Chapter 85: Since when did you have the right to meddle in my affairs

Hearing the man's words, let alone Mother Shen and Zhou Wen, even An Ling was stunned.

The words she had prepared couldn't be spoken.

Shouldn't they pretend not to know each other at a time like this?

Glancing at Mother Shen, who hadn't yet reacted, she found it hard to suppress the corners of her mouth. She turned her head and coughed to cover it up, "No."

Since Shen Linyan was acting like this, she wouldn't care either.

As the two brushed past each other, An Ling suddenly stopped and turned her head:

"Regarding today's matter, I hope Chairman Shen will separate public and private affairs. Personal grudges shouldn't involve work."

Her tone was polite and distant, but secretly, her fingers quietly hooked the man's hand.

The moment the soft, warm touch enveloped him, the man's figure paused.

His slender fingers quietly tightened around the woman's hand.

His expression was calm, his voice gentle: "Rest assured, Miss An."

Seeing An Ling leave just like that, Mother Shen threw away the towel in her hand, her face gloomy. "Shen Linyan! Target the An family right now. I want An Ling to pay the price!"

What an arrogant thing, daring to treat her like this. Once the An family behind her falls, she would like to see who could still protect that wretched girl.

Zhou Wen kept her head down, not daring to make a sound, as blood dripped from her fingertips.

Footsteps approached from the front. Her expression shifted slightly, and she looked up, just about to say something.

However, the man took a long stride, passing right by her side. A cold sandalwood scent brushed past her nose.

A deep voice sounded from behind.

"Mother, the An family cannot be touched right now."

Zhou Wen's face stiffened slightly.

After a moment, she pursed her lips, lowered her head, and quietly pulled out a tissue to wipe the blood from her palm herself.

Mother Shen was clearly dissatisfied with this answer. She frowned and was about to speak, but was interrupted by Shen Linyan's words.

"The invitation for the Damian bidding conference has been delivered. It's scheduled for the day after tomorrow."

Her movements paused slightly, her gaze slowly landing on the man in front of her. Her tone brooked no argument, "Seeing as you've been quite busy lately, let your younger brother go to this bidding conference. Your brother hasn't been in the company for long; we need to give him a chance to show himself."

Shen Linyan lowered his eyes and said mildly, "I'll have Secretary Chen give it to him."

Mother Shen looked at her wet clothes and clicked her tongue.

Sure enough, nothing good ever happened when she ran into that girl.

While Mother Shen got up to go upstairs and change clothes, Zhou Wen saw the man was about to leave and hurriedly chased him into the courtyard to call out to him.

"Big Brother."

Shen Linyan stopped his footsteps, turned his head, and stared at her with pitch-black eyes, as if asking what the matter was.

Zhou Wen looked hesitant: "Big Brother... are you still in contact with Sister-in-law?"

The man's tone was calm, one hand in his pocket. "Why do you ask?"

"I..." Zhou Wen clenched the tissue in her hand, her eyes darting away. "I just feel like Big Brother has changed a lot. You weren't like this before."

The Shen Linyan of the past gave her a very gentle feeling, speaking with a smile. If he saw someone injured, he would absolutely not be this indifferent; at the very least, he would call the auntie to help bandage her up.

In the Shen family, apart from Lu Jingshen, Shen Linyan was the only person she could trust and rely on.

"Big Brother used to say that Lu Jingshen's bad friends would lead him astray, and even advised me to get a divorce. Big Brother used to be such a good person. I don't know why you've become like this now. Is your current behavior... also influenced by someone?"

Shen Linyan's tone was light: "Are you implying that An Ling led me astray?"

"No, no! I, I just..."

Zhou Wen hesitated, "I just feel that since last time, Sister-in-law's behavior has become more and more... bold. I'm afraid that if you interact with her too much, Mom won't like it. I'm doing this for your own good. Aren't you and Sister-in-law divorced anyway?"

If possible, she naturally hoped everything would return to normal.

She even felt that An Ling might as well revert to her old self, so that Big Brother wouldn't have this kind of change.

The living room was unusually quiet. Hearing this, the man said nothing, merely looking at her calmly. There was not a trace of emotion in those pitch-black eyes, like a dark, bottomless lake.

Zhou Wen inexplicably felt a chill down her spine and forced an awkward smile.

"Big Brother, you..."

"Since when could you meddle in my affairs?" the man suddenly interrupted her with a faint voice.

Zhou Wen's expression suddenly froze.

Immediately after, her face turned faintly pale, and she bit her lip in embarrassment, "I just..."

Shen Linyan looked down at his watch, his tone indifferent. "What happens between An Ling and me is our business; it has nothing to do with you. Zhou Wen, you used to be my life assistant. You know what should and shouldn't be said. Fortunately, nothing happened today, so I'll let it slide, but there won't be a next time."

Watching the man leave, with her wet clothes clinging to her skin, Zhou Wen stood blankly in place. The night wind, wrapped in a biting chill, didn't clear her mind; instead, it made her head feel even more dizzy.

How did it turn out like this?

It was obviously never like this before.

...

In the car, on the way back to the company, Nan Zhechuan still hadn't recovered.

"An Ling, you were way too brave just now. If it were me, losing eight hundred jobs wouldn't be enough."

But satisfaction aside, he was still a bit worried: "However, Chairman Shen was also there. Won't you get in trouble for doing that?"

Hearing this, An Ling snapped out of her daze, looked up, and smiled, "It's fine."

Nan Zhechuan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good then."

He smiled and said with a sigh of emotion: "Thanks to you, we were able to complete the task. But it seems Mrs. Shen still cares quite a bit about her daughter's reputation. Looking at her attitude, I originally thought she would refuse."

An Ling's expression paused slightly. She lowered her eyes and chuckled softly.

"Yes, I didn't expect it either."

Faced with her daughter's reputation, Mother Shen ultimately chose to compromise, not wanting to blow things out of proportion.

But when it came to Shen Linyan, she could completely disregard him.

Nan Zhechuan held the steering wheel. "Are you going back to the company? Or straight home? I was planning to take you home, but Sister Lin Ya is out having dinner with investors. Ms. Chen is a bit worried and asked me to go over later, so I might not have time to drive you back."

"Having dinner with investors?" An Ling looked up in surprise. "Just Sister Lin Ya alone?"

"Originally Ms. Chen was supposed to go too, but Ms. Chen suddenly had something come up tonight and couldn't make it. The other colleagues have also gotten off work."

An Ling felt a bit of novelty. After all, she used to stay at home every day and only heard her brother and Shen Linyan talk about business dinners; she had never truly experienced one herself.

She hesitated for a moment, then turned her head and asked tentatively, "Then can I go along? I can look out for her, and anyway, I don't have anything going on tonight."

Hearing this, Nan Zhechuan froze for a moment. He turned his head to meet the woman's expectant eyes, and the words on the tip of his tongue were forcefully swallowed back.

His expression was bizarre.

No way? How could someone actually look forward to going to a business dinner??