After Being Blackened All Over the Internet, I Ruled the Military Variety Shows
Chapter 379 - 370: Breaking the Rules, Completely Losing Control

Chapter 379: Chapter 370: Breaking the Rules, Completely Losing Control

Qian Yisheng held his daughter, who was startled by her mother’s sudden movements, and turned to watch his wife’s departing figure out of the private room.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

He could guess some of the reasons why Lingxuan suddenly lost her composure.

Since the death of the old lady of the Nalan family, the old man had almost treated the backyard of the museum as his home and hardly went back to the old residence.

In his mind, the museum’s backyard had become a sanctuary solely for himself, where even his own sons and granddaughters could only sit for a meal.

As for staying overnight, that was out of the question. Even Lingxuan was no exception.

Yet now, he had no hesitation in setting up a separate room for the granddaughter who had been unexpectedly found.

This favoritism was indeed a bit shocking.

But thinking it over, he understood.

Regarding his wife’s younger aunt’s past, he didn’t know much, but the old man had felt guilty toward his younger daughter for so many years, and now all his affections were transferred to his granddaughter, making these rule-breaking actions somewhat understandable.

Obviously, Lingxuan was having difficulty accepting it all of a sudden.

But such things could only be something she worked out on her own.

Zhang Lingxuan’s commotion was not only noted by Xu Ling’an but also caught the attention of Jiang Lingxi, who was seated on the other side of Xu Ling’an.

As she withdrew her gaze, she happened to glance at Zhang Lingxuan’s husband, who was a doctor.

To say who had the lowest presence in the private room, she thought it wasn’t even Xu Lei, who was simply focused on eating but rather this individual.

Compared to the other Zhang Family members seated there, except for the old man, this son-in-law seemed to her perhaps the one who saw things the clearest and thought the most thoroughly.

She couldn’t quite fathom how these two people ended up together.

Qian Yisheng noticed Jiang Lingxi’s sidelong glance at him, paused for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Jiang Lingxi gently nodded back before withdrawing her gaze.

Her purpose for accompanying Xu Ling’an this time had been achieved. Now, she only needed to watch as the Zhang family’s elders silently brooded and patiently wait for this reunion banquet to conclude.

With his daughter in his arms, Qian Yisheng was filled with emotion.

Previously, when he had only seen this Miss Jiang’s handwriting, he had thought it spoke of grandeur and depth.

Now, having met her in person, he was even more impressed.

It wasn’t just a simple admiration of beauty, but rather an admiration for her composure and calmness.

She deliberately kept a low profile, not intending to outshine the host, yet her aura was comparable to that of the old man, and it was a mystery how she cultivated such a calm and imposing demeanor.

Unfortunately, his in-laws, his wife, and brother-in-law were all caught up in their dissatisfaction with the old man’s favoritism towards his granddaughter, or were merely lusting after this Miss Jiang’s appearance, without any sincere intention to make her acquaintance, wasting the effort the old man had previously put in to remind them.

Truly, there were no words for it!

"Haha, then it’s settled!" Seeing his granddaughter nod, Zhang Nachuan didn’t wait for her to speak and jovially decided, "When the school term starts, An’an must let her grandpa know. I’ve never had the experience of taking a family grandchild to university registration. This time, I finally have the chance." After saying this, he gave a disdainful glance at his grandson who hadn’t made it into a domestic university.

Zhang Lingzhou: "..."

When my sister got into university, I didn’t see you so eager to take her!

However, since his sister wasn’t in the private room this time, it was only him left to face the disdain.

*

Zhang Lingxuan left the private room intending to get some fresh air by the ornamental pool. However, the more she tried to clear her mind, the more she couldn’t help but compare the treatment she received from her grandfather to that of Xu Ling’an, the more distressed she became.

She turned back to head inside.

"Oh!"

Unexpectedly, as she bumped into someone full-on, both of them instinctively took a step back.

Standing behind her was the ornamental pool, and she nearly fell backward into it.

A strong hand reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her just in time.

"Thank you." Once steady, Zhang Lingxuan looked up at the person who caught her, her eyes widening, "Chen Rui!"

