Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Has Jiang Cheng lost his mind?

Jiang Xu is his own son, the future heir to the Jiang Group. Could he really just watch him be detained in that cold place without lifting a finger?

Doesn't he fear that this news will damage the company's reputation if it gets out?

Shu Yao had already decided to leave the Jiang Group, so she submitted her resignation the day after the incident. Since she was still on probation, the handover wouldn't take a month but would require at least a week before she could depart.

Shu Yao is someone who finishes what she starts. As long as she hasn't left, she would continue to work diligently for the remaining week.

One day, while busy, she suddenly received a call from her mother.

Shu Yao greeted her colleague and hurriedly went to a quiet stairwell to answer the phone.

"Hello? Mom! What's up?" Shu Yao asked.

"Rao, is it convenient for you to talk now?" Cai Wenqing was standing outside the local police station where Jiang Xu was being held, not far from the Jiang Group building.

"I'm quite busy right now. What's going on?"

"It's still about Xu," Cai Wenqing looked around, saw no one, and then whispered into her phone, "Xu is still inside."

"I know." Jiang Xu hadn't come to work for several days, and everyone in the company was speculating and discussing it fervently.

Some people even asked Shu Yao about the situation, but she simply shook her head and said she didn't know.

"How ruthless Jiang Cheng is! He's cruel to us and even to his own son. Does he only care about his daughter, Jiang Yiyan? No wonder Xu doesn't get along with his sister; it's all because of his favoritism."

Having been with the Jiang family for so many years, she knew some things. Jiang Cheng and his late wife were very strict with Jiang Xu. When he was still in junior high school, they made him live in a boarding school.

Even after high school, college, and entering the workforce, Jiang Xu rarely returned to the old house.

From junior high school onwards, he mostly lived alone.

So naturally, his relationship with Jiang Yiyan wasn't good.

How could they develop a bond when they hardly lived together?

And taking advantage of this, Cai Wenqing inserted herself and her daughter Rao into his life, becoming the people he trusted most.

But she never expected that his feelings for Rao would turn into romantic love.

When she and Jiang Cheng were still married, she didn't want her stepson to have feelings for her daughter, as it would complicate their marriage. But now that they were divorced, it was different.

Now that she and Jiang Cheng were divorced, Xu and Rao were no longer siblings, and they could be together.

Thinking about this new possibility, Cai Wenqing felt less bitter about the divorce.

But when would Jiang Xu be released?

"Mom, I'm really busy right now. Let's talk about it later," Shu Yao was indeed busy.

Cai Wenqing, however, said, "No matter how busy you are, you need to eat, right? I'm near your office. Let's have lunch together."

"Okay. Send me the location. Mom, I really need to go back to work. Goodbye." With that, Shu Yao hung up the phone.

As she turned around, she saw Ellie walking towards her and managed a forced smile.

Ellie seemed prepared and asked Shu Yao, "President Jiang hasn't come to work for several days. Rao, you're his sister, don't you know anything? That day... when President Jiang beat someone up downstairs, didn't you hear about it?"

Shu Yao avoided looking into Ellie's eyes, shook her head, and said, "I don't know," before walking past her.

Ellie watched her go and smiled slyly.

After work, Shu Yao hurried to the restaurant following the location sent by her mother. Ellie, wearing sunglasses, followed her closely.

At the restaurant, Ellie found a secluded spot where she could overhear Shu Yao's conversation.

"Why are you so busy?" Cai Wenqing complained as soon as Shu Yao arrived, "Is it because Xu isn't here, and they're bullying you? You weren't this busy before."

"Mom, you're overthinking it," Shu Yao explained, "We recently took on a new project, and everyone is swamped, not just me."

"Even in your own family's company, you're this exhausted. You might as well be a teacher at a university." After saying this, Cai Wenqing realized that she and Jiang Cheng were divorced, and the Jiang Group was no longer their family's company.

But she quickly smiled again.

Why wouldn't it be their company? It might become theirs again soon.

Thinking about Jiang Xu, Cai Wenqing frowned.

"Jiang Cheng really hasn't done anything to help him," Cai Wenqing felt a chill, "He divorced and abandoned his son just like that."

"Mom, keep your voice down. We're outside; someone might hear," Shu Yao reminded her.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Cai Wenqing raised her voice even more.

Shu Yao covered her mouth.

"If you keep doing this, I'll leave," Shu Yao said coldly, clearly upset.

Cai Wenqing still treated the company as her own, first as hers and now as her daughter's. So, she wouldn't do anything that would harm the company's interests.

"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore," Cai Wenqing pointed to the QR code at the corner of the table, "Order some food. Today, Mom treats you."

That afternoon, rumors spread throughout the Jiang Group that President Jiang had been detained.

Someone must have mentioned it, and soon, the news circulated in every work chat group within the company.

Jiang Yiyan didn't work at the Jiang Group, but since she owned shares in the company, she was included in the shareholders' group chat.

The group chat's administrator was Jiang Cheng. Since two o'clock in the afternoon, several board members had already tagged Jiang Cheng. However, Jiang Cheng remained absent and silent throughout.

