The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 232. Making Trouble 1 (First Update)

Chapter 232: 232. Making Trouble 1 (First Update)

"I’d be doing you a favor by dying, wouldn’t I? Ah, could it be that you came back specially to provoke me because I’m not dead yet?"

"Dad, why must you say such things to stab at my heart!"

The father and son were talking in the room, while Qinglan and Lu Yaqin stood outside the door. Qinglan could clearly hear Old Sir Shen’s angry scolding but did not go in. Lu Yaqin was worried about her husband, yet she knew that now was not the right moment to enter.

She glanced at Qinglan, "Qinglan, thank you for today, and also, I’m really sorry for what happened with Jun Ze that day. It’s my fault for not raising him well."

Qinglan didn’t really care about Shen Junze’s attitude. Her help for Lu Yaqin today wasn’t for her but for Old Sir Shen. She had learned about Shen Rang’s illness a couple of days ago, but it coincided with the incident involving Yu Xiaoxuan, so she had put it aside.

"I didn’t do it for you," Qinglan said indifferently.

"I know, but I still want to thank you," Lu Yaqin replied with a slight smile.

It was also the first time Qinglan found out that the person originally engaged to Shen Rang was actually Fu Jingtong. Could it be that Fu Jingtong’s marriage to Gu Bowen was related to the broken engagement with Shen Rang?

From what Old Sir Shen said, the matter had caused quite a stir back then, and it seemed that the relationship between the two families had nearly broken off. However, judging by the attitudes of Old Sir Fu and Fu Jingtong, one wouldn’t be able to tell that there had been such an unpleasant history between the Shen and Fu families.

As the room quieted down, Qinglan turned and went downstairs. After all, a father and son’s quarrel cannot turn into a lasting feud, especially when Shen Rang didn’t have much time left.

After leaving the Shen Family’s house, Qinglan planned to visit the Fu Family. She wanted to ask Old Sir Fu about the past, but unfortunately, both Old Sir Fu and Fu Jingtong were not in, so she gave up on the idea.

After some thought, Qinglan drove straight back to Jiangxin Garden. However, upon seeing a familiar figure at the entrance of the complex, her eyes flickered slightly. She rolled down the window and looked at the person in front of her, "What are you doing here?"

The person smiled slightly, "I came especially to see you. Do you have time for a meal together?"

Qinglan raised an eyebrow, eyed the person in front of her, and opened her car door, "Get in."

Qinglan and Qin Yan sat in the restaurant, Qin Yan facing her. Qinglan still hadn’t figured out what Qin Yan was after.

Qin Yan looked at Qinglan with a gentle expression and a hint of apology on her face, "Miss Shen, actually, I just wanted to have a talk with you today."

Qinglan raised an eyebrow.

"Are you and Ya Xi close?" asked Qin Yan.

"What’s the issue with that?"

Qin Yan smiled slightly, "Miss Shen, you misunderstand me. I’m just asking. I presume that given your relationship with Ya Xi, you would know that she has some misunderstandings about me. Ya Xi is the type to keep everything to herself. If you have the time, please spend more time with her."

It seemed that knowing her place, Qin Yan’s face showed discomfort, "Ya Xi doesn’t have many friends. I noticed she’s willing to talk to you, which is why I’m requesting this. I truly harbor no ill intentions towards Ya Xi."

Qinglan remained noncommittal toward Qin Yan’s words. She found this woman’s concern for Ya Xi a bit strange, knowing that Qin Yan was Qin Mu’s biological mother. She couldn’t find anything similar to Qin Mu in her except for facial features.

"I will naturally keep Ya Xi in mind," Qinglan said faintly, standing up to leave.

"Miss Shen, I heard you know someone named Qin Mu, is that right?" Qin Yan blurted out in haste, causing Qinglan to halt in her tracks. She sat back down.

She looked at Qin Yan intently, "How do you know I’m acquainted with someone named Qin Mu?" She had only told Ya Xi about this, and she believed Ya Xi wouldn’t have shared such things with Qin Yan.

Qin Yan’s expression stiffened, and she gave an unnatural smile, "Miss Shen may not know, I have a daughter named Qin Mu. She went missing when she was very young. I heard there was a painting at Miss Shen’s gallery exhibition that resembled my daughter Qin Mu, so I guessed that perhaps Miss Shen knows my daughter. If Miss Shen truly knows where my daughter is, please let me know."

