Beneath the Marriage Pact

Chapter 4: The First Confrontation, the First to Show (1)

The family gathering of the Shen family was held in a private restaurant on the outskirts of the city. In the elaborately decorated private room, there was a round table that could seat twenty people. The gilded tableware reflected a table full of delicacies, but there was no warmth at all - the eyes of the relatives were like searchlights, never leaving Shen Zhixia from the moment she entered the door.

"Oh, this is Zhixia, right? It's been so many years since we last saw each other, and they've grown so big." The third aunt spoke first, but her eyes wandered over her canvas bag. "Just returned from the south? It must be tough over there. Look, this bag has been washed and turned white."

Just as Shen Zhixia was about to speak, Shen Yuwei rushed to say, "Third aunt, sister must have a hard time in this small town. Unlike us, we have drivers to take us out." She said, deliberately shaking the jade bracelet on her wrist, "This bracelet was bought for me by my father last month. It costs only a few hundred thousand. I wear it for fun."

Shen Zhixia didn't respond and found a corner to sit down. Liu Mei followed behind, hypocritically pulling her: "Zhixia, come to the front, next to your father." But with his hands, he pushed her even further away.

Shen Hongyuan sat in the main seat, watching all this, pretending not to see, just holding the teacup and sipping it.

As soon as the dishes were served, Shen Yuwei stood up with her wine glass and went around to Shen Zhixia: "Sister, long time no see. I'll toast to you." She paused, deliberately raising her voice, "By the way, sister, what do you do in this small town? Could it be serving dishes? I've heard that many restaurants over there hire temporary workers, and the wages are really low."

The private room fell silent instantly. The relatives all put down their chopsticks and waited to see Shen Zhixia's joke. The third aunt even laughed in agreement: "Yuwei, this child, speaks straightforwardly, but it's the truth. Zhixia, if it doesn't work out, go back to the Shen family and ask your father to give you an easy job. It's better than suffering outside."

Shen Zhixia tightened her grip on the cup, her fingertips turning pale. She raised her head and was about to retort when she heard a cold voice coming from the door: "Who said she was serving the plate?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw Ling Xu 'an standing at the door at some point, dressed in a well-tailored dark grey suit, with an imposing presence that made the entire box seem half a step shorter.

"Ling, Mr. Ling? Why are you here?" Shen Hongyuan quickly stood up, with a smile on his face, "Nobody went to pick you up."

"I happened to pass by, so I came to have a look." Ling Xu 'an came in, went straight up to Shen Zhixia, and naturally pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. He picked up the wine bottle on the table, poured a glass each for Shen Zhixia and himself, then raised the glass and looked at the people, "Zhixia is my specially hired financial advisor who helped the Ling family avoid a loss of 30 million last week. You say she's serving the plate? Did you think Ling's judgment was too poor, or did you think the loss of 30 million was not substantial enough?"

There was no sound in the box, and the faces of the relatives changed. The third aunt opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed it back. Shen Yuwei's face froze there, the wine glass in her hand swirled, and she didn't notice the wine spilled.

Shen Hongyuan's eyes were wide open, clearly not expecting Shen Zhixia to have this status. He quickly smoothed things over: "Oh, we misunderstood! Zhi Xia is just so low-key that she doesn't even tell her family about such a big matter."

"It's better to keep a low profile so that some people don't always try to build connections." Ling Xu 'an said indifferently, glancing over Shen Yuwei, "Like some people who use their family money to buy luxury goods but don't even understand basic respect."

Shen Yuwei's face instantly turned liver color, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she dared not cry. Liu Mei quickly pulled the corner of her dress, gesturing for her to stop talking.

Ling Xu 'an ignored them and turned to Shen Zhixia and said, "I just met Uncle Zhao downstairs. He said you left your phone in my car and I brought it to you." He took the phone out of his pocket and handed it to her, his fingertip accidentally touching her hand, then quickly putting it back.

Shen Zhixia took the phone, feeling warm in her heart. She knew that Ling Xu 'an wasn't just passing by, nor was he there to deliver the phone. He had come especially to support her.

"Thank you, Mr. Ling." She whispered.

"A little effort." Ling Xu 'an picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in her bowl. "Try this. It tastes good."

The relatives watched the scene and changed their attitude in an instant. The third aunt came over first and said with a smile, "Mr. Ling is really young and promising!" Zhi Xia is so lucky to be able to work with you." The other relatives also chimed in, some toasting Ling Xu 'an, some serving food to Shen Zhixia, and the atmosphere in the private room suddenly became lively.

Shen Yuwei watched all this, her teeth itching with anger, but could only sit there without saying a word.

Halfway through the party, Shen Yuwei couldn't hold back any longer and was looking for an opportunity to provoke. She walked up to Ling Xu 'an with a glass in her hand: "Mr. Ling, I'll toast to you." She paused and looked at Shen Zhixia. "Come to think of it, sister is a financial advisor. How come I haven't heard of any relevant qualifications? Could it be that Mr. Ling deliberately said this to help his sister?"

The relatives' eyes were once again fixed on Shen Zhixia, waiting to see her reaction.

