CHAPTER 287: CHAPTER 287: EACH WITH THEIR OWN AGENDA

"We’re quite a match, aren’t we?" Wen Jiao looked up at Bian Yue, seemingly calm, "I think he’s quite suitable."

Suitable.

This word, coming from Wen Jiao’s mouth, made Bian Yue stunned.

This didn’t sound like something the Wen Jiao of the past would say.

"Jiaojiao... Just being suitable is not enough." Bian Yue frowned at her, softly saying, "Tell me the truth, do you have some unspeakable concern that made you agree to Shen Zhaoli?"

"What unspeakable concern could I have?" Wen Jiao smiled helplessly. She looked at Bian Yue’s worried face and said gently, "Yueyue, don’t worry. If I really didn’t want to, how could I agree? All this is my own choice."

That night, a heavy rain enveloped Xiangjiang.

In a top-floor downtown restaurant, Wen Jiao and Shen Zhaoli dined together. Each sated in their own right, the atmosphere was still somewhat peaceful. The next moment, they both raised their glasses in a toast from afar, and it seemed everything was set in stone.

Meanwhile, Bian Yue and Shen Jinci sat in the Shen Family’s old house’s main hall, watching the endless rain converge past the windows, creating a marbled pattern of water.

"Jinci, besides sitting at home watching the rain, what else can we do on rainy days?"

"What do you want to do?"

Bian Yue did not know. It was just a question she had casually thrown out there, but hearing Shen Jinci’s earnest reply, she seriously pondered and said, "When I was in high school, I used to go out in the rain with Wen Jiao. She was crazy back then."

Not only Wen Jiao was crazy. Beneath Bian Yue’s well-behaved and non-confrontational demeanor, there was also a heart that harbored curiosity towards everything.

Shen Jinci tenderly kissed her hair, whispering: "Yueyue, you can do whatever you want in the future."

Bian Yue felt comforted.

The body that housed pregnancy easily succumbed to tiredness. Bian Yue closed her eyes, whispering, "I want to sleep for a while."

Shen Jinci then carried her toward the bedroom.

At night, the rain grew heavier, pouring down—its sound, crisp and rapid.

Bian Yue woke up from a nightmare, her face wet with tears. Opening her eyes, she saw Shen Jinci’s worried face.

He watched her intently, and upon seeing her awake, his lips curled into a tender smile. "Yueyue, it’s okay, it was just a nightmare."

Bian Yue’s mind went blank for a moment; she couldn’t remember what she had dreamt about.

She looked at Shen Jinci, lost and disoriented, her voice shaking, "What did I...just say?"

Shen Jinci said it was nothing, you were just crying.

After pausing for a moment, he held Bian Yue in his arms, softly whispering by her ear: "Yueyue, everything will pass."

The twinkle in Bian Yue’s eyes turned into fragments of light, she closed them, and it took a long time before she could choke out, "I remember now, I dreamt of my sister again..."

Shen Jinci didn’t reply; he simply held Bian Yue tighter, his actions full of pity and tenderness.

Three days later, in a suburban area, Bian Yue, dressed in white, stood beside Shen Jinci, looking at Bian Shu’s grave in the moist and hazy morning light.

Everything was already set in stone, no longer subject to human intervention. Even someone as invincible as Shen Jinci couldn’t bring a dead person back to life.

Since it was the funeral of the chairwoman of the Bian Group, many people were present at the scene. Cries and gasps of grief could occasionally be heard behind Bian Yue.

Amidst those cries, it was hard to tell how many were truly heartfelt.

Bian Yue’s eyes were red as she silently stared at the tombstone in front of her; the black marble tombstone clearly displayed Bian Shu’s photo.

"President Bian, my condolences!" Wang Dan’an stepped forward, sighed, and said, "Your body cannot undergo any more stress now. You have to take care of yourself; getting too upset might harm your health."

Truly sincere advice it seemed, as if it stemmed from concern—if it weren’t for the calculations harbored within each other’s hearts.

Bian Yue expressionless, simply said, "I know. Thank you, President Wang, for coming today."

"Ah! What’s there to thank!" Wang Dan’an waved his hand and cheerfully said, "I and Miss Bian Shu were also fated. Even the cooperation between Red Mountain and the Bian Group was single-handedly facilitated by her. President Bian, you won’t let Miss Bian Shu down, will you?"

Bian Yue did not immediately respond; it was Shen Jinci by her side who looked at Wang Dan’an, his eyes tinged with a trace of chill.

For Wang Dan’an, however, the current Bian Yue was a lifesaver, and regardless of Shen Jinci’s thoughts, he was set on pursuing the cooperation. Red Mountain could not afford to wait any longer.

"Don’t worry. I won’t refuse my sister’s request. After the funeral is over, our official cooperation will begin."

Wang Dan’an had been waiting for Bian Yue’s words; his purpose achieved, he immediately uttered some pleasantries and left the scene.

President Lu had come all the way from the Mainland; he stood by Xie Zhang, watching Bian Yue’s figure.

She had lost much weight and seemed to be more fragile.

President Lu could guess how hard these times had been for Bian Yue.

As the funeral ended, inside the rest room, Bian Yue sat opposite President Lu, her tone indifferent: "Thank you, President Lu for coming all the way to attend my sister’s funeral."

"Since we are in a deep partnership, I naturally had to come." President Lu paused for a moment and then said, "On the way here, I heard something. Did Li Tingmo leave Xiangjiang overnight?"

"Yes, there was such an incident."

"And you just let him go like that?" President Lu raised an eyebrow, his smile ambiguous, "I thought you would be thorough in eradicating based on the debt the Li Family owes the Bian Family."

"I’ve already reclaimed everything. He’s just an irrelevant person now." Bian Yue looked up at President Lu. She knew him well and said directly, "But you, you wouldn’t care about this unless it involved you."

President Lu’s smile deepened, "Indeed, it concerns me. The stock price of the Bian Group has been unstable, and I care about that."

"The instability of Bian Group’s stock price is temporary, as you know, and it shouldn’t affect our partnership." Bian Yue glanced down, her voice calm, "What you’re really worried about is whether Red Mountain will affect Xinghe’s standing in Xiangjiang, isn’t it?"

President Lu was struck to the core; the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes pronounced, he elegantly picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and said, "You’re right, that is indeed my worry. I can help stabilize the stock price as long as you terminate the partnership with Red Mountain."

The subtext of his intentions was clear to Bian Yue.

"I’ve already promised my sister that we would cooperate with Red Mountain; it’s not possible to terminate now." Bian Yue’s tone remained cool, "Thank you for your kindness, President Lu, but I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you."

The smile on President Lu’s face faded a bit; he had not expected Bian Yue to refuse so bluntly, "You also know that the reason Bian Shu facilitated the cooperation initially was because she needed Red Mountain. But now, you can renounce that."

While they were speaking, just a door apart, Wang Dan’an and Huang Zhangyue stood at the doorstep, listening clearly to their conversation.