The explanation was reasonable, and Qin Yan’s anxious expression emphasized the image of a mother desperate to find her lost child.

Qinglan’s expression was inscrutable, "I do know a person named Qin Mu. She was an orphan, abandoned by her family at a welfare institution since she was young. She later contracted a serious illness and didn’t survive."

"Dead?" Qin Yan’s face was stunned, seemingly in disbelief of what Qinglan had said, "No, it can’t be. My daughter wouldn’t die. The person you’re talking about definitely isn’t my daughter."

Qin Yan stood up, her smile forced, "Miss Shen, I apologize for the intrusion today. I’ll be leaving now."

Qinglan watched her retreating figure, her eyes revealing emotions others could not understand.

Qinglan Shen didn’t see the expression on Qin Yan’s face when she turned around to leave; there was none of the expected grief or disbelief. All that was there was annoyance.

Originally, it was meant to be a simple test, but she hadn’t expected Qinglan Shen to react so quickly. Qin Yan thought to herself that it seemed she would have to start from Ya Xi instead.

**

These past few days, Han Yi had not returned home, nor to his company, spending his time either with Xiao Xuan Yu at the Yu Family’s home or helping her deal with her family affairs.

As Yu Wei had made a will two years ago, there was no problem with the division of the family property; it all went to Xiao Xuan Yu. Xiao Xuan’s second uncle and aunt were discontent and wanted to make a fuss, but they became resigned and quiet in the face of the legal department of Han Group.

Knowing Xiao Xuan wouldn’t be able to manage the company, Han Yi specifically found a trustworthy professional manager to help take care of the business for her.

Xiao Xuan’s emotions had been very low these few days. Apart from Han Yi, Qinglan Shen, and Fang Tong, she refused to see anyone else. Linda knew she had just lost her parents, so she cancelled all of Xiao Xuan’s engagements and gave her time off for a while.

"Xiao Xuan, everything at home has been taken care of, and the company has been entrusted to a professional manager. I won’t let your dad’s hard work be in vain," Han Yi said to Xiao Xuan gently as he watched her.

Xiao Xuan was sitting on the balcony in a daze. She had been in this state for a while now, sometimes just staring blankly into the sky.

After a long moment, Xiao Xuan’s gaze finally focused on Han Yi’s face. She tugged up the corners of her mouth and softly said "Thank you."

"Xiao Xuan, I don’t want to say things like ’the dead cannot be brought back.’ I know what it’s like to lose family. I understand how you feel. Right now, you can be sad, you can cry, you can do whatever you need to do, but I’m only giving you three days. After three days, you must pull yourself together. There’s still a long road ahead, and I don’t want to see your life end just as it’s beginning."

"Han Yi, do I still have a future?"

"Of course, your future includes not just you but also me. And later on, our children. Anything your parents couldn’t do with you, I can do with you."

Xiao Xuan bowed her head silently, but her hand reached out and gently grasped Han Yi’s, like a child with no one to rely on.

Seeing her depressed look, Han Yi’s heart ached. After some thought, he decided to take Xiao Xuan out to distract her. Xiao Xuan didn’t want to go, but in the end, she was forcibly taken away by Han Yi.

Without a specific destination, Han Yi went to the airport, bought two random plane tickets, and set off with Xiao Xuan.

**

Today, Wen Xiyao was supposed to have lunch with Shen Junyu, but as it was getting late, she decided to head out to meet him. Just as she stepped out of her office, she saw her assistant rushing over in a panic, "President Wen, it’s bad news, there’s been an accident at construction site no. 3."

Wen Xiyao’s face changed, "What happened?" as she walked toward the elevator.

"This morning, a worker fell from a building at construction site no. 3 and died instantly."

"How could something like this happen? Haven’t I emphasized safety first many times?" Anger tinged Wen Xiyao’s pretty face. Site no. 3 was a piece of land Xinhe International had purchased years ago at a high price. It was situated beside a mountain and a river—not only was the scenery beautiful, but the feng shui was also exceptional. Xinhe International planned to develop it into a signature luxury housing estate in Beijing—the project had been launched last year and was a key project for Xinhe International for the next two years. Wen Xiyao had made a point to understand this project closely after taking over the company, and she had great expectations for its future, especially since, if there’s anything Beijing didn’t lack, it was wealthy people.

