Marriage Seduction Addiction

Upon hearing Lu Xingyan mention Tang Xu's name, Jiang Muchen's face instantly darkened.

Then, he turned to look at Lu Xingyan and said, "I thought you really considered Tang Xu a friend."

“Tang Xu is of course my friend,” Lu Xingyan said. “But since you came to me asking me to help you solve this problem, I will naturally try my best to provide you with some suggestions. Mr. Jiang, why don’t you tell me why you didn’t go to Tang Xu? That way I can have some advice on what kind of solution I should come up with.”

After Lu Xingyan finished speaking, her expression returned to composure, and she calmly looked at Jiang Muchen.

Jiang Muchen sneered and said, "Having a friend like you is truly her blessing."

Lu Xingyan slowly exhaled and said, "Yes, compared to Mr. Jiang, I do seem to be less than human. She hates you so much, yet you're still thinking about protecting her from being dragged into this. On the contrary, as her friend, I only think about betraying her. It's utterly shameless, isn't it?"

Jiang Muchen sensed the sarcasm in his words, and his expression seemed to grow even colder. However, before he could say anything, Tan Siyi suddenly pushed open the outdoor door of the lounge and walked straight towards them.

Jiang Muchen instantly focused his attention on him.

Tan Siyi approached Jiang Muchen, and before she could tell how their conversation had gone, she glanced at Lu Xingyan and then said in a low voice, "Something happened at the company."

Jiang Muchen knew that his hasty arrival at this time must be because something had happened. He originally thought it must be news from Jiang Beiheng's side, but he never expected it to be something from the company.

"Song Jiaming, the finance director, has gone missing and there has been no news of him since. We are doing everything we can to find him."

Jiang Muchen's eyes suddenly darkened.

The role of the finance director in a company is self-evident, and the amount of company secrets he holds is of paramount importance. Yet, he has gone missing at this crucial juncture—

Jiang Muchen suddenly turned to look at Lu Xingyan.

Lu Xingyan didn't hear the conversation between the two. When Jiang Muchen looked over, she only raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly uninterested in what had happened, but still willing to keep in touch with him.

Jiang Muchen looked at Lu Xingyan and asked in a deep voice, "How is the Yan family doing?"

"You suspect this matter is related to Yan Shiyu..." The news came so suddenly that Tan Siyi hadn't initially thought of it that way, but only now did she realize it.

Yes, with Jiang Beiheng missing and Jiang Muchen leaving Huai City, it's the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation. Making Song Jiaming disappear at this time would put pressure on him both personally and professionally, enough to give Jiang Muchen a major headache.

More importantly, Song Jiaming is currently only out of contact.

It's like a knife hanging over your head.

The choice Jiang Muchen makes at this moment is of utmost importance.

Since one cannot be in two places at the same time, whether he chooses his father, with whom he has a strained relationship, or the CFO who is extremely important to the company, is a test.

Meanwhile, the CFO of Jiangbei Henghe is currently in the hands of others, which also restricts his actions. Jiang Muchen is hesitant to act rashly, so he must be extremely cautious with every step he takes.

Such as now.

The more Tan Siyi thought about it, the clearer her mind became. She murmured to herself, "That's it, it must be him. Otherwise, why would something like this happen at this particular time..."

At the same time, Lu Xingyan's phone also rang.

After answering the phone, he learned about the disappearance of Jiang's CFO a few minutes later than Jiang Muchen.

In an instant, Lu Xingyan also thought of Yan Shiyu.

Yes, only Yan Shiyu could do this at this time.

Moreover, he likely had already given this matter considerable thought before sending the message at this particular time.

He probably guessed that Jiang Muchen would definitely target Ji Yan when he came to California. Even though he had completely entrusted Ji Yan to Lu Xingyan, he still made plans for Ji Yan from another angle.

Yes, under these circumstances, unless Jiang Muchen is also a complete madman with no worries, he would not pull Ji Yan in at all costs.

Jiang Beiheng and Song Jiaming, family matters and public affairs, even if he doesn't care about one, he can't possibly not care about the other... There's always one that can threaten him, always one that can restrict his actions.

For a moment, Lu Xingyan felt a mix of emotions. After putting down his phone, he looked at Jiang Muchen again and said, "It seems that the one who has to make the choice now is not me, but you, Mr. Jiang. I don't think I can be of much help here. Mr. Jiang, you should give yourself some time and think carefully about what to do next."

Lu Xingyan spoke calmly, without any sarcasm, and then got up and left.

Jiang Muchen watched him brush past her, his eyes remaining deep and unfocused, without uttering another word.

……

At this very moment in Huai City, Yan Shiyu remained peacefully at the Yan family home, as if nothing had happened, drinking tea, reading books, and playing chess, seemingly unaffected by any outside disturbances.

