"Grandpa, aren't you surprised that Nangong Chen went to a gay bar and was photographed with my brother? How could my brother, a student about to graduate, have the power to embarrass President Nangong? If we just push Zixi out like this, won't people say that our Nangong family is bullying the weak and making excuses?"
Grandpa Nangong was surprised that the gentle and weak Xiang Wan would disagree with him and instead raise these questions, his eyes instantly turning sharp.
"Girl, there are priorities. The most important thing right now is to eliminate the negative impact. As for what you said, I will have someone investigate afterwards."
Grandpa Nangong's tone left no room for argument, but Xiang Wan was still somewhat disappointed.
She wasn't trying to argue for Liu Zixi; she just wanted to see the family head's attitude. Meeting him today, it was clear they were birds of a feather. Nangong Chen's personality was largely inherited from his grandfather, making him impossible to like once you got to know him better.
“Dad, don’t pressure the little girl. After all, he is his own brother.” Nangong Yu interjected at the right time, easing the tense atmosphere. “I think it would be better to let Xiao Chen rest for a while. I will handle the press conference and everything else.”
Grandpa Nangong turned around and stared intently at Nangong Yu, his gaze seemingly both scrutinizing and puzzled.
Nangong Yu's eyes flickered, and he glanced at Xiang Wan before saying, "Didn't you tell me to stay? You can't go back on your word. Just let me go and that's it."
Xiang Wan didn't know what riddle Nangong Yu was playing, so she glanced at him curiously, only to be seen by Nangong Yu, and immediately looked away.
Nangong Chen stood up, wanting to speak, but was stopped by Old Master Nangong waving his hand.
"Xiao Chen, you're tired too. Get some rest now. Leave the rest to your uncle!"
"Grandpa, as the president of Nangong Group, how could I be a coward over something like this?"
"Then you better not let this happen!" Old Master Nangong's anger flared up again. "From today onwards, you will stay at home and reflect on your actions. I will issue a notice that your uncle will temporarily take over your duties."
"But my uncle just got back, and there are many things he hasn't dealt with yet."
"You don't need to worry about that." Nangong Yu stopped Nangong Chen from speaking, patted his shoulder, and turned to follow Old Master Nangong to the study.
Xiang Wan remained seated on the sofa, and after a moment's hesitation, Nangong Chen also sat down.
"Wan'er, I..."
"Stop talking. I don't want to hear you say anything right now." Xiang Wan had no mood to deal with Nangong Chen. She suddenly realized that the original owner's predicament was not caused by one person alone, but by the combined actions of this group of people.
It's impossible for Old Master Nangong not to know that Nangong Chen likes men. Even Nangong Yu, if he hadn't been pulling strings behind the scenes, Liu Xiangwan wouldn't have been imprisoned and reduced to a baby-making machine.
Not a single person in this family considered things from the original owner's perspective. The only outsider, Liu Zixi, still had her heart with Nangong Chen.
Xiang Wan suddenly felt very tired. The original owner's wish was only to take revenge on Nangong Chen and Liu Zixi, but what she discovered was far more than the original owner knew.
Since Nangong Chen's accident, his father, Nangong Jue, has not appeared. Isn't that strange? These people are discussing matters here, as if they have all forgotten about Nangong Jue. Is there no reason for this?
Xiang Wan dared not think any further. She wanted to find the answers to these questions immediately. To completely defeat Nangong Chen, she had to remove everything he relied on and depended on. Only by leaving him with nothing could she truly crush him.
Xiang Wan admitted that the psychological approach would at most cause trouble for Nangong Chen for a period of time, and it was not very realistic to directly bring down Nangong Chen. However, by sheer luck, she had found the right direction.
At this moment, Xiang Wan grew impatient with the man and got up to grab her bag and walk outside.
"Wan'er, where are you going?"
"Let go of me!" Xiang Wan forcefully broke free from Nangong Chen's grasp, her eyes cold and indifferent. "Don't touch me, I find it disgusting!"
Nangong Chen didn't lower his raised wrist, his body stiff as he watched Xiang Wan walk out little by little until her figure disappeared from sight.
He raised his hands to his eyes, chuckled, and then slammed his fists into the door frame.
Xiang Wan wandered around the department store, turning left and right until no one suspicious appeared around her, before finally dialing a number.
"See you at the usual place on the summer solstice!"
After disguising herself, she sat down at the coffee shop where Xia had invited her and slowly sipped her coffee.
After parting ways with Xia Zhi last time, Xiang Wan kept her phone number just in case, but she didn't expect to need it so soon.
The summer solstice came quickly, unlike the last time when it attracted much attention. After she was seated, Xiang Wan went straight to the point.
"Let's get straight to the point. I promise to help you, but there are some things I want to clarify, and I hope you can answer truthfully. If you lie to me, I might get angry and say something I don't know. You—you understand what I mean, right?"
Xia Zhi nodded, her expression turning serious.
"When you were with Nangong Jue, did you meet his wife?"
Xiang Wan pretended to drink coffee, speaking softly enough for Xia Zhi, who was sitting opposite her, to hear her.
"After we got together, I secretly went to see her. She was a very elegant woman with a great figure and a dignified appearance. She looked delicate and frail, but her eyes always seemed to convey a sense of... sadness. Yes, sadness. She always seemed to be very sad."
"sad?"
“That’s right. I think she found out about Nangong Jue keeping a mistress back then. I had that feeling when I saw her.”
Was it before pregnancy?
"Hmm, it seems so."
Has Nangong Jue mentioned her to you?
"Let me think... it seems like one time he was drunk and kept saying, 'I love you so much, why are you doing this to me?' and then..."
"What's wrong?"
Xia Zhi blushed and whispered, "You'll just torment me badly."
After pondering for a moment, Xiang Wan asked, "How many times did you see her during that period?"
"I don't remember. Every time Nangong Jue went crazy, I was unwilling to accept it, so I would secretly go to see her. It seemed that she didn't do anything, but one time I did discover something unusual."
"What's up?"
Xia Zhi looked around, then leaned close to Xiang Wan and whispered, "I've noticed that sometimes she's lost in thought while holding a brown pipe."
Are you sure?
"Yes, I can't be wrong, because her expression at the time shocked me so much that I thought she had a lover, which is why Nangong Jue abandoned her to come find me."
"Did you ask Nangong Jue?"
"I'm overjoyed, why would I tell him?"
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