Chapter 22: Don’t Get Any Ideas

“America isn’t called ‘back’,” Shuangxu said. “I don’t like that. I already quit my job abroad, and I’m not leaving this time when I come back.”

“Who made you quit? Shen Yu or Fu Yun? Did you discuss such a big matter with me and your dad?”

Shuangxu calmly said amidst her dissatisfaction, “I decided on my own.”

“Do you dare act without their permission?”

Cui Ning seemed to be convinced that someone in the Shen family was backing her. She hated Shuangxu’s closeness to the Shen family the most. This matter had made her the target of gossip, making it seem like she couldn’t tolerate others and had abandoned her child to be raised by others.

“Don’t think I don’t know, Shen Yu wants to arrange for you to join the research institute. Old Xu and your dad are old classmates, he went over your dad’s head to find Old Xu to arrange work for you, did he put us in his eyes?”

Shuangxu said, “If you’re unhappy that he went over your heads to arrange work for me, you can personally find Dean Xu to arrange for me.”

Cui Ning, of course, didn’t mean that.

Shuangxu knew this, so she mockedly curled her lips.

“Don’t worry, I rejected the job at the research institute. But you don’t have to be happy, the reason for rejecting it is that I’m planning to start a company with someone.”

“You don’t need to blame my brother and godmother, I want to return to China, I’ll return, I want to stay, I’ll stay, I’m an adult, I have freedom of movement.”

Cui Ning’s face turned cold, “Song Shuangxu, although I’m not your biological mother, I’m your legal mother. No matter how good the Shen family is to you, if I want to send you away, no one can help you.”

Shuangxu knew this, of course. Five years ago, she was sent abroad like this.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said without arrogance or humility. “I’m not the helpless, underage girl I was five years ago. If you want to put me on a plane, you’ll have to tie me up first.”

Cui Ning’s brows furrowed sharply, she really didn’t expect that a few years abroad had made her rebellious.

She stared at Shuangxu with displeasure for a while, then regained her dignified elegance, her voice arrogant and cold, “You’ve really grown wings. Fine, you want to come back, come back, so that no one can say I can’t tolerate you, as long as you don’t cause me any trouble, I don’t care where you are.”

“Understood.”

Shuangxu got out of the car and was about to leave, Cui Ning sat in the car and said, “The marriage between the Shen family and the Lu family has been arranged, you should be quiet these days, it’s best not to have any ideas.”

What ideas could she have?

Shuangxu didn’t answer, she didn’t know if she heard it, she closed the car door and turned to go back.

It was already nine o’clock, the bustling East Third Ring Road was brightly lit, but No. 9 Songming Road was uniquely quiet in the midst of the bustling city.

This large flat had an excellent location, it was an 18th birthday gift from Shen Yu.

Shuangxu had always known that besides Song Mianzhi and Cui Ning, it was also Shen Changyuan and Fu Yun who had forced her to go abroad.

So she had always refused to return, because she had no home to return to.

That year, her 18th birthday was spent in California. Shen Yu flew over to see her and transferred this house to her name, implying that she had a place to return to.

She understood it all.

•  

On the weekend, Shu Yang booked a private room at a restaurant for a company gathering. It was to officially welcome Shuangxu as the President of Feixue, and to reward the old employees who had stayed with her through thick and thin.

Shuangxu went to pick up the custom-made cake, arriving at the restaurant a little later than everyone else.

When she arrived, Xiao Liao was urging her on WeChat, “Are you here? Are you here? Are you here? This Australian lobster has been tempting me for ten minutes!”

Shuangxu laughed and replied in a voice message, “You eat first.”

Then she sensed an unfriendly gaze, she looked up and saw the man in front of the elevator turn around.

It was Chen Peiran again.

Their paths crossed again, the confident and arrogant Mr. Chen from their last encounter looked much more disheveled and depressed now. His hair looked like it hadn’t been combed in three days, he had a scruffy beard, and dark circles had appeared under his eyes.

“Song Shuangxu, I really underestimated you,” Chen Peiran glared at her. “How did you persuade He Tingzhou to agree? Did you rely on your father?”

