Chapter 90: Madam, I Miss You So Much

An Zhou didn't expect to be called out suddenly. After a momentary daze, he quickly smiled and agreed, "Yes, Mr. Damian."

Damian looked very interested.

"I know your family. Shen Linyan's wife is your younger sister, right? I'd really love to meet her if there's a chance. Didn't I send two invitation letters? Did your sister not come?"

"..."

The other invitation was actually for An Ling. He had thought they just sent an extra one.

An Zhou's voice caught in his throat. He gave an awkward smile, not knowing how to reply. "She hasn't attended this kind of event before, and she's quite busy with work today."

He inexplicably had the illusion that Damian's only purpose for this gathering was to meet Shen Linyan and An Ling; everyone else didn't matter.

Hearing this, Damian looked slightly disappointed. He casually handed his wine glass to a waiter and looked down at his watch. "I have a video conference later, so I'll be leaving first. Please, enjoy yourselves."

Once Damian left, people from other companies immediately surrounded Lu Jingshen.

"Mr. Lu, it seems Shen Corporation will be the winning bidder again this time."

"I'm afraid we're just here to accompany you on the run again."

After all, aside from Damian, the Shen Corporation was also a major player in the business world present here.

If Damian were to choose a partner, it would inevitably be the Shen Corporation.

"Shen Corporation's recent momentum is fierce, and it's all thanks to Mr. Lu."

"If you ask me, even though Director Shen is the chairman, Mr. Lu is actually the one putting in the most effort."

"I agree with that. I've tried to make appointments with Director Shen several times but never saw him. It's always Mr. Lu discussing things. It's much more comfortable talking about projects with Mr. Lu anyway. He might as well hand the chairmanship over to Mr. Lu, hahaha."

"Director Shen just returned from abroad and doesn't understand the domestic market at all. Shen Zhong was too hasty in making him the heir."

Amidst the chatter, the flattering words came one after another. The smile on Lu Jingshen's face deepened, though his words remained polite. "No, no, there are still many projects we'll need to collaborate on in the future."

That's right, this was the treatment he deserved to enjoy.

That guy Shen Linyan merely had the title of Shen Corporation's chairman; in reality, he was completely useless.

Listening from the side, An Zhou glanced at the people speaking, raising an eyebrow and curling his lips in a mocking sneer.

These old foxes were truly cunning.

If he remembered correctly, these people had all suffered losses at the hands of Shen Linyan.

Now they were directly sowing discord from within the Shen Corporation, driving a wedge between the two brothers.

Not long after, a woman in professional attire walked in through another door and stepped onto the high stage. She was a staff member coming to announce the bidding results.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the woman picked up the microphone.

"Distinguished guests, the bidding results are now out. Congratulations to the An Corporation for winning the bid. Mr. Damian is still in a meeting and cannot be here, but he asked me to thank everyone for your support of Dahl Company and hopes there will be opportunities to cooperate in the future."

As soon as the words were spoken, the entire banquet hall fell silent.

Everyone's faces were filled with shock and astonishment, their gazes constantly darting back and forth between Lu Jingshen and An Zhou.

Who didn't know the relationship between these two families? Previously, the Shen family had even snatched several projects from the An family.

This time, the An Corporation had snatched such a massive project from the Shen Corporation.

And at the moment he heard the An Corporation's name, An Zhou himself was stunned.

He looked at the large screen, and after confirming that the name on it was indeed the An Corporation, he finally reacted, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Holy crap... hit the jackpot!

Was the An Corporation really about to rise?

In contrast, the expression of Lu Jingshen beside him was extremely ugly. Faced with the crowd's whispers, he shot An Zhou a dark, gloomy look, then turned and left the banquet hall without saying a word.

In a room, the large screen was broadcasting the situation in the banquet hall.

Damian sat on the sofa. Seeing Lu Jingshen's expression, he laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, nearly spilling the wine in his glass. "Oh my god, you really should have seen it. The moment he heard the An Corporation's name, the smile on Lu Jingshen's face vanished instantly."

After laughing, Damian glanced at the man beside him again.

He took a sip of wine, pushed the documents on the table toward him, and spoke in a probing tone.

"But, Svein, did you really agree to my request?"

Shen Linyan took the documents and gave a faint "Mm."

A smile immediately appeared on Damian's face. "I told you, your choice is the right one! Now I can return to London with peace of mind. It's just a pity I didn't get to meet your wife."

He really wanted to see the woman who could change Svein; she must be quite extraordinary.

Thinking of this, Damian's tone grew excited. "Next time you bring your wife to London, it's my treat!"

Hearing this, the man's movements paused slightly.

He lowered his eyes. His originally cold and aloof features seemed to melt like spring snow as he curled his lips and said gently:

"Alright."

...

Back in the car, Secretary Chen handed over a tablet.

"Director Shen, the news that Dahl Company chose the An Corporation is already out. Your father and mother want you to return to the old residence right now, and many shareholders are also looking for you."

The Shen Corporation losing a major partner like Damian was bound to cause a massive uproar.

The man casually flipped through it, then took out his phone. Sure enough, there were already over a dozen missed calls and dozens of messages, all from his mother.

He frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose. Just as he was about to reply, he received another message on his phone. He originally thought it was his mother again.

But when he caught a glimpse of its contents, his gaze slightly froze.

"Go back to the apartment first. Tell them I'll go back tonight."

"Yes, sir."

After returning to the apartment, Shen Linyan entered the elevator and pressed the floor button.

Ding—

Before the elevator doors fully opened, the man had already stepped out toward the door. His pace was fast, even carrying a hint of urgency.

Beep—

The door opened, and the milky meow of a cat was the first thing to reach his ears.

Following closely behind was a woman's clean and clear voice.

"Do you want some freeze-dried treats? Come over and let me pet you, and I'll give you some."

Seeming to hear the sound of the door opening, the woman sitting on the floor turned her head.

She was sitting by the windowsill, her dark, waterfall-like hair tied up. The sunlight from outside poured in, scattering golden rays on the loose strands by her ears.

The sunlight slid down the tips of her hair onto her eyelashes. She curved her eyes, gently tilted her head, and said, "You're back, Director Shen."

The bright smile on the woman's beautiful face crashed straight into his heart, like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples that expanded outward with a subtle tremble.

Shen Linyan stood rooted to the spot, his pupils shrinking. Even his breathing instinctively slowed down. An overwhelming, strange emotion rose within him, and his heart pounded violently.

Thump, thump... It beat against his eardrums one after another, deafeningly loud.

After a moment of silence, he finally lifted his legs and walked over.

An Ling didn't notice his strange behavior. Looking down at the freeze-dried treat in her hand, she continued, "Huihui is definitely a foodie. It only pays attention to me when I feed it treats. If I don't feed it, it ignores me and won't even let me pet it."

It wasn't until the man silently dropped to one knee in front of her that she sensed something was off and looked up in confusion.

"Why aren't you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, in the next second, large, warm palms cupped her face.

The crisp scent of cedar washed over her as the man gently captured her lips. His warm breath brushed against her mouth, burning with fervent longing and deep affection.

"My wife, I have missed you so much."