"Go contact Elder Zhong. Where does he live? If it's far, send someone to pick him up," Lin Qingwan said.
The secretary replied, "He's dining just three hundred meters from the Royal Hotel. He can come over very quickly."
Three hundred meters...
A faint sense of peculiarity stirred in Lin Qingwan's heart.
Elder Zhong being so close to them gave her the feeling that he had been waiting all along for something to happen on their end, so he could come out and verify it...
But that probably wasn't possible.
Elder Zhong held a high position and great authority; he simply wouldn't stoop to fabricating things.
His presence nearby was merely a coincidence.
Lin Qingwan's anxious heart relaxed slightly.
As long as Elder Zhong arrived,
the mudslinging about her company's skincare products could be washed away.
The secretary went to invite Zhong Yan.
Jiang Shuqin, still uneasy, asked Lin Qingwan in a low voice, "Wan'er, is there really no problem with the skincare products?"
"None," Lin Qingwan said with great confidence. "If there were a problem with the products, everyone's faces would have shown issues long ago. Everything that happened today is just someone framing me."
"Once Elder Zhong arrives and analyzes the product components, all problems will be easily resolved."
Lin Qingwan spoke these words with exceptional self-assurance.
"That's good then."
Jiang Shuqin breathed a sigh of relief.
Yet, for some reason, she still felt profoundly unsettled inside.
Lin Qingwan glanced at Jiang Yutong and sneered inwardly.
Hah.
This Jiang Yutong is still waiting to watch the show at my company's expense.
Lin Qingwan picked up a glass of red wine, lifted the hem of her dress, and walked over to Jiang Yutong.
"Director Jiang, what brings you here today?" Lin Qingwan said with a smile.
Jiang Yutong smiled back, "I came with Mr. Lin. He invited me, so naturally I came."
Lin Qingwan clenched her fist.
She suspected Jiang Yutong said this deliberately to flaunt her relationship with Xiao Xuan.
"Is that so?"
Lin Qingwan's smile didn't reach her eyes.
She glanced at Lin Xuan sitting near Jiang Yutong.
Although A-Xuan attending her celebration banquet indicated his attitude towards her was beginning to soften, Xiao Xuan still hadn't acknowledged her as his eldest sister.
She needed to maintain a good image in front of Xiao Xuan and avoid conflict with Jiang Yutong.
Lin Qingwan said in a gentle voice, "Director Jiang, I have something to discuss with you. Would it be convenient?"
"Of course."
Jiang Yutong nodded readily.
She was curious to see what Lin Qingwan specifically wanted to say by calling her aside.
She thought she could probably guess some of it.
Lin Qingwan likely suspected today's events were her doing.
"Xiao Xuan."
Lin Qingwan's gaze fell on Lin Xuan, and she said very gently, "Xiao Xuan, if you need anything, just tell your eldest sister, okay?"
Lin Xuan was lowering his head, messaging Su Hua, and didn't look up at all.
"Xiao Xuan?" Lin Qingwan called his name again.
Lin Xuan still didn't acknowledge her.
Lei Hui whispered in Lin Xuan's ear, "Boss, Lin Qingwan was just talking to you."
"Hmm," Lin Xuan responded casually.
Seeing Lin Xuan ignore her, a flicker of disappointment passed through Lin Qingwan's heart.
It seemed it would still be a long time before Xiao Xuan acknowledged her as his sister.
But him being willing to attend her celebration banquet was a good start, wasn't it?
"It's fine. Xiao Xuan must be busy with something now. Let him handle it first. I'll go discuss some matters with Director Jiang," Lin Qingwan said understandingly.
Jiang Yutong and Lin Qingwan went to a remote, unoccupied corner.
"Speak, Lin Qingwan. What did you call me over for?" Jiang Yutong got straight to the point.
"Jiang Yutong." With Lin Xuan not present, facing Jiang Yutong, Lin Qingwan's expression turned grim. "Did you arrange all of today's events?"
"Hmm, yes, it was me," Jiang Yutong nodded.
She was indeed involved in this.
However, her contribution wasn't major; it was mainly Xiao Xuan's arrangement.
She didn't think she needed to tell Lin Qingwan this; Lin Qingwan would find out later anyway.
Lin Qingwan scoffed. "Jiang Yutong, I thought all you Jiang family members were quite clever. I never expected you to be such a fool."
"Yes, at first, your eldest sister was startled by Mrs. Chen and that trending topic. But once President Zhong Yan arrives, all your arrangements will come to nothing."
"Furthermore, my company's reputation will be further boosted by this incident."
She believed the Supreme Series skincare products would continue to sell out immediately upon release for a long time to come.
Jiang Yutong raised an eyebrow. "Lin Qingwan, are you that confident the skincare formula has no issues?"
"Absolutely," Lin Qingwan said with great confidence.
The R&D team she paid a fortune to maintain wasn't for show.
The product components were crystal clear.
How could she not know if there were any problems?
Jiang Yutong smiled. "Lin Qingwan, do you really think my company's development of such excellent skincare products this time could be stolen by you so easily?"
Lin Qingwan sneered, "Jiang Yutong, don't try to scare me here. Do you think doing this will make me panic? I could easily copy your company's skincare products before, and I can do it again this time!"
Jiang Yutong shook her head.
How had she never noticed before that Lin Qingwan was so overconfident, truly beyond reason.
"Then, President Lin, once Elder Zhong arrives, we shall see," Jiang Yutong said with a slight smile.
"Jiang Yutong." Lin Qingwan crossed her arms and said coldly, "If you stayed away from Xiao Xuan, I might consider leaving your company a way out."
Every time she saw Xiao Xuan getting close to Jiang Yutong, her heart felt stifled.
In her eyes, Xiao Xuan should only acknowledge his sisters from the Lin family.
Their mother had already severed ties with the Jiang family.
The two Jiang sisters didn't count as Xiao Xuan's sisters.
Yet Jiang Yutong was trying to compete with her for Xiao Xuan.
Once Xiao Xuan acknowledged her as his eldest sister, she would definitely make him stay away from Jiang Yutong!
Jiang Yutong raised an eyebrow. "Eldest Miss Lin, regardless of whether my company goes bankrupt or not, I will never give up on Xiao Xuan."
"Didn't you Lin family members look down on Xiao Xuan and treat him poorly? Since that's the case, then leave Xiao Xuan to our Jiang family to cherish."
If she managed to have Xiao Xuan acknowledge her,
she would absolutely spoil him rotten, never letting him suffer the slightest grievance again.
"Jiang Yutong." Lin Qingwan's face darkened. "Since you are so obstinate, don't blame me for being severe with your company."
"I'll be waiting," Jiang Yutong laughed.
"Hmph—"
Lin Qingwan turned and walked back to the celebration banquet.
Jiang Yutong also returned to sit beside Lei Hui.
"Second Miss Jiang, what did Lin Qingwan say when she called you over just now?" Lei Hui asked curiously.
Yan Xi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for over three million daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended you use sources from other big platforms:
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
