Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"The tech forum lecture is in two days. Here's some material I put together."

Inside the office, Yan Shiying placed a document on Yan Shiqi's desk.

Yan Shiqi looked at Yan Shiying. "You've been busy with this lately? Things like this should be left to the assistants and secretaries. Your job is to network and invest in projects with potential."

He couldn't hide his disappointment, and Yan Shiying nodded silently.

Seeing Yan Shiying's downcast look, Xie Yunshen figured he'd start overthinking again once he got home: *His brother really doesn't love him; he just needs him to show his face to maintain the family's dignity.*

Yan Shiying was about to take the document back.

However, Yan Shiqi happened to open the file and began reading it.

After a moment, he looked up at Yan Shiying. "Not bad for someone who's made their own way out there. Very insightful."

Apparently surprised to receive praise from his elder brother, Yan Shiying's eyes widened slightly.

"It fits the smart factory theme perfectly and should really appeal to young people. We'll go with your draft for this talk."

A light sparked in Yan Shiying's eyes. "You mean you're actually going to use my draft?"

"Of course. Moreover, you'll be the main speaker this time. I've attended these things too many times and have grown used to having assistants ghostwrite, forgetting that's not how it should be," Yan Shiqi said.

After listening, Yan Shiying gave a faint smile, his expression growing more remorseful, until it became almost shameful.

*It must be because no one can lighten big brother's load.*

The huge Yan family rests entirely on big brother's shoulders. There are few people he can truly trust. While he supposedly started a business abroad, the fact that it went so smoothly is partly thanks to the Yan family's backing.

Both he and Yan Shizhou have enjoyed the family's resources, yet they failed to help big brother during the most difficult times.

Wasn't that a kind of betrayal?

Seeing him standing there motionless, Yan Shiqi asked, "What's wrong?"

Yan Shiying shook his head and walked out of the office, lost in thought.

In the afternoon, Xie Yunshen went up to Yi Wuyi. "Which of the Yan family's transport trucks depart from City A and use Nongbao Mountain Road?"

"What?" Yi Wuyi was startled. "Why ask this all of a sudden?"

"Just asking. I had this dream yesterday... I dreamed that the Yan family's truck convoy was overloaded, and the mountain road collapsed while they were passing through."

He couldn't even be bothered making up an excuse; after all, Old Five wasn't an outsider.

"Only the waste material from an electronics factory in City A passes through the Nongbao Mountain road."

"Is that kind of load likely to be overweight?"

Xie Yunshen remembered that the mountain road collapse occurred right on the way to the technology forum conference.

In the original story, the collapse not only buried several vehicles but also set off a chain reaction of accidents.

Since the accident happened on a narrow mountain road, rescue efforts were difficult, costing many people who could have been saved their best chance at rescue.

Of course, the male lead was also there. He not only saved his would-be father-in-law, Patriarch Bai, but also successfully treated two critical children, further solidifying his reputation as the "miracle doctor who snatches lives from the jaws of death."

People online started slamming the official rescue efforts as slow, which really pissed off the public.

Afterward, officials reported that the cause of the collapse was a Yan family transport convoy that was grossly overloaded. The fact that it was repeatedly overloaded while traversing the road ultimately led to the collapse.

Thus, the Yan family once again became the focus of everyone's anger.

Top Star Gate seized on this, secretly steering the narrative and spreading it all over.

With the story blowing up online, the stocks of Yan Group's subsidiaries plummeted.

Although Xie Yunshen wasn't the male lead, since he had transmigrated into the book, he wasn't about to let that happen again.

He just didn't know whether the Yan family's transport convoy was actually overloaded.

Yi Wuyi answered him, "No, the Yan family has always been very strict about approved load limits."

"But, you know, my dreams are usually very accurate. Why don't we go check it out? Could you ask Mr. Yan?"

Yi Wuyi said earnestly, "I think if you ask him directly, it would save a step."

He, as this "middleman," was completely unnecessary.

"Really?" Xie Yunshen was startled.

So, on the way home, Xie Yunshen leaned close to Yan Shiqi and tilted his head. "Mr. Yan, are you free today?"

Yan Shiqi put down what he was holding and looked at him, somewhat surprised. *Why does this sound like an invitation?*

"I mean, if you have time, should we go take a look at that electronics factory in the southern district?" Xie Yunshen rephrased.

"Let's go to the southern district electronics factory."

Xie Yunshen was still planning to explain further, but Yan Shiqi had already instructed the driver to change direction.

"..."

*Does he trust me that much?*

Through the rearview mirror, Yi Wuyi gave him an "I told you so" look.

Yan Shiqi's arrival was sudden and coincided with the factory management's off-duty hours—it was a total surprise inspection.

The factory director and several heads were already on their way home when they heard from security that Yan Shiqi had come to inspect the factory. They were stunned, frantically searching their minds for any recent shortcomings.

Everyone hurried back to the factory, only to learn that Yan Shiqi wasn't on the production line but had gone directly to the freight department.

When Yan Shiqi's car arrived at the factory, without him having to say a word, Yi Wuyi had the driver head straight to the freight department.

At that moment, dozens of large trucks were parked outside, fully loaded with cargo.

They were queuing on the weighbridge to be weighed one by one.

Yi Wuyi entered the weighbridge room and saw that the values on the display indeed exceeded the company's approved limits.

Most were overloaded.

