Chapter 68. Tell me now, immediately. ...

Thinking that Christmas would be over soon and the new year would be just around the corner, Shang Shu and Gu Sui discussed and decided to schedule the house-hunting activity for the new year, as a way to bring good luck.

The next morning, before Gu Sui had even woken up, Shang Shu rushed to the airport without stopping.

The airport wasn't large, and she didn't dare to be too conspicuous, so she didn't have many people with Song Lan, but it was enough to guard a few key locations.

Time passed by, and it was almost midnight. Shang Shu tried to remain calm as she replied to Gu Sui's message, but she began to feel uneasy.

"Mr. Shang, is that it?" Song Lan also lowered her voice, not getting up immediately, not daring to be too obvious.

Shang Shu tightened her grip on her phone and followed Song Lan's gaze. Seeing that the person who came was Secretary Kong, she didn't care about anything else and quickly got up and walked towards the person.

"Young Miss?" Secretary Kong was surprised to see Shang Shu here. She paused, her expression somewhat complicated.

Seeing that the person had no intention of running away, Shang Shu breathed a sigh of relief. She had made some other preparations, but now it seemed that the situation was not as bad as she had imagined.

She glanced at the time; there was plenty of time. So she said to Secretary Kong, "There are too many people around, let's talk in the car."

Secretary Kong did not refuse, seemingly knowing she had no choice, and obediently followed Shang Shu to the car.

As the partition slowly rose to its top, Shang Shu spoke calmly: "You should know why I came today. I also know that you don't plan to come back after you leave. I don't intend to make things difficult for you. I just need you to tell me everything you know. Let's get straight to the point, shall we?"

Secretary Kong nodded, thought for a moment, and then slowly said, "At the engagement banquet, I was not clear about where those funds went. It was only later that I found out that they were transferred to the Chen family in the name of the Third Miss's dowry."

Shang Shu listened quietly, comparing each piece of information with what she already knew.

Secretary Kong glanced out the window and continued, "Madam wants to secure a seat for the Chen family on the board of directors, but the master has been unwilling to sign off on it. So she transferred funds to the Chen family and then let them enter as strategic investors. This way, they can bypass the master and get approval directly from the board of directors."

Shang Shu frowned upon hearing this: "But what's the motive?"

She really couldn't understand what benefit Feng Yuan gained from going to such lengths to get the Chen family involved, even using merchants' money to buy her own property for someone else.

“The trust is why I chose to invite you to the engagement banquet. It’s not just because of the connection with Madam that I mentioned earlier, but also because… you are the future heir of the business group,” Secretary Kong sighed with relief. “The master has been paying attention to S&S all these years. He knows your achievements and abilities, so he has put his group shares into a trust and clearly identified you as the main beneficiary.”

Upon hearing this, Shang Shu closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

"In comparison, the Madam and the second and third young ladies only have partial economic power. Although I didn't say it, it doesn't mean there aren't other Madams' people in the group. She must have heard or guessed something to be so eager to bring in the Chen family as external capital in exchange for a voice within the group and to pave the way for the future."

Secretary Kong gave Shang Shu a deep look, then sighed, "I shouldn't have said these things, but I'm no longer in that position. Secretary Cheng is now Madam's person, and Master's health is worrying. Miss, you'd better make plans as soon as possible."

Everything suddenly became clear, but Shang Shu felt a mix of emotions, unsure whether to be happy or sad. It turned out that this was the reason why she had been unable to understand it before.

She knew that Feng Yuan wasn't after money, but rather that she feared the group would fall into her hands after Shang Wei left, which was why she was so eager to seize power, even at the expense of someone else. She also knew that Shang Wei wasn't doing this out of love or indebtedness towards her, but simply because he saw the value she could bring to the group and the family.

The more Shang Shu thought about it, the more pathetic and ridiculous it seemed. More than 20 years of "loving marriage" had left them with nothing but a basket of scheming. Those who abandoned their wives and children only realized in retrospect that their abandoned children were the only ones they could entrust with anything. The birds that most wanted to escape their cages would eventually be shackled. They were all outwardly beautiful and insincere, and they were all destined to never get what they wanted.

After seeing Secretary Kong off, Shang Shu's emotions remained unsettled for a long time. On the way back to the waterfront, she asked Song Lan to contact a lawyer as well, because she needed to clarify her thoughts under the guidance of a professional and make full preparations for the next tough battle.

The car had only driven a short distance when the partition between the front and rear rows was slowly lowered.

"Miss, there's a car following us," the driver said worriedly.

Upon hearing this, Shang Shu immediately became alert. She turned around and observed for a while. Sure enough, no matter how they changed lanes, the car followed closely behind. Although it wasn't Shang's car, she knew it must be one of Feng Yuan's people. She blamed herself for only thinking about blocking Secretary Kong and forgetting that Feng Yuan might also send someone to keep an eye on things.

"Drive towards the city center." Shang Shu's mind raced, and her heart pounded.

The traffic on this stretch of road isn't heavy, so she needs to go to a place with more people and cars, so that perhaps the other party won't dare to make any rash moves.

"yes."

The car started to accelerate, and so did the other car. As if they had read their minds, after a turn, the car behind suddenly accelerated and crashed into them unexpectedly.

The car jolted violently, and before she could turn around, her body was thrown forward by inertia, crashing into the metal at the lower edge of the partition. Shang Shu couldn't help but groan.

