Duan Wenhu thought that her heartfelt essay would immediately reverse public opinion once it was published, but unexpectedly, the netizens didn’t fall for it and even started analyzing the deeper reasons behind this incident.
Duan Wenhu was so furious she was about to explode. So, Qingyue’s beating was for nothing?
"Can’t you act faster? By the time you do something, the matter will be old news." Frustrated, Duan Wenhu made another phone call to Chu Tian, clearly impatient.
Earlier, at the banquet’s restroom, she overheard Sang Ning and Chu Xi’s conversation and learned about the fact that their identities had been swapped for twenty years.
The Chu Family’s daughter being switched for twenty years might be hidden from outsiders, but it’s impossible to keep it a secret within their social circle.
Logically, Duan Wenhu should have known about this long ago, but because the Chu Family is on a higher tier than her own, she disdained lowering herself to interact with Chu Tian. Even though she came across this secret, she wasn’t interested.
Now Sang Ning has returned to her poor parents; without the Chu Group’s support, she’s unlikely to achieve anything. Duan Wenhu never regarded Sang Ning as a threat.
Still, she kept her guard up and sent someone to investigate Sang Ning and Chu Xi’s background.
It’s quite coincidental how in choosing their stage names, these two shared a strange sense of harmony. When they entered the entertainment circle, their real names were still Chu Ning and Sang Xi.
According to industry norms, entertainers usually adopt stage names for their careers, and the two of them coincidentally changed their surnames as part of their pseudonyms, becoming Sang Ning and Chu Xi, names they have stuck with ever since.
If someone weren’t paying close attention, they wouldn’t even notice the name change, as their online profiles contained no mention of their real names.
But now, the insignificant shrimp in Duan Wenhu’s eyes has turned into an utter lunatic, plotting against her. In that case, she won’t hold back in utterly destroying her.
On the phone, Chu Tian still seemed undecided, his words tinged with hesitation: "President Duan, such a major matter—please give me some time to sort out the details and prepare the necessary evidence, alright?"
Duan Wenhu sneered coldly. "President Chu, surely you’re not reluctant to discard that traitorous girl, are you? Sang Ning is nothing but an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. You’ve raised her for so many years, yet she returned to the Sang Family as soon as she could, showing no gratitude for your kindness. You and Li Sulan have sought her out repeatedly, hoping to bring her back to the Chu Family, but how did she respond? She treated you like strangers and even harbored intense hostility. Besides, she’s not your biological daughter. Letting her go could ensure a partnership with Hai Chuan—an absolutely profitable deal. Surely, as a businessman, you won’t turn down such a lucrative opportunity?"
Even through the phone, Chu Tian wrestled with an emotional conflict between feelings and logic, suppressing the urge to sigh to prevent any leakage of his true emotions in front of Duan Wenhu. He steadied himself and said calmly, "President Duan, I’m a businessman, as you know. Businesspeople talk profit, not emotions. What you said is extraneous. As I mentioned, gathering all the materials takes time. Give me half an hour, just half an hour, and I promise to provide you with a satisfactory answer!"
Reassured by Chu Tian’s firm response, Duan Wenhu finally felt at ease.
Sang Ning was destined to fall—it was only a matter of time.
After hanging up, Chu Tian finally allowed himself to show his emotions.
He sighed deeply several times, his brows tightly furrowed, visibly distressed.
Li Sulan rose from the sofa, her expression equally troubled. Yet, rare for her, she didn’t argue with Chu Tian. Instead, in a relatively calm voice, she asked, "Does it really have to come to this? Must Sang Ning be sacrificed?"
Chu Tian lifted his hand and massaged his brow, visibly uneasy. "Sang Ning offended the wrong people, and there’s no alternative this time."
Li Sulan frowned deeply as well. "Sang Ning’s stubborn and holds grudges. Just because we said a few harsh words about sending her back to the Sang Family, she’s hated us ever since. I’ve humbled myself to beg her multiple times, but she still refuses to return. Now this—if we go along with Duan Wenhu’s plan, our relationship with Sang Ning will be beyond repair."
In Li Sulan’s heart, she had already made her choice. Between Sang Ning and a partnership with Hai Chuan Group, her position aligned with Chu Tian’s: prioritizing collaboration with Hai Chuan.
Although the Chu Group appears glorious as the second-largest company in the Imperial Capital, only she and Chu Tian know the actual state of affairs.
In this era of rapid development, high-tech innovations emerge constantly. The Chu Group has hit a developmental bottleneck, struggling to keep pace with the market trends.
The Chu Group urgently needs a strong ally—a major corporation—for deep collaboration to undergo a transformation and secure standing amid fierce market competition.
Li Sulan’s external image of glamour is entirely reliant on the Chu Group’s support. As long as she’s alive, the Chu Group cannot collapse.
At the same time, she still wanted to try, to see if there was room for compromise, as her personal desire was for Sang Ning to return to the Chu Family.
If she agreed to collaborate with Duan Wenhu, their relationship with Sang Ning would be irreparably severed.
Chu Tian also struggled; while verbally agreeing with Duan Wenhu was easy, actually executing it was another matter.
He, like Li Sulan, still wanted to make one last effort.
"What if we try contacting Sang Ning one last time? If she agrees to return to the Chu Family, we can negotiate with Duan Wenhu and perhaps find a more suitable solution," Chu Tian suggested after careful consideration. Anyway, he had promised Duan Wenhu half an hour, and that was enough time to make the call and persuade Sang Ning.
"I think it’s worth a try. This could be a trump card. Sang Ning is cornered now; besides turning to us, where else can she go for support?" Li Sulan nodded, her lips curling into a confident smile, her demeanor exuding a sense of inevitably winning.
"Alright, then it’s decided. If the phone call doesn’t change the girl’s mind, then she’ll leave us no choice. As her former parents, we’ve done all we can." Chu Tian seemed to finally find a way to condone his guilt. No longer hesitating, he resolved himself.
Knowing that Sang Ning had blocked the Sang Family’s cell numbers, Chu Tian borrowed the butler’s phone specifically to call her.
While Chu Tian made the call, Chu Xi—who had been quietly eavesdropping from a corner upstairs—silently retreated to her bedroom.
After gently closing the door, she leaned against the wooden panel, finally allowing herself to take a deep breath of fresh air.
Chu Xi suddenly felt a pang of disappointment. It turned out that Chu Tian and Li Sulan’s love came with conditions.