Chapter 289 Contest

"Not mentioning it?" Director Guan raised his eyebrows in surprise and stopped walking. "What do you mean, you regret it?"

"I told you to shut up, don't you understand?" Yan Baiqing's tone suddenly became cruel.

He felt a tightness in his chest and used all his strength to restrain himself.

Since Huangjia International was implicated in the Yan family, the board of directors was very dissatisfied with the scandal that had arisen as soon as he took office. Dismissing his confidants in the group was tantamount to blowing the horn and inciting others to weaken his power.

The Tang family took Qi Kai away, probably because they already knew the whole story. Instead of causing trouble and letting the board of directors take advantage of it, it would be better for him to take the initiative.

Guan Dong saw that he looked unhappy, but dared not say anything. He grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What a waste of time..."

The Tang family servants took the two men directly to the theater in the back mountain. They were not familiar with Yan Baiqing and just thought he was a guest brought by Director Guan, so they arranged seats in the second row.

When the aunt saw him, she was surprised but said nothing and looked away.

"I've been wanting to visit you, Madam, for a while now, but you were busy these past few days." Director Guan trotted over to the central throne. "By the way, let me introduce you to a distinguished guest from the Guan family."

Yan Baiqing climbed the steps and bowed politely, "Old Madam, please don't be offended that Baiqing came uninvited."

The aunt took a sip of tea and smiled faintly, "Mr. Yan, you are too polite. Since you are a distinguished guest of the Guan family, you are not an outsider." She put down the teacup, "But when did the Yan family cooperate with the Guan family? I haven't heard Mr. Guan mention it."

Director Guan sat down on the left. "As you know, I had to inspect the factory for Mr. Yan. I happened to run into him at a cocktail party the other day. It was fate!"

The aunt was silent for a few seconds and then casually asked questions and exchanged greetings.

The servant moved the guests' tea cups and snacks to the front row and invited Yan Baiqing to take a seat.

He glanced at the servants' positions. The nanny who had been beside the old lady of the Tang family had quietly retreated. She was probably going to stop the person who invited Chen Qing to come to the theater.

It seems that when she saw him, the old lady already knew who he was, his purpose, and the relationship between him and Chen Qing.

"I heard your mother is ill." The great aunt faced forward, her tone flat. "The burden of the group falls on you alone. How can you find time to come to the south to join in the fun?"

Yan Baiqing brushed off the dust on his trouser legs and said modestly, "I have official business and personal matters. This concerns the future of the Yan family, so it's no big deal if I have to make a hard trip."

"Did he arrive the day before yesterday? Oh, it's a good thing you didn't come home that day. There was a breach in the theater, and a villain took advantage of it. It scared the old man to death."

"Did they catch him?" Director Guan was shocked and looked around. "Who is so bold? Is the old man okay?"

The servant poured a fresh pot of tea. Grandma looked at the white smoke in the cup and shook her head. "I've been so busy with my own affairs that I've been delayed in meeting Mr. Guan. But—" She paused meaningfully and laughed, "The walls of this theater are breathable, so other things will be easy to handle."

Yan Baiqing lowered his eyes and frowned, and did not respond.

Director Guan didn't understand what was meant, but he could sense that the atmosphere was not right. He responded with a wry smile and turned to look at the stage.

The troupe was ready and the show began with three gong sounds.

Originally, the Tang family had put on these plays today to entertain Mr. Guan, to see if the troupe's skills impressed the Guan family, and to suggest moving up the wedding date as a matter of course. However, they didn't expect an uninvited guest to show up.

Not long after, the aunt asked the servant to pass on a message and improvised a clip from "The Orphan of Zhao".

The cold wind blew and the rustling of the woods on the back mountain created a shocking atmosphere.

On the stage, Cheng Ying endured humiliation and waited for an opportunity to act, while under the stage, undercurrents surged and the situation was turbulent.

Yan Baiqing had a dull expression and nodded at the teacup.

While the servant was adding tea, he carefully looked at the people in the civil and martial arts theater who were hidden by the fluttering costumes, and frowned slightly.

Suddenly, the Tang family bodyguard stepped forward and said, "Madam, a woman was sneaking close to Miss Chen's yard and was detained. Miss Chen said that she is in your hands."

Yan Baiqing squinted his eyes and vaguely understood something.

"Bring it here."

The troupe was suddenly stopped and the actors looked at this place in confusion.

The next second, the Pipa girl was brought in front of everyone.

"She's the pipa player in the opera troupe's literary section. Miss Chen noticed something was amiss on the troupe's first day at the park and ordered us to keep a close eye on her," the bodyguard captain reported in detail. "For several days in a row, this pipa player repeatedly approached Miss Chen's friend's bedroom. The rear window of that room is a blind spot for surveillance. Just now, she broke in through the window and was apprehended on the spot."

Director Guan had never seen such a scene before, and stood up in a panic, "Old Madam, this——"

"I'm sorry to have made you two laugh at me." Grandma calmly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and ordered the bodyguards, "Keep a good look at him. Notify the city police to come and arrest him. Be sure to find out who ordered this."

Director Guan, hands on his hips, circled around the Pipa girl. "Don't worry, old lady! He went to great lengths to infiltrate the Tang family with ill intentions... If the city bureau can't find out, I'll ask you to investigate!"

Yan Baiqing suddenly raised his eyes, and Director Guan was startled by his gaze. The moment he understood, sweat broke out on his back.

"Since the old lady has something important to do, we won't disturb her." Yan Baiqing stood up and nodded, passing by the Pipa girl.

He had a sinister aura, and a single glance from him made the Pipa girl tremble all over.

Guan Dong followed closely behind the man, lowering his voice, "Mr. Yan, what are you doing? Did you let that Pipa girl in there? Aren't you trying to harm me?"

Yan Baiqing left the theater without saying a word, and stopped suddenly when he passed by the house where Chen Qing lived.

There was a man standing on the screen wall facing the courtyard gate.

Her long black hair was tangled in the wind, her apricot-pink coat made her face look flawless and bright, her eyes were clear and bright as she stood there quietly, staring at him.

Their eyes met and Yan Baiqing's Adam's apple rolled heavily.

The Pipa girl was chosen by Hua Mei to spy on Li Xiangli's daughter. The fact that she chose to take action today was inseparable from Chen Qing's instigation, which gave the old lady of the Tang family a chance to control him in person.

If the Pipa Girl cannot withstand the investigation, together with Qi Kai, the Tang family will have two chips to suppress him.

Any one of them is enough to put his position in the Yan family in jeopardy.

"Did you do this?" Yan Baiqing asked.

Chen Qing took a step forward and raised his head slightly, "Did you do this?"

"Qing'er, are you so unwilling to go back with me?"

Chen Qing looked at him with a look of half helplessness and half pity. After a moment of silence, he turned around and hid in the corner.

A vortex formed in the man's eyes, his chest trembled violently, and he walked away with a wave of his sleeves.