Miles away in Beijing, Ren Yuanying was at a mahjong table with her mother, holding her own against the elder.
Of course, it was mostly the old lady who was winning, while she acted as the foot soldier, getting carded left and right.
Just then, the phone rang. Ren Yuanying, who had just dealt Shang Gulan a "purely one suit" hand, was already feeling frustrated. Annoyed by the ringing, she casually flipped over her phone on the table, only to find it was Ren Yu calling.
"Why is this kid calling me on New Year's Day?"
As Ren Yuanying muttered, her mother, Shang Gulan, who had just won and collected her money, snatched the phone.
"Mom, what are you doing!"
Shang Gulan took the call and said, "I've won this round, you continue! I'll answer the phone for you, okay?!"
Hearing this, Ren Yuanying could only let her mother have her way. She beckoned to the two sisters-in-law at the table.
"Let's continue, continue."
By then, Shang Gulan had already connected with her grandson, Ren Yu. To avoid being disturbed by the mahjong sounds, Shang Gulan specifically put on her coat and walked outside to talk.
"Hello? Ah Yu."
"What's the matter? You can't tell Grandma? You have to let your mom hear it specifically? What? You need your two uncles too? Okay, wait a moment, they're in the study, I'll get your mom to go with me."
Thus, Ren Yuanying was dragged by Shang Gulan to the home study.
As the study door opened, a strong smell of cigar smoke wafted out. Shang Gulan coughed violently, overwhelmed by the sudden gust of smoke.
"Mom!"
"Mom... why did you come in without knocking?"
Shang Gulan pushed the study door open wide and walked to the two windows, pushing them open.
"Such a strong smell of smoke, you all want to join your father early!"
"Mom... what's the matter with your sudden entry? My elder brother and I have encountered some things recently that we can't figure out, so we've been smoking a bit longer. Besides, neither my elder brother nor I have finished even one cigar."
Ren Aixun snipped the ends off his and his elder brother's cigars and then helped his mother, asking.
"It's not me, it's your nephew. He said he has something to discuss with you and Yuanying. It's all your fault, the smell of smoke made me forget!"
"Looking for us?"
Ren Aixun subconsciously glanced at his elder brother, Ren Aiguo.
"It's rare for this kid to call us with something. Mom, please turn on the speakerphone."
Shang Gulan handed the phone to Ren Yuanying and found a place to sit. She couldn't help but wonder, was Ren Yu going to confess his feelings for Chenchen and pursue her?
No, even if he were pursuing her, he wouldn't need to report it to the whole family. Could it be that Chenchen had agreed, and Ah Yu wanted to strike while the iron was hot and propose?
That would be good too.
No one knew what was going through the old lady's mind. Ren Aiguo and Ren Aixun also sat back in their chairs, leaning back, not taking what was about to happen too seriously.
Ren Yu's voice came from the other end of the phone:
"A few days ago, there was a car accident..."
As he was speaking, Ren Aiguo and Ren Aixun exchanged glances. Then Ren Aixun got up and closed the doors and windows, even drawing the curtains to enhance the soundproofing, lest they be overheard.
Listening to her grandson, the old lady felt a throbbing in her head. She hadn't expected that in her peaceful and tranquil later years, someone would be lurking in the shadows, seeking revenge.
Yes, revenge. When Shang Gulan heard Ren Yu's account, her first reaction was that someone was targeting the Ren family for revenge.
"Ah Yu, could it be that your guess is actually just simple business retaliation?"
Before Shang Gulan could wait for Ren Yu's reply, she was met with the confessions of her two sons.
"Mom, what Ah Yu said is probably true. In fact, my elder brother and I were also discussing in the study today. For the past few years, the projects I've undertaken in the region managed by my elder brother have almost all been losing propositions.
If it weren't for the profits from other regions offsetting the losses, our company's business growth last year would have looked very bleak."
Ren Aiguo also leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table, and said in a deep voice:
"In fact, it's not just Aixun. Originally, my political achievements and tenure were enough for me to be transferred back to Beijing, but this year there hasn't been any news. It was only after Uncle Shen helped me inquire that I learned that someone might believe I had used 'Dadi' for illicit gains.
Therefore, my brother and I were discussing that after the New Year, 'Dadi' would withdraw its business operations from the region I manage. However, we were only speculating and couldn't be sure if someone was truly behind it.
Now, what Ah Yu has said confirms what we have been unable to confirm: the person behind this understands our family's modus operandi and knows who our close associates are."
Shang Gulan understood every word Ren Aiguo said, but when strung together, she felt her mind reeling.
"Aiguo, then what should we do? We can't just sit at home and passively take a beating! We must find that clown hiding in the shadows!"
"Ah Yu! You wouldn't tell us all this just to make everyone worry."
Shang Gulan's words were interrupted by Ren Yuanying.
"Mom! Ah Yu is still a college student, how can you ask him that?!"
Ren Aiguo and Ren Aixun also shook their heads slightly as they sat in their chairs.
"Mom, my elder brother and I can't identify the opponent for now. The other party is too careful and discreet. Even Uncle Shen can only vaguely detect that someone is making a move."
Seeing the dejected expressions in the study, Ren Aiguo's words perked everyone up.
"Aixun, on the contrary, the more cautious the person behind this is, the more it proves that they don't dare to confront us head-on. So, what we need to do is to lower their guard, and not let the other party realize that we have discovered their existence.
Only then can we wait for them to reveal their hand and catch them!"
"Uncle is right. Chenchen and I have the same idea, so I've come up with a plan that might provoke the other party."
Ren Aiguo frowned slightly and said:
"It's difficult to provoke someone who operates in such a clandestine manner."
Ren Yu's voice continued from the phone: "It is indeed difficult, but judging from the decisiveness and ruthlessness with which he acted against Chenchen, perhaps in his eyes, Liu Chen is the easiest to deal with. Regarding this car accident, Grandpa Shen has already made arrangements, and anyone who inquires will receive an immediate response."
Ren Aiguo interrupted his nephew and asked directly:
"Just state your plan."
"Chenchen and I will pretend to be a couple, making the person behind the scenes discover that Chenchen's relationship with our Ren family is even closer. Then, we will deliberately leave loopholes for the other party to exploit."
Shang Gulan's expression was a mixture of emotions after hearing Ah Yu's words.
She muttered softly, "This dead kid, he's just like that old man back then, good at using personal matters for public gain."