Chapter 415 - 428: Xiao Yan
No one could find fault with what the reporters said.
Jiang Dongcheng was hopping mad, looking as if his eyes might pop out of their sockets at any moment. He ground his teeth audibly.
But the reporters were just following procedure and hadn’t broken any laws.
One reporter lowered his microphone and looked at Jiang Dongcheng with feigned sincerity. "At your age, you really should take care of your health. People can just drop dead, you know."
"That’s right, that’s right. And you have to protect your face. They say getting angry makes you age faster, and nobody likes that."
"Really? Then I’d better protect my face. My wife loves this face of mine!"
The reporters’ back-and-forth was laced with a hidden meaning that even the cats and dogs on the street could understand, let alone Jiang Dongcheng.
This made Jiang Dongcheng even angrier.
Not only was he angry, but some of their words had actually started to sink in.
After they finished, the reporters chatted amongst themselves, packed up their things, and prepared to leave. The large crowd that had gathered at the entrance also dispersed within seconds, which was highly suspicious.
After they left, only a few people who worked in the building remained at the entrance.
A middle-aged man glared at Jiang Dongcheng, his face ashen. His voice was authoritative, tinged with anger.
"Jiang Dongcheng! To my office, now!"
The middle-aged man spun around and stomped ahead, his footsteps clanging down the hallway with an imposing force.
The other staff members who had been watching the spectacle from the sidelines involuntarily lowered their heads as the man passed, murmuring, "Director Xiao."
Jiang Dongcheng, still at the entrance, didn’t dare hesitate and followed him.
BAM!
The office door was shoved open with great force. Jiang Dongcheng followed closely behind, walking in quietly to await his reprimand.
No one heard the scolding, but everyone saw the look on Jiang Dongcheng’s face when he came out.
When Jiang Dongcheng emerged, he was fuming with pent-up resentment and nowhere to vent it. Just as he was about to take it out on one of his subordinates, someone ran in frantically from outside.
"Jiang Dongcheng... Xiao Yan... reporters!"
Jiang Dongcheng didn’t even have time to determine if the messenger was telling the truth. The moment he heard the words "Xiao Yan" and "reporters," he bolted from his workplace and ran toward Xiao Yan’s.
Meanwhile, in front of a certain municipal architecture approval office in Beijing, a different group of reporters armed with cameras of all shapes and sizes, and another crowd of unknown origin had surrounded Xiao Yan, trapping her in the middle.
"Ms. Xiao Yan, according to a reliable source, you and your husband had a child before you were married. Is this true?"
"Ms. Xiao Yan, is it true that your biological son, Jiang Xia, used the academic record of your husband’s son from a previous marriage to take his place?"
"Ms. Xiao Yan, why did you name your son Jiang Xia? Are you aware that this name is identical to the name of Jiang Dongcheng’s son from his first wife?"
"Ms. Xiao Yan..."
Trapped in the crowd, Xiao Yan was furious on the inside, but her overriding feeling was one of mockery.
Compared to Jiang Dongcheng, she was infinitely more composed; her expression didn’t even change.
Her lofty bearing as a Beijing socialite, her exquisite makeup, her elegant and proper attire, and her carefully selected jewelry all lent an air of credibility to her words.
An Ning and Zhou Xiaoshan were on the outskirts of the crowd, wanting to see just what kind of opponent Xiao Yan was.
The reporters in the crowd fired off one question after another.
In the center of the crowd, Xiao Yan raised a hand slightly, quieting the uproar, and met one reporter’s gaze.
"You say you have a reliable source. Then please present your reliable evidence before you speak."
"As for my marriage, I am indeed on my second one. But since divorce is legally permitted in this country, what grounds do you have to question it?"
"And as for my child’s name, it was simply an act of kindness. I didn’t want an innocent child to be forgotten by his own father. Is that a crime?"
Proper attire, a perfect response.
Watching the spectacle from the outside, An Ning wondered, ’Why would a woman like this ever fall for Jiang Dongcheng?’
’Was Jiang Dongcheng more impressive when he was younger?’
Just as An Ning was pondering this, a desperate shout came from outside the crowd.
"Yan’er—move! Get out of the way!"
Jiang Dongcheng had arrived.
In the crowd, Xiao Yan’s face remained impassive, but An Ning sensed a flicker of disgust in her otherwise calm demeanor, which gave her pause.
’There’s definitely some hidden problem between those two.’
"Dongcheng... don’t worry, I’m fine. They’re just asking a few questions, and I’ve already explained everything. Don’t worry."
Xiao Yan stepped forward and took Jiang Dongcheng’s arm. She quickly produced a silk handkerchief and dabbed the sweat from his face.
With just those few simple words, Jiang Dongcheng seemed to understand. He nodded, gazing at Xiao Yan with a look of deep affection, and didn’t say another word.
Soon, with the arrival of a few police officers, the crowd dispersed once again.
From a distance, An Ning and Zhou Xiaoshan saw Xiao Yan say a few more words to Jiang Dongcheng. He nodded and left, heading in the direction of his workplace.
Xiao Yan, however, remained where she was, watching Jiang Dongcheng with a tender, affectionate gaze until he was out of sight before she entered her building.
An Ning’s spiritual power had been following Xiao Yan the entire time.
After entering her workplace, Xiao Yan greeted everyone without the slightest hint of embarrassment, as if her family’s private troubles hadn’t just been put on public display.
She went upstairs and, in a deserted corner, pulled out a silk handkerchief with a cold expression and disdainfully threw it out the window.
The silk handkerchief fluttered on the wind, sailing over the compound wall.
Having done this, Xiao Yan seemed to have shed a deadly virus, returning to her office feeling utterly relieved.
An Ning watched this display with an amused smirk. ’Yes, there’s something that definitely needs to be done.’
She left with Zhou Xiaoshan. The two returned to the school just in time for lunch, where they met up with Yin Xuemei, Yang Jianguo, and An Guoping to eat together.
The group didn’t have much time to eat together, as their class schedules and various commitments were all different.
Besides, life was long. They couldn’t just be friends with each other; everyone needed to go out and socialize.
The group didn’t force themselves to make time. If they could be together, they were. If not, it was no big deal.
After lunch, they each went their separate ways to attend to their own business. As for Jiang Xia, who had yet to report to the school, none of them were particularly worried.
And for good reason. This morning’s spectacle had, of course, been arranged by Jiang Xia.
He had made his move; the other side would surely retaliate.
After lunch, An Ning didn’t go back to her dorm but went to find Li Chengze and Yu the Elder instead.
After she left their residence, she first went to class.
Fortunately, the class was easy and went off without a hitch. An Ning hadn’t walked more than three meters from the classroom when a student ran over to give her a message.
"Are you student An Ning?"
"I am."
"Your class advisor wants to see you in her office."
"Okay, thank you."
An Ning, holding her books, asked for directions and headed off to meet her class advisor, Sun Qian.
As she reached the entrance of the office building, she happened to spot Yu the Elder, Li Chengze, and the university president approaching in the distance.
An Ning quickened her pace to enter the building ahead of them and found the office of her class advisor, Sun Qian.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Inside, Sun Qian hung up the phone. Her eyes glittered with the confidence of someone who knew victory was in her grasp, and the look of triumph made her seem revitalized.
"Come in!"