Of course, Jiang Yiyan didn't want to let Jiang Xu off easily, but the company was still family-owned. If Jiang Xu's actions affected the group or even the Jiang family's interests, Jiang Yiyan couldn't afford to ignore it.

So, she immediately called Wen Mochuan.

Wen Mochuan was sitting in his office, with his assistant Xu Ao standing in front of his desk. The news about Jiang Xu had spread throughout the entire building, with various rumors circulating.

"Some say he killed someone; others claim he harassed female employees... and so on. In just one afternoon, the Jiang Group's stock prices fell significantly." Xu Ao reported seriously to Wen Mochuan.

Suddenly, Wen Mochuan's phone rang. He glanced at it and saw that it was his wife... no, his ex-wife. Seeing her call, Wen Mochuan immediately gestured for Xu Ao to stop. "I understand. Please step out; I need to take this call."

"Alright." Xu Ao promptly left.

Wen Mochuan answered the call as he stood up and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Yiyan," Wen Mochuan greeted her.

He didn't ask what the matter was because he knew it was likely about Jiang Xu.

"Have you heard about Jiang Xu?" Jiang Yiyan asked.

"Yes," Wen Mochuan replied, "I just heard about it. It seems quite serious."

Since he wasn't sure how the news had spread so quickly, the situation became more severe. It had already affected the Jiang Group's stock prices, and within half a day, there was a trend toward a sharp decline.

Regardless, Wen Mochuan felt quite guilty about it.

"Yiyan, I'm sorry," he apologized.

However, Jiang Yiyan didn't think it was his fault. She said, "This isn't your fault; it's Jiang Xu's problem. His personality is problematic, and he's too violent. He deserves the punishment for hitting someone."

"But I didn't expect the issue to become so serious. If he doesn't show himself soon to calm things down, I fear there will be long-term consequences."

"I agree," Wen Mochuan assured her, "I'll handle this properly."

"Mochuan, thank you," Jiang Yiyan expressed her gratitude.

Wen Mochuan simply said, "You're welcome," before hanging up and leaving to attend to matters.

Around dusk, a photo of Jiang Xu leisurely fishing by a lake appeared online.

Even Jiang Xu himself posted on WeChat: "On vacation, do not disturb."

There were internal conflicts within the Jiang Group after Jiang Cheng stepped back. Some who opposed Jiang Xu wanted to replace him.

Jiang Xu's incident had become quite public, affecting the company's stock market. When Jiang Xu posted such a status update, people naturally speculated about where the president of the Jiang Group was.

The photo could have been taken earlier.

Anyone could log into his account.

But another voice claimed they had seen him that afternoon at a certain square, saying he was fine, contrary to the online rumors.

Thus, the two sides began arguing.

Controversy brought attention, and by midnight, the Jiang Group's stock prices stabilized, even showing signs of recovery.

The Jiang Group seized this opportunity to create buzz.

As people continued speculating whether the president had committed any crimes, Jiang Xu appeared at the company.

By doing so, not only did the incident subside, but they also caught some internal traitors.

Jiang Cheng personally intervened and eliminated them.

For Jiang Cheng and his son, this crisis turned into an opportunity.

After the incident subsided, Jiang Cheng returned to his position. At the same time, Shu Yao had completed her resignation procedures and left the company.

In recent days, Jiang Xu had been busy helping his father manage the company's affairs, so he hadn't dealt with some personal matters yet.

When he finally had some free time, he remembered he should personally explain to Shu Yao.

Jiang Xu had thought about calling her before. As soon as he was released, the first person he thought of was her.

Perhaps because he cared too much, he hesitated to approach her.

Thus, he delayed until now.

Even now, when he picked up his phone to dial her number, he felt nervous.

Jiang Xu took a long time to gather his courage before pressing the call button.

Having just resigned from the Jiang Group, Shu Yao was resting at home these past two days.

She hadn't immediately looked for a new job but was seriously contemplating her next steps.

Sitting at her childhood desk, when she recalled the past when her father was still alive, Shu Yao's feelings changed.

As a child, like other kids, she eagerly awaited her father's return. Her father was kind when he didn't drink, but once he did, he became a different person.

Because her mother was beautiful, he suspected she had improper relationships with many people in the neighborhood. Often, their arguments would become public knowledge throughout the building.

Her feelings towards her father were complex, a mix of dependence and disappointment.

Perhaps because she didn't receive much paternal love from her biological father, upon joining the Jiang family, she yearned for Jiang Yiyan's father to love her as much as he loved Jiang Yiyan.

This is truly laughable.

That's someone's father. If he doesn't like his own child, how could he possibly like her, an unwanted stepchild?

Sitting quietly by the window, her heart now felt much purer.

Just then, her phone rang.

Seeing that it was Jiang Xu calling, Shu Yao remained calm inside.

She answered the call slowly, with a smile on her lips: "Brother." But after she spoke, she remembered that he was no longer her brother, so she quickly corrected herself, "Mr. Jiang."