Chapter 4
Early in the morning, Chen Huan opened the hotel's sunshade curtains. A full-length mirror stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, and she looked at her body, fully exposed in the sunlight.
She thought people would see different appearances in different mirrors, but the mirrors, big and small, in her home never reminded her that her face was also shriveled and sagging like her breasts.
Without the cover of alcohol and the night, she developed a fear of aging. She was afraid of losing her youthful body, and even more afraid that she would not be able to find a way out for herself before her youth slipped away.
She stared blankly for a moment, then turned back to look at Li Ting, lying in bed. His face wore the expression he always wore when asleep, his brows furrowed into a flattened figure. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. Li Ting was like a root she had grasped deep in the earth. Even if their marriage had long since lost its initial sparkle and brilliance, she could still age gracefully.
Shen Huan rushed to brush her teeth before Li Ting got up. No one was peeing nearby when her mouth foamed, which made her feel a moment of lightness, as if her life, which was almost dead, had occasionally been given a burst of life.
When she came out of the bathroom, Li Ting was already up, wearing a white vest and shorts, leaning on the sofa with his legs apart, talking on the phone.
She picked up her underwear and bra from last night at the bathroom door, put them on, and then pulled the iris-blue satin skirt over her shoulders. She was wearing the same outfit, and Li Ting didn't glance at her again.
The arrangements were rushed last night, and Shen Huan didn't prepare a blood pressure monitor and medicine for Li Ting, so he sent a message to ask the driver to make a trip.
She put down her phone, and Li Ting finished his call. He went to the bathroom and asked her while peeing if she had seen Meng Zixuan in the hospital.
The question made her nervous. Knowing she couldn't appear nervous, she lowered her head to pack her makeup bag and replied that she had been there two days ago. Chen Huan knew she couldn't stop there. She continued, "In the end, I didn't get any photos taken. It was a wasted trip. You're right. I shouldn't have gone through this ordeal."
Usually, this kind of answer would satisfy Li Ting. She explained the situation, her tone implying that she didn't want to touch the hot potato. Speaking of Meng Zixuan over the years, this was enough.
Li Ting stood in front of the toilet, half-turned, as if about to say something, but ultimately left it unsaid. This was unlike his usual attitude. After flushing the toilet, he stood at the sink, brushing his teeth while checking his phone. Chen Huan told him she would hire another nurse to do daily morning checkups.
Li Ting didn't hear it and was checking emails on his phone.
After Shen Huan finished packing, the doorbell rang and the front desk handed over the bag that the driver had brought. Li Ting finished washing up and sat back at the desk. Shen Huan walked over to him, bent down, and strapped the blood pressure monitor to his left arm, then leaned on the armrest of the chair.
Her butt was sitting high, right next to his shoulder. Li Ting reached out with his left palm and pinched her butt. Their eyes met, and he smiled with his teeth bared.
Chen Huan found that she had a strong ability to adapt. Yesterday, she thought his hand was disgusting, but after one night, she felt that it was nice for an old couple to flirt with each other.
Li Ting put down his phone and said, "Xiao Huan, I have something to discuss with you." He called her Xiao Huan, which usually made Chen Huan embarrassed.
Shen Huan looked at him and nodded.
Li Ting said: "Nannan will graduate from university next year. I think he will eventually come back to the company to stay for a while."
It turned out to be Li Wangnan's matter. Lu Xiaofan had mentioned the day before yesterday that Chang Yueqing's shares had been taken back by Li Ting, and that it had not been passed on to Li Wangnan. Shen Huan guessed that this matter was not over yet.
Li Ting said, "That little jerk is already in his twenties, but he still has no manners or rules. When he was little, he admired Old Meng the most. Now that Old Meng is gone, I wanted Lou Hetai to take care of him. But I called him yesterday, and he was still mad about what happened between me and his mother. He swore he'd never come back. Just imagine how bad he looked!"
The black numbers on the blood pressure monitor's LCD screen flickered. Shen Huan saw that his pulse was rising. She placed her right hand on his shoulder and said softly, "Talk to me later. The blood pressure measurement is not accurate anymore."
Li Ting stopped talking and gasped.
Chen Huan silently removed the cuff from his arm and rolled it up. Meng Zixuan was only two years older than her, but Li Ting often called him "Old Meng."
She put away her equipment and turned to pour some water. Li Ting continued the conversation. He meant that Li Wangnan would be going to New York for an investment banking internship in two months. "You should fly over and help him clean up his accommodations."
Chen Huan returned with the medicine and handed it to him along with some water. She didn't understand Li Ting's meaning for a moment. She hadn't interned at any American investment banks, but she had heard that those places would arrange accommodation for interns, so she didn't have to bother.
The child went there in junior high school and changed his nationality, so he is half American. Plus, his biological mother is still there, so what is there for Shen Huan to sort out?
While she was thinking, she didn't let the words fall on the ground, and asked Li Ting, "Oh, I remember now, is it Da Mo or Xiao Mo. Very good."
Li Ting swallowed the pill in one gulp, waved his hand, and said after swallowing it, "Excellence is bullshit. Everyone knows how this internship came about."
Shen Huan sat down beside him. Since Li Ting didn't need to hear these empty flatteries, she didn't say anything. Li Wangnan had been arranged by his mother since the summer vacation of his junior year in high school. He worked in small private equity firms and large management trainees, from funds in the east to banks in the west. His resume was piled high with gold.