But the richer the people, the more they avoid places with bad karma. With an accident like this occurring, it was a disastrous blow for the land. Although the construction was not completed and only in the building stage, once news of this incident spread, even if construction were finished, no one would buy it, meaning the billions of funds Xinhe International had invested over two years would be in vain. Such a loss was something even Xinhe International could not afford.

Wen Xiyao had been met with dissatisfaction among many senior executives and shareholders when she was placed into her position from outside the company. If they caught wind of this incident, they wouldn’t hesitate to ruthlessly deal with her—pulling her down from her position would be the least of it.

She hurriedly called Shen Junyu, only to find no answer on his mobile. She then had no choice but to call his assistant, Yu Bin, to tell him she had an emergency and couldn’t make it to lunch.

When Shen Junyu came out of the meeting room, he returned Wen Xiyao’s call and, upon learning about the situation, he realized how tricky it was, "Do you need my help?"

Wen Xiyao shook her head, "Not for now. I’m going to find out more about what happened. I apologize for today, for leaving you hanging."

"That’s not important. If there’s anything, call me anytime. Get something to eat on the way so you don’t go hungry," Shen Junyu reminded her.

Wen Xiyao smiled and nodded, "All right."

After hanging up, the smile on Wen Xiyao’s face disappeared. She headed to the hospital first, and as soon as she entered, she heard crying. Her assistant immediately recognized the crying woman as the wife of the worker who had died.

"President Wen, the family is over there," her assistant pointed in the direction of the cries, and Wen Xiyao walked straight over.

The woman was not letting go of the doctor, pleading, "Doctor, please save my husband, please save him."

The doctor looked troubled, she wanted to save him, but the man was already dead when he was brought to the hospital, she couldn’t bring the dead back to life.

"I can understand your feelings right now, but the dead cannot be revived, your husband had no breath or heartbeat when he was brought in."

The woman still wouldn’t let go. "Doctor, we have money; as long as you can save my husband, I’m willing to pay any amount."

The doctor truly felt helpless and glanced around at the onlookers, some were whispering amongst themselves, but no one stepped forward to help pull the woman away.

Wen Xiyao stood by and watched for a while, then stepped forward and pried the woman’s hands apart. "Stop making it difficult for the doctor. Your husband is dead, even if you don’t let go of the doctor, he can’t come back to life."

The doctor gratefully looked at Wen Xiyao and hurriedly left before the woman could react, having been hassled by this woman for a long time.

"Who are you?" The woman, pulled away by Wen Xiyao, watched the doctor leave, her fury immediately directed at Wen Xiyao.

"I’m the General Manager of Xinhe International, my surname is Wen, and I’m here to handle the matter regarding your husband," Wen Xiyao said.

The woman’s face changed at once. "So it’s you who killed my husband, you heartless businessmen, disregarding human lives just to make money, you’ll meet a bad end."

The woman tried to pounce on Wen Xiyao but was held back by an assistant. "President Wen, you go ahead, I’ll handle things here."

Wen Xiyao frowned and looked at the crazed woman in front of her. "Your husband disobeyed warnings and didn’t wear a safety harness, that’s how he fell from above." Wen Xiyao had confirmed this with the person in charge of the construction site on her way over.

"You’re lying, my husband has been in this business for many years, always cautious, never had an accident. Now just after a month with you, he lost his life, and you dare say it’s not your fault."

"I’m really not lying, so many people at the scene saw it happen, they can all testify. If you don’t believe me, we can call the police and confront this issue right away."

The woman was restrained by the assistant, unable to reach Wen Xiyao, her face displaying even greater anger. "They’re all your people, of course, they’ll speak up for their own."

Unable to reason with this woman, Wen Xiyao surveyed the crowd of onlookers. "Are there any other family members of the deceased here?"

No one answered; the woman kept cursing at Wen Xiyao with offensive language that even bystanders felt angry about, but Wen Xiyao maintained an expressionless face, as if the insults weren’t aimed at her.

Seeing the woman was only making a scene and was unreasonable, Wen Xiyao lost the patience to talk further with her and told her assistant, "Handle the subsequent matters here, I’m heading to the construction site."

The assistant nodded; this wasn’t her first time dealing with such a situation, so she naturally had her own way of handling it.

