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My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 453 Isn’t Yang Rou the Author of That Young Wife? (6000)
Chapter 453: Chapter 453 Isn’t Yang Rou the Author of That Young Wife? (6000)
Chen Yan’s method of seeking revenge against Zhao Qingtian was simple and direct.
That was to: precisely target the current situation of the Zhao Family.
From the incident involving Zhao Xuan, as well as the information provided by the He family to Chen Yan, it was clear that Zhao Qingtian had been centralizing power within the Zhao family, subsuming the authority of various branches to strengthen the main house.
The branches were not without their own power, and they had a lot of objections.
However, since Zhao Qingtian controlled the overall situation, and advanced his agenda steadily, like slowly boiling a frog, all the while acting cautiously and without leaving any leverage against himself,
the branches did not have much of an avenue to counterattack. They could only be gradually eroded.
But that didn’t mean they had no will to resist.
Therefore, Chen Yan could certainly look for some vulnerabilities or scandals related to Zhao Qingtian, then ignite the internet and provide the Zhao family’s branches with an opportunity to strike back.
He could guide other branches of the Zhao family to attack en masse.
Chen Yan could take advantage of the situation to hide behind these branches, giving them a nudge and stirring the pot.
He could even take control of Headline Technology and annihilate the Xu brothers while both sides were at each other’s throats, thereby avenging He Mengxue and Yang Rou, elevating his own status domestically, and clipping Zhao Qingtian’s wings.
This would give him ample time to grow stronger.
Chen Yan was not worried about the branches of the Zhao family being easily exterminated by Zhao Qingtian.
After all, although those branches were just branches, their power had grown substantially over the years.
Taking the example of the Qindong branch of the Zhao family, just this one branch could be counted among the top ten corporations in all of Qindong.
This example highlighted the power of this branch.
Because of this, Zhao Qingtian considered the branches too influential to be easily controlled, and wanted to recover their authority and assets for the main house...
After laying out his general plan, Chen Yan sat in the executive chair, pondering the most critical step of the plan: Zhao Qingtian’s weaknesses and scandals.
Only information of sufficient weight could motivate the branches to make a stand.
Certainly, Chen Yan did not have such information in his hands.
But... he knew someone who might.
That person was: Yang Rou.
Chen Yan remembered the "Instant Film" reviews of her when they met: Yang Rou was one to hold grudges.
Even for an enemy like the Xu brothers, Yang Rou remembered for many years, quietly gathering information.
Therefore, for a conflict deeper than that with the Xu brothers, it was impossible that Yang Rou would not hold a grudge against Zhao Qingtian, nor was it likely that she had no other information.
So, Chen Yan thought that he should meet with Yang Rou, discuss the plan, and get something valuable from her.
And... perhaps to exchange some feelings as well.
With this in mind, Chen Yan was about to get up and find Yang Rou.
But just as he rose, there was a "bang, bang, bang" on the door of his office.
Chen Yan was momentarily startled, straightened his clothes, sat back down, and called, "Please, come in."
The office door was pushed open, and Lu Man extended her grin and popped her head in, "Chen Yan~? Are you busy?"
She was like a lively sprite, bringing immediate joy upon sight.
Chen Yan shook his head with a smile, "Just finished up."
After speaking, he asked, "Why aren’t you resting at home and coming to the company instead?"
The two had fought a fierce battle the previous night, not stopping until Lu Man was nearly exhausted.
Thus, Chen Yan thought that Lu Man, with her lazy disposition, would rest for at least a few days before going out.
Hearing Chen Yan’s question, Lu Man smiled triumphantly and said, "Because I went to prepare a gift for you!"
"Gift?" Chen Yan looked at Lu Man.
At this moment, Lu Man had already entered the room, but her hands were empty, holding nothing.
Chen Yan was curious, "What gift?"
Lu Man first peered out, looked left and right like a thief, then carefully closed the door and came to Chen Yan’s side, whispering, "I’ll tell you,"
"I went to gather some information on Zhao Qingtian."
"Information on Zhao Qingtian?" Chen Yan was a bit stunned.
Lu Man nodded repeatedly.
Chen Yan asked, "Who did you hear it from?"
Lu Man replied with proud disdain, "The person in the company who likes to talk the least!"
Chen Yan exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Rou?"
Clearly, Yang Rou’s characteristic of speaking little had already formed a consensus within the company.
Lu Man nodded proudly.
