He Siyu tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "I’ve always enjoyed helping others."
"..."
"Then why did you invite General Manager Wang from Hao Yong?"
"I heard that after your father secured the deal with Hao Yong, he started suppressing you at the company. You’ve been enduring it silently, and these days, you’ve been so busy I could barely see you. I figured you were preparing to deal with him. I happened to visit General Manager Wang and casually mentioned it."
Sang Ning nodded. "I see..."
He suddenly turned to look at her and asked again, "Are you unhappy about it?"
His dark, ink-like eyes locked onto hers, intense and stubborn, waiting for her answer.
Yet Sang Ning caught the faint trace of poorly concealed tension flickering in his gaze.
Her eyes were clear. "With General Manager He being so kind-hearted, of course I have no reason to be unhappy."
Though she had already prepared her own contingency plans, having the head of Hao Yong step in personally made the resolution cleaner and more decisive. Even her grandfather was now more convinced of Nan Zhenming’s embezzlement.
Nan Zhenming had been kicked out of the company that very day, with no chance of making a comeback. Her position was now far more secure.
Since it worked in her favor, she saw no reason to dwell on it.
He turned his gaze back to the road, suppressing the slight upturn of his lips. "Good."
She refused to owe Pei Songhan any favors, yet she was willing to accept the one he had conveniently handed her.
It proved, at least, that he was different in her eyes.
Finally, Sang Ning voiced the question that had been weighing on her for days. "General Manager He, have you been too free lately?"
Knowing him as she did, his pride shouldn’t have allowed him to look back. She had expected them to go their separate ways for good.
Yet in the month since their breakup, his behavior had grown increasingly peculiar.
If their unavoidable interactions due to the AI medical project could still be dismissed as coincidence, these past three days, he might as well have plastered shamelessness across his face.
He Siyu’s throat moved slightly, his lips pressing into a thin line.
"You want control, don’t you? As a junior trying to establish yourself in the company, dealing with those old foxes who’ve been entrenched for years won’t be easy. Leveraging every available resource to maximize efficiency—isn’t that better?"
When his second brother first took over the family business, it had taken years to subdue those entrenched, self-important elders, and he had suffered plenty of setbacks along the way. He Siyu knew all too well the complexities involved.
She continued watching him—he still hadn’t answered her question.
Feeling her probing gaze, his expression stiffened, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. What else could it be?
Other than the fact that he couldn’t let her go, couldn’t accept their breakup—what other reason could there be?!
But if he said it outright, she’d only reject him again.
She might even find excuses to avoid him entirely afterward.
Avoiding her eyes, he stared ahead, his tone brusque. "Instead of wasting time overthinking, you’d be better off figuring out how to use me to secure your position."
Sang Ning blinked in surprise.
That twisted logic somehow made sense.
"I never thought General Manager He would take an interest in power struggles."
He had never cared for such things before.
His voice was calm. "I’m not interested."
He loosened his tie slightly before continuing, his tone softer. "But it’s what you want, isn’t it?"
Suddenly, he turned his head, his dark eyes pinning her in place as if seeing straight through her burning ambition.
"Nan Sang Ning, use everything at your disposal. Do whatever you must to get what you want. I know you can."
Sang Ning paused, her gaze flickering briefly.
By the time she returned to the Nan residence, it was already 10 p.m.
The moment she stepped inside, she ran into Nan Siya.
Nan Siya smirked, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "Sister, you’ve suddenly got someone picking you up again these days? I saw the car outside—surely you’re not secretly getting back together with your ex behind the family’s back?"
Sang Ning glanced at her, her voice cool. "Since you’ve guessed, why haven’t you taken photos to show Grandfather this time?"
Nan Siya’s smile stiffened.
Of course, it was because the car that had been dropping Sang Ning off lately was worth seven million!
"Don’t think I won’t! I know it’s that penniless ex of yours! He probably rented some beat-up old car just to show off for you! If Mom, Dad, and Grandfather find out—"
Sang Ning suddenly stepped closer, her voice eerily composed. "Nan Siya."
Nan Siya’s heart lurched, a chill crawling up her spine as she instinctively retreated a step.
Sang Ning’s lips curved. "You don’t actually think that just because you’re about to marry into the Chen Family, everything will go smoothly, do you?"
Nan Siya glared at her warily. "What do you mean?!"
Was she planning to ruin her wedding?!
Sang Ning spoke slowly. "You should know that the only reason the Chen Family accepted you is because you’re a Nan daughter. That whole ‘love story’ act between you and Chen Zheng—keep it between yourselves. Surely you’re not deluded enough to believe it?"
Nan Siya bristled. "You—!"
