36. Mr. Cheng's daughter

At her desk, Wen Xueyan was already wearing a pair of frameless glasses, which made her look more serious than her actual age. Her neat short haircut a few days ago and the bright purple highlights near her ears subtly balanced her scholarly air.

This new image is a thin layer of armor that she subconsciously puts on herself.

Ever since that night when I narrowly missed Xu Junheng at "Hidden Lodge," an invisible pressure has quietly settled in my heart.

She continued working and living as usual, even deliberately immersing herself in the project, but her senses remained alert, like a young deer sensing the wind in the forest.

In a private office at the other end of the main office building, Xu Junheng leaned against his younger brother Xu Junhang's desk, his gaze sweeping across the open-plan office area outside the window once more.

He flipped through the employee roster, but because many employees didn't have photos in the roster, he couldn't find that face.

However, his doubts were not dispelled; on the contrary, the result of "no such person found" made him even more uneasy.

His gaze finally settled on a profile.

The young woman sitting at the corner workstation, wearing a simple white turtleneck cashmere sweater and khaki trousers, had a neat hairstyle and a striking purple accent near her ear.

The silhouette, especially the curve of her neck when she lowered her head, was vaguely familiar, yet completely different from the gentle and quiet figure she remembered at "Hidden Abode." The woman had long hair, her clothes were even more graceful, and her temperament was as calm as water.

The person in front of me, however, exudes the air of a calm and capable technician.

Xu Junheng is ruthless and often oversteps his bounds, resorting to any means necessary. Last week, he discovered that Qian Yayan, a minor celebrity from Maidong Film and Television Company, a subsidiary of the Cheng Group, had been frequently loitering on the floor where Cheng Boyan's office was located after work, her intentions obvious. She was repeatedly stopped by Secretary Qiao, clearly indicating that Cheng Boyan had no interest in her, but this behavior itself had already angered Xu Junheng.

In his view, any woman who tried to get close to Cheng Boyan could become a threat to his sister's marriage. With a little manipulation, he staged an "accidental" car accident that broke Qian Yayan's leg, forcing her to stay home for at least two months.

But faced with this potential target, Xu Junheng hesitated, a rare occurrence. If she truly was the person Cheng Boyan had brought to "Hidden Abode," then the implications were entirely different. For Cheng Boyan to take her to a place like "Hidden Abode" clearly showed he cared. He had heard of Cheng Boyan's ruthless decisiveness in the business world. To harm someone he genuinely cared about would have unpredictable consequences. Although Xu Junheng was ruthless, he wasn't a mindless brute; he dared not act rashly.

He dared not act rashly when he did not know the other party's background.

"Junhang," Xu Junheng casually pointed to Wen Xueyan's workstation, "how is the work ability of that short-haired, bespectacled female engineer?"

Xu Junhang followed his gaze and said, "Oh, Engineer Wen? Her name is Wen Xueyan. She's a key technical member here, a core member of several critical projects. She's reliable and steady in her work, and she also has technical patents."

Wen Xueyan. Xu Junheng silently repeated the name in his mind. A key technical expert, reliable and steady. These descriptions were far removed from the image of a "mistress" who clung to power and wealth that he had imagined.

He pondered for a moment and said to Xu Junhang, "I've recently become interested in a few of your polyolefin projects and would like to have a brief chat with one of the engineers. How about Engineer Wen? Have her wait for me in the small meeting room."

Xu Junhang nodded and instructed his secretary to make the notification.

When Wen Xueyan received the notification, her heart skipped a beat. Xu Junheng? She immediately recalled the scrutinizing gaze in that corridor. She suppressed her racing heartbeat, composed herself, picked up her notebook and pen, and walked calmly towards the small meeting room.

Xu Junheng was the only one in the reception room. He stood by the window, and when she came in, he turned around with a formulaic, slightly stern smile on his face.

"Mr. Wen, sorry to bother you. Please have a seat." He gestured to the sofa and sat down opposite him, his tone as casual as if he were conducting a random work inquiry. "I heard from Junhang that your group's project is progressing well. Let's chat casually, no need to be nervous."

