85 – You could announce my engagement to Xingxing at the annual banquet.
Though his mind was racing with thoughts, it was already two in the morning—not the time to stay up late discussing work.
A good family man doesn’t keep his wife and child up at night. As his rage subsided and reason returned, An Zhaoming felt a pang of guilt for keeping Shen Ying up with him.
“Enough, enough. It’s New Year’s Eve—no need to speak ill of them. Come on, Ying, let’s go to bed.”
“Xingxing and Rongrong, you two should go to bed too, and Tianchen as well.”
Just as the man was helping his wife up, he saw Lu Tianchen walking past them, half-embracing An Xing.
“…Wait a minute!”
An Zhaoming barked.
“Where are you two going?”
The old father narrowed his eyes warily, his phoenix-like gaze, etched by years of experience, fixed on them sharply.
Lu Tianchen turned back, his expression sincere.
“To Xingxing’s bedroom.”
The An family: …
Seeing the young man’s expression of self-righteousness, the old father’s blood pressure shot up on the spot.
“…Xingxing is still a child. Even though your relationship is good, isn’t it inappropriate for you two to sleep together so soon?
It was long past An Xing’s usual bedtime, and the boy was so sleepy his eyes could barely stay open. After being stopped, he slowly rested his head on Lu Tianchen’s shoulder, leaning against the man as he turned to look at his father.
The boy’s round, almond-shaped eyes were glistening with tears. He was sleepy and hurt.
“It’s no big deal to sleep together. We’ve done it once before.”
Hearing this, the old father felt even more heartbroken. He tried to say a few more words of persuasion, but his arm was pinched hard by the woman.
“It’s very late. You two should rest early. Don’t stay up too late—it’s bad for your health.”
Shen Ying shot her husband a glare, urging the son and Lu Tianchen to go rest.
The boy turned drowsily and headed toward his room. Lu Tianchen gave the An family a slight nod before following behind the youth, supporting him from behind to prevent the sleepy fool from stumbling down the stairs.
The young man’s retreating figure somehow radiated a smug sense of having truly settled in.
Once the two entered the bedroom and closed the door, An Zhaoming’s face twisted into a pout as he looked at Shen Ying. The woman sighed and patted his arm.
“What’s with all this fuss late at night? Tianchen isn’t the type to be so insensitive.”
An Zhaoming snorted coldly. That kid looked far too intimidating—pitted against his own helpless, delicate son, of course he’d worry about his son.
An Rong, who’d been watching the commotion from the sidelines, rose and said indifferently,
“I’ll head to my room to sleep then. Mom and Dad, get some rest early.”
The woman gently stroked the young man’s arm and said softly.
“Alright. Whatever it is, let’s discuss it tomorrow. Don’t dwell on it tonight.”
Unlike An Xing, An Rong had some understanding of the role the second branch of the An family might have played in the baby mix-up and other matters. Shen Ying was deeply concerned that this son might lose his composure and become overwhelmed, spending the entire night fixated on the second branch’s affairs instead of resting properly.
If that family ruined his health, it would be a terrible loss.
An Rong, however, was surprisingly calm. He nodded.
“I know, Mom. Don’t worry.”
He then turned to An Zhaoming.
“I’ll give my New Year’s red envelope to my little brother later. I’m staying right next door to him anyway. Dad, you don’t need to worry either.”
An Zhaoming paused before grasping his son’s meaning, his face lighting up with delight.
Right! His son’s bedroom was right next to the boy’s. That Lu family brat wouldn’t dare act recklessly under his son’s watchful eye!
Satisfied, An Zhaoming supported Shen Ying as they returned to their room
*
The next morning, when An Xing and Lu Tianchen came downstairs for breakfast, the rest of the An family was already seated at the table.
An Zhaoming looked up and saw Lu Tianchen wearing pajamas printed with a Stitch design. He choked, spitting out the soy milk in his mouth.
Shen Ying turned around in surprise at the sight, and was equally startled by Lu Tianchen’s outfit, then found it rather amusing.
“Xingxing, did you buy these pajamas? You’re always picking on Tiancheng.”
An Xing poked his head out from behind Lu Tianchen, his tone righteous.
“How am I picking on Brother Chen? He clearly loves these pajamas!”
An Rong also turned to take a look. The young man wore cotton pajamas—looking comfortable and warm. The fit was flattering, highlighting his strong physique.
Except for the giant Stitch printed across the chest, grinning goofily at everyone. It instantly made him look five years younger.
Even his dim-witted younger brother could say that Lu Tianchen liked this pajama set, which completely ruined his domineering CEO image.
An Xing stood beside Lu Tianchen, pulling the pajama hood over his head so Stitch’s large ears dangled down. The teenager placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head back proudly.
“These are our matching pajamas! Ask Brother Chen if he likes them!”
The An family: …
A hint of amusement flickered in Lu Tianchen’s eyes. He pushed the hood back and ruffled the boy’s hair.
“Yes, I do like these pajamas.”
With the man himself confirming it, what else could the An family say? They could only respect and offer their blessings.
An Xing tugged Lu Tianchen along, happily settling down at the dining table. Today’s breakfast was beef patties with spicy soup—after all, it was the first meal of the New Year, so a bit of richness was perfectly acceptable.
An Xing picked up a beef patty, broke it in half, and offered the larger piece to Lu Tianchen.
“I can’t finish this alone, so let’s share it~”
The teenager’s voice was sweet as honey.
Lu Tianchen said nothing, taking the beef patty from the boy’s hand before proactively scooping a meatball from his own spicy soup to offer back.
