Chapter 24: Shen Hongguo’s Apology

Shen Yanzhi’s gentle and thoughtful gesture left Chi Yu feeling pleasantly surprised.

Was Shen Yanzhi being a bit too kind to her? She was, after all, just a mobile phone. Not only had he quickly accepted the fact that she was different from other devices, but he was even planning to take her out during the weekend.

Chi Yu found herself uncharacteristically silent.

Shen Yanzhi returned to his work. As noon approached, he received a call from Elder Shen.

Yesterday, after Chen Jin delivered the wiretap to the Shen family estate and pointedly noted that it had been discovered inside Shen Yanzhi’s car, Elder Shen had kept his composure in front of Chen Jin. However, once Chen Jin left, the Elder flew into a rage. He summoned Shen Hongguo and Shen Yuanzhong to his study, demanding to know who had planted the tracking device in Shen Yanzhi’s vehicle.

By delivering the device to him, Shen Yanzhi’s implication was clear: the bug had been surreptitiously installed during their recent visit to the estate for dinner.

Shen Yuanzhong had been seeking help from Shen Hongguo, desperate to avoid signing the contract Shen Yanzhi demanded while simultaneously unable to stand by and watch Huang Sheng go to prison. He was already at his wit’s end. Upon being called into the study and learning about the wiretap, both men vehemently denied any involvement.

Shen Yuanzhong had initially suspected Shen Hongguo, but upon hearing his uncle’s denial, he immediately sneered, claiming it must be a self-directed scheme by the cunning and treacherous Shen Yanzhi, designed to frame both him and his older brother.

Elder Shen did not believe him. Since neither of them would confess, he decided to conduct his own investigation. Fortunately, Shen Yanzhi had discovered the bug early; by the time Chen Jin delivered it, not a single person had left the Shen estate. This included not only Shen Hongguo and Shen Yuanzhong but also every butler and servant in the villa.

Having helmed the Shen Corporation for decades in his youth, Elder Shen’s depth of strategy and cunning made investigating such a matter child’s play. Within a single night, he had uncovered the culprit.

"I never imagined your uncle would stoop to such lows," Elder Shen said over the phone, his voice tinged with exhaustion, as if he hadn't slept well the night before. "I have ordered him to transfer the management and operational rights of the Xiangshan Hotel to you as an apology for his wrongdoing."

The Xiangshan Hotel was Elder Shen’s private property. He had gifted the management rights to Shen Hongguo on his fifty-first birthday. Situated at the foot of the renowned Fragrant Hills—a top-tier tourist destination with year-round scenic beauty—the hotel enjoyed a constant stream of domestic and international visitors, effectively making it a perpetual money-maker.

Shen Hongguo had coveted the hotel for years, repeatedly asking for it, but the Elder had refused until that birthday, granting only the operational rights. Now, due to Shen Hongguo’s decision to bribe a servant to plant a bug in Shen Yanzhi’s car, the Elder had forced him to hand over these rights to Shen Yanzhi without compensation. It was clear just how furious the old man was.

Hearing that it was Shen Hongguo who had bugged his car, Shen Yanzhi felt no surprise. Compared to his hot-tempered third uncle, this "smiling tiger" of an eldest uncle was the far more dangerous adversary.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Shen Yanzhi said.

Hearing his gratitude, Elder Shen sighed. He seemed to want to say more, but ultimately held back, simply reminding Shen Yanzhi not to work too late, to balance work and rest, and to come home and visit more often when he had the time.

Shen Yanzhi agreed to everything, and the two soon ended the call.

Shortly after the call concluded, Shen Yanzhi’s phone rang again. Chi Yu glanced at the screen and saw that it was none other than his black-hearted uncle.

Shen Hongguo had only just finished being reprimanded by the Elder. Even a man as thick-skinned and prone to bold-faced lying as Shen Hongguo felt a pang of shame. He had to brace himself for a moment before finally dialing.

Once the call connected, Shen Hongguo gripped his phone tightly and opened with an apology: "Dear nephew, I am truly sorry about yesterday. I was momentarily blinded by greed and allowed a servant to commit a grave error. The old man has already criticized me, and I know I was wrong..."

"But you’ve misunderstood me. I didn’t have any malicious intent in planting that; I just wanted to know how you were doing. Do you remember when you were small, and your parents were often away, I would take you to the amusement park? I suppose you were too young to remember."

Shen Hongguo grew more fluent: "You were always such a sensible and obedient child, and I knew even then that you were the most promising of the younger generation. I often took you out to play. Now that you’ve grown up, we’ve drifted apart due to some misunderstandings. This time—"

Before he could finish, Shen Yanzhi coldly interrupted, "Are you referring to the times when I was four or five, when you used the pretense of taking me to the amusement park to intentionally abandon me in crowded, unfamiliar places, forcing me to find the security booth myself to contact a driver to pick me up?"

Shen Hongguo froze. He never imagined that Shen Yanzhi would remember something from so long ago, let alone recount the details so clearly! If Shen Yanzhi hadn't been so specific, he himself would have nearly forgotten those times he had discarded his nephew.

Inside the phone, Chi Yu was also stunned. She had sensed Shen Hongguo’s duplicity and hypocrisy when they were in the office, but she never expected him to have done such cruel things to Shen Yanzhi in the past.

"Nonsense, nonsense! How could I have done such a thing? You must have misremembered," Shen Hongguo stammered, wiping away sweat. He regretted bringing up the past; he had intended to smooth things over, but instead, he had dug another hole for himself.

He quickly changed the subject: "How about this, nephew? I’ll give you those two projects I’m currently working on as a peace offering, how about that?"

Chi Yu thought to herself: *...*

She finally understood why Elder Shen had called earlier. Aside from providing a personal answer to Shen Yanzhi to preserve their bond, he was specifically guarding against Shen Hongguo’s attempt to pull a bait-and-switch.

Sure enough, despite agreeing to the Elder's terms, Shen Hongguo was already trying to pull a fast one on Shen Yanzhi. This only proved that the profits from the Xiangshan Hotel were substantial; otherwise, Shen Hongguo wouldn't risk defying the Elder's orders just to keep the hotel’s management rights in his own hands.