Shen Zhixia was just about to speak when Ling Xu 'an spoke first: "When the Ling family hires people, they only consider ability, not seniority." Although Zhixia doesn't have the halo of a graduate from a prestigious university, her ability to predict the stock market is better than many so-called experts. He paused, took out his phone and pulled out a document. "This is the analysis report she gave me last week, which accurately predicted the risk of a stock falling and helped Ling preserve 30 million. If you don't believe it, you can read it yourself."

The report's data and analysis are well-organized and indeed very professional. Shen Yuwei's face turned even worse and she could no longer speak.

"All right, stop asking us all sorts of questions." Ling Xu 'an put away his phone and his tone turned cold. "Let's all eat well, lest the food get cold."

Relatives quickly dispersed, and no one dared to say more. Shen Yuwei slunk back to her seat and never dared to cause trouble again.

After the party, Ling Xu 'an saw Shen Zhixia home. The car moved smoothly through the night, and it was quiet inside.

"Mr. Ling, thank you today." Shen Zhixia broke the silence. "You acted so convincingly that I almost believed it."

"Who acted with you?" Ling Xu 'an glanced at her. "I'm telling the truth. The analysis report you gave me last week did help Ling avoid losses."

Shen Zhixia was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "So I really became your financial advisor?"

"You can say so." Ling Xu 'an nodded. "But no salary, it counts as your contribution to the cooperation."

"Stingy." Shen Zhixia pursed her lips. "Saved you 30 million and not even treated you to a meal?"

"Didn't you promise to treat me to a three-star Michelin meal last time?" Ling Xu 'an raised an eyebrow. "What? You want to change your mind?"

"No change of mind." "I want the most expensive one," said Shen Zhixia with a smile.

"No problem." Ling Xu 'an's lips curled up slightly, "but you have to go with me somewhere."

"Where to?"

"Chen Mo found out that Qin Zheng's logistics company has a secret warehouse. Let's go and have a look tomorrow." Ling Xu 'an's tone became serious. "Perhaps we can find more clues about your mother."

Shen Zhixia's smile faded and she nodded: "All right."

The car reached Shen's doorstep. Shen Zhixia unfastened her seat belt and was about to get out of the car. Ling Xu 'an suddenly called her: "Shen Zhixia."

"Huh?" She turned back.

"Next time someone makes things difficult for you, you don't have to endure it." Ling Xu 'an looked at her seriously, "Call me directly and I'll handle it."

Shen Zhixia felt warm in her heart and nodded: "I know, Mr. Ling."

She pushed open the car door, had just taken two steps, and then turned back to Ling Xu 'an and said, "Mr. Ling, thank you so much for today."

Ling Xu 'an waved his hand and said nothing. He just watched her enter the Shen family's gate before letting the driver drive away.

As the car drove away from Shen's door, Ling Xu 'an took out his mobile phone and sent a text message to Chen Mo: "Have you arranged the secret warehouse tomorrow?"

Soon Chen Mo replied: "Everything is arranged, boss. Oh, by the way, do you need to get a formal document for Miss Shen as a financial advisor?"

Ling Xu 'an looked at the text message and couldn't help but smile: "Yes, the best."

As soon as Shen Zhixia entered the living room, she saw Shen Yuwei sitting on the sofa crying, Liu Mei patting her back to comfort her, and Shen Hongyuan frowning and smoking.

"Oh, isn't this our 'financial advisor' coming back?" Shen Yuwei saw her and immediately stopped crying, her tone sharp. "Did Mr. Ling send you back? It seems you're quite capable and hooked up with Mr. Ling as soon as you got back to the Shen family."

"Shen Yuwei, be careful with your words." Shen Zhixia looked at her coldly, "I'm just a business partner with Mr. Ling, unlike you, who are full of sordid ideas."

"Cooperative relationship?" Shen Yuwei stood up and walked up to her. "Do you think I would believe it? Why did Mr. Ling help you? It's all because you pretend to be pitiful!"

"Enough!" Shen Hongyuan suddenly choked his cigarette into the ashtray. "Stop all the noise! Mr. Ling is now our Shen family's backer and no one can offend him!" He looked at Shen Zhixia, his tone softened a little, "Zhixia, since Mr. Ling values you so much, you should speak well of him in the future and help the Shen family get more resources."

Shen Zhixia looked at him, feeling ridiculous in her heart: "Dad, do you think of me now? Why didn't you say this when Shen Yuwei made things difficult for me before?"

Shen Hongyuan blushed and stammered, "Well, isn't that a misunderstanding? Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, we're still family."

"A family?" Shen Zhixia smiled, "Why didn't you treat me as a family when my mother passed away? Why didn't you treat me like a family when I was suffering in this small town? Are you remembering that I'm a family now that you see I'm useful?"

She said this and turned upstairs, leaving Shen Hongyuan and Liu Mei embarrassed in the living room. Shen Yuwei looked at her back, her eyes filled with hatred.

Shen Zhixia went back to her room, took out the phone Ling Xu 'an had given her, flipped through the photos of the warehouse in the album, and was filled with anticipation. If she went to the secret warehouse tomorrow, she might find the key evidence of her mother's death.

