TNSFC – Chapter 57

Zhang Shiyu sat in the driver’s seat, looking at Que Yining with some concern.

“Boss, you don’t look too well. Shall I order some hot congee for you later?”

This was undoubtedly the weakest her boss had ever appeared before her. In the past, her boss always had a powerful aura and was stunningly beautiful, but now her boss’s face was pale, and she wasn’t even wearing makeup.

Perhaps it was a headache from the hangover. Zhang Shiyu started the car and heard Que Yining’s affirmative response.

While waiting at a red light, Zhang Shiyu sent a few messages on her phone and checked the time.

“Boss, we’ll arrive at the company in about ten minutes. The meeting can be postponed by ten minutes. There are clothes in the lounge. You can take a shower, eat, and then attend the meeting.”

“Okay.”

Que Yining responded, her eyes closed, looking a bit listless.

Que Yining was a little tired, and also a little sad.

It was impossible not to be heartbroken after being gently rejected, but for Que Yining, it wasn’t serious enough to make her world collapse.

It was impossible to give up after being rejected once while pursuing someone, unless Gu Shanxue showed very obvious repulsion and disgust towards her. Only then would Que Yining probably give up completely.

Her current lack of energy wasn’t just because of the rejection, but also because of what she did last night.

She shouldn’t have gotten drunk with those two heartbroken people, drinking until she couldn’t tell east from west, making herself genuinely feel heartbroken.

Que Yining pressed her temples; the pain from the hangover pricked her head like needles. She hadn’t figured out what kind of mood to face Gu Shanxue with yet. In any case, she had to restrain herself for now.

Patience is a virtue, Que Yining told herself.

After arriving at the company, Que Yining quickly washed her hair and showered, ridding herself of the smell of alcohol, and changed into the clean clothes Zhang Shiyu had prepared.

She came out, and Zhang Shiyu had already prepared hot congee for her and started blow-drying her hair.

After eating, there were still a few minutes before the meeting.

Que Yining quickly put on makeup, concealing her haggard appearance. Closing the lipstick cap, she was once again the Que Yining with a powerful aura.

Que Yining was very dedicated to the first game she developed and launched. When working, she didn’t think about personal matters, immersing herself completely. She discussed the current development progress and subsequent plans with the core team members.

After the meeting, Que Yining sent a message to Gu Shanxue.

She deliberately avoided mentioning anything she remembered, only telling Gu Shanxue that she had gotten drunk last night and accidentally given the wrong address.

【Que Yining】: I’m so sorry for getting your blanket smelling of alcohol. If you’re home, I can have a housekeeping service come over to clean.

【Que Yining】: I’ve left the key on your table. I forgot to return it last time. I’ve returned it this time, so something like this won’t happen again.

Que Yining used a cat apology emoji, just like usual.

Gu Shanxue replied after a while, basically saying it was okay, she could clean it herself.

Everything last night truly felt like a dream, as if nothing had happened. It was just that both of them seemed to be caught in an inescapable busyness, and neither mentioned meeting up.

Although they didn’t meet in person, Que Yining would still occasionally make her presence known to Gu Shanxue, whether for business or personal matters.

Half a month passed in a flash. Que Yining, with Gu Shanxue’s help, had swallowed up another company under Wang Ruiyuan and called Gu Shanxue.

“Shanxue, I’m returning your people to you now. Thanks to you, otherwise I might have been busy for quite a while longer.”

Que Yining’s voice carried an obvious smile, her tone familiar, as if she had never grown distant from Gu Shanxue.

After half a month, suddenly hearing Que Yining’s voice, Gu Shanxue still felt a bit dazed. She took a moment to respond, saying there was no need to be polite.

She felt as if a lifetime had passed, yet Que Yining seemed to remain the same.

She was the one who had rejected her, and she was the one who had turned the situation into what it was now. Why was it that the person who couldn’t settle down and felt trapped seemed to be only her?

Que Yining seemed very busy and didn’t chat much with her before hanging up the phone.

Gu Shanxue stared blankly at her phone for a while, only snapping back to reality when her secretary knocked on the door.

After Que Yining hung up the phone, her mood didn’t improve much either.

She took a deep breath, looked at the photos of Gu Shanxue saved on her phone, and tried to cheer herself up.

Only after resolving the troublesome matters at hand could she focus more on conquering Miss Gu.

Although she had temporarily retaliated against Wang Ruiyuan, Que Yining knew nothing about the person who had premeditated the second incident.

A few days ago, Lin Zhen had sent her some investigation materials, mostly about Hou Manni, along with some daily routines of Que Chuling and Que Linyang. Lin Zhen was still investigating other old matters.

Things buried in the past were not easy to unearth. Que Yining thought about the information she had seen before and fell into deep thought.

She had no doubt that Que Linyang initially married Hou Manni because he was interested in the power behind her.

Que Linyang and Hou Manni had been married for nearly fifteen years. At that time, Hou Manni’s father was a key member of the Lu Su municipal government. His rank wasn’t very high, but he wielded considerable actual power.

At that time, the Que family hadn’t developed to its current state. Logically speaking, Que Linyang, as the adopted son of the Que family, shouldn’t have been able to marry Hou Manni. But he somehow managed to become an ideal son-in-law, and his status rose accordingly thereafter.

Besides Que Corporation, he also had his own company, and Hou Manni also owned a perfume company. The couple lived very well.

Some troublesome matters for the Que family were also resolved by Que Linyang using his father-in-law’s connections. Because of this, Que Hanyi and You Lanqing trusted their adopted son even more, treating him like their biological son.

About seven or eight years ago, Hou Manni’s father was facing a promotion. But at this critical juncture, he was reported by name for corruption and bribery. The anti-corruption bureau intervened in the investigation, and finally confirmed the report, leading to him being subjected to ‘shuanggui’ and removed from office.

This was a huge blow to Hou Manni and Que Linyang. The documents didn’t mention Que Linyang giving gifts to his father-in-law, and Que Linyang had also cleared himself of involvement in this matter at the time. But anyone with discerning eyes knew how much influence Que Linyang had leveraged.

Losing his father-in-law’s support, and with others taking the opportunity to make moves, Hou Manni’s company went bankrupt. Que Linyang’s own company went through a period of turmoil but eventually survived, though it suffered a great setback.

After that, Que Linyang entered the core of the group and focused on managing Que Corporation.

Que Yining thought about it. This major event occurred about a year or two after Xiaoxiao was born. If Que Linyang and Hou Manni’s relationship changed after that, it was very possible for Xiaoxiao to develop autistic tendencies from growing up in that kind of environment.

Que Yining had told Lin Zhen about Hou Manni and Que Chuling having some connection, but Lin Zhen hadn’t found anything yet. Que Yining couldn’t have been mistaken, which could only mean their interactions were too secretive.

Regarding Que Chuling’s past, the information was even more concise.

She studied business administration and joined a company after graduation. Unlike Que Linyang, she started from the grassroots and worked her way up to supervisor and then manager. Her career path showed she was a woman with her own ideas and a fighting spirit.

Lin Zhen was still investigating Que Chuling’s love life and any anomalies from a few years ago.

The vibration of her phone pulled Que Yining back from her thoughts. She looked at the text message and immediately sat up straight.

Lin Zhen said that after several sleepless days and nights, they had followed the clues to a very distant place and found out about a person.

A woman who had deep connections with Que Linyang, Que Chuling, and Hou Manni.

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