He asked a few questions about the feasibility of the new silo design, and Wen Xueyan answered clearly and logically, using accurate terminology, and with a humble yet assertive attitude, just like a professional engineer.

As Xu Junheng listened, his uncertainty grew. Had she really made a mistake? This professional knowledge was clearly not something she had faked; the woman in front of him was genuinely talented and hadn't just been randomly placed into the company.

At this moment, he took out a slightly worn publication from his briefcase, with the words "Cheng Group 10th Anniversary Commemorative Publication" printed on the cover.

"Oh, right, I happened to see this old internal publication a few days ago, which reminded me of some old times. Since it's a publication from six years ago, most of the new employees haven't seen it. In recent years, due to the widespread use of the internet, the publication has been discontinued." He casually pushed the publication onto the coffee table in front of Wen Xueyan and turned to a page.

That page featured a heartwarming family interview, accompanied by a large color photograph. In the photo, Cheng Boyan, eight years ago, looked slightly youthful, but his brows already hinted at a sharp edge. Beside him was Xu Junxian, smiling brightly and nestled close to him, with a lovely little girl of about two or three years old between them. The article's title read, "The Warm Pillar Behind Success: Mr. Cheng and His Family's Happy Times."

Wen Xueyan's breath hitched slightly. Although she had been mentally prepared and had considered many bad possibilities before coming, seeing the evidence of Cheng Boyan's intimacy with another woman and another child still caused a sharp, stinging pain in her heart. She could even clearly see the way Cheng Boyan looked at her daughter then, with a gentle light she had never seen before, a light that belonged to family life.

Moreover, Cheng Boyan had never told her that he had a daughter.

But Wen Xueyan's face remained calm and expressionless, only her gaze behind her glasses was slightly lowered, falling on the photo as if she were looking at an ordinary picture that had nothing to do with her.

Xu Junheng carefully observed her every reaction, not missing any subtle changes in her expression. He saw her gaze linger on the photo for a moment, but there was no unusual emotional fluctuation—no jealousy, no panic, and even curiosity seemed very limited.

“President Cheng and his wife were a well-known loving couple in the industry back then. President Cheng especially adored this daughter.” Xu Junheng spoke with a half-smile, his tone carrying a sentimental reminiscence, but his eyes were sharp as knives. “Look at this family of three, President Cheng loves his daughter very much. It’s a pity my sister was in a car accident later, but thankfully, she has now woken up.” He paused at the right moment.

Wen Xueyan raised her eyes, her gaze calmly meeting Xu Junheng's through her glasses. Her voice was steady: "Mr. Xu, these old stories you mentioned have nothing to do with the project we're discussing now." She looked away from the internal publication, her tone distant and professional. "If Mr. Xu doesn't have any other technical questions, I have a set of data that needs to be processed as soon as possible."

Wen Xueyan recalled that Cheng Boyan had proposed having a daughter with her. Was it because he liked daughters? Where was the child now? She had many questions, but she didn't ask Xu Junheng because she felt that asking would only lead to more trouble, and someone like Xu Junheng might not give her the truth.

She didn't reveal any personal emotions, but calmly steered the conversation back to work and expressed her intention to end the conversation.

Xu Junheng felt that this reaction meant either she was completely unaware and indifferent, or her mental fortitude far exceeded that of ordinary people.

Xu Junheng stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled and closed the internal publication: "That's true, it's all in the past. Let's not delay Engineer Wen's work. Thank you for the introduction."

"Of course." Wen Xueyan stood up, nodded slightly, picked up her notebook, and turned to leave the meeting room. Her steps were steady, her back straight, without any haste or panic.

The door closed gently.

He vaguely felt that Wen Xueyan was Cheng Boyan's lover, but he still couldn't be completely sure. In fact, he suddenly felt a little envious of such a relationship. Although it wasn't public, they seemed to have genuine feelings for each other, unlike his own family, which only had an endless sense of emptiness.

