An Yufei licked her lips helplessly, then asked, "Did Auntie Sun try to entice you to eat a lot of snacks when you signed the contract?"
An Qi, who had just been exposed by her daughter in public, was blushing as she answered, "Yes, but..."
"Well, no more buts, Young Madam An. If our Boss Leng hadn't made an exception and promoted you guys to full-time status, you might have lost your inheritance by now!" Sheng Jie reminded her anxiously.
"Would it really be that serious?" An Qi was still having a hard time believing that Auntie Sun, who looked so innocent and harmless, had conspired with Gu Xiaonan to plot against her.
"Well, other than you, everyone seems to be in this game of chess. All this time, you, the protagonist, have just been happily counting the stocks every day." Sheng Jie was so anxious that he'd nearly blurted out Shi Zhiwem's name.
Right then, An Yufei also reminded An Qi thoughtfully, "Mom, I believe these two uncles. Think about how, even though those herbaceous snakes were not mine, they still managed to convince everyone that I was the one who brought them in."
As no one's words could compare with her daughter's, upon hearing this, An Qi smacked her head as if she'd just been enlightened. She then said, "So, ever since I entered the Leng Group, Gu Xiaonan and her mother have been watching every step that I take?"
As An Qi shook her head in shock, Sheng Jie nodded and said, "Thank God! You've finally figured it out."
Sheng Jie then put his palms together in a thankful gesture, while facing An Yufei. It was his attempt to make this silly woman before him understand that the situation all depended on her witty daughter.
But, when Leng Yuchen glanced at Sheng Jie, he immediately stopped. After all, he couldn't have Sheng Jie getting too conceited, as no matter how dumb An Qi was, she was still the woman that had Boss Leng's heart. Hence, it was not Sheng Jie's place to comment on her mental prowess… Or lack thereof!
Furthermore, An Qi's apparent silliness was just surfacing at this moment because she had been exposed in front of Boss Leng and her daughter. He had just hacked into her computer and looked at the table she'd made. If she didn't have such a solid financial background, it would be impossible for her to have completed it in such a short time.
At the moment, Leng Yuchen moved passed Sheng Jie and gently grabbed An Qi's hand. He then said, "Well, you should be able to clearly see the situation that the Leng Group is facing now. Please make a decision as to whether you're going to stay or leave."
Although his palm was burning hot as he spoke to An Qi, she dared not pull her hand away. It was strange to her that, even though she didn't have many opportunities to come into contact with Leng Yuchen often, he still managed to leave a strong impression on An Qi every time that she encountered him.
This was especially true when she recalled those images of them that caused her heart to beat faster and her cheeks to become flushed. In those moments, An Qi wanted nothing more than to disappear into a crack in the floor!
"Mom, you were the one who taught me from an early age that I can't back down whenever I'm faced with trouble or hardships." An Yufei was too familiar with An Qi's ostrich-like character, so she took this opportunity to remind her mom that now was not the time to run away or be timid.
Leng Yuchen looked at An Yufei with great admiration. This child was outstanding and truly excellent in his opinion. Not only did she have a sweet face, but she had his same character trait of refusing to accept defeat.
She was just a mini, much more cute version of Leng Yuchen, who was now helping him to persuade An Qi to fight! Thinking of this, Leng Yuchen nodded and said, "The child is right. Do you want all of your assets to go to Gu Xiaonan?"
"Of course not!" An Qi replied with great certainty.
"Okay, then work with me! I can guarantee both of your safeties! I can also ensure that Gu Xiaonan's reputation is ruined." Leng Yuchen paused, then added, "But... If I do this, you must marry me."
An Qi felt as if she'd been struck by lightning as the words "marry me" circled in her mind. She did not know what to say or do.
In contrast to her mother's reaction, An Yufei's opinion about this proposal was rather clearcut. After all, from the moment that she'd first seen the man, she could see that he was someone who was confident and was not afraid to shock everybody with his words. Now, it seemed to her that he might be a good thing for her mother, especially as he appeared to be able to offer her protection.
"What's wrong? Do you still have a choice in the matter?" Leng Yuchen asked.
He had originally taken the fact that An Qi had forgotten about him to heart. He was also unhappy about how Leng Jin had been harassing her the past few days. So, when he saw An Qi's hesitant look, he'd naturally associated it with Leng Jin, which explained his distant tone and harsh-sounding words.
An Yufei frowned as she looked at An Qi. It took An Qi a long time to raise her eyes to meet Leng Yuchen's. Suddenly, he felt a trace of regret that he had been so fierce with her.
"Boss Leng, you've just said so much to me all of a sudden, and I really cannot process it all at the moment. So, I will beg you to give me a few days to consider all of this, okay?" An Qi begged.
"Miss An Qi!" Sheng Jie couldn't help but blurt out her name, while his hands tightened into fists by his side.
After all, Boss Leng had always gotten what he'd wanted right away. It was already quite rare for him to wait for An Qi to make her decision with such patience. But, if An Qi were to repeatedly push him, Sheng Jie could not guarantee that Boss Leng would not explode after a while, having tired of waiting!
"Shut up!" However, just when Sheng Jie opened his mouth again, intending to further put pressure An Qi for an immediate answer, he was stopped short by Leng Yuchen's rebuke.
Although Leng Yuchen's eyes flickered with a light that An Qi could not understand, his tone immediately softened as he turned to her and said confidently, "I believe that you will indeed accept my proposal in the end."
An Qi tilted her head and gazed at him, while thinking... This man is really confident! But why did this man, who was so strategic in his scheming, leave without saying a word back then?
She was thinking back to the time when she had fled to France with Little Yufei and lived as a single mother for five years. As this recollection filled her mind, huge suspicions regarding Leng Yuchen immediately surfaced in An Qi's heart. If it wasn't for the contract that she had signed, she would have even thought about leaving with An Yufei again!
The early morning wind was blowing, and although the weather had been warming up recently, the wind still made An Qi frown as it blew back the strands of her hair on her forehead. She felt the urge to vomit again. This was a feeling An Qi had nicknamed "The Leng Yuchen allergy."
"Sheng Jie, bring the car..." Leng Yuchen seemed to have read An Qi's mind, so he clearly wasn't going to give her the chance to escape. Hence, he figured that he'd arrange for her and Little Yufei to get in the car directly under his watchful gaze.
"Just drop us off at the nearest hotel," An Qi ordered confidently. No matter how rattled she felt, she still held her chin up and refused to let him see her flustered.
Sheng Jie was put on the spot by the contrasting commands of An Qi and his boss, so he began to ask, "Boss Leng, is this..."
"Just do as I said according to the original plan." Leng Yuchen, apparently not taking An Qi seriously, quickly replied.
The moment he received this order, Sheng Jie stepped on the gas pedal and zoomed off. He wanted to drop them off as fast as possible, as he didn't want to be the third wheel anymore.
"The original plan? Mr. Leng, what do you mean? Where are you taking us?" An Qi asked, while she struggled to sit up. The heater in the car was so warm that she felt like fainting.
"You'll know when we get there. But... An Qi, you appear to have a fever. You must try to close your eyes and rest now." Leng Yuchen gently put his hand over An Qi's eyes as he spoke.
His words were charming, enticing An Qi to close her eyes. In the darkness, An Yufei squinted. She couldn't help but stare at this man. After all, he was most likely her father!