Chang Yueqing has her own business in the United States, so she asked her son to meet a few managing directors of investment banks and just go through the motions in the interview.
Li Ting continued, didn’t you pick him up from school when he was in junior high school? He remembers you.
By the time he'd finished, Shen Huan understood. Li Wangnan didn't need Shen Huan to tidy up the house, but Li Ting hoped they could get along well in the future. He was going to take this son back, and today was just a reminder for her: they could get along if they wanted, and if they couldn't, they had to get along anyway. So, Li Ting asked her to fly over that summer, just to show her goodwill.
Sure enough, Li Ting continued, "You have a soft personality and there is no generation gap between you and him. From now on, you will help me keep an eye on him."
Chen Huan said nothing more. She had originally thought that as long as she stayed out of the company's affairs, she could avoid Chang Yueqing and her son. She didn't want to get involved in Li Ting and his ex-wife's family, but that was naive.
Shen Huan was still in a daze, and Li Ting said, "Chang Yueqing's shares will eventually belong to Nan Nan. But he is young. I am considering putting the shares in your name first. When he is able to work in the future, you can consider the situation and give it to him."
Shen Huan lowered her head slightly and reached out to tuck her bangs behind her ears. Li Ting had asked her to win over Li Wangnan, and the shares were a benefit he had given her. This 7% stake belonged to the holding group, and the market valuation was something Shen Huan wouldn't normally dare to consider.
It's hard to distinguish between nominal and actual shares. Even if they signed a proxy holding agreement, legally the shares would be in her name. If a divorce were to take place, Shen Huan would only receive a fraction of the assets listed in the prenuptial agreement. This was Li Ting's trust, giving her leverage to control Li Wangnan.
But this trust and bargaining chips can be taken back at any time.
Chen Huan wasn't Chang Yueqing, she had no say in the company, and she didn't have the skills to wrestle with Li Ting. If he changed his mind one day, he would have plenty of ways to make her give up her shares.
Perhaps this is what Li Ting was thinking. If there was something that Li Wangnan didn't like, he would push Chen Huan out to do it. If their relationship really became strained, he would then tear her aside as a representative and throw her aside. In the end, they would still be a loving father and a filial son.
Compared to the control and shares at the center of this controversy, Chen Huan actually wanted Li Ting's New York trust more. It contained tangible cash and real estate, and it was structured in an irrevocable way, giving her peace of mind. But Li Ting wouldn't give it to her, so she couldn't ask for it.
After he said this, Shen Huan had no choice but to nod.
Li Ting smiled again, slapping his thigh and saying, "I picked up a son for you for nothing!"
Shen Huan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and forced a smile.
Li Ting didn't mention Meng Zixian again that day. Shen Huan didn't know why he hesitated for a moment before the toilet. Two weeks later, at the shareholders' meeting, Shen Huan understood a little better.
She attended these board meetings for show. Li Ting's assistant, Xing Bin, would prepare the materials for her in advance, explaining the procedures and voting methods, and Shen Huan would just follow them. If there were any special circumstances, Li Ting would also inform her in advance.
This time, with leadership changes and equity transfers, Chen Huan became Vice President, acquiring Chang Yueqing's shares, instantly becoming the second-largest shareholder. Xuantao isn't a publicly listed company, so detailed disclosures aren't necessary. However, the media, with its exaggerated and exaggerated reports, has transformed the current wife of capital tycoon Li Ting into a powerful figure with a powerful strategy online. Just two years into her tenure, her net worth has already made it onto wealth lists.
Chen Huan instinctively knew she was too popular and would sooner or later get into trouble. At the shareholders' meeting and the banquet, the board members remained polite to her. Having been in the business world for so many years, their words were neither humble nor arrogant, so Chen Huan naturally couldn't read any of them.
Because she was transferring her shares, Chang Yueqing also flew from the American West to Hancheng to attend the mid-year party. Chen Huan had only met his ex-wife a few times, but seeing how she had argued with Li Ting for so long, he figured she must be a tough character. He avoided her the entire evening.
Later, when Chen Huan and Lou Hetai were talking, Chang Yueqing took the initiative to come up and talk. Lou Hetai walked away to answer the phone, and Chen Huan had to face her alone.
Chang Yueqing was still dressed as usual, with a large emerald dangling in front of her neck, her gold earrings as sharp as a pair of hidden weapons, and her suit jacket as hard as armor.
They chatted about family matters for a while. Chang Yueqing took a sip of red wine and asked Chen Huan jokingly, "Are you afraid?"
Chen Huan felt as if his gallbladder, which had been swollen with great difficulty, had been deflated by her words. He walked away without saying anything.
At night, Chen Huan lay on her side facing the window, huddled under the covers and crying. Li Ting turned on the bedside lamp and pulled the covers down a little, revealing her head. The hair around her ears was wet.
He asked her why she was crying. Shen Huan turned her back to him, rubbed her eyelids and opened her eyes. The light was not glaring, and the curtains were shrouded in a hazy candlelight. She said, "I'm scared." Li Ting was amused by her, but he understood what she meant. There was such a tacit understanding between them.
He said, what is there to be afraid of, I am here.
Shen Huan turned around, buried his head in his chest, nodded, and said "hmm".
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