Xiao Anjing stood up as soon as he saw her, asking with concern, "Young Madam, did you almost fall after I left last night?"
Susu walked to his side and said with a smile, "It's nothing, luckily someone helped me. How is Miss Lan doing after going to the hospital? Is she alright?"
"She's fine." Xiao Anjing pointed to his still slightly red cheek. "Anyway, good deeds don't pay. She thought I had designs on her and hit me without holding back."
Susu chuckled and said, "It seems Miss Lan has quite a fiery temper."
"You're still laughing. Last night, the doctor almost called the police and arrested me as a pervert." Xiao Anjing returned home late at night. While showering, he looked in the mirror and discovered the five-finger imprint left by Lan Yu on his cheek. No wonder the doctor who treated him at the hospital didn't believe him from beginning to end.
He applied ice to it himself before sleeping. Although the imprint had faded somewhat, his cheek was still noticeably redder.
Susu gestured for him to sit down and asked, "Did something happen? Xiao Mei said you waited for me for two or three hours. Why didn't you have her wake me up earlier?"
"It's nothing major. Early this morning, I heard that Lu Yuanhong has officially begun acquiring Shu Corporation, hiring traders to buy large quantities of Shu Corporation's stock." Xiao Anjing felt he had to tell her this news as soon as possible so she could be prepared. The crucial time for them to compete with Lu Yuanhong had arrived.
Susu's entire demeanor became alert. "Then we should buy in along with them, but the quantity shouldn't be too large. We need to spread it out so they don't notice."
"Right," Xiao Anjing said. "I will carefully follow up on the subsequent matters."
Susu analyzed, "Lu Yuanhong is indeed good at seizing opportunities. He just held a charity auction last night and his reputation and popularity are at their peak. By openly acquiring Shu Corporation at this time, making it seem as if only he can save Shu Corporation, the public opinion will likely be one-sided. He is determined to succeed."
A faint smile curved Xiao Anjing's lips, and a hunter's gleam flashed in his eyes as he was about to capture his prey. "We will make him taste the bitterness of failure at the moment he is most triumphant."
Susu also smiled. "I'm also very much looking forward to seeing his expression when his acquisition fails."
"Young Madam, you are due to give birth soon. It's not advisable for you to overexert yourself. Leave the remaining matters to me. You only need to produce your Shu Corporation shares when necessary, and I will make Lu Yuanhong lose miserably then," Xiao Anjing promised her.
Susu had learned a lot from Xiao Anjing over the past few months and believed he was fully capable of this.
Previously, her impression of Xiao Anjing was that he was lazy in his work but sincere and loyal. She thought he was merely assisting Tianyi at Aoxiang Group.
However, her opinion of Xiao Anjing had completely changed. In fact, his own abilities were not inferior; it was just that his personality was poles apart from Tianyi's. Tianyi was clearly a workaholic at first glance.
When Tianyi was around, he chose to be Tianyi's helper, not giving his all. But once Tianyi was gone, he revealed his full strength without reservation to help her stabilize Aoxiang Group.
Susu thought this was why he and Tianyi could cooperate for so many years without conflict. He was someone who understood how to advance and retreat appropriately.
She nodded, then thought of something and said, "Anjing, after you left last night, I discovered two things. First, the female companion Lu Yuanhong brought was a nanny from his household, and Jia Nanfang never showed up. Also, he had two new bodyguards with him, both unfamiliar. I don't know where they were found."
Xiao Anjing said, "Alright, I will investigate these two matters."
"One of the bodyguards helped me when I was about to fall. Listening to his accent, it doesn't sound like he's from Lancheng. Moreover, that bodyguard's appearance is a bit frightening. If you investigate, focus on this person. I heard Lu Yuanhong call him A Ban." Susu still couldn't let go of the bodyguard she only met once last night.
She secretly told herself that it was because the man's appearance was too terrifying, hence the need for vigilance.
Xiao Anjing was slightly stunned. When Susu mentioned the bodyguard's frightening appearance, it reminded him of Tianyi.
When Tianyi lost contact with him, half of his face was disfigured. But if it were Tianyi, Susu shouldn't have failed to recognize him, as the other half of his face was not injured.
Not long after Su Kangxi arranged for Tianyi to be transferred to a hospital in Southeast Asia, Tianyi had no further contact with him.
When he called his mobile number, his previous number was out of service, and he didn't reply to messages.
Xiao Anjing went to find Su Kangxi, wanting to get a clear explanation from him. However, Su Kangxi said that he had also lost contact with Tianyi, claiming that Tianyi had left the hospital quietly after arriving there and his whereabouts were unknown.
He didn't believe Su Kangxi at all, but no matter how he pressed him, Su Kangxi refused to say more than a word.
When Xiao Anjing pushed Su Kangxi to his limit, Su Kangxi finally said one sentence, "For his safety, please don't ask too many questions."
He had no choice but to give up searching for Tianyi's whereabouts, hoping he would return safely.
"Anjing, Anjing!" Susu called him a few times, seeing him lost in thought.
Xiao Anjing snapped back to attention and said, "Okay, I will specifically investigate the bodyguard you mentioned. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Then I'll be going now."
Susu wanted to ask him to stay for lunch, but considering that this was a critical time in the competition with Lu Yuanhong, she assumed he had many things to attend to and didn't press him to stay.
After he left, Susu unlocked her phone and browsed the news online. Indeed, Lu Yuanhong had high-profilely announced the launch of the Shu Corporation acquisition project early this morning.
Public opinion from all sides poured in, with most favoring Lu Yuanhong's acquisition.
After all, Shu Corporation had been plagued by internal turmoil for the past few months. Shu Zhongze was overwhelmed by the group's issues and his divorce, even suffering a heart attack and being hospitalized twice.
Shu Corporation was now facing the greatest crisis in a century, seemingly with no hope of recovery. Many people were waiting to see how Shu Zhongze would handle the situation, with most gloating and very few offering a helping hand.
Human relationships are fickle. After lunch, Susu returned to her bedroom. With nothing to do, she picked up Wen Shuman's diary again. This was her second time reading it.
When Wen Shuman was alive, Shu Corporation had also faced a crisis, which she had resolved with her wisdom, nurturing the company with her dedication.
In her writings, there was the deepest love for Shu Zhongze's father. She had fiercely protected what her husband had left behind out of this profound affection.
And Susu's current endeavor to protect Shu Corporation was not due to her blood relation with Shu Zhongze, but out of respect for Wen Shuman as a woman of self-esteem, self-reliance, and strength, and because she empathized with the words in her diary.
After Tianyi went missing, it was Wen Shuman's diary that gave her strength, enabling her to become strong in her husband's absence.
She closed Wen Shuman's diary. Although they lived in different eras, she felt a sense of connection with her.
She spoke to Wen Shuman in her heart, "At that time, you never expected your Xiao Jiu to become like this, did you? You hid it from everyone in the Shu family and entrusted relatives to take him to Nanyang, thinking he could start anew and live a happy life. But he hated you, his mother, and the Shu family deeply. Now that your Xiao Jiu has returned, he intends to destroy what you painstakingly protected… I'm sorry, I cannot let your Xiao Jiu have his way. I believe your spirit in heaven will understand…"