He walked out, first giving Xie Yunshen a meaningful look, then reported to Yan Shiqi, "Most exceed by about twenty percent, but the forms have been manipulated to show normal values."

Just then, the factory director and department heads jogged over, the autumn wind chilling the sweat on their foreheads. "Chairman... Why have you come so suddenly..."

Yan Shiqi raised his hand, gesturing for him to stop.

“You don't know about the problems in the shipping department?”

The factory manager was so rattled by his cold, piercing gaze that he felt utterly lost, barely managing to stay calm as he asked, “What do you mean?”

Yan Shiqi didn’t answer, leaving him with a look that said “you’d better watch out” before walking away.

As usual, Yi Wuyi stayed behind to tie up loose ends: “Manager Li, don’t ask anymore. Mr. Yan knows all about it.”

The factory manager deflated like a balloon, staring blankly at Yan Shiqi’s retreating figure. From entering the electronics factory to leaving, Yan Shiqi had spoken only one sentence, yet it felt as though he had already sealed the man's fate.

He couldn’t understand it—after working diligently for most of his life to reach the position of factory manager, how could he ruin his future over skimming a mere 20% of the scrap materials?

He was even more baffled about how his actions, so carefully concealed and only just beginning, could have reached Yan Shiqi’s ears, and how the man could have gone so directly and accurately to the shipping department.

Before long, the incident spread rapidly throughout City A, leading many to believe that the Yan family had solid intel networks across all their subsidiaries.

Xie Yunshen believed that the best drama in the Yan household was the daily breakfast gathering.

Especially after Yan Shiying returned, the performances of the three Yan brothers were practically comparable to a prime-time variety show.

Yan Shiying sat at the dining table with a look of utter disbelief: “Big brother, could you please tell a certain someone not to play porn in the office? People in the break area were already talking about it yesterday.”

Xie Yunshen thought to himself: Here it comes, it’s time for his favorite “paid gossip-listening” session.

Yan Shiqi, who had been focused on his meal, paused and immediately turned his gaze toward his third brother, Yan Shizhou.

The latter calmly wiped the soup from the corner of his mouth with a napkin: “First, it was played during lunch break, not work hours. Second, it was purely for educational purposes.”

“Educational?” Yan Shiqi frowned.

“Big brother just doesn’t get it. It’s just about learning some new positions appropriately,” Yan Shizhou shrugged.

Xie Yunshen thought to himself, this was way over the line. He immediately glanced at Yi Wuyi beside him.

As expected of the fifth brother, even now, he could pretend not to hear or see anything, his face as deadpan as if he were already six feet under.

“Don’t do this again,” Yan Shiqi rubbed his temples.

“Big brother, do you mean don’t play porn anymore, or don’t learn new positions?” Yan Shizhou smiled faintly.

Yan Shiqi fell silent for two seconds: “Do. Not. Play. Porn. At. The. Company.”

Xie Yunshen could hear the gritted teeth in his voice, as well as the helplessness he felt toward his own younger brother.

But, looking at it this way, it was kind of weirdly cute.

Xie Yunshen had a late-arriving shock: Wait, who was he just calling cute? Who?!

“Got it, big brother,” Yan Shizhou replied lazily, then turned his gaze to Yan Shiying.

Now it was his turn to get back at him.

He propped his chin on one hand, leaning sideways to look at his second brother.

“Dressed like that today, are you going to a wedding?”

It wasn’t Yan Shizhou’s fault—after spending so long in the liberal Country C, Yan Shiying had been influenced too. Even on regular days, he hardly ever bothered with a tie, always leaving the top two buttons of his shirt undone.

But today, he was unusually dressed in a well-tailored, high-end suit, neatly wearing a dark red tie and cufflinks.

A picture-perfect executive.

In response to Yan Shizhou’s teasing, Yan Shiying shot him a glance: “I’m going to a tech forum with big brother today.”

Yan Shizhou said meaningfully, “Mhm, I know. ‘A black suit paired with a dark red tie, dignified yet stylish.’”

Yan Shiying’s eyes sparked with electricity, his forehead already shadowed with annoyance: “You were snooping on my phone?”

Yan Shizhou chuckled: “I don’t know your password. Last night after dinner, your phone was on the sofa, and a message popped up. I just happened to catch a glimpse. That Miss Bai Molan must be a real brainy beauty, right?”

Yan Shiying: “…”

Xie Yunshen, listening nearby, found the name familiar. Bai Molan was the female lead’s online handle, and Yan Shiying was the textbook second lead, having been online friends with her for seven years.

They addressed each other as friends, discussing everything under the sun.

It could be said that the kind-hearted and beautiful female lead had filled the void in Yan Shiying's lonely soul during his years abroad.

Of course, the female lead belonged to the male lead, and Yan Shiying was destined to be the devoted second male lead in the novel.

“You damn gay… can’t even letting you eat shut you up?”

Yan Shiqi, listening nearby, felt a vein bulge on his forehead: “…”

“My dear second brother, don’t tell me you’ve been chatting for so long without even meeting in person?” Yan Shizhou knew exactly how to twist the knife.

“Have you been watching too much porn? Don’t taint our pure friendship with your gay thoughts,” Yan Shiying managed to retort.

“Mhm, at least it’s better than someone who doesn’t even dare to suggest meeting, comforting themselves with a platonic love.”

“That's enough!” Yan Shiqi spoke up.

Both shut up.