Chapter 24
Shen Qian tearfully recounted everything she had heard from her mother.
"They said... Shen Jianan is about to be released from prison, and they want to use the news of your death to welcome him back. Those who support Uncle have been severely suppressed by Sister An'an, and they are all pinning their hopes on Shen Jianan, who is about to be released from prison. As long as you die, they can manipulate the board of directors to support Shen Jianan's rise to power."
Chu Yue found it amusing and said, "It seems your mother has already sided with Shen Jianan."
Shen Qian immediately sat up straight and explained, "No! My mom is just a fence-sitter! She was very unhappy when you drove Zhou Yaomin out of Shanhe. That's why she turned a blind eye to those people's plans. Anyway, Sister An'an wasn't planning to give my mom much benefit, so she thought it would be good to have someone else support her..."
"President Shen has not mistreated your mother. She has already received the portion of Hanhai Huating and the old house that she wanted back then."
Shen Qian pouted, unable to refute Chu Yue's words. Although her mother had gotten what she wanted, as the group had grown larger over the years, their family's shares had long been diluted, leaving them with little say in the business.
"Back then, there was only one cake in the family, and Shen Qing'an took most of it. Now that we have mountains of gold, she can't possibly give us back just one cake!" Shen Qian argued illogically.
These words don't sound like something a young girl would say; they must have come from her mother's constant nagging.
Chu Yue asked her assistant to go downstairs to buy coffee. She wanted to talk to the child about this old story alone.
"Back then, your mother had already married and lost her right to inherit the Shen family. It was a risk-free and highly profitable deal for her to speak up for Shen Qing'an. Besides, she was an omega, and it was impossible for her to surpass the older alpha to become the legitimate heir."
Shen Qing'an's father is the chairman of the group, and whether considering the order of succession or the inherited shares, Shen Qing'an is the rightful successor. But what happened? A group of cousins who consider themselves alphas jumped out to fight for the right of succession.
Do you think you can become a member of the Shen family just by changing your surname to Shen? Your mother's attempt to threaten your uncle with my death will only bring her own demise. Any promises he makes will become empty words once the deed is done.
Chu Yue threw the coat she was wearing on the ground, pulled up the sleeve to reveal the blood-soaked white bandage, and untied it layer by layer without changing her expression until the horrifying wound was fully exposed.
She stretched her arm out in front of Shen Qian and asked her with a smile, "Will such a masterpiece appear on you and your mother in the future?"
Shen Qian swallowed hard and turned her head away in fear.
Having achieved her goal, Chu Yue sat back down in her chair and began negotiating terms with her.
“Your mother has her eye on Shanhe, this lucrative opportunity. Today, I’m doing Shen Qing’an a favor by giving it to you.”
"..." Shen Qian looked up, unable to believe what she had just heard. She shook her head. "Sister An'an will not agree."
“I’ll talk to Shen Qing’an.” Chu Yue looked at her. “My condition is that you keep an eye on Shen Jianan’s movements after he is released from prison.”
"Me? How can I possibly keep an eye on him..."
Chu Yue interrupted her concerns and said confidently, "He will come looking for you."
"..."
Shen Qian suddenly felt guilty.
Chu Yue hinted at her meaningfully, saying, "It's not just about the peaceful three years in prison. I can make him disappear from your world forever. It's up to you to choose."
Looking at the woman before her, who seemed to be strategizing with complete control, Shen Qian said, "Deal!"
…
Chu Yue rested abroad for a period of time and returned to China after successfully completing the project inspection.
Her advice to Shen Qing'an was that it was worthwhile to invest, but it would require sending a large number of experienced managers and young people with strong foreign language skills. She suggested that they expand the recruitment scale during the fall recruitment season to reserve talent for the new project.
"How is your injury?" Shen Qing'an finally couldn't help but ask when she didn't mention her injury at all.
Chu Yue shook her arm and said, "I'm all better now. I was even playing badminton with Deng Jie in the activity room yesterday."
Shen Qing'an said with a guilty conscience, "I will handle this well."
Chu Yue didn't distrust Shen Qing'an; it was just that given her status, she couldn't be too ruthless in some matters. A combination of kindness and firmness was necessary to ensure the smooth sailing of the An Sheng Group amidst turbulent waves. A judge, not a businessman, was intolerant of injustice.
"You've done very well," Chu Yue said, patting her shoulder in comfort.
“I had someone clean your office. You can stay at headquarters and continue as project director. I’ll find someone else for Shanhe.”
"I've already decided on the general manager for Shanhe for you, but I haven't had a chance to discuss it with you yet."
"who?"
"Chen Qian".
"..." Shen Qing'an was stunned for a long time before shaking her head with a smile and saying, "You really dare to make such a promise! Using my new project to do someone a favor."
"Your new project is overseas! You should give this to her; after all, she's your cousin."
"If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they'll grow back in the spring breeze." Shen Qing'an understood Chu Yue's meaning; this was the price she would have to pay sooner or later. However, compared to losing power and her life, this price was insignificant.
