"Miss Zhan, do you think the mastermind is Xie Qining's wife?" William asked in surprise. "Xie Qining treats her so well and is wealthy. She should wish for Xie Qining to live a long life, shouldn't she?"
"I don't know what this Yang Shasha is thinking now, or what her true intentions are. It's just that her behavior makes me feel strange, and I have some suspicions," Zhan Jiayi didn't completely dismiss his words, but she had been thinking a lot during her time in the hospital.
Recalling when she took care of Jie Jie, she always felt that Jie Jie didn't resemble Xie Qining very much, or rather, the child didn't look like anyone from the Xie family at all.
She began to doubt if the child was Xie Qining's biological son. Moreover, she heard Xie Zhendong say that Xie Qining and Shasha had undergone IVF abroad without their knowledge.
Therefore, she suspected that Shasha might have played some trick.
"Alright, send me all the information you have about Shasha, and I'll look into it."
"Thank you. I'll send you her information here shortly." Zhan Jiayi hung up, unable to sleep. She tried to sit up and used her phone to edit and send Shasha's relevant information in Lancheng to William.
...
The Xie family's old madam insisted on going to the group headquarters for a few hours each day. She would listen to Old Zhou's reports. Most matters were handled according to Xie Zhendong's previous operating procedures.
For some urgent matters, the old madam would make decisions herself. The group soon returned to a state of calm. Everyone performed their duties, and rumors ceased.
Mama Lian, concerned about the old madam's health, took out ginseng soup from a thermos when the office was empty.
The old madam was feeling a bit tired. After drinking the ginseng soup prepared by Mama Lian, she said, "Age truly catches up with us. Put these away for now. I still have a few people to see later."
Mama Lian collected the empty bowl lid and asked, "Miss, aren't you returning to the sanatorium? How long will you stay at the group today?"
"No rush. There are some things I need to clarify," the old madam said. "I entrusted the group to Zhendong before, and he was fully capable of shouldering that responsibility. I didn't want to worry about it anymore and just wanted to enjoy my old age. I was truly foolish to never properly investigate that Yang Shasha."
"Miss, do you think she has other issues?" Mama Lian asked.
The old madam tapped the armrest of her executive chair and said, "I'm not sure yet. Let's first get her people out of the group."
Mama Lian, unfamiliar with the group's affairs, said, "Miss, you mustn't get angry. Your health is paramount."
"Don't worry, I know."
The old madam summoned the people Shasha had placed in the group into her office one by one, dealing with them individually. While dismissing them, she also tried to ascertain what Shasha intended for them to do within the group.
The information these individuals revealed surprised the old madam. She hadn't expected Shasha to have planted informants within the group since marrying into the Xie family, continuously trying to understand various aspects of the group's operations.
Had she planned this from the moment she became pregnant, intending to seize control of the Xie Group?
Seeing the old madam confronting each person, Mama Lian remained silent, holding her forehead, thinking the old madam was feeling unwell.
"Miss, you should return to the sanatorium first and let the doctor check your blood pressure."
The old madam waved her hand and said, "Go call Old Zhou, and have the nanny bring Jie Jie over."
Mama Lian didn't understand the old madam's sudden instructions but didn't ask further. "Alright."
The old madam then instructed her, "Have the nanny bring Jie Jie over quietly, without telling anyone."
"Okay." Mama Lian went to carry out the task.
...
Tianyi and An Jing were at the group, discussing the upcoming bid for the Huangfu Group with Ai Yifeng.
They were very satisfied with the bidding proposal submitted by Ai Yifeng. They believed that following this plan would be very attractive to the Huangfu Group.
Ai Yifeng was also confident in his proposal and had already made detailed plans for how to manage the network platform for the Huangfu Group after winning the bid.
Tianyi felt it was good but expressed some concern, saying, "We will likely clash with Xie Group's network company again this time. Their development in network technology is also very advanced."
"Xie Group isn't participating in this bid," Ai Yifeng asked, confused.
Tianyi glanced at An Jing, who also frowned. He knew about this.
He explained to Tianyi and Yifeng, "Do you know Zhongxin Network Company, which passed the bid qualification review this time?"
Ai Yifeng immediately replied, "Yes, I do. It's a newly established network company with little capability..."
"You're mistaken. The owner behind this company, Zhao Jianhua, is a subordinate of Xie Zhendong. He relies on the Xie Group," An Jing explained. "So, although Xie Group isn't openly participating in the bid this time, they are actually using Zhao Jianhua's company's name. It's likely the Xie Group manipulating Zhongxin Company from behind the scenes."
Yifeng suddenly understood and said, "I thought we wouldn't encounter any opponents this time, but it turns out there's a worthy competitor. This isn't a bad thing."
Seeing his confidence, Tianyi and An Jing felt reassured. It seemed they had made the right decision in assigning Ai Yifeng to oversee the network technology sector.
"Then, the bidding proposal for this time is entrusted to you," Tianyi said, patting his shoulder. "As for the Huangfu Group, we will handle the communication and liaison."
Yifeng assured them, "You can rest assured about the technical aspects. No company can surpass us."
Tianyi also expressed his confidence in him.
After Yifeng left to work on the proposal, An Jing remained in his office and voiced his concerns. "Young Master, I've interacted with Huangfu Shushu, who is in charge of the bidding matters for the Huangfu Group, twice. He's been indifferent to us, as if there's already a predetermined company. Could someone have bribed him?"
"It's unlikely. Everyone knows his brother is in charge of the Huangfu Group. Huangfu Shushu cannot make decisions on such a large project. And his brother isn't a fool, otherwise, how could the Huangfu Group be so powerful today? Let's participate in the bid through the normal process. We'll do our best. Winning this project isn't that crucial."
An Jing said, "Yes, but I see that Ai Yifeng cares a lot about this project. If we don't win the bid, he might be discouraged."
"I will talk to him again. Sometimes, uncertain factors can affect success. I'll let him prepare for both outcomes."
"By the way, there's another matter. I recently heard that Huangfu Shushu and Zhao Jianhua are very close. They often meet at high-end clubs. Could it be that the predetermined company for this Huangfu Group bid is Zhao Jianhua's?" An Jing said.
Tianyi pondered for a few seconds and said, "This is not normal. The Huangfu Group should not favor a company supported by Xie Zhendong. Xie Zhendong's former wife has some distant relation to the Huangfu family. It would be good enough if they didn't give Xie Zhendong a hard time."