On the day of graduation, I was dragged by my rich father to get the certificate

Gu Wan returned to Hai City exhausted, both physically and mentally. She had barely gotten to the hospital to catch her breath when Liang Heng called. His voice was still gentle, yet filled with undeniable anticipation: "Wan Wan, the day after tomorrow is our wedding day. I'll go with you to try on wedding dresses tomorrow, okay?"

On the other end of the line, Gu Wan stared at her mother, Nangong Xuan's lifeless profile, in the hospital ward. The steady ticking of the equipment felt like a drumbeat against her heart. She closed her eyes, her voice filled with exhaustion and sadness. "Mom, you're like this right now... I really don't have the heart to get married."

Liang Heng paused, his tone softer, yet more insistent: "Wanwan, I understand how you feel. But... completing our wedding is also Master's greatest wish when she is awake, isn't it?"

Gu Wan was silent for a moment. A flash of her mother's earnest urging of her to set a wedding date flashed before her eyes, and a sharp pang of pain pierced her heart. She took a deep breath and spoke again. Though her voice was soft, each word was clear and resolute. "Because it was her wish, I couldn't rush it while she was unaware. Liang Heng, let's postpone our wedding date for now."

Si Yehan stood in front of the French window. Night enveloped the city in a dazzling haze of lights, but his eyes held only an icy chill. The cigarette between his fingers was about to burn out, but he was oblivious.

"When something is out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong." His deep voice echoed in the silent office, with unquestionable penetrating power.

Special Assistant Wu behind him immediately straightened his back. "Yes, Mr. Si. There's something very wrong with the recent capital flows and sudden changes in several projects at Nangong Group, especially those handled by Vice President Liang."

"Investigate." Si Yehan crushed his cigarette butt and spat out a single word, yet it weighed like a thousand pounds.

Special Assistant Wu was incredibly efficient. Within two days, a detailed investigation report was silently placed on Si Yehan's desk. As the pages turned, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

When he saw the words "Nangong Xuan," "explosion," "man-made," "vegetative," and the mastermind "Liang Heng," Si Yehan's aura suddenly became violent and terrifying. The pen in his hand snapped, and the ink stains stained his expensive shirt, just like his heart, which was now filled with anger and regret.

He could almost imagine Gu Wan's collapse after learning the truth. The suppressed hatred instantly rushed to his head, making him want to pull out Liang Heng, the ungrateful beast, and tear him to pieces with his own hands!

However, the surging murderous intent in his eyes only boiled for a moment before slowly sinking beneath the deeper icy sea. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't act rashly. Liang Heng had been managing the Nangong family for many years, and their influence was deeply intertwined. Acting rashly would only alert the enemy and could even cause the Nangong family's foundation to crumble and fall into the hands of others.

What he wanted was not only Liang Heng's life, but also his complete eradication. Only in this way could Gu Wan truly and safely take over everything in the Nangong family. That was her mother's hard work, and no one should be allowed to covet it.

Reason took over again, and a thorough plan quickly took shape in his mind. The key at this moment lay in the single page of the account book in Madam Nangong Xuan's hands.

He picked up the phone and prepared to call Gu Wan. He needed to prepare her mentally first, use this evidence to give Gu Wan a break, and then plan for the follow-up.

Just as the call was about to be connected, the office door was hurriedly pushed open and Special Assistant Wu came back with an unprecedented solemn expression.

"Master Si!" Special Assistant Wu's voice was a little hurried. "I just received accurate information... the single page of the account book in Madam Nangong Xuan's hand... has already fallen into Liang Heng's hands."

Si Yehan's dialing motion froze instantly, his eyes narrowing sharply.

Special Assistant Wu lowered his voice and added anxiously, "If we go to Miss Gu now, not only will we fail to gain her trust, but we will also immediately alert Liang Heng. If he is on guard, it will be difficult for us to find other evidence to completely bring him down."

Si Yehan slowly put down his phone, veins visibly visible on the back of his hand. He gazed out the window at the darkening night, a terrifying storm swirling in his eyes before finally settling into a deadly calm.

One wrong move, and the situation suddenly became passive. The surging anger and urge to explain that threatened to burst out were forcibly suppressed by him into the deepest part of his heart.

Now, you have to be patient.

Since officially taking over the Nangong family business, Gu Wan has devoted almost all of her time to work. To her own surprise, those once unfamiliar financial statements, business contracts, and market analyses have suddenly become clear and understandable. She often works late into the night, her coffee icing on the table as she sits back down, the dark circles under her eyes becoming more pronounced, yet her gaze becomes brighter and brighter.

Only she knew that this almost obsessive devotion wasn't about proving anything. Her mother's peaceful, sleeping face in her hospital bed was her only spiritual support during those exhausting nights. She had to protect her mother's lifelong efforts, waiting for the day she woke up so she could personally hand over the family business, intact and perhaps even more glorious, to her.

She was not unaware of the abnormality.

Several important collaborations that seemed to be on the verge of collapse would always miraculously turn around at the last moment; several raw material suppliers who deliberately made things difficult and delayed supply would suddenly change their attitude 180 degrees, take the initiative to apologize and offer more favorable terms; even the aggressive hacker attack on the company's internal system, which was suspected to be aimed at financial data, was inexplicably intercepted at the most critical moment, and the technical department has not yet figured out which expert came to help.

Gu Wan had her suspicions, but since the man didn't say anything, she didn't ask. She simply worked harder to absorb all the business knowledge she could, learning more quickly how to strategize and understand people's hearts. She had to live up to this hidden protection and not betray her mother's trust.

A month later, at the quarterly earnings conference, Gu Wan, dressed in a sharp white suit, stood before a projection screen, clearly and calmly analyzing the previous quarter's performance fluctuations, market trends, and the company's strategic layout for the next phase. Her data was precise and logically rigorous, and she handled the somewhat challenging questions from several senior shareholders with ease, even throwing in a few pointed rhetorical questions at the right time, effectively controlling the situation.

Also attending the meeting was a mysterious shareholder who has never been seen in person, and no one knows what he looks like. He only participates in shareholder meetings online and rarely makes any comments.

Little did they know that this person was Si Yehan, who was sitting with his legs crossed, leaning back in a leisurely manner.

He looked at the woman, who glowed with confidence and radiated her brilliance under the spotlight, and an almost imperceptible curve curved the corners of his lips. A glimmer of surprise and... pride flashed across those deep eyes that even he hadn't anticipated.