Chapter 284 Termination of Cooperation

Si Yanxiao listened to Gu Nan's advice, his thin lips pursed slightly, a hint of impatience flashing between his brows, and he replied in a deep voice: "I know what I'm doing, just do as I say."

Gu Nan looked puzzled after hearing this. Si Yanxiao always kept public and private matters separate. Why would he suddenly use this to suppress the An family, even at all costs?

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind. Seeing Si Yanxiao's cold attitude, Gu Nan tentatively asked, "Is it related to Jiang Ran?"

Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's eyes turned slightly cold, and his face was full of chill.

Gu Nan instantly understood. After Si Zuochen made the call, his assistant found out who was behind it and even mentioned it to him. Then, thinking about how Si Yanxiao was so eager to retaliate, it was clear that it was related to that matter.

Thinking of this, Gu Nan stopped trying to persuade her and replied, "Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Si Yanxiao lowered his eyes and watched his departing figure, his expression unreadable.

The next morning, news that the Si Group had announced the termination of its contract with the An Group and that it would never cooperate with them again quickly dominated the headlines, instantly stirring up a storm in the business world.

Various companies speculated about the inside story, and some companies that were good at judging the situation also issued statements, putting An's Group in an extremely awkward position.

President's Office of An's Group.

"What exactly happened? Why would the Si Group suddenly issue such a statement out of the blue!" With a sharp shout, the person sitting in the main seat threw the newspaper in his hand to the ground, his brows furrowed and his face full of anger.

The secretary stood aside, not daring to say much, and could only cautiously try to comfort her: "President An, could there be some misunderstanding?"

"After all, we have always maintained friendly relations with the Si family, and we didn't receive any news about him before he suddenly issued a statement."

An Mingcheng's face darkened as he listened to his secretary's words, his expression filled with displeasure.

The Si Group is now a leading enterprise with an unshakeable position in the market, acting as a bellwether.

It is clearly a blow to them if such a statement were issued by them.

A sudden, abrupt knocking sounded at the door. An annoyance flashed through An Mingcheng's mind, and he coldly barked, "Come in!"

The public relations manager walked in, his face grim, and said, "President An, the Si Group has issued three statements refusing to cooperate with any company that has dealings with the An Group."

"What?!" Upon hearing this news, An Mingcheng stood up abruptly, his face filled with shock.

This undoubtedly threatens other companies to take sides, putting them in an extremely passive position, and now they are caught in a dilemma.

"Go and talk to the public relations department of the Si Group right away, and find out what happened and how things got to this point."

Upon hearing this, the public relations manager's eyes flickered slightly, and an unnatural look flashed across his face. After hesitating for a moment, he replied in a low voice, "I have already inquired, but the Si Group is currently refusing to accept any of our communications."

The implication was quite clear: they wanted to sever ties with them.

As An Mingcheng listened, his brows furrowed even more, and a sense of anxiety rose within him. The lack of information channels meant that they were out of touch and could only suffer in silence, letting the situation continue to develop without any chance of reversing it.

Just then, someone suddenly pushed the door open and entered. An Mingcheng looked at him with displeasure and coldly rebuked him, "What's the panic?!"

The assistant pointed behind him and stammered, "President An, Special Assistant Gu from the Si Group has arrived!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Nan strode forward, raised an eyebrow slightly when she looked at An Mingcheng, and slowly said, "President An."

When An Mingcheng saw Gu Nan suddenly arrive, his eyes lit up. He quickly walked up to him and hurriedly asked, "Assistant Gu, please have a seat."

After saying that, he considerately invited Gu Nan to sit down aside and then asked, "What exactly happened? Our two companies have always been allies, so why would they suddenly stop cooperating?"

Seeing the anxiety in his tone, Gu Nan raised an eyebrow and a hint of disdain flashed across her face. She replied in a deep voice, "President An, don't worry. I came here specifically to clear up your doubts."

"We're a friendly team, that's fine, but we can't stop some people from playing dirty tricks behind our backs..."