Chen Yan did not expect Lu Man to be so in tune with him, coming to the same conclusion, so he smiled and lifted Lu Man onto his lap, while caressing her smooth, fair, slender legs, he asked, "So what information did you get?"
Lu Man chided Chen Yan with a slap on his playful hand, then began to relay the information she got from Yang Rou in detail.
Of course, she still kept her promise not to disclose Nuan Nuan’s origins,
mentioning only that Zhao Qingtian had been pestering Yang Rou and Yang Nuannuan persistently.
Yang Rou had warned him several times, but Zhao Qingtian stubbornly refused to change, even thinking that Yang Rou was playing hard to get, displaying some perverse and arrogant tendencies.
After hearing the stories of the past from Lu Man, Chen Yan was at a loss.
For a moment, he couldn’t snap out of it.
Seeing Chen Yan’s reaction, Lu Man couldn’t help but laugh.
She said, "Is it not legendary?"
"When I first heard about it, I was just as shocked. Almost thought I heard it wrong."
"But through these events, we can see that Zhao Qingtian is indeed a beast, a scum, a pervert, a lunatic!"
At that moment, listening to Lu Man’s words, Chen Yan finally came back to his senses.
He raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute."
He looked at Lu Man with a face of disbelief and asked, "Are you saying that Yang Rou told you, it was Zhao Qingtian who initiated contact with her, offering his genetic material? And after gaining her trust, Zhao Qingtian took the opportunity to use this as blackmail and an excuse, wanting to molest her?"
Lu Man nodded earnestly.
She also looked curiously at Chen Yan and counter-asked, "Otherwise what?"
"You’re not suggesting that Sister Rou molested Zhao Qingtian and then took his genes, are you?"
Chen Yan:...
Chen Yan felt his brain was in chaos.
Because he had chatted online with "Yang Rou" about the events of those years.
What Yang Rou told him then was completely the opposite of what was being said now.
So..... which of these two accounts is true, and which is false?
For a moment, Chen Yan felt the events of the past were bewildering.
It even made him start to doubt Yang Rou: a woman... telling two different people about the same event, yet the stories were completely contradictory.
Regardless of which one was false, it indicated that this woman was not very "real"...
With this in mind, Chen Yan looked at Lu Man and then asked, "Man Man. Does Sister Rou know you’re going to tell me about this?"
Lu Man nodded.
Chen Yan decided in his heart: It looked like... he needed to use the "Inner Headphones" to personally verify Yang Rou’s story.
Otherwise, he could get rid of Zhao Qingtian only to have planted a bomb within his own camp...
Thinking thus, Chen Yan chatted with Lu Man for a while longer, and after promising to spend the evening with her, he sent her out of the office.
Once Lu Man had left the office, Chen Yan sat quietly in the office for a while, and after he had made sure of the questions he would ask next,
he gathered a few reports and went to the film and television company, intending to find Yang Rou and get to the bottom of it...
.......
Arriving at the general manager’s office of the film and television company, Chen Yan knocked on the door.
A cold, emotionless voice from within Yang Rou responded, "Come in."
Even though Yang Rou’s voice was always a bit cold, Chen Yan could still sensitively detect that her mood was not very good.
Chen Yan pushed the door and entered.
Yang Rou was busy typing away on her computer screen, it appeared she was working on a project plan.
Chen Yan did not interrupt, but closed the door behind him, found a place to sit, and waited patiently for Yang Rou to finish what she was busy with.
After about ten seconds, Yang Rou finished typing a line, lifted her head, looked toward the door, and noticed it was Chen Yan coming to see her.
She paused for a moment, then nodded at Chen Yan, "President Chen, you’re looking for me?"
Chen Yan nodded and then asked with a smile, "Sister Rou, are you busy?"
Yang Rou responded with a "hmm" and said, "The first set of Sunrise plans are nearing the mid-to-late stages. It’s time to start coordinating schedules and publicity plans."
"So, I’m working on preliminary schedule coordination based on their types and completion status."
These tasks could be handled entirely by lower-level staff, but the leader’s style varies from person to person.
Yang Rou’s style was to involve herself in everything, no matter how minute, which Chen Yan had initially felt sorry for her and wanted her to rest more, but over time, he gradually became accustomed to it.
Hearing Yang Rou’s response, Chen Yan encouraged, "With Sister Rou here, I’m particularly reassured about the film and television company."
Yang Rou smiled faintly at Chen Yan, her smile as pure and stunning as a pink lotus blooming on a snowy mountain peak.
Beautiful, pristine, yet with a distance that kept people at bay.