Watching her son and his partner happily share breakfast, Shen Ying shot An Zhaoming a subtle glance. An Zhaoming inwardly cursed at how clingy these two youngsters were, hastily trying to curry favor by picking vegetables out of his own spicy soup for his wife.
An Rong instantly lost his appetite. He hadn’t realized he is the fool.
After breakfast, it was time to discuss business.
Though An Xing cared about the family company, with his father and An Rong handling things, he wasn’t overly concerned. He instead leaned toward Shen Ying to ask a question.
“Is this the foundation’s investment plan for the next quarter?”
Shen Ying looked at the stack of documents the teenager handed her, somewhat surprised.
“Yes, Mom. Didn’t you say the foundation would be under my management from now on? I just want to do a good job. At the very least, their investments need to earn more money so we can actually accomplish something.”
The charitable foundation had previously been under Shen Ying’s name, and she had always managed it diligently and effectively. When she handed it over to An Xing, she had assumed her son wouldn’t be interested or skilled in such matters. She expected him to largely maintain the foundation’s existing operational model without much involvement.
She hadn’t expected that, while the boy indeed didn’t know how to manage it, he would earnestly seek advice from those around him in order to make a tangible difference.
Reading through these documents and the notes scribbled on them, Shen Ying understood that An Xing must have sought guidance extensively from Lu Tianchen, determined to learn how to manage it properly.
She felt a mix of emotion and deep satisfaction. She motioned for her son to sit beside her and began explaining things to the young man.
*
Inside the study, An Zhaoming, An Rong, and Lu Tianchen sat together. “The money the second brother invested in Weiqing Jewelry was likely diverted from Anning Jewelry. I had Xiao Xu audit the company accounts—there are indeed unexplained losses across the production lines managed by second brother.
An Zhaoming’s expression darkened.
After dividing their parents’ inheritance, he and An Zhaoyuan had each started their own businesses. He entered the jewelry industry, while An Zhaoyuan ventured into real estate.
In theory, real estate was also a field where great success was possible. Yet An Zhaoyuan refused to compromise, stubbornly clinging to his own ways. His efforts remained lukewarm, failing to make any significant impact.
Later, An Zhaoyuan gained entry into Anning Jewelry because he had indeed developed several crucial sales channels. Considering their familial ties and An Xing’s apparent disinterest in business at the time, An Zhaoming weighed the options and agreed to let his brother and nephew join his company.
Now look at this mess. Not only did his brother and nephew secretly start another jewelry company, they’re stealing his money to subsidize their own operation. They really think he’s a fool.
“Since he doesn’t treat me like a brother, I won’t show him any mercy either. After the New Year, we’ll take action against Weiqing Jewelry.”
A coldness flashed across the middle-aged man’s face—a coldness once reserved only for competitors, but now directed at his own flesh and blood.
An Rong felt no sympathy whatsoever. After a moment’s thought, he asked:
“Could this alert the snake?”
If they suddenly moved against An Zhaoyuan’s family, wouldn’t Tan Xiu be alerted? And they still hadn’t found that “Brother Hai” who was in contact with Tan Xiu.
“Hmm, maybe we really should stir things up a bit.”
Lu Tianchen suddenly spoke up, drawing the gaze of the An family father and son.
“We all suspect Tan Xiu was behind the baby switch between Xingxing and An Rong, but we have no proof.”
“Moreover, there’s a difference between intentionally swapping babies and doing so by accident. While we’re certain Tan Xiu acted deliberately, we still lack proof—just like with the previous issue.”
To this day, they couldn’t prove Tan Xiu had swapped An Xing and An Rong, let alone that she’d done it intentionally. Thus, even if the truth were exposed, Tan Xiu could still escape the consequences.
“To take her down, we must make her lose her footing. Tan Xiu relies solely on her maternal family, her husband, and her son.”
In other words, striking at Weiqing Jewelry would indirectly strike at Tan Xiu. Provoking her further might yield even greater results.
An Zhaoming nodded, his eyes flashing with approval.
“Tianchen is right. That is indeed the way to proceed.”
Lu Tianchen glanced at An Zhaoming and remarked calmly:
“Actually, I have another method that could provoke both Tan Xiu and An Zhaoyuan.”
“The New Year is approaching. You could announce my engagement to Xingxing at the annual banquet of Anning Jewelry and the Lu Group. “
An Zhaoming: …
An Zhaoming: “Don’t even think about it!”
*
Meanwhile, after discussions between the An and Shen families, they decided to target Weiqing Jewelry first. However, with the New Year approaching, though they intended to sever ties, there was still a preparation period before execution.
Before the An family could make their move, an incident nearly forgotten by Tang p high society resurfaced.
Years ago, a group of young masters had gone speeding on the winding mountain roads during the weekend and crashed. Xiao Yi’s car rolled down the slope, but he survived by a hair with just broken ribs thanks to his seatbelt.
Now, Xiao Yi returned home with police in tow, arresting his illegitimate younger brother and accusing him of attempted murder.
At the same time, he issued a public warning to the youngest son of the Tan family—Tan Xiu’s brother.
“Colluding with an illegitimate child to harm others? The Tan family seem quite skilled at this. Bet you’ve done your fair share of schemes to wipe out rival families in the past!”
TRANSLATOR’S CORNER:
I am not a native speaker of either Chinese or English. I basically MTL and edit the text, sometimes I also use some sites for reference. I can’t guarantee that everything here is accurate, But I try to stick to the author’s work as much as possible. Please feel to comment any mistakes🙂🤗.