Just then, the phone rang. It was Ling Xu 'an calling.

"Hello?" Shen Zhixia picked up the phone.

"Are you asleep?" Ling Xu 'an's voice came from the other end of the phone, a little hoarse.

"Not yet. Looking at pictures of the warehouse." "When shall we set off tomorrow?" said Shen Zhixia.

"I'll pick you up at eight in the morning." Ling Xu 'an paused, "be careful of Shen Yuwei. She suffered a loss today and might get back at you."

"I know. I'll keep an eye out." Shen Zhixia felt warm in her heart. "Mr. Ling, how did you know she would take revenge on me?"

"I guessed." Ling Xu 'an's voice had a hint of a smile. "That spoiled young lady, when wronged, surely won't let it go."

They chatted a few more words, and Ling Xu 'an told her to go to bed early before hanging up. Shen Zhixia put down her phone, lay down on the bed, and couldn't help but smile as she thought of Ling Xu 'an's support for her today.

Early the next morning, Shen Zhixia had just washed up when she heard a knock on the door. She opened the door and saw Ling Xu 'an standing at the door, holding breakfast in his hand.

"Mr. Ling? Why are you here?" "Shen Zhixia asked in surprise.

"Passing by, I brought you breakfast." Ling Xu 'an handed her breakfast. "Eat quickly. We'll set off after you finish."

Shen Zhixia took the breakfast, feeling warm in her heart. She invited Ling Xu 'an to sit in the room, but Ling Xu 'an shook his head: "No, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Shen Zhixia quickly finished her breakfast, changed into convenient clothes and followed Ling Xu 'an down the stairs. Shen Hongyuan and Liu Mei were already waiting in the living room. Seeing them, they hurried over.

"Mr. Ling, where are you going?" " Liu Mei asked with a smile.

"Something." Ling Xu 'an said indifferently, not intending to say much to them.

Shen Hongyuan still wanted to ask, but Ling Xu 'an had already led Shen Zhixia out of the Shen family's gate.

After more than an hour of driving, the car finally reached the secret warehouse. The warehouse was hidden in an abandoned factory area and looked very secluded.

"Here it is." Ling Xu 'an stopped the car. "Chen Mo said that this warehouse was secretly rented by Qin Zheng and few people know about it."

The two got out of the car and walked to the entrance of the warehouse. The door of the warehouse was a heavy iron door, rusty. Ling Xu 'an took out the tools he had prepared in advance and began to pick the lock.

"Mr. Ling, you can still pick locks?" "Shen Zhixia asked in surprise.

"I learned a little when I was studying abroad before." Ling Xu 'an smiled, "Just in case."

Soon, the lock was pried open. Ling Xu 'an pushed open the door, and a pungent musty smell hit him. He turned on the flashlight on his phone and illuminated the interior of the warehouse - which was piled high with cardboard boxes and seemed not to have been touched for a long time.

"Let's go our separate ways." "Be safe," said Ling Xu 'an.

Shen Zhixia nodded and began rummaging through the cardboard box. She rummaged through many cartons, which were filled with old clothes and discarded parts, but there was no useful clue.

Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly discovered a locked wooden box in the corner of the warehouse. She quickly called Ling Xu 'an over: "Mr. Ling, there's a wooden box here!"

Ling Xu 'an came over, crouched down and examined the box carefully. The lock on the box was rusty, and it took him a long time to pry it open with tools.

The moment they opened the box, both of them were stunned - it contained a lot of documents and photos, and a voice recorder.

"These are..." Shen Zhixia picked up a document that read "Secret Agreement of Cooperation between the Qin and Ling families", signed exactly one month before her mother's death.

Ling Xu 'an picked up a photo of Qin Zheng and Ling Zhengxiong standing in the warehouse, holding a document in his hand and smiling smugly.

It seems that my second uncle was also involved. Ling Xu 'an's face turned serious. "Back then my grandfather asked him to be in charge of the cooperation with the Qin family, and he actually colluded with Qin Zheng and killed your mother."

Shen Zhixia picked up the voice recorder and pressed the play button. Mother's voice came from inside, with a hint of fear: "Qin Zheng, you can't do this! "Starlight Project is the work of my life, you can't sell it to Ling!"

"Shen Qingyao, don't be shameless!" Qin Zheng's voice was fierce. "Now the core technology of the 'Starlight Project' is in my hands. I can sell it to whoever I want! If you dare to talk too much, I'll be rude to your daughter!"

"You dare!" Mother's voice was excited, "I won't let you hurt Xia Xia!"

The recording ended here, and Shen Zhixia's tears had already streamed down. She finally learned that her mother was killed by Qin Zheng and Ling Zhengxiong because she refused to hand over the core technology of the Starlight Project.

"Mom..." Shen Zhixia sobbed, "I will surely avenge you."

Ling Xu 'an looked at her, feeling very uncomfortable. He patted her on the shoulder and comforted her, "Don't be sad. We've found the evidence and will soon make Qin Zheng and my second uncle pay the price."