Aren't we friends? Why are you rushing at me?

Shen Zhixiao paused for a moment, as if considering whether to coordinate with Su Ningshuang beforehand or simply bring her back first.

She hesitated for only two seconds before making her decision. It was just a phone call; Su Ningshuang wouldn't risk a falling out with her over Lin Shi. A real fuss would benefit neither company, and Su Ningshuang wasn't that unreasonable.

Having figured this out, Shen Zhixiao no longer hesitated and reached out to take his personal cell phone from the drawer.

The perspective shifts to the Su family:

Su Ningshuang was sitting on the living room sofa, chatting with Chairman Su about the company's recent operations and future development.

She didn't instruct her subordinates to monitor Lin Shi's every move. Therefore, it's not yet time to know what happened at the racetrack.

But her lack of attention doesn't mean that those in the industry who do pay attention to her will ignore it:

Su Ningshuang was more popular in high society circles than she had imagined.

Her appearance was as aloof as an iceberg, and her demeanor was dignified and proper. She had never had any scandals since childhood, except for Lin Shi, who recently appeared out of nowhere, and she had never even had a boy by her side.

She runs a thriving cosmetics company with a good reputation among the public. Although she initially relied on the Su family's influence, no one can deny that Su Ningshuang's outstanding abilities were the fundamental reason for the company's success.

Besides, every family has its own resources. You can't take them with you when you die; they'll eventually be left to future generations so they can develop on their own. Su Ningshuang's value seems even greater.

Furthermore, the Su family is a prominent and leading figure in the business world of Jinghai City. Ninety-nine percent of those seeking a marriage alliance are looking to climb the social ladder.

Not to mention that although Mr. and Mrs. Su are ruthless in business, they are incredibly kind to their family and friends in private, and they dote on their only daughter.

Such conditions attracted countless unmarried scions of wealthy families, all eager to marry her, yet none could find a suitable starting point. Su's mother, a staunch advocate for freedom in love, told her sons to go find Su Ningshuang themselves, but they were consistently rejected and never even met.

So the news of Su Ningshuang and Lin Shi having dinner alone last time had already spread like wildfire among the wealthy women. Everyone who paid attention to Su Ningshuang also took a look at Lin Shi.

Within five minutes of the photo of Lin Shi hugging Ye Cheng circulating online, several women were eager to inquire about Su's mother's condition:

Is Lin Shi already in a relationship? Is Su Ningshuang still single? Was the last dinner purely for business? Should we let the two families meet privately? My own children are doing quite well.

Su's mother politely rejected all their suggestions, then opened the photo and examined it closely. Although there were no signs of Photoshop manipulation in the picture, and it was unmistakably real, there was no anger on Su's mother's face.

Over the years, she has encountered all sorts of people trying to sow discord between her and Lao Su, trying to make her misunderstand that her daughter has someone she likes but can't say anything, and there was even someone who directly photoshopped a nude picture of Lao Su to throw her into a panic.

She turned them down one by one, proving to them that the nickname "Iron Lady" was not unfounded.

Holding her phone, Su's mother opened the picture, walked to Su Ningshuang's side, and asked softly:

"Ning Shuang, do you know this girl in the picture?"

Su Ningshuang glanced at the picture briefly, then quickly stared at Lin Shi's hand on Ye Cheng's waist, her brows furrowing. A chilling, oppressive atmosphere instantly arose as she coldly said:

"I don't know him, and I don't want to know him."

But his gaze remained fixed on Lin Shi's hands and did not move.

When Su's mother saw Su Ningshuang's reaction, she immediately realized that the girl was starting to get jealous and was being difficult.

Tsk tsk tsk, they clearly told her not to ask before, saying they were just friends, but now they're acting like this.

But since the truth hasn't been uncovered yet, and I had no intention of mocking her, I continued to gently persuade her:

"How about I send someone to investigate this girl? What if it's a misunderstanding? Wouldn't that be bad?"

She wanted to ask Su Ningshuang's opinion. Ultimately, this was her daughter's private matter. As parents, they could only protect her and prevent bad people from taking advantage of her. The final decision was up to her.

"casual."

Su Ningshuang spoke in a cold tone, simply stating her position.

After saying that, he picked up the newspaper on the table and started reading it, without replying.

Seeing Su Ningshuang's actions, Su's mother first glared at Chairman Su, as if to say, "It's all because you spoiled her."

As a mother, she understood Su Ningshuang's personality all too well. From childhood to adulthood, this child either agreed directly or refused outright, always acting decisively.

Saying "whatever" was just a way of being stubborn. She felt that she and Lin Shi had no relationship whatsoever, that they were just ordinary friends and colleagues, so what right did she have to investigate the two of them? But deep down, she was already incredibly curious, so she could only say "whatever."

Then I picked up my phone and started activating my network of relationships.

A moment later, the fax machine started clicking, indicating that information about Ye Cheng was being continuously transmitted to the Su family.

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the fax machine without saying a word, and the living room fell silent.

About a minute later, the fax machine stopped beeping, and the data transmission was complete.

Before Su's mother could get up to get it, Su Ningshuang suddenly put down the newspaper, stood up, and walked over.

Seeing Su Ningshuang's actions, Su's mother smiled and looked at Su's father.

The father, who had just been secretly pleased that his daughter wasn't paying much attention to Lin Shi's suspected affair, suddenly darkened his face, let out a heavy "humph," and looked completely displeased.

Su Ningshuang picked up the document and, instead of rushing back to the sofa, stood there and began to read it.

Only after reading the document twice, when his expression improved, did he hand it to Su's mother.

Looking at Su Ningshuang's expression, Su's mother guessed that the photo must be a misunderstanding, otherwise it wouldn't have turned out this way.

Then I quickly glanced at it.

I'm somewhat amazed by Lin Shi's charm. In just three days, he managed to get a girl to hug him directly. Although this was probably largely due to "that nanny" acting as an intermediary, the dopamine rush after winning the competition, the commotion from the crowd, and so on, it also demonstrates Lin Shi's abilities.

He wanted to advise Su Ningshuang to stop being so cold every day and to recognize her own limitations. Now that she and Lin Shi were in a superior-subordinate relationship, they had the advantage of proximity. He was the company president, so he wasn't afraid of being accused of an office romance.

Just as she was about to speak, Su Ningshuang's phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang. The screen clearly displayed "Shen Zhixiao".