Chapter 259: Reassuring Qin Sitong
"They came from the opposite direction, driving against traffic to block our way, so I have every reason to suspect this was premeditated.
My demand is to know who was behind this."
After hearing Yun Zijin’s full account of the incident, Tang Yu already had several plans forming in his mind.
The people who had blocked them were all injured to varying degrees, so the police officers had already taken them to the hospital for treatment.
As Yun Zijin’s legal counsel, and knowing her demands, Tang Yu inquired about the J Bureau’s handling of the situation. Afterward, he decided to go directly to the hospital to negotiate with the group.
For a qualified lawyer, negotiation skills were essential.
*
The Xia family home.
Xia Jiajiao had just returned home to see her mother pacing back and forth in the living room, her expression a mixture of conflict and anxiety.
"Mom, I’m home."
Hearing Xia Jiajiao’s voice, Zhang Yiqin quickly turned to look at her.
"Jiao Jiao, you’re back. How was it? Did you enjoy the art exhibition?"
Xia Jiajiao had been in a bad mood for the past two days because of the marriage alliance, and Zhang Yiqin couldn’t bear to see it, so she had given her a ticket to an art exhibition.
As for Xia Jiajiao’s claim that she knew the host of the exhibition... that was debatable.
"It was great! Mom, I even saw my older sister. I didn’t expect her to be interested in painting too. Maybe we can discuss it and exchange ideas in the future."
Xia Jiajiao looked at Zhang Yiqin with a face full of adoration and made a point to mention Yun Zijin.
"Why bring her up? You’re being forced into a marriage alliance because of her. You don’t need to speak up for her."
When Xia Jiajiao mentioned Yun Zijin, Zhang Yiqin’s expression immediately soured.
"Didn’t you say you would help me, Mom? I don’t blame my sister."
Xia Jiajiao obediently shook Zhang Yiqin’s arm.
"Yes, Mom will help you. I will absolutely not let you be forced into a marriage alliance!"
Families in business-motivated marriage alliances were often unhappy, with the woman usually making the biggest sacrifice. Zhang Yiqin genuinely cared for Xia Jiajiao and truly didn’t want her to be forced into such a marriage.
She had already found out which family Xia Zhengguang had chosen: the man was thirty-two, divorced, and had two kids.
’What decent girl would want to marry into a family just to become a stepmother to two children?’ In any case, Zhang Yiqin would absolutely not allow this to happen.
But when she thought about the matter she had arranged for today and the fact that she still hadn’t received any news, Zhang Yiqin couldn’t help but worry.
She knew Yun Zijin had bodyguards, so just in case, she had spent a lot of extra money to hire several dozen people.
’I refuse to believe that Yun Zijin’s seven bodyguards could win against several dozen men!!’
The money had all come from her personal savings she had squirreled away over the years. Even if she spent it all, Xia Zhengguang would never find out.
But Zhang Yiqin, still waiting for news, had no idea that the people she had paid were already in police custody and were currently lying in a hospital.
As for Yun Zijin, now that Tang Yu was handling everything, she didn’t concern herself with the aftermath.
To prevent Qin Sitong from being too shaken by the day’s events to sleep, Yun Zijin had specifically brought her back to Jade Lake.
She had an 8 a.m. class the next day, and staying at Xingyu Mansion wouldn’t leave her enough time.
Returning to Jade Lake, Yun Zijin saw Mei Lin sitting on the living room sofa.
"Mei Lin, what are you doing here? Haven’t you been busy with the equipment for Mr. Tang’s lab lately?"
Although she hadn’t acquired the land yet, construction on neither the manor nor the lab could begin.
But that didn’t stop Mei Lin from preparing the necessary lab equipment in advance. Much of it required pre-ordering and had a long lead time for delivery.
By the time the equipment arrived, Yun Zijin would surely have secured the land.
"The equipment isn’t urgent. We’ve already acquired 13% of the Xia Group’s shares, but I’ve discovered someone else is also buying them up.
There aren’t many loose shares left for us to acquire, even at a high price. The majority of the remaining stock is held by members of the Xia Family."
If they wanted to acquire more shares, their only option was to persuade some Xia Family members to sell off a portion of their holdings.
’Aren’t they having cash flow problems? Selling shares is one way out; it just depends on whether the Xia father and son are willing to part with them.’
"That is a problem... Let me think..."
Yun Zijin was determined to get the Xia Family under her thumb, but if the family members refused to sell their shares, it wouldn’t matter how high a price she offered.
"Do you want to stay for dinner tonight?"
The Xia Group matter couldn’t be rushed. Yun Zijin felt that living well in the present was more important.
Mei Lin shook her head. "There are still some things to take care of with the equipment. I’ll work a little overtime today to finish up."
As a robot, Mei Lin didn’t eat if she didn’t have to.
"Alright, then. Just watch the time. Don’t push yourself too hard."
’Even a robot shouldn’t be made to work at such high intensity every day.’
Only after Mei Lin had left did Qin Sitong finally let out a breath of relief. "Phew~ Your assistant’s presence is way too powerful. I haven’t dared to breathe loudly since I walked in."
Qin Sitong hadn’t met Mei Lin many times, but she was intimidated by her powerful aura every single time.
"That’s just her personality. She’s actually very nice. You’ll get used to it."
’I’ll probably never get used to it.’
Not everyone was like Yun Zijin, able to ignore Mei Lin’s imposing presence.
"Aunt Wang, please pour her a cup of Lingwu tea to calm her nerves."
"Right away, Miss."
Wang Minli acknowledged the request and headed toward the tea room.
"Lingwu tea? What kind of tea is that? The name doesn’t sound like something from our time."
"An elder gave it to me. Try it."
This was the first time Qin Sitong had ever encountered something like today’s blockade. Yun Zijin was genuinely worried she might suffer some aftereffects, which was why she had brought her home to help her calm down.
Lingwu tea was the best choice for calming one’s nerves.
But brewing tea took time, so Yun Zijin grabbed a handful of "happy candies" from the snack tray on the coffee table and gave them to her.
"Today’s blockade was most likely aimed at me. I’m sorry for dragging you into it. What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll have the kitchen make it for you."
"Oh, I’m fine! Didn’t Zero One and the others take care of everyone? I was in the car with you the whole time. I didn’t even get a clear look at the ’battlefield.’"
With Yun Zijin offering her tea, candy, and the chance to pick any dish for dinner, Qin Sitong felt her friend was overthinking things.
It might have been her first time experiencing something like this, but she wasn’t some delicate flower who would panic over a small incident.
On the contrary, she had been known for her courage since she was a child. When they went to haunted houses, many of the boys would hide behind her.
"Either way, I’m the one who got you involved. Just think of it as me feeling guilty and wanting to compensate you so I can feel less guilty myself."
"Are you saying you don’t want to order? The chefs here all come from long lines of culinary masters, with inherited traditions."
Hearing Yun Zijin say this, Qin Sitong’s eyes lit up.
’A chef with an inherited tradition—you just knew they couldn’t be bad.’
"In that case, can I get sweet and sour pork with pineapple? Can they make that?"
Qin Sitong’s tone was a little uncertain.
"Of course. I’ll have Aunt Wang tell the kitchen."
Just then, Wang Minli came over carrying the freshly brewed Lingwu tea.
Before she had even reached them, Qin Sitong felt she could already smell the rich aroma of the tea.