Chapter 20 Counterattack

Chapter 20: Counterattack

In the surveillance footage, Shen Siwen's face was flushed. He swayed to his feet, placing his left hand on Song Xianghan's shoulder and his right over her hand.

"President Song is young, beautiful, and has such a great figure. Why don't you come be with me? The core deep-sea oil and gas rights will be handed over to Xingtu. How about it?"

His voice was tainted with alcohol, his tone sickeningly greasy. As he spoke, his left hand slowly slid downward, almost reaching into Song Xianghan's collar.

A moment later, Song Xianghan's bodyguards entered the private room and quickly pinned Shen Siwen to the ground.

The surveillance footage ended there. Shen Shiyan watched it coldly.

Tsk.

Shen Siwen's out there strutting around, yet he probably doesn't know his own wife is already messing around with his dear brother.

"What do you want to do?" Song Xianghan put her phone away, curious about Shen Shiyan's reaction.

Shen Shiyan looked out the window. The sky had completely darkened, showing signs of early winter, making the glass feel colder than usual.

His gaze was as cold as the air outside. "This evidence indeed isn't enough to put him away. However, if Miss Song is willing, we could also fight fire with fire."

Song Xianghan shrugged. "I don't mind. This recording was originally meant to find an opportunity to benefit Xingtu. Besides, he didn't actually do anything to me. At most, I used up a whole bottle of scented hand soap that day."

Shen Shiyan smiled faintly. "My apologies for the inconvenience, President Song."

The two returned side by side to the restaurant. Shen Ci and Song Qiuchi had already finished eating and were chatting while waiting for them to return.

When they parted ways, Song Xianghan leaned against the door on Shen Shiyan's side, bent down, blinked at him, and said softly, "President Shen, remember to find time to come to Xingtu to survey the sea area."

"Thank you for the reminder, President Song." Shen Shiyan's expression was extremely impassive, and he even leaned back slightly.

Song Xianghan waved her hand and returned to her company car.

Shen Ci curiously poked his arm. "Daddy, what did Sister Song say to you?"

Shen Shiyan glanced at him from the corner of his eye, saying coldly to scare the child. "She said if you don't behave, she'll take you away and throw you into the ocean."

Shen Ci: "..."

Song Xianghan was extremely efficient. By the time Shen Shiyan arrived home and opened his laptop, a new headline had already surpassed the one from the afternoon to become the top trending topic.

The title was explosive—

Shocking! Chonghe Company President Sexually Harasses Xingtu Technology's Song Xianghan, Confirmed with Evidence! Actually Used Cooperation as Leverage to Coerce President Song into Being His Mistress! Tech Industry Queen Takes on Old Money Patriarch, Surveillance Audio Exposed!

Scrolling down a couple of pages, he quickly saw reposts from major news outlets. Some even linked it to the afternoon's baseless rumor about Shen Shiyan seducing Xingtu's Song Xianghan for added buzz.

Readership had already exceeded 700 million.

A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Shen Shiyan's mouth. He already had a clear idea of what would happen at tomorrow morning's briefing. However, he didn't expect Shen Wenzhou to lose his temper so severely that they didn't even have to wait until morning. The butler had sent messages to all branches, summoning them to the ancestral hall immediately.

Shen Shiyan put on his coat and went to check on Shen Ci, who was practicing calligraphy seriously. "Grandfather called me over. If you get tired, go to sleep first."

Shen Ci hummed in acknowledgment.

By the time Shen Shiyan arrived at the ancestral hall, everyone else was already there.

Li Yun was crying uncontrollably, seemingly unable to stand, collapsed at the feet of the two brothers, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

When Shen Shiyan entered, Shen Siwen's face instantly contorted with rage. He strode over and directly grabbed Shen Shiyan's collar, furious. "Shen Shiyan! It was you, wasn't it? You teamed up with that bitch to release the news, right?! You motherfucker, you want to ruin me!"