…
As Ji Mingfei's pregnancy progressed, her predicament of being unable to take care of herself gradually became apparent.
For example, right now, she accidentally dropped her keys on the ground when she opened the door, but she just couldn't bend down to pick them up.
"call--"
A hand reached out to help pick up the keys from the ground. Ji Mingfei, supporting his back, said "thank you," then looked up and saw that familiar face.
"President Chu...when did you get back?"
“A minute ago, when you couldn’t reach the keys no matter what you did,” Chu Yue said, staring at Ji Mingfei’s balloon-sized belly and supporting her with concern, “Why didn’t you take a leave of absence and go to a postpartum care center when you were like this! If I hadn’t happened to see you, how long were you planning to stay here picking things up? What if you had fallen and hurt yourself?”
"A postpartum care center isn't a pregnancy center, and I'm on maternity leave right now, where would I find the time to recuperate after childbirth?"
Chu Yue opened the door and said matter-of-factly, "Of course you can stay here since you paid for it! The baby just hasn't been born yet, but it's still two people, so why can't we stay? Isn't taking care of one person easier than taking care of two? As for leave, you can take as long as you want, since I'm the one who approved your leave!"
"Manager Liu will hate me to death."
"Who cares about him? He's not from our company. If he doesn't want to work here, we'll find someone else," Chu Yue said unreasonably.
Ji Mingfei felt that she had changed since she came back. Although she used to say some nonsensical things to make her happy, what she said just now was really not what a general manager should say.
"Why did you come back early? I thought you were going to wait until the baby was born." Ji Mingfei lost his balance and sat heavily on the sofa.
"I rushed back as soon as I finished dealing with the matter. I couldn't let you go through the ordeal alone!"
Chu Yue spoke without thinking, but Ji Mingfei took it to heart. These past few days, she had been pondering Chu Yue's parting words, and could roughly guess some of what she meant. However, she still couldn't figure out how to respond.
Their relationship was merely one of marking each other a few times; Ji Mingfei didn't really understand this woman. She was so intelligent; she probably suspected the child was hers long ago, based on the due date. What did she really want from all this? Was it simply to have a child with her blood relation, or…?
"Why is your fridge so empty! You haven't been eating takeout while I was gone, have you? I should have hired a cook for you before I left." Chu Yue put one hand on her hip, closed the fridge door, and said, "Let's eat out today!"
Going out to eat? Are you going to use the meal as an opportunity to discuss child custody? What if she asks for a paternity test?
"What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought." Chu Yue walked right up to her without her noticing.
"Nothing... What would you like to eat? I'll make a reservation," Ji Mingfei said, picking up his phone.
Chu Yue squatted down beside her legs, smiling as she looked at her, "Why are you being so polite with me? It's only been a little over two months since we last met, but you're acting like we've grown apart."
Ji Mingfei thought to himself: We weren't that close to begin with.
"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell you." Chu Yue stood up and straightened her clothes.
Ji Mingfei suddenly tensed up and quickly asked, "Should we tell you now?"
"Hmm...? You can talk about it after you finish eating." Chu Yue thought she was in a hurry to eat, so she nodded and said, "Let's go eat first."
Throughout the journey, Ji Mingfei was extremely nervous, fearing that Chu Yue would suddenly say something that would be unacceptable to her.
Ji Mingfei finished her meal with a heavy heart and no appetite. Chu Yue drove past the square and saw a sky full of pigeons. She happily said that the weather was nice and she wanted to take a walk with her.
The two walked along the cobblestone path, their arms occasionally brushing together. Chu Yue then put her arm around Ji Mingfei's shoulder from behind, looking like an intimate newlywed couple.
"Shanhe has a new general manager, and I'm back to handle the handover." Chu Yue stopped and looked down at Ji Mingfei.
Ji Mingfei almost bumped into her, and only after realizing what Chu Yue had just said did he understand.
She's leaving?!
Unsure whether to be happy or sad, Ji Mingfei stared blankly at Chu Yue and asked, "Are you going back to headquarters?"
"Yes, it's a decision the company just made." Chu Yue watched Ji Mingfei's reaction calmly.
Ji Mingfei's eyes darted around, filled with mixed emotions. If she left, she wouldn't fight for custody of the child anymore, and they'd never have to see each other again, each living their own lives. Wasn't this exactly what she'd always wanted?
But why does she feel a little sad?
"That's great... The headquarters is definitely more suitable for you than Shanhe. The company will transfer you back sooner or later. Congratulations!" Ji Mingfei said insincerely.
After a long pause, Chu Yue finally spoke, "And you? What are your plans for the future?"
Ji Mingfei forced a smile and said, "Didn't you ask me this a long time ago? I like the tranquility of small cities, and I will live a good life with my child."
"What about finding a stepmother?"
Ji Mingfei had almost forgotten that she had said that, but Chu Yue still remembered. She stammered, "I won't find a stepmother!...I can be both a biological mother and a stepmother!"
Chu Yue suddenly laughed, turned around, and left her alone.
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