Fortunately, the van was heavy enough not to tip over due to loss of balance. However, given its considerable speed, the van still swayed violently for a while before being brought to a stop on the side of the road.

"President Shang, are you alright?" The front row was less affected by the impact, and Song Lan immediately looked at Shang Shu in the back row after regaining her senses.

Shang Shu felt dizzy. She struggled to her feet, supporting herself on the handrail, and gently gasped for breath, clutching her aching forehead: "I'm fine."

Through the rear window, Shang Shu watched the car with its dented front end speed away. She knew that Feng Yuan didn't want to kill her this time, but rather to give her a warning. To dare to attack her in broad daylight, in a place with cameras everywhere, Feng Yuan must have made thorough preparations.

"Mr. Shang, you're injured. Please go to the hospital first."

Hearing Song Lan's anxious voice, Shang Shu then noticed that there was a bloody scratch on her left temple. She nodded, still feeling a little dizzy.

Unwilling to trust the medical center run by the business, Shang Shu went to a nearby private hospital. After her wound was treated simply, she told Song Lan not to accompany her and to take care of the aftermath of what had just happened. She then lay in the ward waiting for further examinations.

She closed her eyes and pondered. Perhaps Feng Yuan had already become suspicious when she last went to the hospital. Now that she was being watched, she absolutely could not return to Shui'an. She could not let Gu Sui take the risk with her.

Shang Shu picked up her phone, hesitated, and then called Gu Sui.

“A-Shu.” Gu Sui answered quickly as always.

Shang Shu gently propped herself up, trying to make her voice sound normal: "Hmm, have you eaten?"

An opening statement that serves as a prelude.

On the other end of the phone, Gu Sui's soft, chuckling voice came through: "Yes, didn't I just ask?"

She forgot; she had already asked Gu Sui once when she sent him a message at the airport.

Shang Shu touched her brow bone in frustration, forgetting the injury on her forehead. When she touched it, she couldn't help but hiss softly. She took a few breaths and felt a throbbing pain in her forehead.

"What's wrong?" The study was quiet, but Gu Sui keenly caught the faint sound.

Shang Shu nervously scratched at the bed sheet with her fingers. She knew that this matter couldn't be kept secret sooner or later, but she really didn't want Gu Sui to worry too much. So after hesitating for a moment, she said, "I... I won't go back to the waterfront for the next two days. I'll go back to Yijing Bay to stay first. I'll explain the rest to you later, okay?"

Shang Shu felt dizzy in waves. After speaking, she lay down on the pillow to rest. It wasn't convenient to talk about it here, and besides, this matter couldn't be explained in just a few words.

There was silence on the other end of the phone, as if someone was trying to process the information in the conversation. Shang Shu could hear Gu Sui's disordered breathing.

"Where are you?" About ten seconds later, Gu Sui's cold and deep voice came.

"I--"

"Ms. Shang, I'll take you to get a CT scan now."

Shang Shu had just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by a nurse who came over. Her voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was particularly clear in the empty ward.

She gestured for the nurse to wait a moment, then turned back and gently covered her lips as she repeated to Gu Sui, "I'll come later—"

"Shang Shu, tell me right now, where are you?" Gu Sui was anxious and unconsciously raised her voice to call out the person's full name, because she had heard the nurse's words clearly.

Shang Shu's knuckles were turning white as she gripped the phone. She closed her eyes and exhaled, "Don't worry, I'm at the hospital."

Hearing the heavy breathing on the other end and the sound of clothes rubbing together, she bit her lip and added, "I'll send you the address in a bit."

"Now." Two words that leave no room for argument.

Shang Shu heard Gu Sui quickly coming down the stairs, and she softly replied, "Okay."

Gu Sui rarely spoke to her in this way, and Shang Shu knew that she was truly angry.

Gu Sui arrived quickly. On her way, she had spoken with Song Lan on the phone and learned the whole story. Her originally gloomy expression turned into heartache the moment she stepped into the ward and saw the wound on Shang Shu's forehead.

Shang Shu was resting in bed, still feeling dizzy. She felt that even her reaction to looking at her phone was a little slow. When she saw Gu Sui arrive, she struggled to get up.

"Don't move." Gu Sui frowned and quickly came to the person's side and pressed them down.

She glanced around at her surroundings, her brows furrowing even deeper. She considered taking Shang Shu back to the Gujia Medical Center for another thorough examination, but worried about the discomfort it would cause her, so she decided to abandon the idea.

"I'll go get some water." Seeing Shang Shu all alone there, without even a drop of water beside her, Gu Sui's eyes reddened a little.

"No need, I'm not thirsty." Shang Shu moistened her slightly dry lips, not wanting Gu Sui to do anything else.

"Don't worry, I'm fine, just a scrape on my forehead." She also had a mild concussion, but seeing Gu Sui's pale face, Shang Shu didn't say anything.

Again, "Nothing's wrong," Gu Sui said, pressing his lips into a straight line.

Seeing Gu Sui rushing over, looking travel-worn with several strands of hair disheveled, Shang Shu raised her hand, wanting to straighten it for him, but Gu Sui subtly turned his head away.

"Gu Sui, I—"

"Get some rest first, I'm going to make a phone call." Gu Sui's voice was gentle as he patted Shang Shu's hand reassuringly twice before getting up and leaving the ward.