Chapter 19: Slapping the Scum 2
Putting the nickname change aside for now, Ning Qingqing called Gu Youchen.
The call connected quickly, and his clean, low, magnetic voice filled her ear. “Qingqing?”
The ending note was slightly raised, as if he’d been waiting.
For some reason, Ning Qingqing felt nervous at the sound of “Qingqing.”
She quickly adjusted her emotions. “I saw your WeChat message. Yesterday, when I was shopping with my best friend, we ran into Si Luoqing and Xue Wenlan.”
Gu Youchen responded, “Did they cause you any trouble?”
Did they cause trouble? Ning Qingqing thought, yes, they did. “Yes, but I fought back.”
“Oh—” Gu Youchen’s tone held a hint of amusement. “How did you fight back?”
Ning Qingqing didn’t expect him to be so interested in the conversation and recounted yesterday’s events, then said seriously, “I can handle the aftermath, you just focus on your work.”
Gu Youchen seemed to sigh softly. “It makes me feel useless.”
Ning Qingqing paused, then smiled. “You’re quite useful. Later, let Xue Wenlan see if I need to cling to her. After all, I already have…”
The word “husband” was fine to say in front of Qiao Xiaomian, but she hesitated when speaking to Gu Youchen himself.
Gu Youchen patiently waited two seconds. Seeing her silence, he teased, “Embarrassed?”
Ning Qingqing remained silent.
Gu Youchen chuckled softly. “It’s okay, we both need time to adjust.”
“Mm.” Ning Qingqing responded, suddenly feeling the atmosphere become awkward and changed the subject. “When are you coming back?”
After asking, she realized she sounded like a wife asking her husband when he would return from a business trip. Her cheeks flushed.
Fortunately, Gu Youchen couldn’t see her, so she secretly sighed in relief and decided to act professional.
However, his voice became much lower. “Qingqing, I’ll come back to accompany you as soon as possible. It won’t be more than three days.”
Ugh, who said he would accompany her?
Ning Qingqing felt like she’d shot herself in the foot. Three days wouldn’t be enough time for her to adjust her identity!
The atmosphere became even more ambiguous. Ning Qingqing said, “My best friend is calling me.”
“Mm.” Gu Youchen said, “Qingqing, I’ve sent you my work schedule. You can message me anytime I’m free, and you can call me anytime if you have an emergency.”
How did he adapt so quickly? Ning Qingqing could only quickly reply, “Okay,” and hung up.
At a hotel restaurant in Beishi, Gu Youchen hung up the phone, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
Opposite him, Zhou Linghang sat with dark circles under his eyes. “Brother Chen, I couldn’t sleep last night. My mind was filled with your marriage. It was more exciting than my own wedding!”
Gu Youchen glanced at him indifferently. “Pathetic.”
“Yes, yes. How can I compare to Brother Chen? You just snatched Shen Zhiqian’s girlfriend!” Zhou Linghang’s eyes were full of excitement:
“I have a great idea. Let’s show Shen Zhiqian the marriage certificate. Do you think he’ll immediately return to the capital and automatically forfeit the project?”
Before he finished, Gu Youchen knocked him on the head.
“Hey, hey, hey, easy!” Zhou Linghang covered his head. “You hit hard!”
He looked up and saw that Gu Youchen’s eyes were dark and serious:
“Zhou Linghang, she’s not a bargaining chip for my win or loss.”
Zhou Linghang realized his joke had gone too far and apologized. “My bad. I’m too careless with my words! But Brother Chen, when are you planning to go public?”
Gu Youchen took a sip of coffee. “I’ll wait for her attitude.”
He would return in three days, regardless of the project outcome. After a few days, Ning Qingqing would be able to sit down and plan their future with him.
When to go public, when to hold the wedding, all would be on the agenda.
Looking at Gu Youchen’s expression, Zhou Linghang couldn’t help but exclaim, “I really want to see Shen Zhiqian’s expression! By the way, the wedding invitation must be delivered to him!”
At the same time, Qiao Xiaomian got ready for work. Unlike Ning Qingqing, who had resigned, she was busy these days.
“So, when are you guys going public?” Qiao Xiaomian smirked. “I really want to see Shen Zhiqian’s reaction!”
Ning Qingqing laughed. “He’ll probably hear about it when he returns from his business trip. After all, Gu Youchen and I got married, and we didn’t hide it from the Gu Group’s driver and assistant.”
Qiao Xiaomian shook her head. “That’s different. I want to see you personally hand the wedding invitation to him!”
