Shi Yuanbo furrowed his brow, "Strange?"

"Yes!" Shi Nuan said, "Since Yu Dou took charge of the Shi Family, he has been dedicated to it. He has also been very polite to you. Moreover, he is a very cautious person. The changes in the Shi Family over the past few years under his management are evident to you. How could the important stockholders’ meeting of the Shi Family be something he would deliberately be late for?"

"Didn’t he say he overslept?"

"Do you believe such words, Father?"

Shi Yuanbo pressed his thin lips tightly together and remained silent.

Shi Nuan continued, "Father, you know Yu Dou better than I do. You understand what kind of person he is better than I do. What he did today and what he said to you earlier were obviously emotional, but those emotions are definitely not directed at you, Father. He must have encountered something, and it must be significant, otherwise, he wouldn’t act like this..."

Shi Yuanbo pondered deeply for a moment and said, "Alright, I won’t dwell on it with him for now. However, Nuannuan, no matter how dedicated Yu Dou is to the Shi Family, he is still an outsider. I can employ him, but I cannot hand the Shi Family over to him completely. Now, I just hope you can grow up quickly and take over the Shi Family for me in the future. That way, my lifelong wish would be fulfilled!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Shi Nuan looked at Shi Yuanbo. When he said these words, it was heartfelt, not a lie.

In recent days, each time she confirms this, she writes a question mark in her heart.

Her father has a severe preference for sons over daughters. If not, how could he have betrayed her mother back then? How could he have married Li Guirong? How could he have repeatedly allowed Li Guirong and her daughter to oppress and bully his legitimate daughter for ten years?

Now, with such a sudden change, what exactly is the reason? She wants to ask, but she feels that even if she asked, Shi Yuanbo would not answer.

Shi Nuan just nodded lightly and said, "Alright, Father, I understand..."

"Also..." Shi Yuanbo remembered something and said, "Regarding the incident your sister Jiaojiao caused today, it can be either big or small, especially since the other party is an employee of TK Group. Although I asked your aunt to handle it, when it involves TK, there are some areas where she will be powerless.

Now is an important time for the Shi Family’s stockholders’ meeting. The Shi Family must not have any mishaps, so it’s mostly up to you, Nuannuan, to call Yansheng. If he doesn’t pursue it and is willing to help cover it up, the matter will probably die down..."

...

Shi Nuan and Shi Yuanbo quickly arrived at the hotel. This banquet mainly featured a buffet, but without Shi Yuanbo announcing the start, the banquet couldn’t officially begin.

After the banquet, there was still a press conference to be held. Today, the Shi Family could be described as busy.

Shi Yuanbo quickly took the stage, giving a speech filled with thoughts and gratitude. The speech was short as he didn’t have the energy to say much.

Shortly after, the banquet began.

Shi Yuanbo did not stay in the hall but went directly to the lounge, asking Ji Xia to prepare some refreshments to be sent over.

After Shi Yuanbo left, Shi Nuan mustered the courage to greet the Xu Family’s old employees from back in the day.

Everyone clearly saw Shi Nuan’s performance at the stockholders’ meeting today.

Everyone was relieved, while also reminiscing about the old master’s sudden death and the Xu Family’s bankruptcy back then.

Shi Nuan’s eyes lightly shimmered as she said, "Even though the Xu Family went bankrupt, most of the industries under my grandfather are still preserved, thanks to all of you uncles. Thank you for everything you have done for the Xu Family and the Shi Family over the years!"

As Shi Nuan said this, she couldn’t help but recall what Huang Shihui said the last time she saw him at the Shi Family.

If it weren’t for her father, the Shi Family’s businesses might have long disappeared. The Shi Family did take a large slice of the Xu Family’s cake, but from another perspective, he also preserved the lifeline for the Xu Family.

Many things have two sides.

Apart from the Xu Family’s old employees, many new stockholders actively introduced themselves to Shi Nuan, handing her their business cards, hoping for opportunities to interact more with her in the future and make more contributions to the Shi Family’s development.

After going around once, Shi Nuan ended up with a thick stack of business cards in her hand. She was unsure of how many among them were merely exchanging pleasantries and how many were sincerely reaching out.

None of that mattered; she accomplished her expectations today. In the future, as long as she proves herself with stronger capabilities, it would suffice.

She went to the restroom and took the opportunity to make a phone call to Song Yansheng.

The call was picked up almost instantly, followed by Song Yansheng’s magnetic and gentle voice, "My Nu’an, you finally called!"

———— 4,031 words in this Chapter ————

PS: Logged into QQ Reading last night and discovered a few fellow authors had their posts automatically rejected due to timing issues. My apologies to those who asked questions...