Chapter 25: He Actually Took Her for a Phone Spirit!

Shen Yanzhi seemed to let out a faint chuckle.

He appeared to have anticipated Shen Hongguo’s strategy. "Handing over the two projects you’re about to have trouble with? Uncle, you certainly know how to calculate. You disguise this as an apology, but in reality, you’re just offloading two hot potatoes onto me."

Shen Hongguo: "..."

That was precisely what he had intended. Two of his projects had recently run into complications, though they hadn't been exposed to the public yet, and he was struggling to find a way to resolve them. He had planned that if Shen Yanzhi didn't ask for specific details, he would dump those messes on him and let him deal with the headache. Once the contract was signed, it wouldn't matter if Shen Yanzhi discovered the problems later. As for the old man, it would be even easier to handle; since he had already offered an "apology" which Shen Yanzhi had accepted, the old man couldn't possibly force him to relinquish control of the Xiangshan Hotel as well.

But it turned out... this nephew of his was not so easily fooled!

Shen Hongguo took a deep breath and quickly interjected, "How could you say that? You haven't even asked which two projects I’m offering."

He rapidly cycled through his current portfolio in his mind and named two projects with significant potential—one of which was actually his flagship venture. He hadn't intended to part with that one, but having been repeatedly called out by Shen Yanzhi, he gritted his teeth, desperate to regain some ground. He would show Shen Yanzhi that he wasn't the selfish, cold-hearted villain he made him out to be.

"I didn't expect you to still remember those minor incidents from my childhood, Uncle. Since your apology is so sincere, I will accept this gesture," Shen Yanzhi replied.

Then, as if struck by a thought, he added with considerate tone to the man on the other end of the line, "Oh, by the way, Grandfather called earlier. He mentioned that you were willing to hand over the operational and management rights of the Xiangshan Hotel as compensation for planting that bug in my car last night. Since you’re giving things away anyway, just have someone send over the transfer contracts for those as well along with the projects."

Chi Yu: "!!!"

So that was it. She had been wondering why Shen Yanzhi was playing along with Shen Hongguo so easily; he had been setting his trap all along.

Shen Hongguo froze for two seconds, momentarily stunned. These projects were meant to be his apology for the bugging incident—who said anything about paying for the childhood incidents? And now he wanted the projects *and* the hotel?

Once the realization hit, Shen Hongguo felt a surge of shame and rage. So, the old man had already spoken to Shen Yanzhi, and Shen Yanzhi had known all along about the demand for the hotel's control, yet he had intentionally stayed silent just to watch him make a fool of himself?

Shen Hongguo’s mask of hypocrisy finally cracked. He snapped at the phone, "In your dreams!"

"Choose one! Either the two projects or the Xiangshan Hotel!"

At this point, even though he was loath to part with the hotel, he knew the power to choose no longer rested with him, but with Shen Yanzhi.

"Uncle, I already told you: have the contracts for both the projects and the hotel sent over," Shen Yanzhi said, his voice laced with a chill. The terms were laid bare, and he no longer had the patience to entertain Shen Hongguo. "That was a notification, not a negotiation."

Shen Yanzhi played his final trump card: "If I don't see those documents delivered by someone from your side before I finish work this evening, I wouldn't mind going to the old family estate for dinner tonight."

The subtext was clear: he was going to tattle to the elders. If Shen Hongguo didn't cooperate, he would tell the old man about the times Shen Hongguo had tried to abandon him as a child. By then, the cost would be far greater than just two projects and a hotel.

Shen Hongguo never imagined that after he and Shen Yuanzhong had just complained to the old man a few days ago, he would be threatened by Shen Yanzhi with the exact same tactic today. And while his and Yuanzhong’s complaints had been ineffective, Shen Yanzhi’s was a strike at his jugular, holding his very fate in his hands.

Shen Hongguo took a deep, shaky breath. "Fine! You win!"

He had gained a clear understanding of Shen Yanzhi’s character and resilience. Back then, realizing that the old man favored Shen Yanzhi and that the boy posed a threat to his own son's inheritance of the Shen corporation, he had tried twice to take the boy out and abandon him. He hadn't expected the child to be so precociously intelligent, finding his way back each time. After those failures, the old man’s watchfulness prevented any further attempts. At the time, he had feared Shen Yanzhi would expose him, but the boy had never once mentioned it, seemingly oblivious to the malice. Over time, Shen Hongguo had almost forgotten it himself. Who could have guessed that Shen Yanzhi not only remembered but was using it today as a shackle around his neck?

After spitting out those words, Shen Hongguo could no longer contain his fury and smashed his phone against the floor. With a loud crash, the brand-new device shattered into pieces. Staring at the wreckage, he gasped for air. How old had Shen Yanzhi been back then? Four? Five?

To be so young and yet know how to bide his time and hide his true nature for all these years?

A cold sweat broke out on Shen Hongguo’s back.

On the other end, Chi Yu and Shen Yanzhi heard the harsh, discordant noise followed by the call disconnecting. It wasn't hard to guess what Shen Hongguo had done to his phone.

Chi Yu gestured at the phone. "That old geezer definitely smashed his phone."

*Old geezer?*

This was the first time Shen Yanzhi had heard such a term. He found it quite amusing.

He set his phone down gently and said to Chi Yu, "Yes, he is a very bad man; you should stay away from him in the future."

He paused, then added as if making a promise, "Don't worry, I won't let you fall into his hands, and I don't have the habit of smashing phones."

However, perhaps influenced by the sound of Shen Hongguo’s phone being destroyed, Shen Yanzhi suddenly looked at his own phone—which lacked a screen protector or a case—with a strange sense of unease. He hadn't thought anything of it before, but now it looked incredibly vulnerable.

He picked it up and wiped the dust off the screen. "Is your true form data, or are you the phone itself? Would you like me to get you a protective case?"

Chi Yu: "...Huh?"

*True form?*

Chi Yu suddenly realized: no wonder Shen Yanzhi had accepted her identity so easily and was so patient and tolerant with her. He thought she was a phone that had gained sentience!

It was such an absurd yet perfectly fitting "phone spirit" identity that she didn't even have the heart to correct him...