Chapter 10 Jiang Family
Ling Shen left in a hurry, like a gust of wind. Su Nian looked at the half-remaining black tea on the bar, and in a trance, his thoughts drifted away again.
The water droplets condensed on the wall of the cup meandered down along the frosted lines, leaving dark marks on the marble countertop, just like the humid rainy season in his memory.
Once upon a time, he brewed a pot of tea in the same way, sitting on the porch with Chen Ran, watching the sun rise and set. The celadon teapot reflected the two of them smiling at each other, and the white mist rising from the spout of the purple clay teapot, even the air was filled with the unique bean fragrance of Longjing tea.
He hadn't made tea in a long time since Shen Ran left, but who would have thought that Ling Shen would actually like tea? The image of that person caressing the white porcelain teacup with his fingertips gradually blurred the boundaries with a certain overlapping figure in his memory.
"Haha." Su Nian curled up the corners of his mouth in self-mockery, poured out the tea in the teacup, and threw the untouched plate of pastries into the trash can without mercy.
He had never liked this kind of greasy sweet pastry, just like he preferred the bitter taste of green tea to the richness of black tea. The cream puff shattered into pieces in the trash can, the golden pastry splattered with dark red jam, like an absurd ending.
Ling Shen sat in the car, flipping through his tablet while listening to his assistant's anxious report. The cool air from the car's air conditioner, wrapped in the scent of leather and cedar perfume, couldn't suppress the restless rhythm of his knuckles tapping on the tablet.
"What's going on? Hasn't the cooperation in Europe always been smooth?" Ling Shen finished reading the document, his eyes sharp. The cold light from the screen reflected on his tightly pursed lips, casting a sharp shadow in the rearview mirror.
The assistant swallowed, his Adam's apple rolling restlessly against his dark tie. The dim blue light from the dashboard swept across his whitened knuckles. Only when Ling Shen's gaze suddenly turned and locked onto them did he speak hesitantly, "It's the Jiang family..."
"What do you mean?!" Ling Shen's face turned visibly ugly, and the tablet in his hand was thrown onto the leather seat next to him with a dull thud.
The tablet screen lit up and went out, and the title of the unread email flickered in the darkness, just like his surging anger at the moment.
The assistant nervously clasped her palms, her nails digging crescent-shaped indentations into the lines of her palms. Finally, she took a deep breath, a shaky murmur emanating from her throat. "The Jiang family has been expanding their business in Europe lately. We used to be working smoothly with our European clients, but for some reason, they suddenly emailed us, saying they'd found a better partner."
As he spoke, he carefully raised his eyes to glance at Ling Shen. The man in the rearview mirror had his temples throbbing. "I secretly asked my acquaintances over there, and they said that the Jiang family contacted them privately." The neon light outside the windshield passed over Ling Shen's tense jawline, making the anger in his eyes even stronger.
Ling Shen's back teeth clattered, his knuckles turning white from the force, but he suddenly threw his head back and laughed, his laughter filled with long-suppressed anger and mockery. Over the years, he had long been aware of the Jiang family's restlessness.
The Jiang family, relying on Jiang Yi's life-saving grace in the past, acted recklessly in the business world and expanded their territory crazily. Out of gratitude to Jiang Yi, Ling Shen always chose to endure, even when the Jiang family's actions crossed his bottom line, he just turned a blind eye.
However, this time, the Jiang family's actions completely exceeded his tolerance limit. He had thought that the Jiang family's ambitions were limited to the domestic market, but he had never expected that they would reach out to distant Europe, attempting to get involved in the business territory that the Ling family had painstakingly cultivated for many years.
Ling Shen suppressed his anger, a cold smile appeared on his lips, and he slowly picked up the phone. After the call was connected, his voice was filled with a deliberate sense of ease.
"Hey, Lucas, how are you doing recently? Of course, I heard that you have a new partner? Oh? Really? Of course, you have always been our most reliable companion. Okay, I'll be there tomorrow." The tone seemed as if he was just chatting about family matters, but the coldness in his eyes became stronger.
After hanging up the phone, Ling Shen casually threw the phone aside, and his slender fingers tapped his knees rhythmically, making a "da da" sound, each sound like the drumbeat of his inner anger.
After a moment, his eyes glared, and he gave an order in a cold tone: "Cut off all cooperation with the Jiang family and cut off funding. Prepare the plane tickets, I'm going to Europe."
The assistant's fingers slid quickly across the tablet, processing various matters. After a moment, he looked up, a hint of hesitation on his face, and spoke cautiously, "Boss Ling, what about Young Master Jiang..."
"What? Are you Jiang Yi's assistant?" Ling Shen's fingertips tapped against the leather armrest, his knuckles gleaming coldly in the twilight. His voice was like shattered ice rising from beneath the ice, each word piercing his eardrums.
The assistant's grip on the tablet suddenly tightened, and the blue light from the screen reflected the cold sweat on his forehead. "Okay, Mr. Ling, I'll do it right away."
Ling Shen leaned back, sinking into the custom-made Italian leather seat. Amidst the low hum of the engine, the roof reading light cast a sharp shadow beneath his eyelashes.
A hole suddenly ripped open in his memory. Twelve-year-old Ling Shen stood at the door of his grandfather's study, the rosewood door ajar. The old man's skinny fingers stroked the jade ring. "You think Jiang Yi saved you, so any way to repay him is not too much. But Jiang Yi is Jiang Yi, and the Jiang family is the Jiang family."
Grandfather's cloudy eyes suddenly turned to the crack in the door, frightening him so much that he stumbled back. "If you really want to keep someone by your side, the best way is to cut off all their escape routes, leaving them with no one to rely on except you. Remember?"
Ling Shen, who was once young and energetic, always regarded his grandfather's words "The human heart is like the sea, it is impossible to guard against it" as an outdated motto.
It was not until the Jiang family tried to bite back that he realized that the wisdom accumulated over the years was like a poisoned blade, accurately dissecting the darkest folds of human nature.
The reason why the Jiang family can be so arrogant is that they rely on Jiang Yi being a member of the Jiang family, and the reason why Jiang Yi can escape is that he relies on the Jiang family as a retreat.
In this power game, everyone is a puppet controlled by the strings of interests.
Ling Shen didn't know if Jiang Yi was aware of what the Jiang family had done, but he no longer cared. After all, in the face of absolute power, the truth was merely a footnote to the victor.
As long as the Jiang family's foundation is cut off, Jiang Yi will have no other way to go, and the Jiang family will once again crawl at his feet like a stray dog.
Su Nian stood in front of the window, watching the planes flying in the sky. The alternating flashing lights made him unable to tell where he was for a moment.
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