CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288: WHAT SHE NEEDS

Huang Zhangyue’s expression was gloomy, his face ashen as he stared at Wang Dan’an.

He sneered coldly, as if he had long noticed, and said through clenched teeth, "President Wang, do you still think I’m being paranoid? Bian Yue never intended to cooperate with you!"

Wang Dan’an’s face was complex, he did not answer Huang Zhangyue’s words, but instead turned around and walked toward the depths of the corridor nearby.

Huang Zhangyue still hadn’t reversed his thinking; now was not the time when their words carried weight. Today, if Bian Yue did not want to cooperate with them, all would probably be in vain.

Yet Huang Zhangyue evidently still believed that they were on an equal footing.

Wang Dan’an was agitated inside, and he left with big strides. Behind him, Huang Zhangyue quickly followed.

Bian Shu’s funeral was broadcast by Xiangjiang’s financial news, not because of Bian Shu’s special identity, but because it had been a long time since Xiangjiang’s business elites had gathered for the same occasion.

This event was also quite spectacular.

Zhuang Jie Ning was sitting in the hall, watching Bian Yue’s indifferent profile on the television, a nameless rage burning in her heart.

"She’s putting on an act for whom! That bitch!" Zhuang Jie Ning was furious, pointing at the TV, her voice shrill, "She is just showing off!"

Zhuang Yi furrowed his brows, watching Zhuang Jie Ning from a distance with helplessness in his heart.

He approached her and said softly, "Jie Ning, have you forgotten what the doctor said? You must not get angry, you need to learn to be calm."

"Dad! You tell me to be calm, but how can I be calm? Why does Bian Yue have everything, but now I have nothing!" Zhuang Jie Ning’s eyes reddened, her voice hoarse, "My life should not have been like this, I was supposed to be the brightest pearl of Xiangjiang!"

Zhuang Jie Ning had just recently come out of the hospital; her health had been poor since she had a miscarriage and she had been recuperating. According to the doctor, it was feared she might never be able to conceive again.

Zhuang Yi ultimately pitied his own daughter and could not bear to see Zhuang Jie Ning in such a state. He looked at her with a helpless expression, and after a long silence, slowly said, "Jie Ning, what’s past is past, the Li Family no longer exists, what use is there in caring about these things now?"

Tears fell drop by drop from Zhuang Jie Ning’s eyes. She looked at Zhuang Yi with a wronged expression, choking back sobs, "But..."

"There are not so many ’buts,’ Jie Ning. Dad has already arranged a school for you. You will go abroad to study, take the time to relax, and in a few years, no one will remember these things. You can still start a new life."

Zhuang Yi walked up to Zhuang Jie Ning, sat down next to her, took her hand, and said earnestly, "The current situation is not favorable, give dad some time, I will definitely find a way to secure an escape route for you, so you can live the rest of your life without worries."

Zhuang Jie Ning had once resented Zhuang Yi; after all, if not for him, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a state. But now, she couldn’t help but be grateful to Zhuang Yi; looking at the world, he was the only one who wouldn’t give up on her.

After several days of heavy rain, Xiangjiang welcomed a rare warm and sunny day.

Business at Lixing Group was piling up; with Shen Zhaoli being busy with wedding preparations, all matters had fallen on Shen Jinci.

The night was time for a family meeting, everyone gathered around the table, each with their own thoughts.

Someone broke the silence with dissatisfaction, "Mr. Shen is still too young, lacks stability. Look, he’s only recently started handling Lixing, and now he doesn’t even attend meetings."

As these words fell, the room buzzed with discussion.

Shen Zhaoli was the one Shen Jinci had vigorously supported to take his position, but with so many people in the Shen Family, all talented, how many were truly willing to accept being subordinate to others.

"Yes, in my opinion, since Mr. Shen is busy, why don’t we elect an interim president, to also share Mr. Shen’s worries?"

Shen Jinci’s eyes were indifferent, just listening to their conversation without expressing any agreement or objection.

His emotions were so well concealed that it was impossible to discern his thoughts.

Shen Jian’s gaze stayed on Shen Jinci, and seeing him remain silent, he slowly said, "Actually... I don’t think there is necessarily a need to appoint an interim president."

"Chairman Shen, do you have any insights?" someone curiously asked.

Shen Jian cleared his throat and spoke in an unhurried tone, "To be honest, I think it would be better to have Shen Shiniang come back from overseas. In the past... even though he offended Mr. Shen in some ways, times have changed, and Mr. Shen should have cooled down by now, shouldn’t he?"

This was a well-timed suggestion.

Shen Jinci remained expressionless, his calm eyes turned to Shen Jian, and he let out a slight sneer: "You sure know how to make decisions on my behalf."

"Mr. Shen, how dare we make decisions for you? Currently, everything at Lixing is up to you. We old bones are only sitting here because you’ve been magnanimous and let bygones be bygones. But... it’s hard to leave one’s homeland. Mr. Shen, do you really plan to never let your uncle return for as long as you live?"

The atmosphere plunged into dead silence, with everyone looking at each other, aware that Shen Jian’s words had touched a nerve, hence the previous enthusiasm died down.

Meanwhile, at the Shen Family Mansion, Bian Yue woke up to see the gloomy sky outside her window.

She got up, wanting to find something to eat in the kitchen but accidentally shattered a vase as she was going downstairs.

The scattered fragments and the loud crash finally pulled Bian Yue’s thoughts back to the present.

When she came to her senses, she was already standing amidst the mess.

Bian Yue’s brain was slow to react for a few seconds, then, with trembling hands, she dialed Shen Jinci’s number.

The ringing of the phone broke the dead silence in the conference room, and everyone instinctively looked at Shen Jinci.

They saw the man, who had been expressionless, suddenly fill with emotion, almost anxiously he answered the call, his voice gentle and soothing, "Yueyue... what’s wrong?"

Everyone knew that Mr. Shen’s wife was called Bian Yue.

Yet, this public display of intimacy was truly startling.

Hearing Shen Jinci’s voice, Bian Yue felt as if she had found her anchor and said softly, "Jinci, I accidentally broke the vase..."

"Don’t touch the shards, I’m coming back right now," Shen Jinci responded and abruptly stood up, walking out quickly.

The group watched his retreating figure, unsure how to react.

Kang Yu was the first to recover and started to smooth things over, saying, "It’s getting late, let’s call it a day for now."

Bian Yue didn’t know how long she had been standing at the staircase. She just stared dully at the chaos in front of her, until she heard Shen Jinci’s footsteps, which snapped her back to reality.

Bian Yue looked up and saw Shen Jinci not far away, striding toward her.

"Jinci..." Bian Yue moved forward instinctively.

Shen Jinci, already anxious, upon seeing Bian Yue’s movement, his face became even more frantic, "Stay still, don’t move!"

Only then did Bian Yue feel the pain of the shards piercing her skin. She looked at Shen Jinci approaching her and said in a hoarse voice apologetically, "I’m sorry, I forgot..."