Plunder
Chapter 94 - 94 94 Dissolution of Engagement

Chapter 94: Chapter 94 Dissolution of Engagement Chapter 94: Chapter 94 Dissolution of Engagement “Notify the marketing department, all collaboration projects with An Corporation are to be suspended.”

Zhou Jin’an’s thin lips parted slightly as he issued the command.

“Director Zhou, this is a significant matter, shouldn’t we convene a board meeting before making a decision?”

Cheng Lu kindly reminded.

Since the elder Mr. Zhou had been laid to rest, Yao Chuman and her son had already become restless; one was busy producing an heir, aiming to secure the entry ticket as the Zhou family’s eldest grandson first, while the other, in the name of the elder Mr. Zhou’s widow, continuously pressured the board, demanding that Zhou Jin’an resign from his CEO position.

Since his appointment, Zhou Jin’an had been decisive and tough, offending quite a few people both inside and outside the company. Now with internal strife in the Zhou family, those people were taking sides with Yao Chuman and her son.

In such a situation, it was not suitable for Zhou Jin’an to make any significant moves.

Even though An Corporation wasn’t as powerful as Nanchen in Rong City, it was still a leading enterprise, deeply rooted and influential. For Zhou Jin’an to wage war with An Corporation at this juncture was too risky, too radical.

Zhou Jin’an didn’t take heed of Cheng Lu’s reminder.

Soon after, he issued a second command.

“Notify the media, I personally have terminated the engagement with An Kexin.”

Having said that, he hung up the phone.

“Mr. Zhou, please calm down,” Qiao En gasped, attempting to stop Zhou Jin’an, having spoken out of turn.

She was like him, calm in dealing with matters and placing interests above all else.

Indeed, the actions of An Jinhua and An Kexin today were infuriating, a blatant provocation against Zhou Jin’an.

But impatience could ruin grand schemes. His rash actions would only put Nanchen and himself in jeopardy.

“I have a bit of a headache, massage it for me.”

Over the years, he had pushed himself too hard and developed a persistent headache. Whenever it became severe, it was Qiao En who massaged him to ease the pain.

He laid down on the bed, still dressed, his cool eyes closed, and his thin lips formed a lonely arc, his hands naturally crossed over his stomach.

Qiao En let out a soft sigh, knowing that once Zhou Jin’an made a decision, he would not change it.

She massaged the temples as Cheng Lu’s calls to her phone rang over and over.

Zhou Jin’an found the ringing annoying. He took the phone from Qiao En, and Cheng Lu’s voice came through from the other end.

“Secretary Qiao, please persuade Director Zhou. He wants to stop cooperating with An Corporation and break off the engagement with Miss An, and he’s also jeopardizing his own…”

Before Cheng Lu could finish, Zhou Jin’an interrupted him.

“Cheng Lu, have you eaten too much salt today?”

He disliked Cheng Lu meddling in affairs not his own.

“Director Zhou…”

Cheng Lu was left at a loss for words by Zhou Jin’an, and Zhou Jin’an’s brow furrowed into a crease. He hung up the phone and turned it off.

Qiao En did not say anything else from the beginning to the end.

Zhou Jin’an lay back down in his original position, and Qiao En’s fingers continued to massage up from the center of his forehead.

Suddenly, he spoke, “Do you also think I shouldn’t have done this?”

“Mm,” Qiao En honestly replied.

“Then what do you think I should do?” Zhou Jin’an pushed Qiao En’s hand away, one hand behind his head as he opened his eyes wide, looking intently at Qiao En.

“Marry Miss An and bind your interests with An Corporation. Anyone can be the CEO of Nanchen, but the board will only support the person who can bring the most benefit to Nanchen.”

Qiao En analyzed the pros and cons from the most objective standpoint, not allowing any emotional factors to influence her.

It was Zhou Jin’an’s expression, however, that suddenly turned darker.

“What about you? Are you planning to sacrifice yourself? Qiao En, do you lack self-confidence, or have you never believed in me?”

He scoffed coldly, seemingly angered, got dressed, opened the door, and left the room.

Qiao En actually wanted to say, that wasn’t what she meant.