He learned chess under the personal orders of Grandpa Yan, and honed his skills in it for many years.

It was probably because they knew what his true nature was like, and besides the physical torment and control, they felt that he needed this kind of calming game of chess to temper his character.

Unfortunately, after all these years, his chess skills are still terrible.

Just like his nature, it has never changed.

As always, cold, violent, and beyond redemption.

As Yan Shiyu was focused on the chessboard in front of him, a servant tiptoed down from upstairs and hesitated for a long time at the top of the stairs.

She had thought Yan Shiyu hadn't noticed her, but to her surprise, Yan Shiyu still spoke up: "What is it?"

The maid hurriedly stepped forward and said cautiously, "Third Young Master, the old master has finished his medicine. In the past, these things were handled by Butler Li, but now Butler Li has disappeared, and the master instructed me to go and get the medicine for him."

Upon hearing this, Yan Shiyu simply responded with a light "yes," and then said, "You don't need to go; I'll have someone bring it over."

The servant was immediately relieved, nodded, and walked away.

Sure enough, not long after, someone delivered the medicine to the Yan family. The servant was taken aback when she received the medicine, and then said, "Wasn't it supposed to be a week's worth of medicine? Is this all?"

The person glanced at her and said, "I delivered this as instructed, that's all."

After saying that, the man got into his car and drove off.

The maid looked at the medicine, which was only enough for two days, and felt a slight chill. After a while, she carried the medicine into the house, just as she ran into Yan Shiyu coming downstairs.

Yan Shiyu glanced at the medicine in her hand and said, "Tell the old man that next week's medicine will be delivered on time, so he doesn't need to worry and can take his medicine properly."

The servants knew exactly what the mansion had been like these past few days. Hearing Yan Shiyu's words, they already understood and dared not say anything more. They simply lowered their heads and took the medicine upstairs.

When Old Master Yan looked at the medicine that had been brought over, his gaze was as gloomy and cold as ever. "Did you go to get this medicine?"

The maid dared not give any other answer and truthfully replied, "It was sent over by the Third Young Master."

Old Master Yan sneered, then prepared to stand up.

However, the moment the servant saw him move, she panicked and rushed forward, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Fortunately, I can still move," Old Master Yan said slowly. "Go and tell him not to bother him. I will handle my own affairs." The next moment, the servant grabbed his arm tightly and said in a low voice, almost forcing himself to speak, "You can't go out."

Old Master Yan glanced at him with his eyes lowered, "What did you say?"

The maid lowered her head even further, but still continued, "The Third Young Master said that you are not feeling well and should stay in your room to rest. Don't move around too much, lest you hurt yourself."

Old Master Yan was no ordinary man; how could he not understand the implications? After a cold laugh, he said, "Is he trying to place me under house arrest?"

The maid dared not answer, but only said, "The Third Young Master is also thinking of your health."

After a long silence, Old Master Yan laughed again, saying "good" several times. Then he sat back down in his chair, his face darkening, his wrinkles as deep as if carved by a knife, making him look sinister and frightening.

Seeing this, the servant dared not linger any longer, straightened the blanket on his legs, and quickly left the room.

On the same day, news of the disappearance of Jiang's CFO spread like wildfire within a small circle of the business community.

Just as everyone's attention was focused on the Jiang family, another breaking news story suddenly gained traction.

The main focus of the news is still the Yan family, who have been embroiled in numerous controversies recently.

It all started at 2 p.m. that day when someone pulled together several gossip media outlets and dropped a bombshell, claiming to be a descendant of the Yan family, Yan Shuheng's illegitimate son, and the old master Yan's grandson.

This kind of thing wouldn't normally be considered big news.

Yan Shuheng's womanizing ways are common knowledge. After all, the current descendants of the Yan family, Yan Yi, Yan Fengqi, and Yan Shiyu, do not all have the same mother. If another illegitimate child is revealed, it will not be surprising. People will just feel that it has finally appeared.

But this time, the leak came from five people together.

In other words, five men and women of different ages, identities, and backgrounds stepped forward at the same time, claiming to be descendants of the Yan family and demanding to be recognized as ancestors and return to the Yan family.

No matter when or where, similar gossip and scandals always attract attention, let alone the fact that five people appeared at the same time this time, which really caused a stir.

Especially given that the Yan family is currently embroiled in various controversies, and Yan Shiyu's "matricide" case has yet to be resolved, this news only adds to the chaos.

Immediately, the outside world began to speculate about the Yan family's attitude.

Today, there are two people who can represent the Yan family's attitude.

One is Old Master Yan.

