Chapter 92: I am stepping down as the chairman of Shen Group.

Hearing the voice, An Ling's back stiffened, and she subconsciously sat up straight.

Turning her head to confirm it was Teacher Chen, An Ling blinked guiltily and waved her hand. "No, no, I just ran back from outside, so I might be a little hot."

Seeing that she looked well and didn't seem sick, Teacher Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's good that you're not sick. The workload has been heavy these past few days, and with the sudden drop in temperature, several colleagues have fallen ill."

Saying this, Teacher Chen paused for a moment.

"I heard from Nan Zhechuan that things on Shen Fuyuan's side are almost done, is that right?"

"Yes, basically everything is arranged." An Ling turned and opened a document. "The venue and contracts are confirmed, and there's no problem with the pre-recording these past few days. We can basically start shooting."

She looked up and saw Teacher Chen's somewhat hesitant expression. "Teacher Chen, did you need me for something?"

After a moment of hesitation, Teacher Chen sighed.

"Then I won't beat around the bush. Teacher Wang, who is in charge of another guest, has fallen ill and needs to go to the hospital for IV drips these next few days. But the tasks in his hands aren't finished yet, and shooting is about to start. We can't delay it any longer, so I wanted to ask if you and Nan Zhechuan could take over for a bit."

An Ling nodded without hesitation. "Sure, have you told Brother Nan?"

She and Nan Zhechuan were responsible for Shen Fuyuan, and their tasks were already lighter than the others. Since they were all colleagues, they should help out when they could.

"I told him, and he agreed. I'll have Teacher Wang send the information to you guys later." Teacher Chen patted her shoulder. "Thanks for your hard work. I'll give you some time off after this shoot is over."

An Ling smiled, her eyes curving, and gave her an OK gesture.

The information was quickly sent over, and Nan Zhechuan came to talk to her about it.

"The guest Teacher Wang is responsible for is Guo Yu, a Best Actor winner who has won several awards. He's a senior in the entertainment industry."

He handed her the laptop to look at.

"I took a look, and there's actually not much left to do. Teacher Wang has basically finished everything. Now we just need to confirm the venue and schedule with the guest again. If there are no problems, we can start shooting. We happen to be free today, and we've already made an appointment with Teacher Guo. We'll go to his place tonight and double-check the equipment while we're at it."

An Ling nodded. "Okay."

Coincidentally, the place where Teacher Guo lived was in the same residential complex as Shen Linyan.

While taking the elevator upstairs, An Ling was still wondering if she should tell Shen Linyan after the confirmation; maybe they could even have dinner together.

Just as this thought emerged, she received a message from An Zhou on her phone.

My good sister~ When do you get off work tonight? I have good news today! Hurry back for a big meal! Hurry, hurry, hurry!

...

What was this guy going crazy about?

An Ling: What good news? I'm working outside today. You can come pick me up here later.

She then sent over the address of the residential complex.

An Zhou: Shen Linyan's house?

An Ling: You know it? Let me be clear, I'm here for work. It has nothing to do with Shen Linyan.

An Zhou: Of course. Oh, knowing you're not looking for Shen Linyan, whatever hahaha, just hurry back.

An Ling: ?

What on earth was the news? It felt like her brother was going crazy with joy.

The elevator arrived. An Ling put away her phone and walked out with Nan Zhechuan.

After ringing the doorbell, the door opened. Nan Zhechuan spoke politely, "Teacher Guo, I'm Nan Zhechuan, the one who contacted you to confirm the equipment."

Teacher Guo smiled and stepped aside to welcome them. "Come in."

There was another man sitting on the sofa in the living room.

The man was tall with sharp, handsome features. He had a messy yet stylish short haircut, wore a black leather jacket, and had a silver stud in his ear. His whole person exuded a rebellious and untamed aura.

Even hearing their voices, he still sat lazily on the sofa with his legs crossed, chewing gum and looking at his phone, not even lifting his head, as if he was used to it.

Nan Zhechuan looked at An Ling. "Ah Leng, you go check the living room, and I'll check the bedroom."

"Okay."

An Ling walked to the corner of the wall, confirmed the machine was running normally, and withdrew her hand.

Just as she looked up, she unexpectedly met the eyes of the man on the sofa.

She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt the expression on the man's face freeze for a moment.

She didn't show any expression, just calmly withdrew her gaze, and returned to her original spot after checking the other machines.

When Nan Zhechuan came out, he took out the documents and confirmed the schedule with Teacher Guo.

An Ling stood to the side, but she could clearly feel the man on the sofa quietly watching her. That gaze carried a bit of scrutiny and surprise.

She frowned, not really liking the other party's stare.

It wasn't until all the procedures were confirmed and they left Teacher Guo's house that the uncomfortable gaze disappeared.

"Ah Leng, are you going home? Or back to the company? I'll drop you off."

Nan Zhechuan opened the car door and looked at her standing by the road.

An Ling had just finished sending a message to An Zhou with her head down. Hearing this, she looked up. "No need, my family will come pick me up. Brother Nan, you can head back first."

"Okay, then I'll leave first."

Seeing the car leave, An Ling reopened her phone, but a male voice sounded behind her.

"...An Ling?"

She paused, turned her head, and her gaze fell on the man's leather jacket.