Shuangxu said, “It’s none of your business.”

Chen Peiran had spent a lot of money and time flattering the director in charge of the drone sector at Yun Shield. He was about to close the deal, but at the last minute, the bald man stopped answering his calls.

This was the project he had thrown himself into for Chenxing, if he couldn’t get it, he wouldn’t be able to stand his ground in Chenxing. He had been anxious and stressed, even getting blisters on his lips. When the people from Chenxing sarcastically told him to stop bothering, he found out that Yun Shield had already signed a contract with Feixue.

Yesterday, a summons from the court had just been delivered to him, Feixue had hired a well-known lawyer in the industry to sue him.

He had lost everything, today he heard that the bald man was having dinner here, so he came specifically to confront him. He didn’t expect to run into Shuangxu.

“Who knows what you relied on!” Chen Peiran vented all his anger on Shuangxu. “I heard that the Song family doesn’t recognize you as their daughter at all, they sent you to be raised by others, will your father help you?”

“Shu Yang tried so hard but couldn’t get this contract, you’ve only been back for a few days and you’ve already won over He Tingzhou, I guess you slept with him!”

The passersby around looked over curiously, Shuangxu remained indifferent, “What does it have to do with you?”

Chen Peiran was so angry, his bitter and sarcastic face was clearly visible, “It’s good to be beautiful, just spread your legs and everything is solved.”

These words were too unpleasant, Shuangxu’s brows furrowed slightly, she said coldly, “Control your mouth, if you spread rumors again, I’ll sue you for defamation.”

“Do you think I’m afraid of you? What rumors am I spreading, if you didn’t sleep with him, why did He Tingzhou suddenly change his mind? He didn’t choose a big company like Chenxing, he chose to cooperate with a small company that’s about to go bankrupt, he didn’t want free things, he insisted on buying them at a high price, is he crazy, stupid, or has he lost his mind!”

Chen Peiran spoke louder and louder, with his loud and emphatic scolding, ding——, the door of the elevator opposite opened. He Tingzhou appeared in front of him without warning a few.

A nonchalant voice asked him, “Surprised?”

Chen Peiran was like a chicken that hadn’t been choked, suddenly speechless.

Shuangxu unexpectedly turned her head, following his terrified gaze.

Several men in suits were standing in the elevator, their expressions more bizarre than the last.

The one in the middle had his hands in his pockets, his suit jacket pulled back to reveal a smooth white shirt and a tight, resilient waistline tucked into his trousers. He was truly dashing.

“Mr. He…” Chen Peiran’s entire face quickly turned ashen, his lips stammering, trying to save himself. “I… I’m not… You listen to my explanation…”

He Tingzhou said, “Straighten your tongue and speak, it’s hard to listen to.”

“Mr. He, I didn’t expect to run into you here, are you here to eat personally?” Chen Peiran’s expression became obsequious, the switch was too abrupt and therefore incredibly ridiculous.

He Tingzhou said coolly, “If I don’t eat personally, you eat for me?”

Chen Peiran flushed red: “Mr. He, your Cloud Shield clearly agreed to cooperate with Chenxing, a verbal agreement is also an agreement, but you turned around and signed a contract with Song Shuangxu, aren’t you playing me?”

“Playing you? What’s there to play with you?”

The Crown Prince of the He family, raised on boundless power, did not hide his arrogance and arrogance: “I can play you even if I want to, what are you anyway?”

Chen Peiran was, after all, a young and promising man with a certain amount of prestige, being publicly humiliated, his face almost turned purple with anger: “Are you, He, so great?!”

He Tingzhou sneered: “I am great, what, you want to be a He too? Call me Dad, I’ll recognize you as my adopted son, your grandfather is waiting at home to hold his grandson.”

“Pfft…”

A young man behind him couldn’t help but laugh, Chen Peiran glared at him angrily, the other man quickly managed his expression: “Sorry.”

Shuangxu’s mind unsuitably flashed the image of Chen Peiran sucking on a pacifier being held in his arms by Commander He…

She pursed her lips, maintaining a calm expression.