Three clients were lost in succession just two days after she left the company.
Pei Kexin couldn't imagine the challenges her company, Pei's, would face once the news of her grandfather's passing spread.
After some thought, she decided she had to convene a meeting with all department heads one last time, no matter what.
The assistant notified the department heads, and soon, the final meeting was held in the main conference room.
Pei Kexin sat at the head of the table and asked everyone to share their opinions on the client attrition.
A sales representative, who was quite well-informed, said, "I heard that Zhan Group is interested in acquiring our company. They tried to acquire us before and failed. This time, with Chairman Pei in trouble, could they be deliberately causing trouble?"
Zhan Group?
Although she had heard the name frequently, hearing it today felt inexplicably different.
She thought of Zhan Mouchen.
He said he wasn't from Nancheng, but was he really not?
And if he were from Nancheng, there weren't many people surnamed Zhan in Nancheng.
Unsure of whom to ask for confirmation, Pei Kexin searched on Baidu after the meeting.
Baidu's information was comprehensive, but it was all about Zhan Beijue, Jiang Nan Fang, and the quadruplets. There was no mention of the fifth and sixth children, only their approximate ages.
The fifth child was already 23 this year.
Zhan Jingrui and Jiang Jingyu both had photos on Baidu, and the businesses they managed were clearly outlined.
More importantly, the two of them looked identical, and Pei Kexin knew Jiang Jingyu.
Jiang Jingyu, Jiang Jingchen...
Pei Kexin repeatedly observed their names and appearances. Finally, she had to inquire about this Third Young Master Zhan with suspicion.
The first person she thought of was Gu Wei: "The third young master of Zhan Group, do you know him?"
Gu Wei didn't reply immediately, but Fu Duoduo responded first. "Why are you suddenly asking about him?"
Pei Kexin briefly explained what had just happened at the company, and that she had discovered Jiang Jingchen's surname was actually Zhan.
Fu Duoduo exclaimed, "Oh no, I knew it!"
"What is it? What do you know?"
Fu Duoduo said, "Yesterday at Nishang, didn't I tell you I saw Jiang Jingchen?"
"Do you know who he was with? Yao Dongzhuo! Yao Dongzhuo's sister was holding his arm. They looked like a perfect match!"
Pei Kexin: "..."
"At the time, he pretended not to know me, and he looked like a golden couple with Miss Yao. I was afraid I'd mistaken him, so I didn't dare to approach. I was thinking, how could a mere delivery man like him possibly connect with the Yao family? Now it seems... if it really is him, the third young master of the Zhan family, could your marriage to him have been a pre-arranged trap?"
Pei Kexin couldn't tell who was tricking whom for a moment.
"Nothing is certain yet, don't panic. Can you help me find some information about him?"
She had been infiltrated by the third young master of the Zhan family, and the two of them...
What was going on?
Fu Duoduo worked in the entertainment industry, and the Zhan family was very prominent, so it should be easy to find information about a young master.
"No problem, leave it to me. But don't rush, give me some time."
After hanging up, Pei Kexin felt increasingly that the situation was dire.
She had already lost three clients in just two days. If she continued to be careless, by the time the funeral arrangements for Pei's were completed and all the details were handled...
No. She had to inform the Pei family in advance and let them be aware.
Regardless, for her grandfather's sake, she didn't want Pei's to fall into someone else's hands.
Moreover, she had called her grandfather 'Dad' for nearly twenty years. Now that he was about to be buried, she couldn't possibly not go and see him one last time.
In the Pei family, the person least hostile towards her was the youngest daughter of her second uncle's family.
Pei Kexin didn't want to interact or get entangled with others too much, so she called her.
The young girl said they were at the funeral home, choosing an urn, and the memorial service would be held tomorrow.
Pei Kexin got the address and drove there immediately.
She hadn't eaten lunch and had a meeting at the company. By the time she arrived at the funeral home, it was already past two in the afternoon.
In the vast and cold front hall, the men and women of the Pei family, old and young, stood in a crowd.
Pei Kexin parked her car and walked over. As soon as she stepped onto the stairs, someone alertly spotted her.
Her eldest sister looked displeased and turned to ask her eldest brother, Lu. "Don't we have all the evidence ready? Why haven't they removed her from the company yet? Don't tell me you're still considering sibling affection and plan to let her see Dad off tomorrow."
Her eldest brother looked at Pei Zongrui. "Wasn't that handed over to you to handle? How did you deal with it?"
Pei Zongrui looked at Pei Kexin through the crowd and said coldly, "Don't worry, the agreement has been signed anyway. She won't get a single cent from our family now. As long as the evidence is in hand, she can't escape our grasp. What's there to fear?"
"We've been busy these past two days, so we haven't had time to deal with her. Let her come if she wants. Isn't it good to have one more person to run errands?"
Pei Kexin had already walked over, and everyone fell silent, looking at her.
She looked at them as well. "I'm late. Where is Dad now?"
Her eldest sister sneered, "What? The memorial service hasn't even started yet. Are you here to cry prematurely?"
"I called him Dad for over ten years. Shouldn't I cry a little?"
"You should. He's lying in the box, just out, still warm. Hurry up and cry."
Pei Kexin: "..."
As the eldest daughter of the Pei family, the old man's only biological daughter, to speak of her father in such terms after his death truly refreshed her understanding of human nature!
Pei Kexin swore that this was truly the last time she would deal with the Pei family in her life!
"I know you don't like me, and you don't welcome me here, but I still came."
"Eldest sister, I'm not here to deliberately upset you or argue with you. It's just because the person I care about is here, and you happen to know him. His name is Pei Yuanjing."
"Everyone is focused on Dad's passing right now, and Pei's business rivals are already starting to stir. I'm here to remind everyone..."
No one wanted to listen to grand, especially dry and boring, pronouncements.
Before Pei Kexin could finish her heartfelt words, she was met with a round of mockery.
"A wild person picked up from outside, working at the company for a few days and landing a few clients, and you think you're so great? Coming to Dad's funeral to lecture us, you have an inflated sense of self-importance, Li Lanlan!"
Pei Kexin: "... Think whatever you want. Whether I came with sincerity or pretense, it doesn't matter anymore. I've said what I wanted to say. Since you're still busy, I'll be leaving now."
As she turned to leave, Pei Zongrui called out to her from the crowd, "Stop."
"Aren't you very filial? You keep saying you want to repay Pei Yuanjing. Since you're here, why not show it?"
"Coincidentally, before the ashes are moved, there will be a Buddhist ceremony in the mourning hall. You, go. Hold your father's memorial tablet and kneel to perform the ceremony."
"As such a filial daughter, it wouldn't be right if you didn't participate in your father's ceremony, would it?"