Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Qi Yan let out a long sigh.

He glanced at Yan Tingshen. "Even Mr. Qin is keeping your relationship a secret. Who would dare leak it to Mr. Yan?"

Yan Tingshen’s eyes darkened.

Meng Yunzhe’s fate was sealed; Yan Lihui was bound to lose this son. Motivated only by self-interest, he’d long since forgotten past threats.

In fact, if Yan Tingshen’s standing faltered even a little, Yan Lihui would be more anxious than him, fearing the loss of benefits. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have scrambled to pass along the news as soon as he heard.

But in the Yan family, too many were eager to topple him.

Anyone might turn on him if it benefited them.

Moreover—

Yan Tingshen looked at Qin You.

He had chosen secrecy to ensure Qin You's safety.

Now that everything was out, it barely affected him—but for Qin You, it meant trouble.

Qin You rubbed his palm, running through possible suspects in his head.

Aside from Yan Lihui, he hadn’t shown his face to anyone else in the Yan family.

The leak might’ve come from the Qin family, not the Yan family.

Still, he and Yan Tingshen had been together for a while.

The leak’s timing pointed to a trigger.

Right now, the only one who knew for sure and had it out for both of them was Meng Yunzhe.

While the host pulled up Meng Yunzhe’s connections on the system panel, the system jumped in eagerly: "Host, could it be because of Yan Jingshan?"

Qin You looked down.

"Meng Yunzhe works for Yan Jingshan, and Yan Jingshan hates the protagonist’s guts."

The more the system talked, the more it made sense. "Him ratting out the protagonist totally tracks!"

Qin You replied, "If it was just him, he wouldn’t have waited till now."

The system hesitated. "Yeah..."

Qin You’s gaze stuck on the first name at the top of the panel.

"Qi Xinwei."

He turned to Yan Tingshen. "You brought him up this afternoon—was he in on it too?"

At the name, Yan Tingshen paused before replying, "He’s definitely shady."

Yan Tingshen had already thought the same thing.

Meng Yunzhe had been locked up for eight days, and in all that time, things had stayed quiet.

Today, Qi Xinwei's name appeared in the police record, and just as the authorities were preparing to arrest him, the Yan family tipped him off.

Coincidentally, Qi Xinwei was Meng Yunzhe's closest friend.

Qin You remarked, "He lacks the connections to reach the Yan family."

Yan Tingshen also considered this: "It’s Qin Hua."

Qin You said, "Your weak spot is an expensive favor owed. This message, he would only disclose to those who need it most."

Qi Yan and Pei Sheng listened to their exchange, choosing to remain silent.

As they reached the crux of the matter, Qi Yan frowned and said, "If I recall correctly, next month, Yan Jingshan will become vice president at Junmin."

Yan Tingshen replied, "Right."

Pei Sheng pursed her lips and glanced at Yan Tingshen.

Yan Jingshan was always scheming for the CEO seat. If he were the one to leak this news, he’d surely twist the facts, and the chances of Tingshen and Qin You winning over Old Man Yan would be slim to none.

Yan Tingshen turned to Qin You, squeezed his hand hard. "I’ll handle this."

Qin You smiled. "I know."

Yan Tingshen looked at him. "Trust me."

Qin You chuckled. "Of course I do."

"..." Sitting across from them, Qi Yan could only lift his teacup and take a sip.

After another ten minutes of conversation, seeing how rock-solid those two were and that they clearly needed no reassurance, Qi Yan and Pei Sheng realized their presence was merely being third wheels. They made their excuses and left.

Qin You and Yan Tingshen also returned to Cangyuan Estate.

The next day, the two went to their respective companies.

—

Qin Holdings HQ.

On the first day back after the New Year, Cui Ling walked into the general manager’s office as usual. The sound of fresh game audio quickly drained away any New Year’s spirit, leaving only his usual deadpan expression.

"Young Master Qin, please sign this."

Qin You casually asked, "What needs signing today?"

Cui Ling opened the file and placed it on the desk. "A new project hand-picked by the chairman himself, specifically requesting your personal attention."

Qin You looked up at him.

"..." Cui Ling bit back his frustration. "...I’ll handle it."

Qin You pretended to review a couple of pages before taking the pen Cui Ling handed him.

Watching him sign, Cui Ling couldn’t see why he bothered with the act.

With just the two of them present and the chairman not around to see, what could possibly be learned from flipping a few pages?

But once Qin You finished signing, Cui Ling didn’t linger and turned to leave.

