433: Chapter 433 How did you know I wanted to be her deskmate?

Shen Yan's voice was very flat, as if he were asking about the weather that day.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he himself felt they were a bit abrupt.

In the mission background provided by the system, this paperweight seemed to be a key token of some sort, but asking a complete stranger he had known for less than five minutes directly like this seemed somewhat presumptuous.

The air seemed to freeze for an instant.

The apology and gratitude on Su Wan's face stiffened.

A trace of vigilance and confusion flashed across her beautiful eyes.

"Mr. Shen... do you know my ancestor?"

Her voice carried a barely perceptible distance.

This paperweight belonging to the Qinghe Group's Old Master Su was not a secret in S City's upper circles.

Many people knew it was the Old Master's cherished possession, carved from top-grade Hetian jade, and worth a fortune.

There had never been a shortage of people coveting it.

Shen Yan observed her subtle change in expression and knew the other party had misunderstood.

He did not explain how he knew.

That kind of thing only became more troublesome the more he explained.

"This is not the place to talk."

Shen Yan's gaze swept past her, looking at the children running and playing in the kindergarten.

"Let's settle the child first."

"Afterward, we will find a place to talk in detail."

His tone was indisputable, as if he were stating an established fact rather than negotiating.

Su Wan was stunned for a moment.

She looked at the man before her; the way he held his daughter was clearly gentle, but his eyes were as deep as an ancient well, making her unable to see through him.

Her intuition told her that this man meant no harm.

Moreover, he possessed an indescribable aura that made people instinctively want to obey.

She thought of her current predicament—besieged both internally and externally, isolated and helpless.

Perhaps this was an opportunity?

"Okay."

Su Wan nodded, retracting the momentary defensiveness.

She didn't have much left to lose now.

The procedures at the enrollment office were handled quickly.

The service efficiency of Saint Fino Kindergarten was directly proportional to its high tuition fees.

As the teacher led Youyou toward the classroom, a coincidence occurred.

Youyou was assigned to the "Star Class."

And Lin Nuo, the skateboarding boy who almost bumped into her, was also in this class.

Even more coincidentally, there was an empty seat in the class, right next to Lin Nuo.

"Teacher, Teacher!"

Lin Nuo's eyes lit up when he saw Youyou, and he immediately raised his hand high.

"I want the new student to be my deskmate!"

The head teacher, Ms. Li, was a very gentle young woman. She smiled and looked at Youyou.

"Little friend Youyou, are you willing?"

Youyou looked at the little boy with an expectant face, then turned to look at her father outside the window.

Shen Yan smiled and nodded at her.

Only then did Youyou reply clearly and crisply.

"I am willing."

She took her short steps and sat down in the chair next to Lin Nuo.

As soon as she sat down, Lin Nuo immediately leaned over and said to her quietly but very seriously.

"Shen Youyou, I'm sorry."

"It was my fault just now, I shouldn't have played so wildly."

Youyou shook her head and said like a little adult.

"It's okay, you didn't mean to."

Outside the window.

Shen Yan watched this scene quietly.

The smile on his face had disappeared at some unknown time.

What replaced it was an indescribable heaviness.

His own little cabbage, raised so painstakingly, was about to be targeted by another pig on its very first day of kindergarten.

This feeling was very unpleasant.

Su Wan, standing beside him, completely failed to grasp the turmoil in the old father's heart.

Seeing Shen Yan's serious expression, she thought he was worried that his daughter wouldn't adapt to the new environment.

"Mr. Shen doesn't need to worry too much."

She comforted him softly.

"Although little Nuo is a bit mischievous, he is quite popular in kindergarten."

"He will help Youyou make new friends."

Shen Yan let out an "Mm," without saying much.

He just mentally made a note of the boy named Lin Nuo.

The children were settled.

Shen Yan turned and walked toward the kindergarten exit.

Su Wan followed without the slightest hesitation.

She hadn't forgotten that this mysterious man had said he wanted to talk with her in detail.

Even though she didn't know what he wanted to discuss, nor why he knew about that paperweight.

But her strong intuition told her.

Following him.

This might be her only chance to escape her current predicament.

Across from the kindergarten, there was a coffee shop named "Quiet Time."

The decor was elegant New Chinese style, with bamboo blinds and screens dividing the space into semi-private areas, very suitable for discussing matters.

The two chose the innermost booth.

After the waiter brought two cups of pour-over coffee, he quietly retreated.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee.

Shen Yan did not touch the cup in front of him.

He looked at Su Wan opposite him and got straight to the point.

"Ms. Su, you have been encountering some trouble recently."

He used a declarative sentence.

The fingers holding the coffee cup tightened slightly.

The warmth of the cup wall transmitted through her fingertips, but it could not warm the chill in her heart.

"Mr. Shen, I don't understand what you mean."

She was still making a final struggle, trying to maintain outward composure.

Shen Yan picked up his cup and took a small sip.

The taste of the coffee was bitter, just like Su Wan's life at the moment.

"Qinghe Group."

He uttered four words lightly.

Su Wan's expression changed instantly.

If mentioning the paperweight earlier had only made her vigilant, then these four words were like a heavy hammer smashing fiercely onto her heart.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

Her voice carried a trace of trembling.

Shen Yan did not answer her question.

He continued speaking.

"Ding Meiling."

"Su Zhenyu."

With every name he spoke, Su Wan's face turned paler.

These two names were nightmares that would wake her up even in her midnight dreams.

Her stepmother and her half-brother.

Those two jackals who were gnawing away at the life's work of her maternal grandfather like woodworms.

"Overseas capital, dual contracts, asset mortgages."

Shen Yan's voice was not loud, but every word was a dagger to the heart.

Every term he spoke was like sprinkling salt on Su Wan's already bloody wounds.

These were the core secrets of the Qinghe Group.

They were the fatal methods used by Ding Meiling and Su Zhenyu to sideline her and prepare to make her take the blame for everything.

Besides that mother and son and their core confidants, no outsider could possibly know.

Yet now, these secrets were being spoken of lightly by a strange man she had just met.

Su Wan completely gave up her pretense.

Her body leaned back against the soft sofa, her eyes filled with despair and confusion.

"How... how do you know all this?"

It seemed she used up all her strength to ask this question.

"How I know is not important."

Shen Yan set down his coffee cup, and the cup made a crisp, light sound as it met the saucer.

"What's important is that in at most one month, the Qinghe Group will be completely hollowed out."

"And you, Su Wan, the nominal CEO of the Group, will be saddled with billions in debt and might even face imprisonment."

"At that time, what will become of your son, Lin Nuo?"