"You alone?"
Xu Nan asked in confusion, "What problem could you possibly have?"
"I..."
Shen Qingyan fell silent for a moment. After taking another sip from her wineglass, she said, "I realized you were right that day."
"I was right that day?"
Xu Nan slapped her thigh. "See? I told you, you should stay far away from that kind of scumbag. People like him..."
"I really have developed feelings for him." Shen Qingyan cut her off.
Xu Nan froze, her words abruptly stopping. She stared wide-eyed at Shen Qingyan, her face full of disbelief.
As if trying to calm herself, she drained the red wine in her glass and asked in bafflement, "You've developed feelings for him, so why are you coming here to drink alone?"
Suddenly, her brows drew tightly together again. "Don't tell me that scumbag doesn't like you?"
"Damn it! He ruined an innocent girl, had her bear him a child, and he dares not like her? Fuck, Qingyan, give me the address. I'll go castrate him!!"
Xu Nan slammed the table in a fury.
Seeing her best friend like this, Shen Qingyan felt a little warmth in her heart.
She reached out and pressed down on Xu Nan's arm, then shook her head. "It's not like that."
Xu Nan frowned. "Then does he have another woman? Could he have gotten married during these five years? You suffered so much for him and raised your daughter so well, while he was out there living happily? No, I still have to go castrate him..."
The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. In the end, Xu Nan stood up and headed straight for the kitchen.
She was going to get a knife!
"It's not that either."
Shen Qingyan shook her head and grabbed her wrist to stop her. "It has nothing to do with him. It's my own problem."
"Big sister!"
Xu Nan trembled with anger. "Your own problem? Then tell me what problem it is!"
Shen Qingyan took a deep breath and said dejectedly, "I don't know what I should do. I'm a little... scared!"
Her words were somewhat vague.
But Xu Nan instantly understood everything...
What Shen Qingyan feared was opening her heart to accept a relationship and beginning an entirely new life.
Because she was even more afraid that this life would give her warmth, only to plunge her back into despair once again...
Xu Nan's eyes reddened. She sniffed, walked over, and pulled Shen Qingyan's head into her arms.
No one knew better than her what her best friend had gone through.
Her father had died, her mother had become vegetative, and she had been forced to shoulder a crumbling corporation with her frail shoulders. She had to endure those old foxes stabbing her in the back, and she had given birth to a child all by herself. During delivery, only this friend had been there with her. Even the consent forms had been signed by Shen Qingyan herself while enduring labor pains. From the moment she became pregnant, she had suffered countless cold stares and mocking remarks, yet she had gritted her teeth and persevered until now, raising her daughter alone...
Life had already given her enough hardship.
She could no longer bear any more...
The 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 and said hoarsely, "If you're scared, then don't do it. It took so many years to finally get through all that. Why gamble again?"
Shen Qingyan buried the side of her face against Xu Nan. Two streams of tears slid from her beautiful eyes.
Don't do it anymore...
But if she didn't, how was she supposed to face Tang Chen?
Tang Yao already had Tang Chen's love. If that were taken away from her again, how much would it hurt her young heart?
If that happened...
She and Tang Chen would inevitably have to see each other often.
Would they glare coldly at each other?
She asked herself.
In front of Tang Chen...
She could no longer do that...
Just as the atmosphere froze and Shen Qingyan's thoughts became unbearably tangled...
Shen Qingyan's phone rang.
She pulled herself from Xu Nan's embrace and took out her phone.
It was a call from Teacher Li at the kindergarten.
The moment she saw the caller ID, Shen Qingyan's heart skipped a beat.
The kindergarten would not call unless something had happened. She hurriedly swiped the screen and answered.
"Hello? Teacher Li."
"Hello, Yaoyao's mother. Yaoyao got into a fight with another child at kindergarten. Please come over right away."
"What? I'll be right there."
Shen Qingyan abruptly stood up. Before she even had time to wipe away the tears on her face, she hurried toward the door.
"Qingyan, what happened? What's going on?"
Seeing how panicked she looked, Xu Nan quickly asked.
"Yaoyao got into a fight with another child at kindergarten. I need to get there right away," Shen Qingyan said as she changed her shoes.
"How is that possible?"
Xu Nan exclaimed in surprise. "Yaoyao is so well-behaved. How could she get into a fight?"
As she spoke, she started changing her shoes too. "I'll come with you."
She was afraid a conflict might arise and that her best friend would not be able to handle it alone.
"No need. Don't you still have something to do later? I can handle it myself." After saying that, Shen Qingyan rushed out the door.
Xu Nan put on her shoes and chased after her, but Shen Qingyan had already taken the elevator down. She hurriedly sent Shen Qingyan a message: "Qingyan, call me if anything happens."
"Okay!"
Shen Qingyan replied, then quickly got into the car. "Sister Lin, to the kindergarten."
The car started and headed toward the kindergarten.
After thinking it over, Shen Qingyan still called Tang Chen.
"This is the financial report for the third quarter of this year."
"Total investment amount: 34.3 billion yuan."
"Projected returns: 50 billion yuan."
"Actual returns: 73.3 billion yuan."
In the office of the presidential suite on the top floor of the Sheng Tang Grand Hotel.
Liu Ying, a short-haired woman around thirty, sat across from Tang Chen and explained every figure in the financial report to him.
This financial report was practically flawless.
That alone was enough to demonstrate Liu Ying's personal capability.
Tang Chen looked through the report, nodding repeatedly with praise on his face.
Although some of the major projects had only been approved for investment after he reviewed them personally, Liu Ying's ability to bring those projects forward showed that her investment judgment was proportional to her competence.
"Very good."
Tang Chen finished the last page of the report and nodded.
Liu Ying took out another document and handed it to Tang Chen. "These are the tentative investment projects for the fourth quarter."
Tang Chen nodded and accepted it. At the same time, his phone suddenly rang.
It was a call from Shen Qingyan.
He answered while flipping through the document. Yet less than five seconds after picking up, he suddenly rose to his feet, his expression turning grim.
"Okay. I'll head over right now."
With that, he stood up and nearly ran out of the room, leaving Liu Ying and Liu An staring at each other in bewilderment.
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The boss doesn't even have a woman—where did he get a daughter? First update, please bookmark.
Liu Ying frowned and turned to look at Liu An in surprise. "What's going on?!"
This was the first time she had ever seen Tang Chen in such a frantic state.
Liu An said, "It seems the boss's daughter got into a fight at kindergarten!"
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