"Hello, President Shen. This is our company’s boss, President Qiao," Manager Liu introduced.

Yancy Shaw’s gaze was cool as he looked at the man who just walked in.

"President Shen, I’ve heard a lot about you," Xavier Quinn said, extending his hand with a meaningful look in his eyes.

Clearly, Yancy Shaw had already compiled information on the company before coming—so seeing Xavier Quinn here hardly came as a surprise.

Until now, Xavier Quinn had always dealt with Bryce Shaw, and his impression of Yancy Shaw was merely that he was his wife’s brother-in-law. Who would’ve guessed they’d sit down together to discuss a business project today?

No one else in the room had any idea about their personal ties, and both men skillfully kept the connection to themselves.

Xavier Quinn gave Manager Liu a nod. "Let’s get started."

Chris Cooper opened his laptop, beginning to discuss the details of the collaboration.

Halfway through the meeting, a man suddenly burst in.

"Sorry I’m late," he said.

Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. Yancy Shaw frowned ever so slightly; he had no patience for such rude behavior.

Xavier Quinn’s face turned icy as he looked at the man. "You weren’t invited to this meeting."

"Big brother, this is about a major company project. How could I not be here?" The man was Qiao LinYue—Xavier Quinn’s younger half-brother.

Yancy Shaw gave him a sidelong glance, remaining silent.

Qiao LinYue, however, carried himself with a reckless air, sizing up Yancy Shaw with an arrogant stare.

"So, you’re President Shen from Ancheng, right? Pleasure to meet you."

His demeanor was so insolent that it made people uncomfortable.

Xavier Quinn’s eyes sharpened, and he chided, "We’re in the middle of a meeting—get out."

Qiao LinYue had a terrible reputation in the company. Word was, Xavier Quinn had just relieved him of his position the day before, and unable to stomach the blow, Qiao LinYue had come today to stir up trouble. He seemed set on sabotaging the deal.

Unfazed, Qiao LinYue pulled out a chair, sat down with his legs crossed, and looked at Xavier Quinn with a defiant air—as if to say, 'I don’t care what you say—what can you do about it?'

Sheng Hanxia, seeing things escalate, stood up to play mediator. "Second Young Master Qiao, this meeting is really important. Please don’t—"

Qiao LinYue sneered, "I do what I like. Who are you to tell me what to do? After what my brother did to you, you’re still standing up for him?"

Sheng Hanxia was left speechless.

Yancy Shaw leaned back in his chair, arms folded, watching the farce unfold with amusement.

He’d long heard of the Qiao family’s complicated background, but this kind of scheming between brothers was something else—quite the spectacle.

Xavier Quinn’s expression darkened further. "Get him out of here."

Qiao LinYue scoffed, "Try me."

The moment he said it, several security guards entered and pinned Qiao LinYue down.

"Do you know who I am? How dare you touch me! I’ll make sure you regret this!"

The security team promptly clamped a hand over his mouth and carried him out of the meeting room.

Watching this, Chris Cooper saw that even as Qiao LinYue was dragged out, he kept yelling—the words muffled under the guard’s palm, reduced to indignant grunts.

What a piece of work—barging in to wreck a deal in progress! He clearly just wanted to ruin the whole collaboration.

On the other hand, Xavier Quinn didn’t bat an eyelash—his composure matched Yancy Shaw’s.

With Qiao LinYue gone, the meeting room quieted. Manager Liu looked at Yancy Shaw, embarrassed.

"Sorry, President Shen. You had to witness that farce."

Yancy Shaw nodded. "No harm done. Let’s continue."

……

Ancheng. Wanrui Group.

Yvonne Sung sat in his office, eyes clouded and unreadable as he faced the person in front of him.

"What are you here for?" His reply to Eva Snow was anything but warm.

There was hardly anything left for Yvonne Sung and Eva Snow to say to each other—after all, his current predicament was tied to her.

Since her return home, Eva Snow had recovered a lot. She no longer looked as desperate as when she’d come back from overseas, and the scar on her forehead was gone after medical treatment.

"Of course, I’m here to see how you’re doing. Can’t believe you’re working for the Snow family now," she said, sounding almost amused. She’d always found it odd she couldn’t track him down before—it turned out her uncle had sent him abroad.

After the Sung family went bankrupt, Xue Wenchang had approached him, asking if he wanted a shot at reviving his family’s fortunes.

Yvonne Sung couldn’t let go of the past. Xue Wenchang had offered him an olive branch, promising that if Yvonne Sung was willing to work for the Snow family, there’d be a way for him to rise again.

Dean Sullivan had tried to get him to return to his hometown, but Yvonne Sung had refused—he simply couldn’t accept his fate.

"What did my uncle offer you to make you so loyal?" Eva Snow taunted. "To have you at his beck and call?"

Yvonne Sung grew impatient. "If you have something to say, get to the point and drop the sarcasm."

She gave an exaggerated shrug, arms folded in front of her, studying him.

"I’m here to ask a favor. Name your price—I’ll agree, as long as you can get it done."

Yvonne Sung sneered, "You’ve come to the wrong person. I’m not doing anything for you." He knew full well who really called the shots in the Snow family—Eva Snow was insignificant, no matter what she thought.

Eva Snow shrugged again, sighing lightly, "That’s a pity. I hear Lauren Shaw is all the rage these days—everyone says she and Yancy Shaw are a match made in heaven. Ah, in this world, people only laugh with the new and forget the old."

Yvonne Sung’s hands clenched, his gaze turning dark as he stared at Eva Snow.

She met his eyes, unfazed. "I’m getting married at the end of this month. Once I move to East China, don’t you miss me, okay?"

Then Eva Snow got up and left the office. The smile in her eyes never reached her face, and as soon as she stepped outside, her expression fell away.

Her wedding was at the end of the month. She hadn’t even met the groom—rumor had it he was disabled. She had no desire to marry some cripple from East China.

But she had a plan brewing—and only Yvonne Sung could help her carry it out.

……

With the end of the year approaching, the company was busy prepping for the annual banquet—an event both Shen Wenting and Mrs. Chen always attended, and the company made a big deal of it.

But with Bryce Shaw and Yancy Shaw both away, the responsibility of organizing it this year fell to Shen Mandy.

That afternoon, Li Qiuchi went to the advertising shoot location.

Zhu Yurou was there as well. When she saw Li Qiuchi, she smiled and approached gracefully.

Yuan Qi instinctively moved closer to Li Qiuchi, protectively stepping in front of her.

Le Rong didn’t know anything about the feud between them—she only knew Zhu Yurou was a director at Feican, so she greeted her politely, "President Zhu."

Zhu Yurou nodded. "Miss Le, I’d like to speak with Miss Li alone, if that’s all right?"

Yuan Qi knew Zhu Yurou was up to no good and was about to refuse, but Li Qiuchi squeezed her hand to signal that it was fine.

Zhu Yurou smiled with apparent warmth. "Miss Li, there’s still half an hour until the shoot starts—let’s talk somewhere else."