CH 77.1

Chen Qizhao’s attention was drawn back. His eyes stared at Shen Yuhuai’s finger for a moment before replying, “No.”

The other person’s hand had already left and Shen Yuhuai’s expression was as usual, as if he was just asking a simple question.

Chen Qizhao narrowed his eyes slightly. The feeling just now seemed to linger on his leg. Through the fabric, he seemed about feel Shen Yuhuai’s body temperature beside him.

Before he could speak, Shen Yuhuai had already opened his mouth to explain to him the purpose of the Gu family coming to the Chen family, diverting his attention.

“The Gu family specially sought out my mother for help. She hoped to contact Aunt Zhang through our relationship.” Shen Yuhuai approached Chen Qizhao slightly and explained to him in a low voice, “It is for the jade necklace you gave to Aunt Zhang.”

Chen Qizhao’s eyes instantly stopped on the jewelry box in Chen Jianhong’s hand in the distance. He pretended not to know the truth and asked curiously, “Why do they want this necklace?”

“It seems to be related to some inheritance of the Gu family. The specific details weren’t disclosed but it must be very important for Uncle Gu to come over in person,” Shen Yuhuai explained. “But Aunt Zhang is still hesitating and hasn’t agreed yet.”

Necklace…

Chen Qizhao recalled the matter of this necklace. In the first place, he took this necklace to break the connection between Lin Shizong and the Gu family. In the rumors he heard in his previous life, Lin Shizong only hooked onto the line of Gu Zhengsong due to the jade necklace, allowing him to get the help of the Gu family later on.

At that time, he didn’t think too much about the necklace. He was just happy about spoiling Lin Shizong’s good deed. Now this necklace didn’t reach Gu Zhengsong’s hands but it attracted the attention of Gu Zhengxun, the eldest son of the Gu family.

Chen Qizhao hesitated slightly. But hearing Shen Yuhuai say this, his mind couldn’t help thinking of the feasibility of something.

If the timeline wasn’t wrong, the Gu family’s head was about to abdicate and was hesitating between his two hairs.

The eldest son Gu Zhengxun had been in contact with the affairs of the Gu family for many years. He was originally the preferred heir of the head of the Gu family. Then it wasn’t known what happened but the position of head of the Gu family directly fell into the hands of Gu Zhengsong, the second son of the Gu family. In addition, Gu Zhengsong’s means were ruthless. After he took the throne, he killed Gu Zhengxun’s family. However, Gu Zhengxun wasn’t a fuel-saving lamp. The struggle between the two brothers of the Gu family continued for many years…

Chen Qizhao had no impression of Gu Zhengxun. The two of them hadn’t intersected at all.

The only thing he had a small impression of was that when Gu Zhengsong stopped and didn’t help Lin Shizong in his previous life, he learned from his intelligence network that Gu Zhengxun grasped some evidence of Gu Zhengsong at the stage. Some of the Gu family’s businesses were strictly investigated by the regulatory department of B City. This might be one of the reasons why Gu Zhengsong didn’t help the Lin family any longer.

Gu Zhengxun came to the Chen family at this time. It could be imagined that the value of this necklace to the Gu family was far more important than Chen Qizhao expected. In the afternoon, he had just learned about Gu Shen and then Gu Zhengxun came in the evening… the timing made him suspect something.

What was Gu Shen’s purpose in coming to S City? Why go to Cheng Rong’s party to observe him? Was Gu Zhengxun’s business trip a coincidence?

If Liu Shizhong didn’t rely on the jade necklace but used other means to grab Gu Zhengsong then it wasn’t good news for Chen Qizhao.

In a situation where everything was uncertain, Chen Qizhao didn’t mind giving opportunities to the enemy’s enemy. Gu Zhengsong’s enemy was his friend. If the jade necklace could cause some trouble for Gu Zhengsong, he was happy to help Gu Zhengxun.

Shen Yuhuai looked slightly to the side. Chen Qizhao was silent when he heard about the jade necklace. He lowered his eyes and was thinking about something. Chen Qizhao’s reaction was different from what Shen Yuhuai expected… he didn’t ask too much about the usage or origin of the necklace.

Chen Qizhao seemed to be hiding some secrets that he didn’t know.

After a while, Chen Qizhao asked again, “…Why did my mother hesitate?”

Shen Yuhuai narrowed his eyes slightly. He thought of Zhang Yi’s performance just now as he replied, “Maybe it is because the necklace was given by you, but Aunt Zhang doesn’t want to give it away.”

Chen Qizhao was slightly startled and looked at Zhang Yazhi, who was talking to Mother Shen and Mrs Gu with a smile.

He retracted his gaze and looked at the jewelry box on the table. The Gu family was very powerful in the capital and it was a good choice for the Chen family to befriend the Gu family through the Shen family. This would help the Chen family develop business in B City… if it was him and a jade necklace could be exchanged for friendship with the Gu family, he would be happy with this type of pure interest transaction.

He just hadn’t expected Zhang Yazhi to hesitate in this matter.

The topic of the elders next to him had come to an end and dinner was ready.

Chen Qizhao saw Chen Shiming leave to answer the phone. He just moved and bumped into Shen Yuhuai’s leg. His eyes stopped for a moment before he explained in a low voice, “I’m going to the toilet.”

Shen Yuhuai nodded when he heard this.

Chen Qizhao left his seat and followed Chen Shiming out.

Shen Yuhuai looked at Chen Qizhao’s leaving figure and the phone in his pocket continued to vibrate. He took out his phone and his eyes sank slightly when he saw Yan Kaiqi’s name.

Shen Xuelan sat next to Shen Yuhuai and said, “What’s wrong? Your face is so serious?”