The woman didn’t want to let Wen Xiyao leave, but unable to free herself from the assistant, grabbed a bag from a bystander and threw it at Wen Xiyao, hitting her squarely on the head. She drew a sharp breath from the pain and turned around to look coldly at the woman. "Although your husband’s death was caused by his own failure to follow the rules, I wasn’t planning to ignore it. But if you keep being unreasonable, then I will have to follow legal procedures and let the law determine how much responsibility we should bear."

A flicker of guilt passed through the woman’s eyes. Her husband had actually been dismissed from jobs several times before for failing to follow safety guidelines during high-altitude work. He had just found work at a construction company a month ago, and now, to her devastation, he was gone. The husband was the pillar of their household, and now that the pillar had fallen, the woman, despite her grief, was more concerned about securing more compensation to sustain their future; seeing Wen Xiyao angry, she didn’t dare to make more trouble.

Wen Xiyao walked out of the hospital, rubbing the back of her head, which seemed to be swelling. She refrained from touching it further and drove straight to the construction site, only to find it even more bustling than the hospital. As soon as she got out of the car, she saw a crowd gathered at the entrance of the site, with Manager Yu from the project department surrounded by several people.

Among them were several burly men and an older woman wiping away tears. With the weather in May being so hot, Manager Yu was sweating profusely, "Calm down, let me explain."

"What is there to explain? My dear brother just started working at your site a month ago, and now he’s dead, leaving behind a family of orphans and a widow. How will you resolve this? This was a living person’s life."

Manager Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead. "We have already explained the situation, it was Wang Chun who did not follow proper procedures. We have clear rules that anyone working must ensure safety, or they’re responsible for the consequences. On his first day of work, we signed a contract with him regarding this, and we still have the original contract. Besides, there were other workers who saw Wang Chun fall."

"That’s bullshit, contracts or no contracts, it’s up to you what they mean. All I know is that my brother worked for years without issues, and now he lost his life with you, it’s your responsibility. You must give us an explanation for this, or we won’t let this go," a dark-skinned man said.

"How would you like to resolve this?" Wen Xiyao’s cold voice came from behind. Manager Yu brightened up when he saw Wen Xiyao, but then worried upon realizing she was there alone with that group of intractable people. President Wen, a lady all by herself, would just add to the chaos.

Wen Xiyao didn’t notice Manager Yu’s anxious look as she directly faced the dark-skinned man still yelling moments earlier. "You tell me, how do you want to resolve this?"

The dark-skinned man sized up Wen Xiyao, his eyes filled with disdain. "Call out your person in charge, there’s nothing here for a girl like you to handle."

"I am the General Manager of Xinhe International and also the chief person responsible for this project. If you have any concerns, you can talk to me."

The man looked at Wen Xiyao suspiciously. "Can you really make decisions?"

Wen Xiyao nodded. "Yes, I can make decisions." Her demeanor was serious, and her professional attire combined with her commanding presence gave her an authoritative aura.

The man’s expression turned ferocious upon hearing Wen Xiyao say that she could make the decision, "Since you’re the person in charge, then it’s good that you’ve come. My brother had an accident on your sister’s worksite, and now he’s dead. That’s a fact. Just tell me how you plan to settle this matter."

"If we’re not satisfied with the solution, then we’ll take you to court," the man added, not forgetting to threaten fiercely.

Wen Xiyao looked at him with cold eyes, "How do you want to resolve it?"

Upon hearing this, the man exchanged a look with the others who had come with him, his eyes shifting, "After all, this is a human life. My brother was only twenty-five years old this year. There’s a two-year old child at home, and my sister-in-law doesn’t work; the family entirely depended on my brother. Now that my brother is dead, you surely wouldn’t want to drive my sister-in-law and my little nephew to death as well. How about this, we’re not unreasonable people—you give us five million, and we’ll call it even."

At this, Wen Xiyao sneered and looked towards the old lady who had been wiping away tears all along, "Are you Wang Chun’s mother?"

The old lady nodded when Wen Xiyao asked her, "Yes."

"Now, your son says he wants us to compensate five million, is this also what you want?"

The old lady met Wen Xiyao’s gaze and lowered her head guiltily. She did think that five million was a bit much, but if this sum could really be obtained, then her grandson could grow up safely, and the living conditions of her eldest son’s family could also be improved.

"Old lady, I think we’ve made ourselves very clear just now. The primary responsibility for your younger son’s incident lies with him. If he had followed the rules, none of this would have happened. Truth be told, we are actually not responsible. The compensation I agreed to offer is merely out of a humanitarian spirit and does not mean that I admit fault. Now you are asking for the sky—if you’re not sincere about resolving this, then we’ll proceed through legal channels."

