After Returning Home, The Female CEO Actually Gave Me A Daughter Section 25

"You yourself?"

Xu Nan was puzzled. "What could be wrong with you?"

"I..."

Shen Qingyan fell silent for a moment, then picked up her wine glass and took another sip before speaking. "I realized that what you said the other day was right."

"What I said the other day was right?"

Xu Nan slapped her thigh. "I told you, you should stay far away from that scumbag. Guys like him..."

"I actually started to develop feelings for him." Shen Qingyan cut her off.

Xu Nan froze, her words dying in her throat. She stared at Shen Qingyan with wide eyes, utterly incredulous.

She downed the rest of the red wine in her glass as if to steady herself, then asked in bewilderment, "You developed feelings for him, so why are you here drinking alone at my place?"

Suddenly, her brows furrowed deeply. "What, that scumbag doesn't like you back?"

"Damn it! He ruined a virgin, gave her a kid, and he dares not like you? Fuck that. Qingyan, give me the address—I'll go castrate him!!"

Xu Nan slammed the table in fury.

Seeing her best friend like this, Shen Qingyan felt a warmth in her heart.

She reached out and pressed down on Xu Nan's arm, shaking her head. "It's not like that."

Xu Nan frowned. "Then does he have another woman? Has he been married these past five years? You suffered for him, raised your daughter so well, and he's out there living it up? No, I still need to go castrate him..."

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. By the end, she was already standing up, heading straight for the kitchen.

She was going to grab a knife!

"That's not it either."

Shen Qingyan shook her head, grabbing her wrist to stop her. "It has nothing to do with him. It's my own problem."

"Sis!"

Xu Nan trembled with anger. "Your own problem—what the hell is it? Just tell me!"

Shen Qingyan took a deep breath, her voice low. "It's that I don't know what to do. I'm... scared!"

Her words were vague.

But Xu Nan suddenly understood everything...

What Shen Qingyan was afraid of was opening her heart to accept a relationship and starting a new life.

Because she was even more terrified that this new life would give her warmth, only to plunge her back into despair...

Xu Nan's eyes reddened. She sniffled, stepped forward, and pulled Shen Qingyan's head into her embrace.

No one knew better than her what this best friend had been through.

Her father had passed away, her mother was in a vegetative state. She had been forced to shoulder a crumbling corporation with her frail shoulders, enduring the backstabbing of those old foxes. On top of that, she had given birth to a child alone—only this friend by her side during labor, signing the papers herself through the pain. From the moment she got pregnant, she faced countless sneers and taunts, yet she gritted her teeth and held on, raising her daughter all by herself...

Life had already given her enough suffering.

She couldn't bear any more...

Kindergarten teacher called. Tang Yao got into a fight? Please send flowers.

Xu Nan stroked the soft hair at the back of Shen Qingyan's head, her voice hoarse. "If you're scared, then don't do it. After all these years of barely making it through, why gamble again?"

Shen Qingyan buried her face against Xu Nan, two streams of tears sliding down from her beautiful eyes.

Don't do it...

But if she didn't, how was she supposed to face Tang Chen?

Tang Yao already had Tang Chen's love. If she took that away, what kind of harm would it do to her young heart?

And then...

She and Tang Chen would inevitably run into each other often.

Cold stares?

She asked herself honestly.

In front of Tang Chen, she could no longer do that...

Just as the atmosphere grew heavy and Shen Qingyan's heart was tangled in complexity, her phone rang.

She pulled away from Xu Nan's arms and took out her phone.

It was a call from Teacher Li at the kindergarten.

Seeing the caller, Shen Qingyan's heart skipped a beat.

If nothing was wrong, the kindergarten wouldn't call. She quickly swiped the screen and answered.

"Hello? Teacher Li."

"Hello, Yaoyao's mom. Yaoyao got into a fight with another kid at the kindergarten. Could you come over right away?"

"What? I'll be there now."

Shen Qingyan shot to her feet, not even bothering to wipe the tears from her face as she hurried toward the door.

"Qingyan, what's wrong? What happened?"

Seeing her friend so flustered, Xu Nan quickly asked.

"Yaoyao got into a fight with another kid at the kindergarten. I need to head over right now," Shen Qingyan said while changing her shoes.

"How is that possible?"

Xu Nan was taken aback. "Yaoyao's such a good girl. How could she get into a fight?"

With that, she started putting on her own shoes. "I'll come with you."

She was worried that if any conflict arose, her best friend might not be able to handle it alone.

"No need. Don't you have things to do later? I can handle it myself." After saying that, Shen Qingyan rushed out the door.

Xu Nan finished putting on her shoes and chased after her, but Shen Qingyan had already gotten into the elevator. She quickly sent a message: "Qingyan, call me if anything comes up."

"Okay!"

Shen Qingyan replied briefly, then hurried into the car. "Sister Lin, to the kindergarten."

The car started and headed toward the kindergarten.

After thinking it over, Shen Qingyan still dialed Tang Chen's number.

"This is the financial report for the third quarter."

"Total investment amount: 34.3 billion yuan."

"Projected revenue: 50 billion yuan."

"Actual revenue: 73.3 billion yuan."

In the presidential suite office on the top floor of the Sheng Tang Grand Hotel, Liu Ying, a short-haired woman around thirty, sat across from Tang Chen, breaking down every item on the financial report.

The report was impeccably done.

That alone was enough to showcase Liu Ying's skill.

Tang Chen looked over the report, nodding in approval.

Although some of the major projects had been reviewed by him before the investment decisions were made, the fact that Liu Ying had brought them forward showed that her investment instincts matched her professional ability.

"Good."

After finishing the last page of the report, Tang Chen nodded.

Liu Ying then handed him another document. "This is the tentative investment plan for the fourth quarter."

Tang Chen nodded and took it, but just then, his phone rang.

It was Shen Qingyan.

He answered while flipping through the document, but within five seconds of picking up, he abruptly stood, his face darkening.

"Alright, I'll be right there."

With that, he got up and practically jogged out of the room, leaving Liu Ying and her brother Liu An staring at each other in confusion.

Liu Ying frowned and turned to Liu An in surprise. "What was that all about?!"

It was the first time she had ever seen Tang Chen so frantic.

Liu An said, "Seems like the boss's daughter got into a fight at the kindergarten!"