“Nothing,” Shen Yuhuai controlled his expression. “I’ll take a call.”

Shen Xuelan looked at her brother and frowned slightly.

—

In the quiet hallway outside the living room.

Chen Shiming finished answering Assistant Xu’s call. He turned around and saw Chen Qizhao standing behind him, seemingly waiting for a long time. He put the phone in his pocket and looked at him suspiciously, “Why are you here?”

“Where is the necklace?” Chen Qizhao asked.

There wasn’t much talk about the necklace in the conversation just now. It was likely that it was over before he returned.

Chen Shiming was slightly surprised. He thought about how Chen Qizhao was very close to Shen Yuhuai in the living room just now. “Shen Yuhuai told you?”

Chen Qizhao nodded. “Mom doesn’t want to give the necklace?”

“The Gu family noticed Mother’s necklace at the party. They say it is very similar to a valuable piece of jewelry in their room, so they came to the door to inquire about it. The matter of the necklace seems to involve a lot, so they went around to find the Shen family for help.” Chen Shiming paid attention to Chen Qizhao’s expression and continued to say, “Mom is indeed hesitating. The Shen family is just connecting us and won’t interfere with our decision. Dad and I have decided to use this as an excuse to refuse.”

Chen Qizhao asked, “Why?”

Chen Shiming answered, “It is a good thing to have a good relationship with the Gu family, but it can also be a bad thing.”

“Is it because of the Gu family’s internal power struggle?” Chen Qizhao said.

“Chen Qizhao, you know a lot.” Chen Shiming looked at his younger brother with a bit of surprise. He didn’t know where Chen Qizhao got the news but he couldn’t have learned it from Shen Yuhuai. “Indeed, Dad and I would be very happy to make good friends with the Gu family at any other point in time. But now there is a problem within the Gu family. This necklace is obviously related to the inheritance of the Gu family. If this necklace is given out then it might cause a problem.”

“We will be standing by Gu Zhengxun.” Chen Qizhao followed Chen Shiming’s words. “You are weighing the pros and cons.”

Chen Shiming continued, “This matter can’t be hidden. The necklace was taken by you at that time. If this necklace goes to B City and someone wants to investigate, they can follow Gu Zhengxun’s business trip to S City and find the Chen family. The Chen family has had too many things happening recently. Mixing with the Gu family’s affairs during this time will indeed affect us.”

“It isn’t about weighing the pros and cons. If we start from the level of interests, it is a good choice to cooperate with the Gu family. If Mom lets go then she might indeed give this necklace for the sake of the Shen family.” Chen Shiming expressed his thoughts. “But the person competing with Gu Zhengxun for power isn’t a good person. To be on the safe side, it is best not to get involved with the Gu family at this stage.”

He finished speaking and noticed Chen Qizhao’s silence. He was about to open his mouth to continue explaining his thoughts.

Chen Qizhao suddenly said, “Gu Zhengsong’s son has come to S City.”

Chen Shiming’s eyes were cold. “Where did Gu Zhengsong’s son come from?”

“I saw a person at Cheng Rong’s party a while ago so I had someone check him. The other person is Gu Zhengsong’s illegitimate son, Gu Shen and he is suspected of following me at the party.” Chen Qizhao looked at Chen Shiming and continued. “I was followed by Lin Shizong before and then Gu Shen appeared… don’t you think this is too much of a coincidence?”

Chen Shiming didn’t speak but his eyes were very serious.

“Do you remember the people who bid against me when this jade necklace was being auctioned?” Chen Qizhao stared into Chen Shiming’s eyes and kept talking. “You should’ve also checked it. Those people have a relationship with Lin Shizong. Do you think the reason why Lin Shizong drugged me was simply because he was angry?”

“Lin Shizong once wanted that necklace too.” Chen Qizhao told Chen Shiming. “I have no evidence of Gu Shen’s direct contact with Lin Shizong, but Lin Shizong must know the meaning of this necklace. The Lin family might already have a relationship with Gu Zhengsong’s faction.”

“What else do you know?” Chen Shiming stared at Chen Qizhao with a slightly complicated gaze.

Chen Qizhao didn’t avoid his gaze. “I’ve told you everything I know. I am just suggesting that it isn’t bad for us to make trouble for Gu Zhengsong. Supporting others is the best way to develop.”

Chen Shiming was still pondering on Chen Qizhao’s words when he suddenly heard Chen Qizhao’s question.

Chen Qizhao asked, “Does Mom really like that necklace so much?”

“She likes it very much and keeps wearing it when going out to parties lately.” Chen Shiming knew that his mother preferred jewelry and diamonds. It was the first time he saw her so enthusiastic about a necklace.

“Oh.” Chen Qizhao lowered his eyes slightly while thinking about something in his heart.

He turned around and prepared to leave, but Chen Shiming stopped him.

“Wait.” Chen Shiming pinched between his eyebrows. “Xiao Xu called me just now and found something out.”

The Sun family’s counterattack slowed down the Lin Group’s movements and Chen Shiming’s team found a few hints during this period. It was about a project that the Lin family bid for in the southern district more than 30 years ago. The Lin family had invested in the project in the southern district but that project suffered heavy losses. This caused the Lin Group to experience difficulties in the capital chain and several companies declared bankruptcy. Most of the people of the Lin Group who infiltrated the Chen Group this time revolved around the Chen Group’s business in the southern district. The purpose was obvious. Chen Shiming followed this matter to investigate and it took a long time to discover part of the truth behind this matter.

Chen Siming said, “In the project where the Lin family almost went bankrupt, someone from the Chen Group participated in it and became an indirect beneficiary of this matter.”

Chen Qizhao’s pupils shrank. “…The Chen Group? 30 years ago?”