Qi Siran wasn't exactly quiet, and her commotion woke Shao Qi, who was dozing in a chair on the other side.
Qi Siran pretended to glance over casually, then exclaimed in feigned surprise.
"Uncle Shao, what are you doing here?"
Shao Qi was reclined on a chaise lounge, enjoying the sun with a contented air.
When he saw her greeting him, a glint of light flashed across his eyes imperceptibly.
He seemed to be stunned for a moment, then waved at Qi Siran.
"Ah, it's the Qi family's girl. What a coincidence to run into you here."
A kind smile spread across Shao Qi's face.
But in Qi Siran's eyes, that smile was nothing but fake.
After observing for some time, Qi Siran had come to understand that Shao Qi had lost all real power in the family business.
Now the entire company was in the hands of Shao Yinan and his elder brother, and Shao Qi was in a semi-retired state.
"Yeah, it seems like you've been staying at home a lot lately. It's been ages since we last saw each other."
Qi Siran flashed him a sweet smile, the mask she always wore when dealing with outsiders.
"But I still bump into Brother Yinan from time to time."
"I attended the new product launch last time and saw Wen Yin and Brother Yinan there. I have to say they really do make a good-looking couple."
Qi Siran subtly steered the conversation towards them.
Her aim was to gauge Shao Qi's current attitude towards the two of them.
Qi Siran still remembered how furious Shao Qi had been when he first heard that Wen Yin and Shao Yinan were together.
He didn't like the idea of a girl from a humble background like Wen Yin hitching her wagon to their family.
Perhaps in his mind, if the two families were to marry, the Wen family would suck the life out of the Shao family.
One had to admit that his wariness was justified.
Qi Siran had seen some wealthy families go into decline after a marriage alliance, with the bigger family propping up the smaller one until both fell apart.
"Did you know? Sister Wen Yin is really something these days. She not only posts videos online all the time but is also opening her own dessert shop."
Qi Siran told him everything that had happened to Wen Yin recently.
But Shao Qi just nodded nonchalantly.
"Really? I didn't expect her to be so capable."
Shao Qi let out a soft snort.
His words were so carefully chosen that it was hard to tell what he really meant.
Seeing his attitude, Qi Siran couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety.
Shao Qi just gave her a disdainful glance, then sat up straight and didn't say another word.
But Qi Siran just kept going.
"Not only that, at the launch last time, I saw Sister Wen Yin and Brother Yuan Jia go out to the balcony for some fresh air. They seemed to be on good terms."
Qi Siran said this with an innocent look on her face.
She didn't believe that this old fox, Shao Qi, could stay calm after hearing that both his sons had something going on with Wen Yin.
Just as Qi Siran had expected, Shao Qi's eyes widened in disbelief.
He stared at her in shock.
The next second, he saw the girl on the other side of the fence smiling sweetly at him.
Qi Siran's eyes were full of innocence, as if she was telling the truth.
"Uncle Shao, don't you know about this?"
"Right, they're both so busy with work. I guess they don't have much time to talk to you."
Seeing that he was really worked up, Qi Siran's attitude became a bit bolder.
She said the most sarcastic things with the most innocent face.
A shadow of anger flashed across Shao Qi's eyes.
"Really? I haven't heard them mention this."
"But Yuan Jia and Wen Yin are just friends, right?"
From the moment Qi Siran started talking, Shao Qi had known.
This girl was approaching him on purpose today, and her motives were far from pure.
But he never thought that his rebellious son had been keeping so many secrets from him.
Wen Yin, this woman, turned out to be more resourceful than he thought.
In the past, Shao Yuan Jia had never shown a soft spot for Wen Yin. Why the sudden change?
"Siran, I'm sorry about the arranged marriage last time. Don't hold it against me."
"Yinan is as stubborn as a mule. There's no changing his mind."
Hearing him mention the arranged marriage, Qi Siran rolled her eyes in her mind.
But on the surface, she still managed a sweet smile.
"It's okay. I respect his decision."
"Since you said they're just friends, I can rest easy."
After saying this, Qi Siran added a hint.
"After all, a girl with a boyfriend should keep a distance from other men."
After delivering her message, Qi Siran left satisfied.
She wondered what this old man would decide.
But at least she had managed to turn Shao Qi against Wen Yin.
But Qi Siran hadn't taken more than a few steps when Shao Qi called out to her.
"Girl Siran."
Qi Siran turned around instinctively, a smile on her face.
"Is there something else?"
The expression on Shao Qi's face was far from the anger Qi Siran had expected.
He just said calmly.
"Nothing. I just noticed that you seem very interested in other people's business."
"I won't interfere too much in Yinan's love life."
"If you still have some inappropriate thoughts, I advise you to give them up as soon as possible."
Hearing this, the smile on Qi Siran's face froze.
She never expected Shao Qi to say such a thing.
Wasn't he against their relationship before?
Qi Siran was still trying to figure out what had gone wrong and why her plan had failed.
Then she heard Shao Qi continue.
"Otherwise, you may not be able to bear the consequences of angering Yinan."
After saying this, Shao Qi seemed to remember something and couldn't help smiling at Qi Siran.
"I remember your family participated in that bidding meeting last time. You were the most promising at first, but in the end, it fell into Shao Yinan's hands."
Before leaving, Shao Qi gave her a long, meaningful look.
"I'm sure you know what happened behind the scenes."
Hearing this, Qi Siran finally remembered.
Her face turned pale, and she stood there dumbfounded, unable to say a word.
It wasn't until Shao Qi's figure had completely disappeared that Qi Siran slumped into a chair.
She frowned.
Shao Qi's words kept echoing in her ears.
Combined with what those people had said at the banquet last time.
Qi Siran suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
It took her a long time to calm herself down.
Qi Siran took a deep breath.
If that's the case, she had no choice but to play her trump card.
But the investigation had been going nowhere lately.
Qi Siran seemed to think of something and picked up her phone.
[Qi Siran: Send me the address of that hospital.]
After thinking for a while, she added another message.
[Qi Siran: The hospital where Wen Yin was born.]