After returning home, Xiao Wenyao and Jian Hongmei asked Aunt Zhang about Xiao Jianren's recent situation. Aunt Zhang told them that the young lady returned home late every night reeking of alcohol, but she wasn't sure what Xiao Jianren had been up to.
Xiao Wenyao figured she must have been out carousing with a bunch of disreputable friends again. After lulling Jian Hongmei to sleep, he sat on the living room couch, waiting to catch her in the act.
This time, he caught her red-handed.
"If your mother and I hadn't come back, would you have continued going out and messing around like a hooligan every day, not even coming home?"
Xiao Jianren's expression tightened as her mind raced to come up with a strategy.
Her eyes reddened, and her voice sounded aggrieved, "Dad, I was just thinking about the company."
Xiao Wenyao was slightly taken aback.
Xiao Jianren observed Xiao Wenyao's reaction as she continued fabricating her story: "Dad, while you were away from the company, I was thinking about how to secure major cooperation projects every day. I was afraid others would look down on me for being a girl, so after work each day, I would go out and socialize."
A tear slid down her cheek, and she sniffled before continuing, "I drank with those rich second-generation scions and other company heads, just to let them know that although I'm a girl, I'm no worse than any man.
I drank so much to make them look up to me, hoping they might cooperate with Xiao's Company. No matter how much I had to drink, it would be worth it."
Seeing her father stunned into silence, Xiao Jianren felt delighted. She walked up to Xiao Wenyao, clung to his arm like a spoiled child, and said in a coy voice, "Dad, I'm sorry. Your daughter wasn't capable enough to secure any cooperation. If you're angry, you can hit me. I can take it. Just don't let your health suffer."
Hearing his daughter's "heart-wrenching" words, Xiao Wenyao was truly shaken. He never expected his daughter to make such a significant sacrifice for the company. Although she didn't secure any cooperation, he was still deeply gratified.
Looking at his daughter clinging to his arm and acting spoiled, he suddenly realized she had grown up and could share his burdens. How could he be angry at her?
With a deep sigh, Xiao Wenyao patted Xiao Jianren's hand on his arm and said gratefully, "You had good intentions. It's my fault for not understanding the situation and scolding you. From now on, I'll handle the company matters. Just be a well-behaved young lady."
Hearing this, Xiao Jianren knew she had narrowly escaped, slightly relieved.
Her sidelong glance caught Aunt Zhang standing in the corner, and she cursed inwardly: That damned old woman must have gossiped to my father. I'll find an opportunity to get rid of you!
Unaware that the young lady had her eyes on her, Aunt Zhang suddenly felt a chill down her spine, thinking the air conditioning temperature wasn't set properly.
Xiao Wenyao asked Aunt Zhang to bring some tea to help Xiao Jianren sober up. After she finished drinking, he smiled at her and said, "Jianren, your mother has decided to undergo IVF treatment and needs to rest well. From now on, you should stay home and take care of your mother and your future younger brother. Don't worry about the company matters."
As Xiao Wenyao spoke, his face beamed with anticipation for his future son, immediately darkening Xiao Jianren's mood once again.
So he was in such a hurry to take the company away from her and prevent her from ever being involved in its affairs again, all to pave the way for her future brother. What a great father!
Although she had helped secure the cooperation with Ye's Group, he was now going to kick her out and clear the path for his son.
When Xiao Wenyao saw his daughter's lowered head and silence, he called out, "Jianren, did you hear what I said?"
Xiao Jianren immediately snapped back to attention, forcing a big smile on her face as she eagerly responded, "Yes, Dad, I'm so happy the treatment was successful. I'll definitely take good care of Mom."
Then, she put on a wistful expression, "I really hope my little brother is born soon."
Seeing this, Xiao Wenyao let go of his worries, thinking he had overthought Xiao Jianren's potential resentment towards the child.
With a satisfied nod, he said, "Good, I'm glad you feel that way. Alright, it's getting late. Go to your room and rest now."
Xiao Jianren obediently nodded, "Okay, Dad. Good night!"
"Oh, and keep your voice down when you go upstairs, so you don't disturb your mother."
Xiao Jianren forced a smile, "Don't worry, Dad, I'll be careful."
Then she turned and went upstairs.
Watching his daughter's back, Xiao Wenyao couldn't help but feel, "It seems Jianren has really grown up a lot these days!"
Once in her room, Xiao Jianren could barely contain her anger. The most infuriating part was that no matter how furious she felt, she couldn't slam the door shut and had to close it carefully instead.
She kicked off her shoes, sat on the bed, and angrily ran her fingers through her hair. Her peripheral vision caught the bedside lamp, and she was tempted to smash it on the floor.
She even raised it high, but feared being scolded by Xiao Wenyao, so she put it back down.
She was so angry, but with no way to vent her rage. Not being allowed to participate in company affairs and having to take care of that damned future younger brother - Xiao Jianren had never felt so frustrated before.
After tossing and turning in bed for a while, the slightly inebriated Xiao Jianren's hazy mind suddenly remembered a person.
Ye Junwen!
That's right, there was still Ye Junwen!
Xiao Jianren's mind immediately cleared as she recalled that Ye Junwen had promised to help her gain control of Xiao's Company. He must have a way to help her resolve this situation.
With that thought, she opened her phone and dialed the number Ye Junwen had given her.
Since Ye Junwen had secretly used the company's seal to sign a cooperation agreement with Xiao's Company, the company had continued working on the project. However, he realized that the higher-ups seemed wary of him regarding certain matters, so he hadn't dared make any other bold moves recently. He had been working diligently every day, trying to dispel Ye Jinchen's suspicions about him.
As a result, he hadn't given much thought to how to win over Ye Jinmeng.
At that moment, Ye Junwen had finally endured until the end of Ye Jinchen's birthday party and returned to his room, lying on his bed, contemplating what Christmas gift to give Ye Jinmeng.
Suddenly, his phone rang, startling him. He glanced at the screen and saw Xiao Jianren's number, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes. He didn't answer right away. After waiting for a moment, Xiao Jianren was about to hang up and redial when the call was finally answered.
"What is it?" Ye Junwen's tone was somewhat irritated.
Xiao Jianren assumed she had just disturbed Ye Junwen's rest and didn't read too much into it. She adjusted her mood and said in a soft, coy voice, "Brother Junwen, did I interrupt your rest? I need to talk to you about something~"
