Chapter 166: Question

Rong Shen picked up the purple clay teapot to refill his cup and sighed softly, "She's just venting her anger these past couple of days; she'll be fine after a while."

An Tong's gaze flickered slightly, and she had a lingering feeling that... the eldest sister wouldn't get over it so easily.

Had it not been for some grave offense, given Rong Xian's usual magnanimity, she wouldn't have lashed out and implicated so many people.

An Tong let out an "oh," put the bracelet back in its place, and asked no further questions.

***

The next day, Rong Shen left for the company early in the morning.

With nothing to do, An Tong took Ling Qi for a stroll near Zhan Science and Technology University to familiarize herself with the route in advance.

Halfway through their walk, the phone in her pocket rang.

An Tong stood by the roadside to answer it. The sound of passing traffic filtered through the earpiece as a deep, masculine voice asked, "Did you go out?"

"Mhm, over by Zhan Science and Technology University, with Qi Qi."

Rong Shen seemed to be smoking. After a faint sound of exhaling, his voice grew even richer and more resonant, "In half an hour, have Ling Qi bring you to Zhanzhou Plaza. We'll have lunch together."

An Tong agreed with a nod. After hanging up, she cast another glance at the grand and imposing campus gates of Zhan Science and Technology University, then turned to Ling Qi and said, "Let's stop walking. Head back."

Ling Qi was still holding a Roujiamo she had just bought from a small snack street in the alley.

Her mouth was stuffed full. As she turned back to walk with An Tong, she asked somewhat indistinctly, "Madam, school starts tomorrow. Will you still have time to build the app's backend program?"

An Tong replied nonchalantly, "It's already done."

"Hiccup..." Ling Qi choked slightly on her food. "So fast?"

An Tong glanced at her sidelong, her tone modest, "It wasn't really that fast."

During the few days Rong Shen was away on a business trip, she occasionally couldn't fall asleep at night, so she simply opened her computer and worked on the backend program. Before she knew it, she had finished building it.

Ling Qi mechanically chewed her Roujiamo, which suddenly didn't taste appetizing anymore.

How could the gap between people be this vast?

Hearing no further response from Ling Qi, An Tong continued on her own, "After the company is registered, you can be the legal representative."

"Huh?" Ling Qi stared in utter astonishment, "I'll be the legal representative? Then what about you?"

An Tong said it as a matter of course, "I have to go to school."

Ling Qi: "..."

"I will handle all technical and operational issues. You face the outside, and I handle the inside."

Ling Qi took another bite of her Roujiamo, feeling like the flavor had suddenly returned.

So, she had just picked up a company for free?

***

At Zhanzhou Plaza, An Tong got out of the car by the roadside. Just as she pulled out her phone to call him, someone behind her called out, "Xiao An."

A familiar voice belonging to Wen Wan.

An Tong hadn't expected her to still be in Zhanzhou. As she turned around with a smile, she caught sight of the handsome man standing beside her, Rong Yan.

Standing together, they certainly looked a visual match, but the man's expression carried a too-flirtatious and frivolous air that ruined the aesthetic of their standing side by side.

Moreover, there was no sweetness of a romantic relationship on Wen Wan's face; instead, she wore an even heavier look of worry.

An Tong paused and greeted them with a smile.

Wen Wan walked up to her, a sliver of vitality returning to her eyes, "Since we happened to run into each other, let's go in together."

"Are you two here to..."

Before Wen Wan could answer, Rong Yan walked straight past them, his tone lukewarm, "Didn't your husband tell you we're having lunch together?"

An Tong had a sudden realization. No wonder Rong Shen had asked her to come over; it turned out to be a gathering with Rong Yan and the others.

Still, Rong Yan's tone of speech was as unappealing as ever.

Aside from Ninth Brother, do all good-looking people lack the ability to speak nicely?

An Tong glanced at Rong Yan's retreating back and glared at him slightly.