“Pfft—” Ning Qingqing was amused. “I have nothing to do with him. I don’t need to deliver the invitation personally.”
While disappointed in Shen Zhiqian, she didn’t hate or resent him. She didn’t need to seek revenge on her ex-boyfriend.
“Maybe your husband will do it, hahaha!” Qiao Xiaomian still had a lot to say, but seeing the time, she rushed off to work, giving Ning Qingqing a flying kiss.
The surrounding area was quiet. The impact of yesterday’s events hit Ning Qingqing belatedly.
She took out her marriage certificate again. The man beside her in the ID photo still felt a bit strange to her, but he was the one she would spend the rest of her life with.
Could they really be happy together?
Ning Qingqing didn’t know, but she knew she had to look forward.
There’s a saying, “Be decisive in your first half of life, so you won’t regret your second half.”
She left her regrets in the past. Today was the start of embracing her future.
Her mother’s company was moving next month. She would have a lot of new things to learn upon joining, so she decided to use this time to catch up on things she had put aside.
Therefore, at 9 AM, Ning Qingqing asked Nie Yu for the project materials from Ningchuang Capital and started to study them seriously.
She sat in her study, reading the materials and taking notes. If she didn’t understand something, she wrote it down in a small notebook, planning to ask Nie Yu later.
Time passed slowly, so Ning Qingqing was unaware of the changing online public opinion!
An hour ago, Shen Zhiqian posted on his personal Weibo:
“Ms. Si Luoqing and I broke up nine years ago and have had no contact since. The company’s endorsement contract is a business-level cooperation. Please don’t make assumptions. My personal relationships are my own decision, not my parents’. Please don’t interfere and hurt innocent people.”
His message quickly rose to the top.
Some people quickly captured the key point of Shen Zhiqian’s words, asking if the “innocent person” referred to the woman in the photo, whether she was Shen Zhiqian’s girlfriend.
But Shen Zhiqian didn’t respond again.
He didn’t like to share his private affairs online, so after stating his position, he didn’t respond anymore.
Just as everyone was preparing to gossip under Si Luoqing’s Weibo, a piece of news quietly brewed:
[Siming Capital Faces Bankruptcy Risk, Who’s to Blame for the Broken Capital Chain?]
This was a professional analysis article, not like entertainment gossip, filled with speculation. It used real data.
At first, the report only caused a stir in the financial section.
Soon, people discovered that Si Luoqing was the daughter of the chairman of Siming Capital, so the financial news crossed over.
They say that when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down. Siming Capital had grabbed projects from many companies, so competitors wouldn’t miss the opportunity to strike!
Regardless of whether the report was true, the heat must be amplified!
This way, companies considering cooperation with Siming Capital might reconsider.
Therefore, with the competitors’ deliberate promotion and Si Luoqing’s influence, the financial report went viral!
Ning Qingqing saw the news while preparing lunch.
She had ordered groceries online. She only needed to cook enough for lunch and afternoon.
Just as she finished stir-frying the bell peppers and pork, she received a voice message from Qiao Xiaomian.
Qiao Xiaomian must have been outside because her happy voice was loud and clear:
“My dear, check the trending topics, hahaha, it’s hilarious. Some people can’t maintain their rich and beautiful persona anymore, their backyards are on fire! Revenge is sweet!”
Ning Qingqing guessed what it was about. She served herself a bowl of rice and scooped out some soup to cool down before clicking on the report.
She couldn’t help but smile.
She didn’t know who wrote it in her mother’s team, but this well-written due diligence report could be used as a template for market management courses!
It not only analyzed the previous loss-making project of the Si family, but also thoroughly analyzed how the Si family used funds to cover up losses, and how Siming Capital concealed its weakness in the past two months!
Although there were many professional terms, the results were clear:
The Si family was failing, and Siming Capital was facing bankruptcy.
That’s all that mattered.
Within two hours, Si Luoqing was trending again, but the public opinion was unfavorable:
“Didn’t Si Luoqing always portray herself as rich and beautiful? Her family’s company is failing, yet she went shopping with Mrs. Shen yesterday?”
“I suddenly realized—is Si Luoqing trying to marry into a wealthy family because her family is failing, so she’s flattering Mrs. Shen, hoping for a shortcut?”
“The above is correct! Shen Zhiqian denied his relationship with Si Luoqing. Since it’s only business cooperation, why did Si Luoqing go shopping with Mrs. Shen? Do other artists go shopping with their sponsors’ wives?”