The old lady panicked at the mention of a lawsuit. Such an incident had happened in their village before: someone did not wear a safety harness during high-altitude work, fell and became paralyzed. They made a fuss with the construction company, took it to court, and in the end, received only tens of thousands of dollars.

The dark-skinned man clearly had the same thought as the old lady and when he heard Wen Xiyao talk about calling the police and going through legal procedures, the dangerous light in his eyes flashed. He went up to Wen Xiyao and tried to slap her. Wen Xiyao dodged swiftly, avoiding being hit, but lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"You bunch of crooks with black hearts, you’ve killed my brother and you still refuse to take responsibility. I’ll beat you to death, it won’t matter even if I have to pay with my own life." The man failed to hit Wen Xiyao and picked up a stick from the ground, swinging it towards Manager Yu. Manager Yu failed to dodge in time and was struck on the shoulder.

There were quite a few workers on the worksite, and at this moment, they all watched the commotion. They saw the other party start a fight over a disagreement and even attack a woman, so they immediately gathered around and subdued the troublemaker.

"Have you no regard for the law? If you don’t want to compensate, fine, but now you’re hitting people?" the dark-skinned man was restrained by several larger men, constantly shouting at them.

Wen Xiyao got up from the ground. She had twisted her right foot and was now in agonizing pain. The palm of her hand had also been scraped during the fall, and was currently bleeding. Yet at this moment, she ignored her injuries, coldly looking at the agitators.

"We are the victims. If you dare to do anything to us, I will sue you," the man continued to shout, especially more loudly when he saw Wen Xiyao stand up and walk towards him, "I refuse to believe the court exists solely for you rich people. You heartless lot, do you have no conscience earning this dirty money?"

Wen Xiyao stood in front of him, looking at him coldly, "If you want to sue, go ahead. I’ll be waiting. I, Wen Xiyao, have always acted with a clear conscience." She turned her head to look at the contractor, who had shrunk to one side and had not spoken, "I remember that there are security cameras installed on this worksite, right?"

The contractor, being directly addressed, stepped out from the crowd and nodded, "Yes... there are." Initially, the cameras were installed to prevent building materials from being stolen from the site.

"Are the cameras always running?" Wen Xiyao asked.

The contractor nodded again, "They are in use." After previous incidents of building materials theft, and going for a high-end route, the materials were costly. Hence, the company installed several cameras on the site. However, after some time they were no longer used until Wen Xiyao suddenly came for an inspection and saw the situation. After a severe reprimand, the site’s cameras had been on 24 hours a day, with someone assigned to watch them.

The contractor had almost forgotten about this if Wen Xiyao hadn’t suddenly asked—after all, it was rare for companies to be willing to install so many cameras at a construction site.

At this moment, the contractor was grateful for having heeded Wen Xiyao’s words, keeping them running all this time.

Manager Yu had not only been struck on the shoulder during the commotion but also had his head split open. He was now holding his head, blood oozing between his fingers. Wen Xiyao’s expression froze, and she said to a young woman standing by Manager Yu’s side, "You take Manager Yu to the hospital first."

The young woman was an intern who had just joined the company. Today was her first time accompanying Manager Yu on a task, and she was terrified by the incident. Her face was pale with shock.

Wen Xiyao didn’t want to rely on someone like this, but there was no one else available at the moment, "Can you drive?" Wen Xiyao asked.

The young woman nodded.

Wen Xiyao handed over her car keys to her, "Take Manager Yu to the hospital first. The expenses will be reimbursed by the company."

Manager Yu, holding his head, didn’t want to leave, "President Wen, your hand is also injured, let’s go together."

Wen Xiyao glanced at her still-bleeding hand and shook her head, "Mine is a minor injury, it will be fine in a while, you go ahead. Then call the legal department and tell them to come here quickly."

Manager Yu had taken quite a beating; when they raised the sticks to hit him, he not only got hit himself but also took two strikes for Wen Xiyao, the one on his head being particularly bad. He was in pain all over and no longer insisted, following the young woman to the car.

The dark-skinned man panicked when he heard Wen Xiyao mention calling a lawyer and that the worksite had a surveillance system—his boldness was only a front, but deep down, he was a bully who was afraid of the hard.