There are two arguments in this regard—

Firstly, Grandpa Yan has always placed the utmost importance on family tradition and reputation. Even his own grandchildren, like Yan Yi and Yan Fengqi, whom he raised from childhood, would be ruthlessly abandoned for making mistakes. How much more so would these misfits from outside?

Yes, the five people who came out to expose this are completely unrelated to the Yan family, which is known for its strict family traditions, no matter how you look at it.

The leader, in his early thirties with blond hair, constantly swore and used bizarre language to attract attention, which was unbearable to watch. The other younger members also looked rather uncouth, some arrogant, some timid, and they were completely unrelated to the Yan family in everyone's eyes.

Everyone knows what a qualified member of the Yan family should look like in Old Master Yan's eyes—that's right, just like Yan Shiyu at the very beginning.

But even in an ordinary family, these five people might be looked down upon, let alone the Yan family.

Another argument involves Yan Shiyu's recent controversy.

After all, the video of Yan Shiyu being exposed caused immense damage to the reputation of the entire Yan family and the Yan clan. Undoubtedly, he would be abandoned by Old Master Yan. And once abandoned, Old Master Yan would be left with no one to use. If that's the case, why not choose one of these five people to train?

The speculations about Yan Shiyu's attitude are surprisingly consistent—

As the rightful heir of the Yan family, on whom Old Master Yan placed high hopes, he has recently encountered such a crisis. Naturally, he does not want his position to be replaced, and he will struggle to survive no matter what. He will definitely take action against these people.

Even if these people are truly of the Yan family bloodline, no matter what Old Master Yan's attitude is, he will definitely try every means to prevent them from returning to the Yan family.

Amidst this chaotic speculation, some media outlets actually managed to interview Yan Shiyu, and her response was—

"As long as the paternity test proves their origins, the Yan family will definitely recognize their identities. Whether they want to return to the Yan family or join the Yan Corporation, they will be given the opportunity."

This response was met with disdain from everyone.

Such an official response is really nothing new; after all, anyone can say nice things. However, there is just too much room for manipulation in this situation.

But to everyone's surprise, things took an unexpected and rapid turn for the better—

That evening, Yan Shiyu issued a statement acknowledging the identities of those individuals as descendants of the Yan family, and immediately brought them back to the Yan family.

Such development is truly astonishing.

After all, in the past, when such things happened, they were all dragged on and on until they could not be dragged on any longer before a conclusion was reached. However, it is unprecedented for someone like Yan Shiyu to admit it and make a decision in just a few hours.

Suddenly, all sorts of conspiracy theories spread like wildfire, sparking even greater discussions.

Amidst the widespread speculation, the five people brazenly moved into the Yan family home and paid their respects to Old Master Yan as his grandchildren.

No one knows what happened inside the Yan family mansion that night. All that is known is that after the five people entered the Yan family, Yan Shiyu left the Yan family and returned to his own residence.

……

On the other side of the ocean, Jiang Muchen, who was also following the news closely, stayed up all night, his face growing increasingly grim.

Tan Siyi, standing beside him, looked on incredulously.

For a moment, he really wondered if Yan Shiyu was the one who orchestrated all these things related to the Jiang family and the Jiang clan.
If he did it, how could he possibly make so many arrangements in such a short time while simultaneously controlling these matters remotely and dealing with the people and affairs of the Yan family?

"What exactly does he want to do?" Tan Siyi finally couldn't help but ask, "What is his purpose in doing all this?"

Jiang Muchen simply stared at the news playing on the tablet without moving or making a sound.

A strong sense of unease welled up in Tan Siyi's heart, and she couldn't help but say to Jiang Muchen, "Mr. Jiang, should we go back to Huai City first? Yan Shiyu is in Huai City after all. Perhaps he has already brought Mr. Jiang back through some secret channels, and is just using this matter to keep you here. If something happens in Huai City, you won't be able to help him—"

After a long while, Jiang Muchen finally spoke up: "What if he's right here?"

Tan Siyi was speechless for a moment.

Yes, what if Jiang Beiheng is still in California? Then Jiang Muchen, as his son, would just abandon this place and go back to Huai City. If Jiang Beiheng really met with misfortune—although he says he doesn't care, if he really didn't care, why would he have traveled so far to come here, and why would he still choose not to go back after the company's CFO went missing—that would be a hurdle he could never overcome for the rest of his life.

Seeing Jiang Muchen slowly close his eyes, Tan Siyi dared not say anything more.

Now, choosing either side is a dilemma, because no matter which side he chooses and abandons the other, the consequences will be unbearable for him.

The two sat and stood in silence for a long time before Jiang Muchen finally opened his eyes.

"Go to Rong City as quickly as possible." (End of Chapter)