Grandpa's Phone Call and the Sudden Crisis

The afternoon meeting was long and tedious.

Lin Chen sat at the far end of the conference table, responsible for taking the minutes.

On the surface, he paid close attention, nodding along from time to time as his pen raced across his notebook. He looked professional and conscientious.

Only he knew, however, that his notebook contained far more doodles than actual notes.

It's up to 1.15! The system is awesome! 1.20! Holy shit! Is it riding a rocket?

Whoa, Yan Iceberg is looking over here. Quick, head down, write, write, write... She didn't notice, did she?

Probably not... Hehe, it's gone up again!

Can it hit 1.25 by the close today? Wouldn't that mean I'd reach my target just like that?

His thoughts were completely occupied by Kexiang Technology's stock price. Every change in the numbers when he refreshed made his heart race and his adrenaline surge.

Whenever Yan Qingyue glanced at him inquisitively, he mistook it for a boss's displeasure at an employee's wandering attention. He had to force himself to focus and put on an act.

Yan Qingyue sat at the head of the table, listening to the department heads' reports, but her own mind was wandering too.

She could clearly hear the almost nonstop stream of thoughts about the stock price running through Lin Chen's mind.

Every "it's gone up" was like a little hammer pounding away at her understanding of the financial markets.

It made no sense.

Even when there was major positive news, it was usually accompanied by profit-taking, with the stock price fluctuating as it rose.

But Kexiang Technology's nearly uninterrupted climb, with scarcely a pullback, had an uncanny strength to it, as though an invisible hand were pushing hard from behind.

That made her even more certain that Lin Chen's explanation of "luck" simply didn't hold water.

He had to know something, or... possess some ability she couldn't understand.

As the meeting drew to a close, Yan Qingyue's personal phone suddenly vibrated on the table.

The caller's name on the screen instantly softened her icy gaze.

It was Grandpa.

She gestured for the executives to pause, picked up the phone, and spoke with uncharacteristic gentleness:

"Grandpa, I'm in a meeting. Give me a moment."

She took her phone out of the conference room and went to the lounge next door.

A quiet murmur of discussion immediately arose in the conference room.

Old Master Yan was the company's founder. Although he had long since stepped back, his authority still lingered, and he was also the person President Yan respected most.

If he had called personally, it had to be something important.

Lin Chen pricked up his ears too, curious.

Grandpa Yan called? That legendary business titan?

Yan Iceberg suddenly seems so gentle... Sure enough, even the coldest iceberg has its moments of melting. I wonder what the old master wants with her?

Soon, Yan Qingyue returned to the conference room.

Her expression was calm again, but the observant Lin Chen still caught a trace of barely perceptible gravity and... worry?

"Let's continue."

She was brief and to the point, as though she had just taken an ordinary call.

But for the rest of the meeting, she was noticeably distracted. She even hesitated over a project decision, a rare occurrence that secretly surprised the executives who were familiar with her decisive style.

Something's wrong. Yan Iceberg definitely has something going on.

She was fine when she took the call, but she's been a little absent-minded since she came back.

Did something happen at home? No, wait. What could happen to the Yan Family?

Lin Chen speculated inwardly, temporarily forgetting even to refresh the stock price.

After the meeting, the executives filed out.

Lin Chen packed up his things and was about to slip back to his desk to continue keeping an eye on his grand plan to get rich when Yan Qingyue stopped him.

"Assistant Lin, stay a moment."

Lin Chen's heart tightened. "President Yan, is there anything else you need?"

Yan Qingyue didn't answer immediately. She walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed at the endless river of traffic below, silent for a moment.

The last rays of the setting sun gilded her figure, yet somehow gave her an air of loneliness.

Just as the silence was pressing down on Lin Chen until he could barely breathe, she finally spoke. Her voice carried the faintest trace of weariness, something Lin Chen had never heard from her before.

"Do you... know anything about antiques, calligraphy, and paintings?"

"Huh?"

Lin Chen froze, having never expected that question. "Antiques, calligraphy, and paintings? Uh... not really. I just... know they're pretty expensive."

What's going on? Why is Yan Iceberg suddenly asking about this?

Is the company branching out into art investment? No way, right? That's a huge leap!

Yan Qingyue turned around, her gaze sharp again, as though that moment of vulnerability had been nothing more than Lin Chen's imagination.

"Come with me to a private auction next weekend."

"An a-auction?"

Lin Chen was even more bewildered. "President Yan, I... I really don't know the first thing about that. I'm afraid I'll hold you back."

