wenan infighting begins—rumored illegitimate son joins fray: conspiracy or coincidence? "
"Wenan leader's mother posts late-night abuse claims, photos of injuries; multiple hidden love children spark uproar."
"Wenan leader abused women; victim in ER."
These headlines set the group alight:
Wang Zheng: "Just heard An Sheng's third-round tender should be in the bag."
Qin Fen: "Wasn't it still up in the air? "
Wang Zheng: "My source says Sister An greased the wheels."
Wang Congcong: "Did Wenan get in? "
Wang Zheng: "@Wang Congcong, didn't ask—will check."
Qin Fen: "Sister An stepped in? Must be for Old Jiang."
Chen Hao: "Same here—last night she looked at Old Jiang like gooey cheese. Heartbreaking."
Qi Yuan: "@Chen Hao, did I miss something epic? "
Qin Fen: "@Chen I think you've got issues."
Chen Hao: "Hey, I only admire Sister An; if I crush on anyone, it's Old Jiang."
Wang Zheng: "@Chen Hao, puke."
Qin Fen: "Puke."
Wang Congcong: "@Jiang Cheng, are you taking him or not? "
Jiang Cheng: "@all—already left the chat."