His voice was low and gentle, with a promise that could not be denied, and the light cast soft shadows on his face, outlining his resolute features.

Ning Nanxue looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. The silver light flickered under the lamp, emitting a subtle glow. She gently stroked the delicate clasp with her fingertips.

"Does this bracelet have any other secrets?"

Jiang Tingchen was silent for a moment, then nodded: "There are some things stored in there... things I want you to know, but it's not convenient to say publicly for the time being."

This sentence caught Ning Nanxue's attention. She raised her head and asked, "What's the matter?"

Jiang Tingchen shook his head and gently stroked the inside of her wrist with his fingers: "When the time is right, I will tell you everything. Now, let's eat first."

He cleverly changed the subject and picked up his chopsticks to pick up a piece of fish for Ning Nanxue.

"Try this. I picked out the freshest sea bass."

Ning Nanxue accepted his change of subject, but a seed was planted in her heart.

The warm atmosphere was interrupted by a rapid doorbell ring. Jiang Tingchen frowned, stood up, and walked towards the door.

Standing outside the door was Jiang Tingchen's former assistant Lin Wei. She looked anxious and when she saw Ning Nanxue there, she seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

"Boss Jiang, there's something urgent going on at the old house. The old man wants you to go back immediately."

Jiang Tingchen's expression changed slightly, and his body tensed instantly. "What happened?"

Lin Wei glanced at Ning Nanxue in the living room and lowered her voice, "The Chen family sent someone to discuss cooperation, and the old man agreed, but the condition is..."

She didn't continue speaking, but looked meaningfully in Ning Nanxue's direction.

Jiang Tingchen stood in front of the door, keeping his voice low: "Didn't I tell you not to bother me about this kind of thing?"

"But the old man said that if you don't go back, he will come here in person." Lin Wei bit her lip.

Jiang Tingchen's face suddenly turned cold.

Ning Nanxue's ears were so sharp that she put down her chopsticks and walked towards the door.

"Tingchen, what happened?"

Jiang Tingchen turned around, his expression back to normal: "Xue'er, there's something small happening at home, I have to go back."

Lin Wei looked flustered: "Hello, President Ning, I'm President Jiang's former assistant, and now I work for the old man."

"Former assistant?" Ning Nanxue's eyes swept back and forth between the two of them.

Jiang Tingchen sighed and rubbed his temples: "Lin Wei, go back first and tell the old man that I will be there soon."

Lin Wei stood at the door, moving her feet slightly, but had no intention of leaving.

"Mr. Jiang, the old man said you must go there immediately. The Chen family has sent people to wait at the old house. This matter is of great importance."

Jiang Tingchen frowned, his eyes shifting between Ning Nanxue and Lin Wei.

He pursed his lips, as if weighing the priorities of the matter.

"Is it urgent?"

Lin Wei nodded repeatedly. "It's very urgent. It's about an old project at our European branch, and it involves some...sensitive issues."

When she spoke the last few words, her voice was almost inaudible, but the anxiety in her eyes could not be concealed.

Ning Nanxue saw all this. She put down the cutlery in her hand and wiped her hands gently.

"Tingchen, go and do what you want first. It's fine with me."

Although her tone was calm and her expression was natural, her fingertips unconsciously stroked the silver chain on her wrist.

Jiang Tingchen turned around and pulled Ning Nanxue to the kitchen door, with his back to Lin Wei.

"Xue'er, I'm sorry. I wanted to spend some quality time with you tonight."

Ning Nanxue shook her head gently: "Go ahead, family matters are more important."

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done. It won't be long." Jiang Tingchen promised softly, his palm resting lightly on her shoulder. "There's some fruit in the refrigerator. Don't go hungry."

His voice was as gentle as usual, but Ning Nanxue caught a rare hint of nervousness.

"It's okay, go ahead. Don't keep the old man waiting anxiously."

Jiang Tingchen picked up his coat and looked back at the steaming food on the table, obviously reluctant to leave.

"I'll be back as soon as possible."

He gave a final warning, then turned and followed Lin Wei out. The sound of the door closing was particularly clear in the quiet apartment.

Ning Nanxue muttered to herself, tapping the table lightly.

Jiang Tingchen never mentioned his specific experiences abroad, nor did he elaborate on his family's background.

She only learned from a few words that he came from a rather traditional family, and that he himself seemed to have some kind of estrangement from his family.

She picked up the chopsticks and tasted the slightly cold fish. The fragrance was still there, but the taste was a little less.

While clearing the table alone, Ning Nanxue's thoughts involuntarily returned to Lin Wei's panicked expression.

She seemed to be not only conveying a message, but also reminding Jiang Tingchen something.

What secrets does the European branch hide? And who are the Chen family?

Ning Nanxue put the plate into the sink, and the warm water flowed through her fingertips, feeling a little dazed.

"Tingchen, what exactly are you hiding from me?"

Ning Nanxue asked softly, her voice drowned out by the sound of rushing water.

Having experienced too much betrayal and hurt in her life, Ning Nanxue was not sure if she could withstand being deceived again.

But somewhere in her heart, she vaguely believed that Jiang Tingchen was different from others.

Ning Nanxue finished cleaning the kitchen and walked back to the living room when her phone rang. She clicked on it and found it was an anonymous email.

She frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the email.

"Mr. Ning, you are a business elite and should be very perceptive. Is Jiang Tingchen's return to China really just a coincidence? Is his family's business empire in Europe unrelated to the long-standing competition between the Fu family? Why did he appear at your most critical moment?"

The email was accompanied by a blurry photo that looked like a scene of a business negotiation.

The background seems to be a conference room in a luxury hotel, with documents scattered on the table.

"How is this possible..." Ning Nanxue muttered to herself.

The photo was taken at a tricky angle, and Jiang Tingchen's familiar profile was clearly visible, but with a sense of strangeness.

The sharp demeanor unique to business negotiations made him completely different from his usual gentle self.

Ning Nanxue picked up the wine glass and took a sip of red wine.

Reason told her that this was most likely an attempt to sow discord, but it just happened to coincide with the scene of Jiang Tingchen's hurried departure just now.

The phone vibrated again. It was the press conference materials sent by Secretary Chen. She forced herself to put aside these doubts for the time being and focus on work.

At the same time, inside a black car.

"The information has been sent. I guarantee Ning Nanxue will become suspicious of Jiang Tingchen." Xu Zhao reported to Fu Chen on the other end of the phone in a light tone, "The photo was photoshopped so realistically that even I believed it at first sight."

"Well done." Fu Chen said in a low voice, "Ning Nanxue values integrity the most. As long as she finds out that Jiang Tingchen is hiding something, a rift will inevitably appear between the two of them."

"Brother-in-law, I had someone check Jiang Tingchen's background. This guy is more complicated than I imagined." Xu Zhao lowered his voice. "The Jiang Group he belongs to is just a cover. There seems to be a larger network of interests behind it."