"Don't mind him. He just doesn't know how to say anything pleasant," Wen Wan sighed softly, her voice gentle and slow, "Shall we wait for the next elevator?"

An Tong replied, "Sure."

By the time they reached the restaurant on the seventh floor, Rong Yan was already sitting in the private dining room, smoking a cigarette.

Being a frivolous young master accustomed to doing as he pleased, he never cared about the occasion—or perhaps, he simply chose not to.

The moment before An Tong stepped into the private room, a tall and imposing figure also entered the restaurant entrance.

The central air conditioning in the building kept the temperature comfortable, and since the man had come straight down from the top floor, he wasn't wearing an overcoat. Dressed simply in a white shirt and black suit trousers, he didn't put on airs or show off, yet exuded an undeniable aura and foundation that could not be ignored.

The waiter respectfully greeted him as "Mr. Rong" and personally led him toward the private dining room.

As soon as An Tong sat down and saw the man appear, her face immediately lit up with a bright smile.

Rong Shen curved his lips, rolling up his sleeves as he walked over, "When did you arrive?"

"Whom are you asking?"

"Just got here."

The two voices rang out simultaneously. The former came from Rong Yan, who never spoke nicely.

The latter came from An Tong, who had stood up to welcome him.

Rong Shen glanced briefly at Rong Yan, who was sitting at the head of the table smoking with a cold smirk, then indifferently withdrew his gaze. He walked up to the young woman, took her hand, and stroked her fingers. "Why didn't you give me a call when you arrived?"

An Tong held onto the man's fingertips in return, looking up at him with eyes that could no longer see anyone else. "I ran into Sister Wan downstairs and came up with her."

The two of them conversed as if no one else was around, making Rong Yan and Wen Wan appear exceptionally redundant.

"I say, Old Jiu..." Rong Yan took a drag from his cigarette, raised an eyebrow, and scoffed coldly, "Can you two show some basic hospitality? Your sixth sister-in-law and I have been sitting here for ages."

At that moment, Rong Shen pulled An Tong down to sit beside him, picked up the menu, and placed it in front of her. With calm and unhurried composure, he said, "Weren't you the ones treating us to lunch?"

Who was the host and who was the guest went without saying.

Rong Yan's cigarette-smoking motion paused, and his face darkened in displeasure.

Wen Wan simply raised her teacup and took a sip, acting as if the matter had nothing to do with her.

Seeing Rong Yan rebuffed, An Tong inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction. She flipped through the menu while keeping her left hand tucked under the table, playing with the man's fingertips. "Sister Wan, is there anything you'd like to eat?"

"Anything is fine." Wen Wan rubbed her teacup, her speech always textbook-standard in its propriety and elegance, "Their osmanthus honey is quite good. If you like sweet things, you can order some to try."

An Tong turned her head to ask Rong Shen, "Do you want any?"

The man gave a slight shake of his head. An Tong directly tapped the menu tablet to order two portions of osmanthus honey, the second one being for Wen Wan.

She completely ignored Rong Yan throughout.

An Tong added two more dishes and then handed the tablet over to the man beside her.

The atmosphere at the table carried a subtle undercurrent of tension.

It wasn't obvious, yet it was impossible to ignore.

An Tong spoke very little, and coupled with her lingering prejudice against Rong Yan, her entire focus was centered on Rong Shen.

Wen Wan occasionally chimed in with a couple of remarks, but mostly she just seemed lost in thought.

Only Rong Yan loaded every sentence he uttered with hidden meanings, clearly intent on stirring up trouble.

"Old Jiu, you've been married for a few months now, yet you haven't held a wedding banquet or brought her home for us to meet. Keeping her hidden away like this—do you not think much of me as your brother, or are there other considerations?"

An Tong gave him a cool look, while the man's low and unhurried voice sounded beside her ear, "Our affairs require no trouble on your part. Instead of having such idle time, you'd better spend it properly dealing with the lingering issues from your previous engagements."

"What?" Rong Yan smiled with exceptional slyness, "Are you sticking up for my fiancée?"