A full day passed, and it was finally time to leave work.

Qin You accepted the coat his secretary handed him and was about to leave when his phone chimed with a message.

Cui Ling, approaching from behind, gripped the file in his hands, then turned and left after hearing the alert.

Xiang Haifeng, tasked by the chairman with providing close protection and sticking to Qin You like a shadow in the company, followed behind him. Seeing his boss check his phone, he discreetly stepped back half a pace.

Qin You had already opened the message.

He froze mid-stride after reading it.

From [Yan Tingshen’s name/nickname]: 'I’ll be back late tonight.'

Qin You stared at the words for a moment before continuing forward.

Qin: Did the old man summon you?

The response was immediate.

[Yan Tingshen’s name/nickname]: Yes.

[Yan Tingshen’s name/nickname]: Relax, I’ll make it quick.

Qin You immediately called Yan Tingshen.

Within seconds, Yan Tingshen answered.

Qin You said, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Hearing his voice, Yan Tingshen tightened his grip on the phone. "It’s not a big deal. No need for you to step in."

Qin You countered, "You’re going alone?"

Yan Tingshen only replied, "Trust me. I’ve got this."

Qin You had always disliked trouble.

He’d even walked away from the Qin Corporation without a second thought. Seeing the Yan family’s scheming again would only sour his mood—no upside there.

Qin You asked, "Positive?"

Yan Tingshen said, "Positive."

Qin You exhaled in frustration at his stubborn streak. "Alright. Watch your back. Call me if things get messy."

Yan Tingshen replied, "Mm."

Nearby.

Pei Sheng waited until he hung up and couldn’t help saying, "The old man called you alone—it’s a setup. You—"

Yan Tingshen glanced at him.

Pei Sheng shrank back under his steely stare, shutting his mouth mid-sentence.

Yan Tingshen slid his phone into his pocket and went downstairs to the car.

The car roared to life, arriving right on time at Fuzhong Road, rolling to a halt at the entrance where a figure stood waiting.

Seeing Yan Tingshen get out of the car, Yao Hong, who had been waiting at the entrance, stepped forward a few more paces.

"Young Master Shen, the old master is waiting for you in the convalescence room."

Yan Tingshen nodded and entered, walking toward the convalescence room. Behind him, Yao Hong gestured to those inside before silently leaving with the masseur.

"You're here."

Yan Tingshen looked at Yan Xingjun, who was struggling to get up from the massage table. "Grandfather."

Yan Xingjun picked up a nearby cane and painfully made his way to the sofa before sitting down.

Even those few steps left him winded. "Sit."

The room was brightly lit, filled with the pungent smell of herbal medicine.

After uttering those two words, Yan Xingjun took a dark brown pill from beside him and placed it in his mouth.

Since becoming gravely ill, his condition had not improved, but with proper care, it had not worsened either. His gaunt face had lost some of its sickly pallor, now showing some color.

"I'm old. I'm of no use anymore."

Yan Xingjun put down his glass and looked at his exceptionally outstanding grandson on the sofa. His slightly hazy eyes held no satisfaction, no anger, not even a trace of emotion. "But I'm not in the ground yet, so you still have to listen to me."

Yan Tingshen replied calmly, "Regarding Junmin matters, whether major or minor, your opinion will always be the final say."

Yan Xingjun laughed, his aged face contorted with mockery. "So you mean, matters outside of Junmin are none of my business?"

As he spoke, he coughed again and tapped the table. "Take out the files from inside and take a look. After reading them, I hope you'll still feel the way you do now."

Yan Tingshen glanced at him before retrieving the files he mentioned from the drawer beneath his grandfather's hand.

While Yan Tingshen was going through them, Yan Xingjun remarked, "The guy you're into—is he really such a worthless deadbeat?"

Yan Tingshen replied, "If you had met him, even just once, you wouldn’t say that."

"Wasting time abroad, accomplishing nothing after returning home."

Yan Xingjun coughed. "Yan Tingshen, the fact that you think so highly of someone like that is truly disappointing."

Yan Tingshen said, "To me, it’s enough that he thinks so highly of me."

Yan Xingjun gave him a cold stare. "Let’s see if you can still say that after reading the files."

By then, Yan Tingshen had already reached the last two pages.

Yan Xingjun noticed his abrupt pause. "What, didn’t expect this?"

Yan Tingshen stared at the thoroughly documented list in the files. His breathing remained controlled, but his heartbeat had turned leaden.