The wise adapt to circumstances. Zhou Jin’an was a businessman and should have valued interests foremost.

But Zhou Jin’an was right; she indeed hadn’t considered herself.

Once he left, the situation outside had changed.

The suspension of the partnership between Nanchen and An Corporation sent shockwaves through the entire Rong City business circle. For giant corporations, it might just mean losing a branch, but for the many small and medium-sized enterprises that relied on the giants to survive, bankruptcy loomed.

At the entrance of Nanchen Group, the crowd with black and white banners was growing increasingly large. The Nanchen boardroom was in chaos, and the incident was rapidly fermenting, with media outlets vying to report the story.

Once the news broke that Zhou Jin’an had called off his engagement with An Kexin, various speculative comments began to spread.

Zhou Jin’an went missing after he left the hotel, his phone switched off, and even Cheng Lu couldn’t find him.

“Secretary Qiao, do you know where Director Zhou might be?”

Chen Yin made a call to Qiao En; anxiety was palpable in her voice, with noise audible from her end.

“You should have someone check Chu Garden.”

Qiao En didn’t say much, her position was delicate, and saying too much could lead to misunderstandings.

Just after Chen Yin had hung up, Cheng Lu called.

“Secretary Qiao, is Director Zhou with you?”

“No, he’s gone.”

Qiao En spoke truthfully.

Cheng Lu let out a heavy sigh, “Secretary Qiao, Director Zhou has done all this for you, but he has put himself in danger.”

Qiao En was slightly taken aback; as one who was involved, she didn’t dare to entertain such grand thoughts.

“Assistant Cheng, you’d better go look for Director Zhou.”

Qiao En hung up the phone.

She hadn’t been back at Chengnan Apartment long when An Kexin came knocking.

Crying, she entered Qiao En’s room, slumped on the couch, pulling tissues one after another from the coffee table.

“I’m sorry, Secretary Qiao, I shouldn’t have taken such liberties; but as you know, everything I’ve done is for Brother An. The way he’s acting now, it’s like playing with fire. Secretary Qiao, please tell me where Brother An is. I’ll go apologize to him, I promise I will never interfere with you two again.”

An Kexin sobbed uncontrollably, her speech was incoherent, but Qiao En could hear the implication of seeking blame.

“Miss An, I really don’t know where Director Zhou is. And please don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing going on between Director Zhou and me.”

Qiao En tried her best to clarify the relationship.

The fire was started by Zhou Jin’an, but the fuel had been stacked by An Kexin; Qiao En didn’t want to be an innocent bystander caught in the disaster.

“You know, you definitely know, Secretary Qiao, please pity me, I’m begging you, I realize my mistake. I’ll kneel down and apologize to you.”

She said this and actually knelt in front of Qiao En.

“You can hate me, resent me, you can even hit me, but Secretary Qiao, Brother An is innocent. We both love him so much, so why destroy him?”

Qiao En held her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

An Kexin kneeling before her unconsciously framed her as the culprit.

Zhou Jin’an had made such a decision, and she had been made the driving force behind it.

“Miss An, you’re overestimating me, I don’t have such power. You were his fiancée, you should ask him why he called off the engagement, Miss An. Instead of wasting time here with me, you’d better find Director Zhou quickly. There might still be a chance for things to turn around.”

Qiao En, neither subservient nor arrogant, countered move by move, leaving An Kexin with nothing to say.

“May I use your restroom?”

True to the brother-sister pair, An Kexin and An Jinhua shared the same tactics.

“Please, feel free.”

Qiao En saw through the ruse but did not expose it; An Kexin’s visit was in reality an attempt to find Zhou Jin’an in her home.

If she wanted to search, Qiao En would let her.

Her unyielding personality might seem easy to manipulate, but in reality, she was tough as nails.

Using the pretext of visiting the bathroom, An Kexin scanned Qiao En’s bedroom with her eyes. The apartment wasn’t large, and with one circuit, An Kexin had taken in everything inside.

“If you hear anything about Brother An, please let me know, Secretary Qiao.”

“Of course.”

Qiao En saw An Kexin out, feeling relieved. Just as she was about to close the door, she spotted Ding Hao stepping out of the elevator.