On this day, Xu Junheng also made up his mind that no matter what happens, he will not do anything to harm Wen Xueyan's life.

When Xu Junheng returned to his villa, a lingering doubt remained between his brows.

He took off his coat and handed it to the nanny. When he looked up, he saw his sister, Xu Junxian, sitting on the sofa in the living room. She was wearing a soft, off-white cashmere cardigan and was curled up in a corner of the sofa.

"Junxian?" Xu Junheng was a little surprised. "Why did you come over? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

Xu Junxian turned around at the sound of her voice, forcing a smile. "Brother, you're back. It's nothing, I was just feeling bored being alone and wanted to come and sit with you." Her voice was light and airy, carrying a lingering weariness and disappointment.

Xu Junheng sat down opposite her, observing her expression.

The nanny brought over hot tea, the rising steam temporarily dispelling some of the chill. Xu Junheng pondered for a moment, then decided to tell her what had happened that day. Perhaps, he could find a glimmer of hope for reconciliation, even if the methods weren't exactly honorable.

"I went to the chemical company under Boyan today," he said calmly, picking up his teacup.

Xu Junxian's eyelashes fluttered, and she looked up at him with a questioning gaze.

“I suspect that Bo Yan might have someone else around him,” Xu Junheng continued, his sharp eyes catching his sister’s reaction. “Last week at a high-end restaurant, I saw a woman following behind him, and their relationship seemed unusual. I went there today to confirm it.”

Xu Junxian's body tensed instantly: "You found her? Who is she?"

“Not sure yet.” Xu Junheng shook his head. “There’s a female engineer in the company whose profile looks a bit like him, but not quite. I tried to find out.” He paused, as if mentioning it casually, “I showed her that old group newsletter from many years ago, the one with the photo of your family of three.”

"What?!" Xu Junxian sat bolt upright, her eyes instantly filled with shock and disbelief. "Brother! How could you... how could you show her that?!"

Xu Junheng hadn't expected her reaction to be so intense. He frowned and said, "What's wrong? It's just an old photo. Let her know that Bo Yan has a family and a daughter, and she'll back down..."

“Daughter…” Xu Junxian seemed to be stung by the word, abruptly interrupting him, her voice almost incoherent, “Brother! How can you bring up our daughter?! You know perfectly well, you know perfectly well that she is not Bo Yan’s biological daughter!”

Not long after her marriage, Xu Junxian was found to be pregnant, which was a bit rushed. After the child was born, the Xu family secretly conducted a paternity test, which confirmed the worst suspicion: the child was the father of Xu Junxian's boyfriend before her marriage, Gu Mengzhou.

The Xu family used their connections to cover up the matter. Cheng Boyan may have been busy expanding his business at the time, or he may not have investigated it in detail. Or perhaps he found out about it at some point later.

“I know,” Xu Junheng’s voice hardened, “but outsiders don’t. That photo looks like a happy family. Using that to deter those arrogant women is the most effective way.” His logic was direct and cold.

Xu Junxian felt conflicted.

"Brother! I don't agree with what you're doing." Xu Junxian lowered her hand, looking at him with teary eyes. "I didn't mean to do this. I want to win Bo Yan back. I want him to accept me again. I don't want to use this kind of deceptive means to scare him away!"

"Your extramarital affair after marriage, isn't that also deception?" Xu Junheng frowned as he looked at his sister's tearful face. He understood her soft heart, but he believed more in results. In his view, the process was unimportant; achieving the goal was key, especially since this marriage also involved business partnerships.

*

After returning home, Wen Xueyan's mind was once again filled with the photo of the family of three, and the magazine was clearly genuine. She missed the warmth and care Cheng Boyan had given her, but she also wondered if she had really become the other woman. She had a vague feeling that Cheng Boyan wouldn't deceive her, although she wasn't entirely sure.

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Dear readers, this book has a happy ending (HE), and the tag indicates it's HE. However, I discovered today that I mistakenly wrote a bad ending (BE) in the author's notes in a previous chapter. This has now been corrected.