"If you had any sense at all, you’d realize that your standing in the Chen Family will depend entirely on the Nan Family’s support. And who holds power in the Nan Family now—do you really not see it?"
Nan Siya’s face paled, her hatred and fear warring as she stared at Sang Ning.
Sang Ning smiled, though her voice remained icy. "Your wedding is in a week. If you ever run into trouble in the Chen Family, you’d better not come begging to me."
Nan Siya’s nails dug into her palms, her voice shrill. "Zheng-ge loves me! He’ll protect me!"
Sang Ning chuckled. "Is that so? Then I wish you the best."
With that, she stepped past her and headed upstairs to her room.
Nan Siya trembled with rage. That bitch Nan Sang Ning was just jealous she was marrying well!
Yet she didn’t dare shout it out loud.
On Saturday, Sang Ning slept in.
Since starting work, she had come to appreciate the simple luxury of weekend lie-ins.
Her phone rang. Still half-asleep, she fumbled for it on her pillow and answered groggily. "Hello?"
A three-second silence followed before Ji Yan’s excited voice exploded through the speaker. "Holy crap, why does your morning voice sound so soft?!"
"..."
Sang Ning frowned at the phone. What nonsense was this?
Ji Yan’s cheerful voice continued. "Sang Ning, don’t forget about the New Year’s Eve party tonight!"
"New Year’s what?" She rubbed her eyes, still not fully awake.
"New Year’s Eve! You know, ringing in the new year? It’s December 31st—don’t tell me you forgot! Ugh, of course you did, you’ve been so busy lately I can never get hold of you!"
Ji Yan pouted.
Sang Ning couldn’t be bothered to figure out what this "New Year’s Eve party" was about. Ji Yan was always throwing some celebration or another—if her cat had kittens, she’d probably host a party to commemorate the "safe delivery."
"You have to come this time! I’m hosting it at the villa on the hillside—we can even set off fireworks at night! You love fireworks, right? It’s to celebrate the new year and your recent victory!"
Ji Yan’s enthusiasm was relentless.
Sang Ning skimmed through Xu Yan’s work schedule. Her weekend was clear, and she had been neglecting Ji Yan for a while. It wouldn’t be right to refuse.
"Alright, I’ll be there."
"Perfect! I’ll send you the address. Come early!"
"Got it."
Sang Ning woke up and had lunch at the Nan residence. The family patriarch even summoned her to his study, personally entrusting her with significant responsibilities in the company.
Now that Nan Zhenming had been ousted from the company, the old man forbade him from interfering in corporate affairs. All he was allowed was his share of dividends, along with a barely functional subsidiary tossed his way to manage.
As a result, the Nan Group now rested entirely in Sang Ning’s hands. Naturally, the patriarch had no choice but to place his trust in her, assigning her critical tasks.
Nan Zhenming was seething with resentment, yet he didn’t dare defy the old man. All he could do was swallow his frustration and accept the situation.
At six o’clock, Sang Ning left the house, asking Uncle Zhang to drive her to Ji Yan’s hillside villa.
By the time Sang Ning arrived, it was almost seven.
The villa was nestled halfway up Yanshan Mountain, part of an upscale residential cluster. Perhaps because of the New Year’s celebrations, the area was unusually lively, with nearly every house adorned with colorful lights, glowing brilliantly against the night.
Sang Ning pushed open the door and was immediately hit by the familiar, deafening blast of music.
The sheer volume made her scalp tingle. It took her a couple of seconds to adjust before she stepped inside.
"Sang Ning, you’re here!" Ji Yan set down her glass and rushed over joyfully, grabbing her hand to pull her further in. "I was just about to call you—why are you so late?"
"My grandfather was briefing me on some company matters. It took longer than expected," Sang Ning shouted, her voice barely rising above the pounding bass.
She couldn’t resist tugging Ji Yan closer to whisper, "Do you always have to make your parties this loud?"
"Huh? This wasn’t my doing," Ji Yan said, pointing toward the small stage at the front.
Gu Xingchen was up there, spinning records.
Sang Ning: "…"
Spotting Sang Ning, Gu Xingchen waved enthusiastically. "Hey, you made it!"
Sang Ning forced a faint smile.
"Ugh, I know you hate noise. Come on, let’s find somewhere quieter!"
Ji Yan pulled Sang Ning along until they reached a door.
This one was soundproof, and the space beyond was much more serene.
Ji Yan led her inside. "Do you want to play cards?"
Her voice, still stuck in party-volume mode, came out far louder than intended.
The abrupt noise made all four people seated at the card table turn to look.
Pei Songhan smiled warmly. "Sang Ning, care to join us?"
A crisp clink sounded as He Siyu casually set down the bamboo tile he’d been holding—a lone "One of Bamboo"—onto the table.
