Chapter 29 Ribbon-Cutting

Chapter 29: Ribbon-Cutting

It was a month and a half later when Shen Shiyan saw Gao Mengying again, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official launch of the Yuhe Xingtu project into the sea.

She wore a composed smile, with no trace of the fear and panic from the hospital. She looked radiant and energetic, her hand injury completely healed. Dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark suit pants, she stood beside Song Xianghan.

Sensing his gaze, Gao Mengying turned her head and met Shen Shiyan's eyes.

No trace of mockery showed on her face this time. She simply nodded at Shen Shiyan with a faint smile before looking away.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony proceeded smoothly. The following cruise ship banquet was attended by presidents from many well-known companies in Yuncheng.

Whether out of respect for Song Xianghan or Shen Wenzhou, many people came to toast and drink with Shen Shiyan.

Shen Siyu was also on the guest list. He attended with his wife, Liang Ning, sitting in an inconspicuous corner of the venue, watching Shen Shiyan gracefully raise his glass and socialize amidst the crowd.

"Quite the spectacle," Shen Siyu said, downing the half-glass of champagne in his hand.

Liang Ning had delicate features, carrying the gentle charm of the southern water towns. Frowning now, she speared a white strawberry with her fork and took a bite. "All thanks to your foolish eldest brother."

Shen Siyu remained silent, his fingertips rubbing the stem of his wine glass.

The white strawberries were carefully selected by the Xingtu procurement department, each similar in size, with a taste of seventy percent sweetness and thirty percent sourness.

Yet Liang Ning found the juice in her mouth completely tasteless. Under the table, she nudged Shen Siyu with her foot.

"Say something!" Liang Ning leaned back in her chair, exasperated. "What has Shen Siwen ever done for you? Why are you always so set on helping him? I think you've really lost your mind!"

Shen Siyu set down his glass, his voice cold. "Have you had enough?"

Liang Ning's mother was indeed from a southern water town, having married far away to Yuncheng. Her father was the chairman of Jiahong Pharmaceutical Group. Back then, her marriage to Shen Siyu was essentially an alliance.

Liang Ning came from a prominent family background; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to send her firstborn daughter back to her maternal home to be raised. Moreover, being nine years younger than Shen Siyu, in the Shen family, she feared no one except Shen Wenzhou.

Now, having been shut down by Shen Siyu, she bluntly threw her fork onto the table, where it clinked against the edge of a plate.

"What? Did I say something wrong? Shen Siyu, I never should have married you in the first place!"

Liang Ning grabbed her coat and, without sparing Shen Siyu any face, left the table directly and returned to her guest room on the cruise ship.

Until the banquet ended, this minor incident went unnoticed by anyone.

The deep blue sea stretched endlessly to the horizon. The cold wind outside the banquet hall blew against Shen Shiyan's face, emphasizing the desolate atmosphere after the crowd had dispersed. His nostrils filled with the salty, damp scent, which helped dispel some of the alcohol.

"Drunk?" Song Xianghan walked over from behind him, leaning on the railing and handing him a bottle of water.

"No," Shen Shiyan took it, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. "Miss Gao seems to be in good spirits."

Song Xianghan's hair was tousled by the sea breeze. "She's more capable than I realized. About that CFO Mengying told me about, how is your investigation going?"

Shen Shiyan swirled the water bottle. "Chu Manwen is very cautious. Based on Chonghe's financial accounts and revenue and expenses from the past year or so, nothing suspicious is apparent yet."

Song Xianghan turned around, leaning back against the railing to look at Shen Shiyan. "After all, Chu Manwen is only closer to Shen Siwen. She might not necessarily be involved with that underground casino."

Shen Shiyan glanced at his phone. "There are forty days until Spring Festival. Casinos tend to be livelier around year-end. Now that Shen Siwen has lost his position as president of Chonghe, there might be movement in his funds."

Song Xianghan nodded. "I'll keep an eye on my second brother's side too. I'll contact you if I find anything."

Shen Siwen was currently at the Shen residence, under surveillance by Shen Wenzhou's people. Song Huixuan had visited a few times.

Song Xianghan went to some lengths to bribe one of his bodyguards, but the information obtained was only that the two had jointly invested in an illegal underground casino, with even the specific location unclear.

After Gao Mengying took up the position of second assistant, she happened to overhear a call between Song Xianghan and Shen Shiyan and proactively provided some useful information. She had seen Chu Manwen enter and leave Shen Siwen's office several times, each time deliberately avoiding people and staying inside for extended periods.

Chu Manwen was highly vigilant. Shen Shiyan dared not alert the enemy, focusing only on the company's existing financial statements. However, the accounts were impeccably managed. Qi Zizhu had been monitoring them for nearly half a month without any findings.

"Mmm, thank you for your efforts, Miss Song." Shen Shiyan offered Song Xianghan a faint smile.

At 4:30 PM, the cruise ship docked.

Today was Shen Ci's winter break. Shen Shiyan bid farewell to Song Xianghan at the pier, heading to Yunxi.

Shen Siyu disembarked earlier than Shen Shiyan and was waiting by Shen Shiyan's car. "Let's go together."

Shen Shiyan slowed his steps, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Xiao Rong's wound has almost healed," Shen Siyu said with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, making casual conversation in the back seat, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.

Shen Shiyan folded his hands, relaxed. "Children do recover faster."

Shen Siyu chuckled twice. "Indeed. I see Xiao Ci's hair has grown quite quickly too."

Outside the car window, light snow began to fall. The shops along the street grew increasingly familiar. Shen Shiyan closed his eyes for a moment and hummed in agreement.

The entrance of Yunxi School was already crowded with parents picking up their children. Getting out of the car, Shen Shiyan immediately spotted Shen Rong, who was among the first to leave school, surrounded by six or seven boys, making him quite conspicuous.

"It's cold," Shen Shiyan glanced toward his own car, which had been following behind Shen Siyu's. "Shen Ci is usually slower. Second Brother, you should head back first."

Without waiting for Shen Siyu's response, Shen Shiyan had already taken two steps to the passenger side of the following car and leaned against the body.

The snow grew heavier, dusting Shen Shiyan's dark gray overcoat. Shen Siyu watched him with a meaningful gaze for a while, then reached out to catch some falling snowflakes.

Soon, Shen Rong crossed the street to Shen Siyu, shot a disgusted glare at Shen Shiyan, and climbed into the back seat of the car.

Shen Siyu rubbed his fingers together, the icy flake on his fingertip quickly melting into water.

Then Shen Siyu also got into the car, disappearing around the bend ahead.

Shen Shiyan wasn't in a hurry either, idly watching students leave the school gate one by one.

To avoid Shen Rong, Shen Ci usually left school among the last batch of students.

"Daddy!" A few minutes later, Shen Ci finally emerged through the crowd ahead, calling out crisply from across the street.

Shen Shiyan habitually took Shen Ci's backpack, tightened his scarf, and then let Shen Ci take hold of his pinky finger.

"Daddy, if I do really badly on the final exams, will you abandon me?" In the car, Shen Ci sat beside Shen Shiyan, only his eyes visible.

Shen Shiyan thought for a moment. "That would depend on just how bad 'really badly' is."

Shen Ci fell silent, silently praying that his exam results in a week would at least be passing.