A flicker of amusement passed through Shen Shiyan's eyes. He grabbed Shen Siwen's wrist, his expression quite innocent. "Elder Brother, how does that help the Shen family?"

Shen Siwen's eyes were bloodshot, the whole man like a rabid dog that had lost its mind. "You think you can stay clean yourself? You've only been in this family for a few months, and you really think you're a Shen now!"

"Yuhe was also slandered this afternoon. Elder Brother is so quick to push the blame onto me. Could it be that you were the one who released that fake news?"

Shen Shiyan's hand also tightened slightly, a hint of provocation in his eyes, his words full of suggestive implication.

"Have you had enough!" Shen Wenzhou roared angrily, his head aching. The afternoon news about Yuhe had been like a stone thrown into a calm sea, but fortunately, there was no evidence. Holding a press conference to clarify would suffice. However, this exposure involving Shen Siwen had a solid chain of evidence. Song Xianghan's lawyers had even directly delivered a legal notice to Shen Wenzhou.

As soon as the news broke, Shen Wenzhou immediately sought out the best PR team, but the situation had still seriously escalated. Daring to openly challenge the Shen Group, it was clear Shen Shiyan didn't have that capability.

Now, it wasn't just Chonghe; even the Shen Group's holding company's stock price had plummeted by 4.2% in response, with market value evaporating by over 2 billion.

Although the Shen Group had urgently issued an announcement stating they would suspend Shen Siwen from all duties and had formed a special investigation team to verify the situation, netizens, guided by opposing hired commentators, weren't buying it.

It had even spawned other gossip news about Shen Wenzhou's own conduct.

The butler stepped forward to pull Shen Siwen away. Shen Shiyan's collar was completely wrinkled. He tidied it indifferently and said solemnly, "Miss Song is already investigating the afternoon's news. I imagine it shouldn't be hard to find the mastermind behind it. Then, right after, Elder Brother's incident was exposed. It must have been entirely orchestrated by Miss Song."

Shen Wenzhou felt waves of discomfort in his heart, and his breathing rate increased slightly.

"I've been married to you for nearly twenty-five years! Shen Siwen, how could you do this to me!" Li Yun cried out tearfully, her voice already hoarse from shouting.

Shen Shiyan's mouth twitched. If not for Shen Ci's discovery, he might have really believed Li Yun was deeply devoted to Shen Siwen.

They were two of a kind.

Shen Siwen was annoyed by Li Yun's crying, pacing back and forth. "Stop fucking crying!"

Shen Wenzhou steadied his emotions before speaking. "This is the sacred ancestral hall! No one is to act crazy here! Shiyan, what's your view on this matter?"

This was the first time Shen Wenzhou had addressed him so intimately. Shen Shiyan felt a wave of disgust but kept his expression neutral. "The chain of evidence is already solid. Chonghe, as a central enterprise of the Shen Group, cannot be implicated. As for Miss Song, I'm merely a business partner to her. My words carry little weight; I really can't say much."

Shen Siyu hadn't spoken the entire time. His probing gaze swept over Shen Shiyan, startlingly realizing he had underestimated this illegitimate son of an illegitimate son.

For Shen Wenzhou, family ties couldn't compare to power. Otherwise, he wouldn't still be managing things at his age instead of enjoying his retirement.

The Antu he currently managed was doing alright, but with the domestic real estate market downturn in recent years, its revenue couldn't even catch a whiff of what it was a decade ago.

Yuhe had been completely transformed and had even climbed onto the high branch that was Song Xianghan. Its future was so bright it was almost blinding.

Moreover, judging by Shen Wenzhou's current attitude, he was placing increasing importance on Shen Shiyan.

Shen Siwen was a fool; he had never considered him a threat. But Shen Shiyan was different. He had a certain drive and was clever. It was hard to guarantee he wouldn't become a threat.

A chill rose from the soles of Shen Siyu's feet, shooting up his spine. A cold sweat broke out. He felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.