Chu Mingshu asked in confusion, "Why would the old man say that? Did you do something?"
Shangguan Xiong snorted coldly, "The man I sent to the capital only found a chance to get close to my sister-in-law today, but he was taken away before he could even mention Shangguan Xue's divorce. Then the old man made this call to warn me."
Chu Mingshu stared wide-eyed in disbelief: "The old man is starting to be wary of you?"
Shangguan Xiong chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Yes, the old man is wary of me. Who's been supporting him all these years of doing charity work?"
It's me! I built the Shangguan Group from scratch, and the Shangguan family's current status is all thanks to me. Now, because of a child whose gender we don't even know yet, he's sending people to monitor me and calling to warn me.
The old man was the most heartless one! To him, I was nothing more than a tool to do his bidding; he never considered me family!
Shangguan Xiong grew angrier as he spoke, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions including anger, disappointment, resentment, and bitterness.
Chu Mingshu was startled and asked worriedly, "Honey, will the old man dismiss you from your post?"
Immediately, a calculating glint flashed in Shangguan Xiong's narrowed eyes as he sarcastically retorted, "Remove me and replace me with my brother who only knows how to draw? He doesn't understand anything. If he joins the group, he'll just be manipulated by those directors. The old man can't afford to lose face like that."
"What if the old man returns to the company? Wouldn't you have to settle for being his deputy?"
“The old man is too old. The board of directors of the group will not let him go back. If he insists on going his own way, those directors will join forces to remove him. I don’t need to get involved at all.”
Shangguan Xiong was very confident.
He wasn't worried about the group changing hands at all; what angered him was the old man's attitude towards him!
Over the years, he has worked hard for the Shangguan family, but in the end, he is still treated as an outsider by the old man and guarded against like a thief. If he can't treat everyone equally, why did he adopt him in the first place?
Hmph, if the old man treats him badly, then he shouldn't blame him for being unjust!
A chilling aura appeared in Shangguan Xiong's eyes.
After a moment, he composed himself and asked, "Has your daughter agreed to marry?"
Chu Mingshu's eyes flickered slightly. Although she felt uncomfortable, she didn't show it. She said, "Husband, Xinyi likes Tianrui. She definitely won't want to marry another man. But the marriage between our two families is for cooperation, not to make enemies, right?"
Shangguan Xiong frowned: "The Quan family has fallen. What use is she if she marries into the Quan family? Tell her to give up on that idea. She must attend the banquet tomorrow night, or she can get out!"
Chu Mingshu stared at him in astonishment. After a long while, she nodded in resignation: "I will try to persuade her."
Before Xinyi's true identity was revealed, Shangguan Xiong would consult with her before making any decisions. But now, he speaks in a completely commanding tone, and she feels no respect whatsoever.
Chu Mingshu turned and left the study, a ruthless glint in her eyes.
If it weren't for Shangguan Wu, her family wouldn't have fallen apart!
Does Shangguan Wu really like that disabled person?
Chu Mingshu simply did not believe that a woman would be willing to marry a cripple. Shangguan Wu must have reached some kind of agreement with that man, but she would find out what his purpose was by hiring a detective!
Chu Mingshu went into her daughter's room, only to find that she was not there.
"Where is Miss?" Chu Mingshu asked the maid as she came downstairs.
"The young lady has driven off."
Chu Mingshu frowned, called his daughter, and after she answered, asked, "Xinyi, when are you coming back?"
"I'm not going back. I'm going to the capital to find Tianrui. I don't want to marry another stinky man!"
Shangguan Xinyi hung up the phone after she finished speaking.
Chu Mingshu's eyelids twitched violently. What should she do about tomorrow's banquet?
At the same time, in the imperial city.
In the living room of the Shangguan family, Shangguan Wu saw her father place a plate of fruit salad in front of her mother as soon as she entered the door, but her mother seemed to be in a bad mood and there was no smile on her face.
She blinked and called out, "Dad, Mom, we're back!"
Shangguan Lin was still thinking about how to make his wife happy. He glanced at his little daughter and was about to say, "So what if she's back?" But then his little daughter suddenly spun around in front of him and asked, "Dad, do you think there's anything different about me today?"
She secretly winked at him while spinning around.
Shangguan Lin was taken aback at first, then asked cooperatively, "Is the food different?"
Shangguan Wu's lips twitched: "Don't you think I look beautiful today?"
So it was just vanity! Shangguan Lin asked seriously, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
Shangguan Wu: "What is a lie?"
Shangguan Lin: "Very beautiful."
Shangguan Wu: "Then what is the truth?"
Shangguan Lin turned to Qin Xiaoxian on the sofa and said, "She's not as pretty as my wife."
Shangguan Wu exaggeratedly widened her eyes, then turned to look at Gu Yunzhen, asking in a comforting tone, "Honey, am I the most beautiful fairy in your heart?"
Gu Yunzhen's expression froze slightly.
Why did she have to drag him down with her when she was entertaining her parents with colorful clothes?
But she was indeed the most dazzling one.
Gu Yunzhen nodded: "Yes."
Shangguan Wu's eyes instantly lit up with a smile, and she gently shook his right hand with both hands, as if she were being affectionate.
Gu Yunzhen's handsome face remained calm, but there was an undercurrent of emotion in his eyes.
Qin Xiaoxian had been observing her son-in-law and noticed a change in his attitude towards her daughter. Although she couldn't quite put her finger on it, she could sense that something was different. Her mood instantly brightened, and a gentle smile returned to her face.
Shangguan Lin: "..."
He praised his wife, but she didn't laugh. That brat Gu Yunzhen only said one word, and his wife laughed?!
Shangguan Lin suddenly asked, "Are you going back to Changteng City after dinner?"
Seriously? Is her dad such a scumbag, using her and then throwing her away?
Shangguan Wu's lips twitched.
"Dad, we'll go back whenever you want!"
Shangguan Lin stared at her incredulously. Before he could speak, Qin Xiaoxian said, "Wu Bao, Yun Zhen, you two should get a good night's sleep and go back tomorrow morning. It's safer during the day."
She frowned as she thought about being hit on while shopping at the mall earlier that day.
Shangguan Wu glanced at Gu Yunzhen first, then nodded with a smile: "Yes, we'll listen to you."
After the family had dinner.
Shangguan Wu quietly placed the file bag containing the DNA test results on the desk in the study.
As long as her dad comes in, he'll definitely be able to see it.
But her father rarely went into the study; he had his own art studio, so the study was usually used by her grandfather.
A sly smile flashed across Shangguan Wu's eyes.
She was leaning against the window, making a phone call to her grandfather.
Upon answering the phone, Shangguan Wu asked with concern, "Grandpa, have you eaten? Are you doing well at the resort?"
The voice of Old Master Shangguan came through the phone: "If you eat well and sleep well, you should be even better off asking me for help."
Shangguan Wu's lips twitched: "Am I that unreliable in your eyes?"
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