The man who was just in Teacher Guo Yu's house was now standing behind her.

He was wearing a hat and a mask over his face.

He stared at her face for a long time, and the smile on his face widened. "It really is you, An Ling."

An Ling couldn't recognize who this person was, guessing it might be a friend the system knew.

Despite her inner dislike, she maintained basic professional courtesy. "Can I help you?"

The man pulled down his mask and smilingly took out a cigarette.

"Why the cold expression? Don't you recognize me? That really makes me sad..."

He slowly lit the cigarette, caught a glimpse of the unfamiliarity in An Ling's eyes, and suddenly laughed out loud. "Oh right, I remember now..."

He took a drag of the cigarette, blew out a smoke ring, and smiled as he enunciated every word:

"You can't recognize people."

As soon as these words came out, An Ling's eyes suddenly froze, and her face instantly turned cold.

The man smiled and continued, "But that was my old way of putting it. Now I know, your condition... should be called prosopagnosia? Right?"

Seeing An Ling's icy expression, he raised an eyebrow and took a step forward. "You should remember who I am now, right? After all, I chased you for so long in middle school. Back then, I was just playing a joke to test if you really couldn't recognize people. I didn't expect you to get so angry and even transfer schools, not even listening to my apology. It made me sad for a long time."

His gaze fell on An Ling's beautiful face, the smile on the corners of his mouth growing brighter, and he tried to grab her hand.

"You really grew up to be more and more beautiful. I didn't expect you to become a producer and even be in charge of the variety show my uncle is participating in. Doesn't this mean our destiny isn't over?"

An Ling took a step back to avoid his touch and looked at him coldly.

"Xu Huoqing, get the hell away from me."

"You look exactly the same when you're angry as you did before."

Xu Huoqing said shamelessly, Aren't you just mad that I used to tease you on purpose? You know how teenage boys are, just a bit impulsive. I'm apologizing to you now, okay? So, An Ling, do you have a boyfriend?

Beep, beep—

A car horn sounded from behind, interrupting him, accompanied by An Zhou's voice.

An Ling.

An Ling immediately walked toward the car without looking back, but Xu Huoqing's lazy voice trailed after her.

Give me your contact info. We're definitely going to be seeing a lot of each other from now on.

The woman completely ignored him, got straight into the car, and left.

Xu Huoqing clamped his cigarette back between his teeth, narrowed his eyes, and clicked his tongue.

Even if you don't give it to me, I have other ways to get it.

...

At night, in the Shen family's old residence.

As soon as Shen Linyan walked through the door, Mother Shen's angry voice rang out from the living room.

Shen Linyan! What on earth is going on with the Damian project! Why couldn't the Shen Group beat the An family in the bidding!!

Looking up, he saw Father Shen and Mother Shen sitting on the sofa, with Lu Jingshen sitting on a smaller sofa to the side.

Holding a folder, he walked over with a calm expression.

Why are you asking me, Mother? Wasn't Lu Jingshen the one who went to the site?

Who else should I ask!? You are the chairman of the Shen Group. If the Shen Group can't even beat the An Group, isn't it because you haven't managed the company well? Did you think your brother could succeed just by talking!?

Mother Shen slammed her cup down heavily on the table, her face dark. Her voice echoed throughout the living room.

So the responsibility for this lies entirely with you!

Although she said that, the Shen Group losing the bid wasn't what truly angered her.

Lu Jingshen had attended the bidding conference today and ended up suffering so much humiliation. Naturally, she needed to find a scapegoat to vent her anger on her son's behalf.

Father Shen frowned beside her, his voice deep. Shen Linyan, what exactly is going on? I handed the Shen Group over to you, and you can't even beat the An Group? Didn't you reach out to Damian?

Shen Linyan sat down on the sofa and said indifferently, Mother said to let Lu Jingshen go. I assumed Lu Jingshen could handle it.

I said to let Lu Jingshen attend the bidding conference! Shouldn't meeting with Damian have been your job?

Mother Shen's face was ugly as she gritted her teeth. Shen Linyan, you've really grown arrogant. You've even learned how to shift the blame. You have no capability yourself, yet you blame your brother!

She turned to Father Shen. Shen Zhong, this is the heir you chose! Look at him now! Everyone online is saying that the Shen Group is inferior to the An Group!

Lu Jingshen chimed in, Dad, do you know how humiliating it was for me when they announced the results at the venue? They were all secretly laughing at the Shen Group.

Father Shen's furrowed brows never relaxed. Ever since Shen Linyan took office, he had never worried about the Shen Group's affairs. He never expected Shen Linyan to mess up at such a crucial moment.

Shen Linyan, you better handle this matter properly. Give me an explanation when the time comes, and give the other shareholders an explanation too.

The man calmly raised his eyes. Why should I handle it?

Father Shen slammed his hand on the table. Because you are the chairman of the Shen Group! If you don't handle it, who will!

Then I quit.

As soon as those words came out, the entire living room fell into a dead silence.

Father Shen's face stiffened.

A flash of pleasant surprise, however, crossed Mother Shen and Lu Jingshen's eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Father Shen's cold voice cut through the air. What did you say?

Shen Linyan placed the folder in his hand on the table. His eyes were calm, and his tone was indifferent.

I said, I am no longer going to be the chairman of the Shen Group.