434: Chapter 434 Take it all back, at the auction

That last sentence completely shattered Su Wan's psychological defenses.

She could ignore herself, she could ignore the money.

But her son was her soft spot, her everything.

Tears slid silently from the corners of her eyes.

She didn't cry out loud, but bit her lip tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly.

It was a silent collapse, the kind experienced when pushed to the brink of desperation.

Shen Yan watched her quietly.

He felt neither sympathy nor pity.

The business world is a battlefield; the law of the jungle, the weak being preyed upon by the strong, was simply a natural rule.

He wasn't here to be a knight rescuing a princess.

He was a businessman.

What he needed to do was conduct a transaction.

Only when Su Wan's emotions had calmed slightly did he speak again.

"I can help you."

Those four short words were like a ray of light, splitting the endless darkness before Su Wan's eyes.

She suddenly lifted her head, her bright red eyes holding a sliver of disbelief and hope.

"Help me? Why would you help me?"

She understood the principle that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

"I need one thing."

Shen Yan's gaze deepened once more.

"The 'Twin Phoenixes Greeting the Sun' paperweight left behind by your maternal grandfather."

Su Wan froze.

She never would have imagined that after going around such a huge circle, they would end up back at this paperweight.

"Why?"

"Although that paperweight is valuable, it’s worth at most tens of millions. The deficit at Qinghe Group is in the billions!"

"To exchange something worth tens of millions for billions, Mr. Shen, don't you think this deal is ridiculous?"

She instinctively felt things were not that simple.

"Whether it’s worth it or not is not for you to decide; it’s for me to decide."

Shen Yan's fingertips tapped lightly on the tabletop, making a rhythmic 'tap, tap' sound.

"Ms. Su, you probably don't know the true value of that paperweight."

"It’s not just a piece of jade."

"It is also a token of trust, a promise, that your maternal grandfather left for the old guard of Qinghe Group."

"Ding Meiling and the others were able to sideline you by relying on capital and contracts. But they will never obtain the true core of Qinghe Group—those old comrades who built the empire with your maternal grandfather."

"These people hold Qinghe's most core technology, its finest channels, and its most loyal clientele."

"They are currently just observing, waiting for someone they can trust again to appear."

"And that paperweight is the key to opening that door."

Shen Yan's words left Su Wan completely stunned.

She had never heard of these matters.

After her maternal grandfather passed away, those old retainers indeed retreated to the sidelines citing various reasons, and their responses to her pleas for help were always vague.

She had assumed it was the way of the world—the tea grows cold when the person who brewed it leaves—but she never expected such hidden circumstances behind it.

"As long as you hand the paperweight over to me,"

"I will help you take back everything that belongs to you."

Shen Yan’s tone carried an irresistible confidence.

Su Wan’s heart pounded violently.

Reason told her she shouldn't trust a stranger whose background was unknown.

But emotion and her current predicament were forcing her to grasp this single straw of salvation.

She hesitated to speak.

She was weighing her options, calculating the cost.

That paperweight was the only memento her maternal grandfather had left her.

Handing it over meant betraying her grandfather's final affection.

Not handing it over meant the life's work of her grandfather would be destroyed.

It was a dilemma.

Shen Yan noticed her struggle.

But he didn't rush her, nor did he say anything more.

He raised his wrist and glanced at the dial of his Patek Philippe.

It was getting late.

"Ms. Su, you can take your time to consider."

He stood up, took a business card from his pocket, and placed it on the table.

"However, you don't have much time. Ding Meiling and Su Zhenyu don't have much time either."

"The longer they delay, the more thoroughly they can transfer assets, and the slimmer your chance of a comeback becomes."

"This afternoon, there will be an asset auction at Hongfa Machinery Plant in the west of the city. I'm somewhat interested."

"I hope to have your answer before then."

With that, he turned and left without any lingering hesitation.

He left Su Wan sitting there blankly in the booth.

Her gaze fell upon the business card on the table—simple in design, yet exuding high quality.

Shen Yan, Chairman of Yanhui Technology Co., Ltd.

Shen Yan's final words echoed repeatedly in her mind.

Time was running out.

She picked up the card, her fingers turning slightly white from the pressure.

She knew she had to make a choice.

Shen Yan walked out of the coffee shop.

The afternoon sun was somewhat glaring, and he squinted slightly.

He had already put Su Wan's matter out of his mind.

The bait had been cast; whether the fish took it was the fish's own decision.

He pulled open the car door and sat in the driver's seat of the Bentley Bentayga.

He didn't start the car immediately.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Brother Yan."

Chen Guangke's voice was always energetic.

"The asset auction at Hongfa Machinery Plant in the west of the city this afternoon."

Shen Yan's tone was flat and undisturbed.

"Get me two entry tickets, and be quick about it."

"No problem, Brother Yan."

Chen Guangke didn't ask why.

"In fifteen minutes, I'll have someone deliver them to the intersection near your current location."

Execution was always what Shen Yan valued most.

"Good."

Shen Yan hung up the phone and started the car.

The engine let out a low roar, merging into the traffic flow of S City.

He held the steering wheel with one hand, his knuckles tapping rhythmically.

The intelligence provided by the system regarding the 'Singularity Key' pointed directly to the hardware foundation of Artificial Intelligence.

The land belonging to Hongfa Machinery Plant wasn't excessively large, and its location wasn't considered prime.

But its substation and network backbone interface were the top-tier configurations in S City.

It was a perfect breeding ground, tailor-made for establishing a super data center in the future.

Just as the car passed an intersection, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from Chen Guangke.

"Brother Yan, the motorcyclist wearing the black riding suit, license plate ending in 886."

Shen Yan glanced in the rearview mirror.

A heavy motorcycle silently pulled up alongside him.

The car window lowered.

The rider handed over a manila envelope, the action clean and swift.

Shen Yan took it, and the car window rose.

The entire process took less than five seconds.

The motorcycle twisted its throttle and instantly vanished into the sea of traffic.

Shen Yan opened the envelope; inside were two gold-embossed invitation cards and two bidding paddle numbers.

He casually tossed one onto the passenger seat and drove toward his destination.

The auction was being held in Hall No. 3 of the S City International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The entrance was packed with various luxury cars.

Shen Yan's car was not conspicuous here.

He parked and walked in alone.

Many people were already seated in the venue, conversing in low tones in small groups.

The air was filled with a mixed scent of money and desire.

Shen Yan found a seat toward the back center and sat down, quiet as a statue.

He didn't need to socialize.

He was here only to take what he wanted.

Two-thirty in the afternoon.

A well-dressed, energetic Host walked onto the stage.

"Good afternoon, distinguished guests. Welcome to today's Hongda Asset Auction."