Chapter 342: Sowing Discord

After getting an earful from Luo Yuqing and being threatened by her on top of it, Bai Qianxun was naturally livid.

But once he calmed down, he was plagued by doubt.

'Luo Yuqing wouldn't have run over here just to yell at me for no reason. There must be something more to this.'

'Wang Chenning just got to Yandu. He really doesn't have anyone he can use.'

'The only people who could help him would be Luo Yuqing and Yang Xiaofei.'

'Since Luo Yuqing dared to storm into my hospital room and demand answers, I can pretty much rule her out.'

'Yang Xiaofei probably isn't that daring. Besides, the stuff online is mostly rumor and speculation. No one knows who's really behind it all.'

'Even if Yang Xiaofei suspected my involvement, she wouldn't have sent people to have me beaten up.'

'It doesn't fit her style, and it wouldn't be in her best interest.'

'Yang Xiaofei would only resort to something like this if her own interests were under extreme threat, forcing her to counterattack.'

'If we found out she was behind it, the Yang family might not be able to withstand our retaliation.'

'After all, apart from their financial power, the Yang family can't compare to our families in other areas of influence.'

'Could this really not be Wang Chenning's counterattack, but someone else's Mist Shadow Fist?'

'Was it a setup orchestrated by Zhang Guoping himself?'

'Or a self-injury ruse by Lin Annian?'

The moment he thought of a self-injury ruse by Lin Annian, Bai Qianxun's eyes lit up.

'Lin Annian was barely injured, but the guys he was with were all seriously hurt.'

'That outcome fits perfectly with Lin Annian or the Lin family staging the whole thing!'

"I will find a way to get to the bottom of this. Whoever tried to set me up, I won't let them off the hook!" Instead of acting rashly, Bai Qianxun immediately began making arrangements.

Luo Yuqing didn't visit Zhang Guoping. Instead, she had people spread a rumor that Zhang Guoping's intelligence was questionable for him to pull such a clumsy stunt to frame Wang Chenning. The ruse wasn't very clever, and someone as smart as Bai Qianxun certainly wouldn't be fooled by it.

Then, through other channels, she spread another rumor that Lin Annian had orchestrated the incident—a version of events that was quite similar to what Bai Qianxun had been suspecting.

After taking care of these things, Luo Yuqing called Wang Chenning to brag about her work.

"I've stirred things up and made a mess. I'm sure it'll help a little, or at least take some of the heat off you." Luo Yuqing then asked Wang Chenning if the job had been done carefully and whether any traces were left behind.

Wang Chenning replied flatly, "I don't know what you're talking about. I know nothing about any of this!"

"Good enough!" Luo Yuqing didn't press the issue.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhao Xiao'an messaged Wang Chenning, asking him to pick her up from work so they could go to her grandfather's place for dinner.

She had already told Zhao Jiefang they would be coming to the family estate to have dinner with him, and he had already arranged for it to be prepared.

"Okay!" Wang Chenning agreed.

'Getting to have dinner at Zhao Jiefang's home was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.'

'He knew that even the direct descendants of the Zhao family weren't always given the chance to dine with Zhao Jiefang.'

'It was an honor, and one he had to treasure.'

Wang Chenning was in the middle of a discussion with Lv Qinglan when Zhao Xiao'an's message arrived.

Lately, Lv Qinglan had been keeping a low profile and working extremely hard.

She hoped her low profile and diligence would demonstrate her resolve to change, thereby earning another chance from Wang Chenning.

Lv Qinglan knew Wang Chenning was testing her. If she performed well, her past mistakes might be forgiven.

But if she performed poorly, she could forget about ever making it in Yandu.

She might even find that there was no place left for her anywhere.

Thus, she didn't dare to slack off in the slightest, pouring all her energy into her work.

Wang Chenning had assigned her many tasks, entrusting her with important matters—under the supervision of Zheng Qiuhang, of course.

She had already organized the Li Garden Hall, Qingqu Hall, Yebei Bar, and the film company shares obtained from Zhang Guoping, just as Wang Chenning had instructed. All assets were now consolidated under the newly formed Cyan Bird Corporation.

The company's legal representative was Zheng Qiuhang.

Lv Qinglan was quite envious of Zheng Qiuhang. 'To be trusted so much by Wang Chenning that he even put the company in her name...'

'And I know Wang Chenning is about to give her a luxury car, on top of the duplex apartment he already gave her.'

'If I could get all that, being his kept woman would be a pretty good deal.'

'The car and the duplex must be worth at least ten million. Add the company shares, and you'd be set for life.'

'If Wang Chenning offered me even half of that, I'd willingly be his mistress. I'd even bear him a son.'

But Lv Qinglan also knew her own "value" couldn't compare to Zheng Qiuhang's. After all, Zheng Qiuhang was still a virgin.

So, all she could do was use her hard work and loyalty to earn his trust and a position of importance.

Wang Chenning was, in fact, quite satisfied with Lv Qinglan's performance.

'Recruiting Zheng Qiuhang during a crisis, taking in the disgraced Lv Qinglan... people you win over in situations like these should be trustworthy. They could even be trained into die-hard loyalists.'

Lv Qinglan was pleasantly surprised to receive praise from Wang Chenning.

She replied that she was only doing her duty and that going forward, she would take on more responsibilities to lighten the load for both him and Zheng Qiuhang.

Wang Chenning didn't say much more, just told her to keep up the good work.

"Your fate is in your own hands!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Ning. I'll take it to heart!" Lv Qinglan said, appearing very meek and obedient.

With that, Wang Chenning left to pick up Zhao Xiao'an from the TV station.

Wang Chenning went to pick up Zhao Xiao'an in the new Ford Edge that Zheng Qiuhang had bought for him.

Zheng Qiuhang had ultimately followed his instructions. She bought him a four-wheel-drive Ford Edge, an SUV he could use when he needed to fly under the radar, and also a Bentley worth around five million yuan. A five-million-yuan Bentley was a suitable match for Wang Chenning's current status.

Zhao Xiao'an was quite surprised to see Wang Chenning arrive in a Ford Edge to pick her up.

After Wang Chenning explained why, Zhao Xiao'an couldn't help but giggle. "You're pretty funny!"

"Well, the main thing is this is the model I drove most often back in Chang'an. The ones we got from inside the company were pretty high quality, they handle well, and the off-road performance is solid. The moment I got in, it felt so familiar and comfortable!" Wang Chenning said with a grin, gesturing for Zhao Xiao'an to get in. He then teased, "Riding in this won't be too much of a downgrade for you, will it?"

"If you don't think it's a downgrade, why would I?" Zhao Xiao'an said, happily hopping into the passenger seat. She then asked, "Am I your first passenger in this car?"

"Zheng Qiuhang drove it back from the dealer, so I'm the second driver. But you're the very first passenger!" Wang Chenning answered honestly. "You have a greater honor than I do!"

Zhao Xiao'an broke into another fit of giggles.

The two chatted and laughed all the way to the Zhao family estate. Zhao Xiao'an wasn't the least bit bothered by the modest car; in fact, she was in an excellent mood.

However, something happened as they approached the estate that completely ruined their good mood.