It was already eleven o'clock at night when Huo Linsheng returned to the Huo family's old mansion.
He originally planned to go to the Gold Seal Mansion, but thinking of Ling Nuan, he finally chose to drive for an hour and return to the old mansion.
When he came back, the bedroom was pitch - black.
Huo Linsheng thought Ling Nuan had already fallen asleep, so he only dared to turn on a small lamp in the bedroom. But when the dim light came on, he saw Ling Nuan sitting blank - faced and motionless on the bed.
The light pulled Ling Nuan back from her thoughts.
She turned her head and met Huo Linsheng's gaze.
She had a very aggrieved day, but the most aggrieved and painful moment was after receiving Lin Lan's message. At that moment, it seemed as if she could hear the sound of her heart suddenly cracking. The pain of the crack made her bend down involuntarily.
It seemed that as long as she curled up, the pain would be less.
She tried to comfort herself. It's okay. Things could still change. It wasn't the end yet, right? There was still hope.
Just as Ling Nuan had managed to calm her emotions, Yang Qin's call came in.
As soon as she answered, Yang Qin started scolding her.
"Ling Nuan, what on earth are you doing? Where's your follow - up plan? You've been planning for so long, and this is all you've got?" Yang Qin was extremely angry. "I shouldn't have cooperated with you in the first place if I'd known you were so useless."
It took Ling Nuan a while to find her voice and ask, "What happened?"
"There are indeed tax issues with Qing Nuan, but Huo Xiao and Shen Shaoqing have already found a scapegoat, the deputy manager of the finance department. He has already confessed that he was the one who caused the trouble. Shen Shaoqing and Huo Xiao are innocent." Yang Qin was fuming as she said this.
When Ling Nuan approached her back then, she clearly said that she could nail Shen Shaoqing. But look what happened?
In such a short time, things had changed completely.
Ling Nuan's pupils shrank slightly.
When making the plan, she had speculated that once things went wrong, Huo Xiao and Shen Shaoqing would definitely push out a scapegoat. But as long as it was proven that Huo Xiao had embezzled public funds, this matter couldn't be resolved unless Huo Xiao himself became the scapegoat.
But a person like Huo Xiao would never be a scapegoat.
So this matter would surely drag on for a while. By then, Ling Nuan could persuade the Huo Corporation to take over Qing Nuan's technology based on the cooperation agreement signed between the Huo Corporation and Qing Nuan.
"How could it be so fast?" Ling Nuan still couldn't believe it.
"How would I know? This was told to me by someone I know. But it's estimated that the news will be announced in a few days. Once the news is out, the cooperation between Qing Nuan and the Huo Corporation can continue. The Huo Corporation obviously wants to protect Huo Xiao!" Yang Qin ranted.
Hearing this, Ling Nuan asked, "What does it mean that the Huo Corporation wants to protect Huo Xiao? Didn't the Huo Corporation already issue a statement?"
The statement clearly said that Huo Xiao had indeed embezzled charity funds, and to make up for this mistake, Huo Linsheng had even donated ten times the amount of charity money.
The Huo Corporation had thus extricated itself from this muddy water, but Huo Xiao had been severely criticized online. However, if the Huo Corporation didn't pursue the matter, netizens could only do some scolding.
Yang Qin snorted. "That person is on good terms with me. He said that it was the Huo Corporation that helped Shen Shaoqing make connections. Otherwise, could this matter be suppressed so quickly?"
Ling Nuan felt that her thoughts seemed to freeze at that moment.
Was it Huo Linsheng?
It couldn't be. He wouldn't do such a thing.
Maybe it was Huo Zhen? Huo Zhen was also in the company, and it was reasonable for him to help Shen Shaoqing and Huo Xiao.
But with Huo Linsheng around, would Huo Zhen really dare to act in the name of the Huo Corporation without his consent?
At that moment, Ling Nuan was really at a loss. It seemed that overnight, everything had become something she couldn't understand.
The Huo Linsheng who had said he would help her had cut off her back - up without hesitation and even favored Huo Xiao?
This was unacceptable to Ling Nuan.
Yang Qin didn't call just to scold Ling Nuan. After scolding, she asked, "Aren't you Mr. Huo's girlfriend? Isn't there any room for maneuver in this matter? Things have reached this stage. I can't stand it if Shen Shaoqing makes a comeback!"
Without waiting for Ling Nuan to ask, she added, "How about I release all the remaining information in my hand now? Maybe it will still work."
Ling Nuan quickly came back to her senses.
She wasn't stupid enough to play all her cards at the beginning.
Cards should be played one by one. If she had the chance to play all her cards, then Shen Shaoqing would have no chance of making a comeback.
Unfortunately, she had missed a card, which had led to a big change in the situation.
"Don't act rashly. We've already missed the best opportunity." Ling Nuan said. Even in great sorrow, she quickly regained her composure. "We'll wait for the next opportunity to act."
Continuing at this time would only cause some trouble for Shen Shaoqing and Huo Xiao. They couldn't be completely defeated. The cards should be played at the right time. Although it was a pity, Ling Nuan knew that she had to be patient and wait for the next suitable opportunity.
Yang Qin didn't object. She just ranted a few more times.
After hanging up the call with Yang Qin, Ling Nuan called Qin Rao.
"I was just about to call you. Qing Nuan's funds are okay now. Huo Xiao has invested a large sum of money to fill the previous gap, and the Huo Corporation doesn't seem to have any intention of rejecting the cooperation with Qing Nuan." Qin Rao said helplessly. "Ling Nuan, I'll be leaving Qing Nuan in five days."
Ling Nuan suddenly couldn't say a word.
The time of Qin Rao's contract with Qing Nuan was almost up.
Once Qin Rao left, Ling Nuan wouldn't have anyone she could trust at Qing Nuan. Without an insider, it would be even more difficult to deal with Qing Nuan in the future, especially since she couldn't even get into the Huo Corporation now.
Seeing Ling Nuan's silence, Qin Rao asked with concern, "Has something happened? Shen Shaoqing and the others have resolved the matter too quickly. This doesn't seem like something Shen Shaoqing and Huo Xiao could handle on their own."
It wasn't Shen Shaoqing and Huo Xiao, and even not Huo Zhen.
Huo Zhen was indeed more capable than Shen Shaoqing and Huo Xiao, but he didn't have that much ability either.
Ling Nuan really didn't want to accept that the person who had helped Huo Xiao and Shen Shaoqing in this matter might be Huo Linsheng.
"Qin Rao." Ling Nuan called his name. Instead of answering his question, she said, "After your contract expires, leave Qing Nuan and go as far away as possible."
Qin Rao was puzzled. "What do you want to do, Ling Nuan?"
Ling Nuan smiled and said, "I'm not going to do anything. I'm just afraid that if things are exposed, you'll be implicated."
Hearing this, Qin Rao didn't care. "After leaving Qing Nuan, I'm going to pack up and go abroad."
"That's good." Ling Nuan said.
In fact, she didn't feel good at all.
After ending the call with Qin Rao, Ling Nuan sat motionless on the bed until Huo Linsheng came back.
She looked at Huo Linsheng.
In just one day, the person in front of her seemed to have become completely strange.
"Is it you, Huo Linsheng?" Ling Nuan asked.