Chen Yan was accustomed to Yang Rou’s demeanor.
He chatted with Yang Rou for a bit more, then got down to business. frёeωebɳovel.com
"Sister Rou," he began, "Man Man came to see you at noon today, and must have mentioned the company’s recent problem: Zhao Qingtian’s sudden move against us."
"Although the matter has been resolved satisfactorily, I’m not someone who sits idly by awaiting doom, so... I want to strike back."
Yang Rou, who had an expressionless face up to this point, suddenly took interest.
She leaned forward, her gaze fixed on Chen Yan, inquiringly asking, "How does President Chen plan to strike back?"
Seeing Yang Rou interested, Chen Yan didn’t conceal his plan but gave a simplified version of it.
Of course, not knowing yet what "components" Yang Rou was made of, Chen Yan only shared part of his plan: to expose Zhao Qingtian’s scandal, fuel the flames, and provoke a civil war within the Zhao family between the main house and the branches.
But this part was enough.
After hearing this, Yang Rou frowned and pondered for a moment.
Then she lifted her head, looking at Chen Yan, and hinted, "The Zhao family has been deeply entrenched in the media aspects for many years..."
Chen Yan smiled, "Now it’s the era of the internet media."
"He can’t cover it all."
"Can he gag the mouths of multiple media channels, let alone so many social media platforms online?"
"As long as there’s some coverage, he’ll show slip-ups."
"We have our own media connections. When the time comes, we’ll spend the money to smooth things out."
"Media are fickle and will follow the tide. Seeing that they can’t suppress public opinion, they will change sides."
Pausing, Chen Yan added, "The Zhao family is indeed a behemoth. But keep in mind, that’s the combination of over a dozen branches and the main house."
"In times of friction between both sides now, it would be too good if the other branches didn’t take advantage of the chaos to plunder, let alone use their influence to suppress it."
Hearing Chen Yan’s words, Yang Rou pondered again for a while.
Finally, she nodded seriously.
"I think you make a good point."
She appraised, "With Zhao Qingtian centralizing power, the main house, and the branches are drifting apart. This is probably the weakest the Zhao family has ever been in years."
"It’s also the best time to strike against Zhao Qingtian in these years."
With that, she gazed deeply at Chen Yan and said,
"Then tonight, I’ll organize the disgraceful acts Zhao Qingtian has committed over the years. I’ll send them to you then."
What Chen Yan liked most about Yang Rou was her intelligence.
Possibly due to years of experience in the business world, with just a look or a hint, Yang Rou understood what Chen Yan wanted to do.
This made interacting with Yang Rou exceptionally comfortable for Chen Yan.
Maybe that’s the advantage of a mature woman...
Patted his butt, knowing just what pose to strike.
While pondering blindly, Chen Yan nodded and said, "Alright. Then I’ll have to trouble Sister Rou."
Upon reaching this point, he added, "The evidence for these matters doesn’t have to be complete, but it must be true."
"Moreover, it’s best to have some evidence — it can’t just be talk."
Yang Rou nodded lightly, "I have a lot of that kind in my possession."
Chen Yan: ??
Chen Yan glanced at Yang Rou, who met his gaze nonchalantly.
Chen Yan silently broke out in a cold sweat.
She truly was a woman who held grudges.
Over these years, who knew how much dirt she had collected on Zhao Qingtian, just waiting for a chance to use it in the future.
It was as if Yang Rou could read Chen Yan’s mind; even without him voicing his thoughts, she explained, "All these years, I’ve been thinking of revenge."
"However, after all, I have neither money nor power."
"Nor did I have such a good opportunity."
"So all this dirt I’ve just kept under wraps."
"I never thought that one day it might come in handy."
As Yang Rou spoke about this, Chen Yan couldn’t help but recall what Lu Man had just shared with him about "the matter between Yang Rou and Zhao Qingtian back then."
Now that they had finished discussing the main issue,
It was time for him to find out where the problem in that story lay.
So, he coughed and then inquired, "Sister Rou, Man Man just came looking for me and talked about some of the stuff that happened between you and Zhao Qingtian back in the day."
"Is it all true?"
Saying so, Chen Yan added, to avoid any misunderstanding by Yang Rou, "It’s not that I doubt you. I just never thought Zhao Qingtian could be so sinister."
While saying this, Chen Yan turned on the "Headphones" in his heart.
The noisy sounds around his ears gradually faded away, leaving only the slow and steady beating of Yang Rou’s heart in his ears.
