"The transport company back then was found by Zhao Jianhua, we didn't have much contact with the delivery personnel," Tianyi recalled.
An Jing said, "I signed a receipt, but because it was supposed to be kept secret to avoid Xie Zhendong's suspicion, I didn't keep a copy."
"Last time you mentioned she was looking through documents in the freight department, could it have been for this receipt?" Tianyi pondered. "But how did she know her father's company had transported goods for us? She wasn't working there at the time?"
An Jing speculated, "Could Zhao Jianhua be framing us?"
"There's a possibility."
An Jing continued, "I also found out that her father's company went bankrupt because a batch of goods was found to contain contraband, leading to its closure by the relevant authorities. The batch of goods his company transported was imported from a foreign company. That foreign company was registered by Zhao Jianhua, and it was also the company that intercepted our batch of building materials."
"It seems this batch of contraband was related to Zhao Jianhua, but it made Xi Xianya's father's company take the blame," Tianyi roughly understood the situation.
An Jing nodded, "Most likely. After Xi Xianya's father's company ran into trouble, Zhao Jianhua's foreign company was deregistered, and he washed his hands of it completely, leaving no trace of his involvement."
"Alas, it's truly pitiful that Xi Xianya mistook her enemy for a godfather," Tianyi sighed.
An Jing quickly asked, "Should I go tell her the truth, so she doesn't continue to be deceived by Zhao Jianhua?"
"You handle this as you see fit, I don't mind," Tianyi said. "Even if she mistakenly thinks of us as enemies, she can't cause much trouble."
"Then I'll go talk to her. She doesn't have much influence on us. However, I'm afraid she might use Ai Yifeng again, which would make things difficult for you too," An Jing voiced his concerns.
"Hmm, then go meet her."
An Jing said okay and prepared to leave his office.
Tianyi asked again, "Do you know where to find her? What is she doing now? Is she still in contact with Yifeng?"
"I heard she's still singing at that bar. As for whether she's in contact with Ai Yifeng, I don't know," An Jing said with a smile. "If something happens to Susu's brother, how will you explain it to her?"
Tianyi didn't deny it. "When you go tell her the truth, ask her about her situation with Yifeng. I can't ignore Yifeng's affairs."
"Understood," An Jing made a gesture of understanding and went to attend to it.
...
In the evening, after dinner with Lan Yu, An Jing handed the child over to the nanny and they went together to the bar where Xi Xianya was singing.
Lan Yu hadn't been to a bar at night since having the child, nor had she continued as a dance teacher. Her life had almost entirely revolved around the child.
An Jing brought her out tonight, ostensibly for some business, but also wanting to spend some time alone with her.
Lan Yu followed him out without asking many questions, finding the bar's ambiance pleasant and the singer on stage captivating.
Xi Xianya was singing passionately on stage. After finishing a song, she noticed Xiao An Jing sitting at a table closest to the stage with a woman.
Her heart fluttered for a moment, wondering why Xiao An Jing was there. Could it be about her stealing the bid prices?
Just as she was about to retreat to the lounge, Xiao An Jing waved at her, saying, "Come sit with us for a bit, I'll buy you a drink."
With no way to avoid it, she smiled and sat down at their table, greeting him, "Mr. Xiao, hello."
"It's been a while since I saw you, and your singing has become even more soulful," An Jing said, introducing her. "This is my wife."
He then introduced Xi Xianya to Lan Yu, "She was an employee of our group before, with a talent for singing."
Lan Yu smiled and said to her, "Hello, your voice is really beautiful."
Xi Xianya returned the smile and said thank you, appearing to have something to ask Xiao An Jing, but hesitating to speak.
Lan Yu knew they likely had something to discuss, so she got up and said, "I'm going to the restroom, you two talk."
An Jing hadn't intended to keep Lan Yu out of the conversation, but he could tell Xi Xianya didn't want too many people to hear. He asked, "What do you want to ask me?"
Lan Yu pursed her lips and asked, "Has Manager Ai from the Network Department resigned?"
An Jing didn't answer and instead asked, "Why are you asking about him? Are you familiar with each other?"
"Not familiar, not at all," Xi Xianya quickly denied.
An Jing said, "Oh, he hasn't resigned, he transferred to a branch company in another city."
Xi Xianya felt a little better, realizing she hadn't implicated him.
An Jing took out some documents from his bag and handed them to her, saying, "I came here tonight to show you these."
Xi Xianya looked at him inexplicably, then at the all-English documents. She asked, still confused, "What are these, and why are you showing them to me?"
An Jing didn't care if she could understand them now. He said, "This batch of goods imported into Lancheng by that foreign company was transported by your father's company. It was also in this batch of goods that contraband was found, which led to your father's company's bankruptcy."
Xi Xianya was taken aback. She already knew about this.
She had also heard from her father's company employees, but they had failed to investigate the background of this foreign company at the time. Later, the foreign company disappeared, making it impossible to trace.
Furthermore, after her father's suicide, the matter was left unresolved.
She felt someone must have been manipulating things from behind the scenes. Her father was merely a pawn, and she couldn't find out who was behind it.
The clues Zhao Jianhua had given her made her suspect Qin Tianyi or Xiao An Jing, but she lacked concrete evidence.
"How do you have such detailed information about this company?" she wondered if this matter was indeed related to Xiao An Jing.
"That's because I've already found out..."
Before An Jing could finish speaking, a server called out to Xi Xianya, telling her it was time to go on stage.
"It won't affect your singing. Take these documents for now. If you want to know who the boss behind this foreign company is, feel free to contact me anytime." An Jing wasn't in a hurry to reveal the whole truth, seeing that she still didn't quite believe him.
Xi Xianya said okay, quickly put away the documents, went to the lounge, and then returned to the stage to continue singing.
As the singing began again, Lan Yu returned to An Jing's side and asked cheerfully, "Is the business concluded?"
An Jing hummed in response, downed the wine in front of him, and said, "Is there anywhere else you'd like to go? I'll accompany you. The rest of tonight is all ours."
"Then let's go for a walk. We haven't been to the riverbank in a long time," Lan Yu suggested.
An Jing readily agreed, paid the bill, and took her away from the bar.
Xi Xianya watched their loving departure, her thoughts drifting back to Ai Yifeng.
She had once had a man who cherished her like a treasure, but she had foolishly failed to cherish him.