As she spoke, she paused slightly, leaving An Mingcheng with much to ponder. An Mingcheng, hearing this, felt utterly bewildered. His brow furrowed slightly, a hint of doubt flashing across his face, before he asked in a low voice, "Playing dirty tricks behind my back? What do you mean by that?"

"Is someone trying to sow discord between our two families?"

Gu Nan looked down at him quietly, her expression unreadable, and a sense of panic inexplicably rose in An Mingcheng's heart.

Just as he was about to speak in his defense, Gu Nan's lips curled up slightly, a cold smile suddenly appearing on her face. She then said sarcastically, "For the specifics, you'll probably have to ask your precious daughter what she's done!"

"How dare you scheme against the Madam and Young Master of the Si Group? Do you really think the Si Group is dead?!"

His tone was calm, yet it subtly conveyed a hint of malice, exuding authority without anger.

An Mingcheng's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. He only had this one daughter, so he naturally doted on her and spoiled her rotten. However, he never expected that she would offend someone he shouldn't have!

He quickly apologized, saying, "Is there some misunderstanding here...?"

"Don't worry, if it's true, I'll definitely go back and teach her a lesson and make her come to apologize in person. But after all, it's just kids fooling around, there's no need to escalate it into a conflict within the company."

Gu Nan listened, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. She parted her thin lips and replied in a deep voice, "Nonsense? You should also know that President Si is always protective of his own. Even his family's lives were threatened. If it were you, would you forgive him with just a few words?"

Then he stood up and said coldly, "A daughter who can't be taught and only causes trouble, and the inheritance of the company—you can think it over carefully. Choose one."

Having said that, without waiting for An Mingcheng's reply, he turned and left.

An Mingcheng heard the warning in his words, looked up at his departing figure, and felt a strange sense of panic.

She immediately got up and drove home. An Li was completely unaware of what was happening outside. She was still sleepy as she walked downstairs. When An Mingcheng returned and saw her doing nothing, he was immediately filled with anger.

He coldly shouted, "Get over here!"

A shout startled Anli awake instantly, and the maid who was wiping her clothes, sensing the tense atmosphere, quickly withdrew.

Seeing her father's angry expression, An Li was puzzled. She frowned slightly, walked slowly towards him, and asked unhappily, "What's wrong? Why are you so fierce?"

Before she could finish speaking, An Mingcheng raised his hand and slapped her across the face.

A crisp "snap" sounded particularly abrupt in the empty hall.

Hearing the noise from downstairs, Mrs. An rushed downstairs and saw An Li covering her face with one hand, tears in her eyes, staring at An Mingcheng with a resentful look.

Seeing this, she quickly went to the side and gently comforted her, "Lily, are you alright?"

As she spoke, she turned her head and glared at An Mingcheng, coldly questioning, "What are you doing! Why are you hitting your daughter for no reason!"

Seeing the two glaring at him angrily, An Mingcheng felt a sudden surge of irritation. He looked down at An Li and replied coldly, "Ask her what she did!"

"What did I do!" An Li's face turned cold as she argued with An Mingcheng, "What heinous thing did I do that deserves you to slap me like that!"

"Because of you alone, the company is now being targeted everywhere. If this continues, it won't be long before it goes bankrupt!"

"The An Group was passed down from your great-grandfathers. Are you only satisfied if you destroy it in my hands?!"

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across An Li's face, and Mrs. An's pupils suddenly contracted as she quickly asked, "What's going on? What happened?"

An Mingcheng glared at An Li, then roared in fury, "The Si Group is now terminating all cooperation with us, and will never cooperate with us again!"

"It's all because of your arrogant and domineering daughter that you dared to provoke Si Yanxiao's wife and children!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. An's face showed a hint of panic. She knew what kind of person the Si family was without needing to elaborate.

Seeing Anli silently shedding tears, I couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He then asked, "Is it that Jiang Ran? Maybe she's the one who provoked her?"