At the same time, Yang Rou’s inner voice and the voice from her mouth resonated in Chen Yan’s ears.
Inner voice, "Of course it’s true. Xiao Chen Yan, do you still not trust me...?"
Out loud, "It’s all true. President Chen."
Chen Yan: ??
Why did it always feel like something was off?
As he pondered, Chen Yan continued to listen to Yang Rou’s inner monologue.
Contrary to what she’d usually say out loud, Yang Rou’s inner activities were more animated.
And it also contained some odd titles for Chen Yan.
That tone...with a sense of "interest", "teasing", "joking", it always felt...different from the usual Yang Rou.
Chen Yan couldn’t help but look towards Yang Rou.
Her gaze held a trace of interest, reproach.
However, upon seeing Chen Yan looking her way, her expression swiftly returned to clarity, back to her unflustered default.
Chen Yan: ...
Indeed, did Yang Nuannuan inherit her duplicity from her mother?
Was their ability to switch states so instantly a family trait?
Thinking this, Chen Yan smiled at Yang Rou and said, "Of course, I trust you, Sister Rou."
"I’m just a bit surprised by that incident."
Hearing Chen Yan’s response, Yang Rou’s expression visibly froze.
Her inner voice also rang in Chen Yan’s ear again,
"I just asked Xiao Chen Yan if he didn’t trust me anymore?"
"No, right...."
Chen Yan felt a sudden jolt in his heart; he realized he had unwittingly responded to one of Yang Rou’s inner thoughts.
But fortunately, his answer wasn’t too problematic and could be forcibly explained away if necessary.
So, Chen Yan promptly shifted the topic, "Let’s settle this matter then."
"After you choose which dirt to expose, let’s get together and strategize based on that information."
True to form, Yang Rou’s attention was diverted by Chen Yan’s words, not noticing the minor glitch just now.
She nodded, "Alright."
As they discussed this matter, Chen Yan also took the opportunity to ask her for her thoughts and any better suggestions.
And so, the two of them began to chat back and forth.
However, Chen Yan wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation.
Because at that moment, he still hadn’t snapped out of the puzzlement caused by Yang Rou’s earlier response.
He was perplexed.
Previously, online, "Yang Rou" had plainly told him that she had taken advantage of Zhao Qingtian, forcibly extracted his sperm, and then conceived.
In that story, Zhao Qingtian was the victim, and Yang Rou was a cold-hearted, scheming woman.
That was also why Chen Yan had recently begun to keep his distance from Yang Rou.
But in the story that Lu Man just told to Chen Yan, Yang Rou was the victim.
She could even be described as a "perfect victim". Throughout the entire ordeal, she did nothing wrong. It was Zhao Qingtian who deceived her and tried to violate her.
Both versions came from Yang Rou’s own lips.
Now, Chen Yan had confirmed that the second one was true.
So...why had she lied online?
Thinking it over, Chen Yan suddenly entertained a very "bizarre" thought: Could it be...the person he had been chatting with online wasn’t actually Yang Rou?!
The moment this idea surfaced, Chen Yan felt a cold sweat form on his back.
After all, for more than half a year, he’d believed the married woman writer to be Yang Rou.
When chatting with her, the image of Yang Rou appeared in Chen Yan’s mind.
But now...everything had changed abruptly.
Chen Yan couldn’t help but be shocked.
But then, he started to hesitate.
If this person wasn’t Yang Rou, then who could it be?
This individual seemed to know Yang Rou very well, and was acutely aware of the past events.
Chen Yan continued to speculate further: Moreover, this person’s stance was clearly opposed to Yang Rou’s.
Thus, in that instant, an astonishing thought crossed Chen Yan’s mind.
Could it be...
The married woman writer was...
Zhao Qingtian?!
No sooner had this thought appeared than Chen Yan almost felt nauseous.
He couldn’t help but recall a saying: You never know if the person on the other side of the internet is human or dog.
But soon, Chen Yan reassured himself: Zhao Qingtian wouldn’t have that much time to waste on idle online chat.
And besides, the various details didn’t align with Yang Rou.
He speculated: Could it be Yang Nuannuan?
But why would Yang Nuannuan assume Yang Rou’s identity? And why would the story told favor Zhao Qingtian?
No matter how much Chen Yan mulled it over, he couldn’t make sense of it.
He decided to stop racking his brain over it.
After all, he had one more chance to use the "Headphones" and could simply ask "Yang Rou" directly for some clues...