“Have you considered that last night’s exposure was intentional? The photos are clear, not like stolen shots. Every angle shows Si Luoqing’s best features!”
“After reading the above, I looked at the photos again. Every photo of Si Luoqing could be a street style photo. The other woman’s photos were taken at bad angles, but she still looks stunning!”
“Hahaha, we got the truth! Si Luoqing intentionally exposed it, trying to force her way in! But it failed, and she exposed her family’s problems. Hilarious!”
“Is anyone curious about the attitudes of the Shen family’s elders? Will they remain close to Si Luoqing after this exposure?”
“Eating melon online, waiting!”
“Waiting for the follow-up!”
…
In the midst of the storm, Shen Zhiqian’s assistant received numerous calls.
After Shen Zhiqian finished the meeting, Wu Tezhu handed him the phone. “Mr. Shen, it’s your mother’s call.”
Shen Zhiqian hadn’t checked anything after posting his clarification on Weibo. He was busy with meetings and didn’t know about the subsequent developments.
As soon as he answered, Xue Wenlan’s excited voice came through. “Zhiqian, are the online reports about the Si family true?”
Shen Zhiqian frowned. “What reports?”
Xue Wenlan quickly said, “A financial report says the Si family’s capital chain is broken, and they’re just an empty shell. They haven’t invested in any projects for two months because of previous losses and face bankruptcy.”
Shen Zhiqian was surprised but said, “I don’t know, it’s none of my business.”
Xue Wenlan became excited. “How is it none of your business? You and Luoqing…”
“Mom, I have nothing to do with her!” Shen Zhiqian’s voice suddenly became heavy. “Don’t mention her in front of me!”
Xue Wenlan had been reading reports all morning and was almost certain that the Si family was finished. She called her son for comfort.
“Fine, I won’t mention her.” Xue Wenlan sighed. “Such a pity, I thought she would be a good daughter-in-law…”
Shen Zhiqian stopped when he heard this, and sneered. “You’re amazing, getting sold and still counting the money!”
Xue Wenlan was stunned. “What do you mean?”
Shen Zhiqian said, “If the report is true, and the Si family is truly failing, Si Luoqing returns at this critical moment, trying to mend relations with my father and you, and approaching me—what do you think she’s doing?”
Xue Wenlan was struck dumb. “She used us as suckers?”
Shen Zhiqian coldly hummed and hung up.
He switched to WeChat and saw that Ning Qingqing still hadn’t accepted his friend request.
Annoyed, he tossed his phone aside and saw Gu Youchen coming out of another meeting room.
Gu Youchen was shaking hands with a major shareholder, a rare happy smile on his lips, and his meaningful gaze seemed to indicate victory.
Shen Zhiqian sneered in his heart.
After saying goodbye to the shareholder, Gu Youchen waited for the elevator.
Shen Zhiqian’s elevator hadn’t arrived yet, and there was a two-meter distance between them.
Zhou Linghang felt the urge to stir things up. “Brother Chen, you should call your wife back!”
Gu Youchen glanced at Zhou Linghang coldly, as if saying he was bored.
But the next second, his phone vibrated. It was Ning Qingqing.
He was surprised to see that Ning Qingqing had sent him a report about a project acquisition case three years ago.
Gu Youchen clicked on it as the elevator arrived. He and Shen Zhiqian entered together.
The report was short. He quickly scanned it and understood Ning Qingqing’s meaning.
His heart pounded. To relieve his surprise, he gripped the elevator rail, his fingers rubbing the surface.
The elevator mirror reflected his calm expression, but the fire in his eyes burned brighter.
The report Ning Qingqing forwarded was a case study, unrelated to his current project, but it offered similar insights using reverse thinking.
She was using this case to give him inspiration to win the project.
This was the first time she had actively approached him since he returned to China!
Gu Youchen exited the report, returned to the chat window with Ning Qingqing, pressed the voice message button, and said in a low, restrained voice, “Thank you, Qingqing, this is very helpful.”
As he sent the message, the elevator dinged, covering the sound of the WeChat message notification.
The elevator doors opened on the ground floor, but Shen Zhiqian didn’t get off.
He looked at Gu Youchen, his eyes filled with anger. “Mr. Gu, is this performance interesting?”
Author’s Note:
Shen Zhiqian: There was a truth before me, but I didn’t cherish it. I only regretted it after seeing the marriage certificate…
Thank you for reading! There’s one more chapter!