Chapter 394: Family No More
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Rong Qi turned off her phone, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes to recharge.
Xu Yi glanced back at Rong Qi, his lips curling into a playful grin. He said, “Madam, I was snooping around just now, and so far, I counted three ident.i.ties for you.”
Xu Yi started ticking off on his fingers, enumerating for Rong Qi’s benefit. He said, “You’re Shanon, the mysterious master of needles; the boss of the famous Qiyan Studio, and something about a royal… harpist? Quite impressive, I must say.”
Listening to Xu Yi’s words, the driver couldn’t help but roll his eyes and corrected, “It’s a royal violinist, you ignoramus!”
“Ah, yes, that’s it—a royal violinist,” Xu Yi agreed. “So, Madam, any other secret ident.i.ties I should jot down for future reference? You know, just so I don’t forget to protect you when I’m engrossed in being an onlooker.”
Even the previously annoyed driver turned his head to look at Rong Qi, his face lighting up with genuine interest.
Rong Qi sighed, “Do you think I’m some kind of omnipotent being?”
Meanwhile, in a room next to the Gu family’s main house.
“I won’t sign, Mr. Zhuang. Rong Qi is my daughter, and she will always be. You’re forcing my hand here,” said Rong Tianshi, locking eyes with Zhuang Ling.
Unperturbed, Zhuang Ling offered a wry, official smile. He said, “Mr. Rong, your signature is not merely a formality. Should you agree, Master Shen will withdraw and sever all ties. Furthermore, Rong Holdings’s debt to Jingsheng Corporation will be written off. You can ill afford not to sign.”
Rong Tian’s face darkened. He had only learned today, thanks to Zhuang Ling, that since the outset of his company’s financial crisis, Ye Nanshen had been secretly acquiring shares in Rong Holdings. Now, the ownership of Rong Holdings was evenly divided into thirds.
One-third was in Rong Tianshi’s hands; another third was with Ye Nanshen, and the remaining third belonged to an unknown party who had never come forward. Attempts to contact this person had been in vain, only revealing that the shares were held by an overseas corporation. It complicated matters further.
Caught in this dilemma, Rong Tianshi now shared an equal stake in Rong Holdings with Ye Nanshen. Worse yet, he owed Ye Nanshen a staggering debt—money he couldn’t possibly repay.
What Rong Tianshi hadn’t antic.i.p.ated was that Ye Nanshen, who always played his cards close to his chest, had from the very beginning planned to gain control over Rong Holdings. The cunning calculation to keep him entrapped left him awestruck.
Rong Tianshi stared at the agreement on the table, designed to sever his relationship with his daughter. It felt as though his heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.
“And what if I don’t sign? Does Rong Qi know you’re doing this? Why should I sever my father-daughter relationship with her?”
“A father-daughter relationship?” Zhuang Ling countered. “How can you even utter such words? The world knows only of your second daughter, ignorant of your first. What have you given her over the years?”
Rong Tianshi remained silent.
“Master Shen offers you this agreement out of respect, seeing as you’re the father of his wife. Otherwise, the Rong family would have long been history. I suggest you reconsider,” said Zhuang Ling.
“Rong Qi is my daughter,” Rong Tianshi insisted. “If I must sign, then at least let me see her face-to-face. I need to ask her directly if she truly wants to cut ties with her own father!”
Before Zhuang Ling could finish his sentence, the room door burst open with a loud bang. Both Zhuang Ling and Rong Tianshi turned to see a tall figure stride into the room..