What do you want me there for? To be a human backdrop or help raise a paddle? What if I raise it by mistake? You could sell me and I still wouldn't be able to pay for it!

"You don't need to understand it."

Yan Qingyue's tone was calm, but her decision left no room for argument. "You only need to come along, watch and listen, and when necessary... give me your intuitive judgment."

"Intuitive judgment?" Lin Chen pointed at himself, his face full of disbelief.

Me? Intuition? President Yan, are you all right? Did Kexiang Technology's rise make your head spin today?

Or did Grandpa Yan's call give you a shock?

Yan Qingyue didn't explain.

Of course she couldn't tell him that it was precisely because of what had happened with Kexiang Technology that she had become extremely interested in his "intuition," or rather, his "luck."

Grandpa had revealed over the phone that an elder from a family they had known for generations urgently needed to sell an extremely important ancient painting. A major personal favor was at stake, but time was short, and they couldn't find an expert with sufficient authority to conduct a detailed appraisal, making it very risky.

She instinctively felt that bringing along this fellow, who seemed blessed with "mysterious good luck," might offer some unexpected help.

Even if it was only for peace of mind.

"It's settled, then. I'll send you the exact time and place later."

She waved him off, indicating that he could leave. "You can go."

Lin Chen left the conference room, utterly baffled and full of questions.

Intuitive judgment? An antiques auction? What does any of this have to do with anything?

Yan Iceberg is getting weirder and weirder! But... it might be nice to experience an upscale occasion like that. Maybe I'll even meet more big shots?

He returned to his desk and discovered that Kexiang Technology's stock price had already firmly climbed above.

Joy once again washed away his doubts.

Who cares! Make money first! As for the auction, I'll play it by ear when the time comes!

He happily planned how he would share today's "false alarm" and "successful investment" with Little Moon after work. Of course, he would have to keep the details vague.

He didn't notice that Yan Qingyue, in the president's office, was staring at the preliminary investigation report Secretary Li had sent to her computer, her brows tightly furrowed.

The report showed that the "overseas investment fund" that had transferred money to Lin Chen was registered in the Cayman Islands. Its background was tangled and complex, with layers of nominee holdings, making it difficult to trace the true source of the funds in a short time.

Such methods were usually used to conceal the identity of the real investor.

What concerned her even more was that monitoring showed the IP address used for Lin Chen's transactions that morning had indeed come from the company network.

She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples.

The trouble on Grandpa's side, combined with the impenetrable fog surrounding Lin Chen, left her facing a level of difficulty she hadn't encountered in a long time.

But at the same time, a strong desire for a challenge and a sense of curiosity had been stirred.

She picked up her phone and opened the chat window named "Little Moon."

Perhaps she could probe indirectly from another angle?

She chose her words carefully as she typed:

"Work was so tiring today [sigh]. I ran into something tricky... What about you? How was your day? Do you have any... happy news to share?"

She wanted to see whether, as "Little Moon," she could coax some clues about his "happy news" out of him.

Almost the instant the message was sent, a special notification sounded from Lin Chen's phone outside the office.

Yan Qingyue clearly heard the fellow outside howling with wild delight in his mind—

Little Moon messaged me! Hehehe! Of course I have happy news today!

The happiest news in the world! But I can't tell her! I have to maintain my mature, steady persona!

Wait, she said she ran into something tricky? What happened?

Yan Qingyue watched the screen and waited. She was very curious to see how he would reply.

A few seconds later, her phone lit up.

"Actually, I was pretty busy today too [facepalm]. But hearing that you're unhappy makes my heart feel a little heavy too.

"That tricky thing... If you're comfortable with it, can you tell me about it?

"I might not be able to help, but at least I can be someone you can confide in~ [/hug]"

The reply was appropriate, gentle, and full of concern.

Yan Qingyue looked at the message, then compared it with his inward gloating just now about having "the happiest news in the world." The corners of her lips couldn't help curling up slightly.

This guy... really did have two faces.

And he was quite good at playing the part, too.

It suddenly occurred to her that next weekend's auction might be more interesting than she had imagined.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen was feeling pleased with himself for successfully presenting a thoughtful image to "Little Moon," while also scratching his head over Yan Qingyue's sudden auction invitation.

He was completely unaware that the same person was simultaneously probing him and drawing closer to him, step by step, using two different identities.

The shadow of crisis and the stirrings of romantic attraction were approaching, intertwined, while he, the oblivious "cicada," knew nothing of the eyes of the "oriole" behind him.