"Are you alright?" Chen Rui let go, playfully nudging his reckless younger brother, "Apologize to your Sister Lingxuan for being so thoughtless."

Chen Cheng, his face still showing various bruises, was uncharacteristically submissive in front of his brother, not daring to act up, and obediently bowed to Zhang Lingxuan, "Sorry, Sister Lingxuan, I was lost in thought and not paying attention to the road."

Looking at his bruised face, which looked like a painter’s palette, Zhang Lingxuan’s anger subsided further, "Did someone hit you? What kind of grudge warranted such a beating?"

Chen Rui raised an eyebrow, remembering that Zhang Lingxuan was the granddaughter of renowned painter Zhang Nachuan. He sighed helplessly, "It’s a long story, but essentially this guy was being a playboy, and when one of the girls’ parents found out, they gave him a severe beating. And now, on top of that, he frightened you. Really, I don’t know what to say about him. How about this, I’ll treat you to dinner sometime. It’s been a while since we last met after returning to work at our respective family businesses."

Zhang Lingxuan had some envy for Chen Rui.

Even though her father doted on her and she had a smooth path working at the family company after graduation, she was well aware that no matter how well she performed, her father’s heart was set on her brother taking over the business.

Unlike Chen Rui, who had formally taken over the Chen family’s reins and became the true head of the Chen business.

Before, she had counted on her grandfather’s favoritism to stay on par with her brother.

But now, with her grandfather having a more favored granddaughter, even that small advantage was slipping away!

Why did Xu Ling’an’s arrival mean that she had to become the least significant of the third Zhang generation?

Moreover, she and Chen Rui both had brothers who were not serious in their pursuits and were instead notorious philanderers, feeding a sense of kinship.

Faced with the invitation, Zhang Lingxuan hesitated for less than a second before agreeing.

In the past, although the Chen family primarily dealt in wine, under Chen Rui’s leadership, they had also branched into other industries, including a respectable business in art and calligraphy. Perhaps there were opportunities for cooperation with her family’s art company.

Without her grandfather’s favoritism, she needed to find ways to gain more influence in the company to feel balanced.

"Alright, let’s keep in touch."

After parting, Chen Cheng looked quizzically at his older brother, "Bro, why did you think to invite Zhang Lingxuan to dinner? If I remember correctly, she’s married and even has a daughter!"

Chen Rui’s face darkened, and he couldn’t resist rapping his foolish brother’s head, "With that pig brain of yours, no wonder you were manipulated by Lin Nuo. Have you forgotten who Zhang Lingxuan’s grandfather is?"

"It’s Zhang Nachuan," Chen Cheng replied, his eyes lighting up, "Bro, do you want to use Zhang Lingxuan to get Zhang Old Master to speak on my behalf?"

"Qi TV’s production team isn’t that easy to persuade, not even I have much confidence. Anyway, when we enter that room later, remember two things: humility and keep your mouth shut. If that path doesn’t pan out, the connection with Zhang Lingxuan is another option. If we can get Zhang Old Master to put in a word, it would be far more effective than others saying a hundred words!"

Chen Cheng eagerly nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.

Initially, his brother planned to ship him straight overseas for his foolishness, but he couldn’t bear to abandon his career and reputation, knowing everything would be scrapped even if he returned in a few years.

After much pleading, he finally convinced his brother to help him clean up the mess he made. Now he couldn’t afford to slip up again.

"Bro, don’t worry, wherever you point, I won’t deviate, if you ask me to chase dogs, I’ll chase dogs, not chickens."

Chen Rui deeply inhaled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

If this fool weren’t his own brother, he wasn’t sure he could tolerate him bumbling around.

"Just shut up!"

*

Zhang Lingxuan returned to the private room, returning to her seat.

Only her husband handed her a bowl of steaming seafood porridge, everyone else was still busy chatting with Xu Ling’an, her parents included.

Stirring the porridge with a spoon, her determination to collaborate with Chen Rui grew stronger.

Her grandfather’s favoritism, she would fight for it.

The company’s influence, she would also claim it.

In Zhang Lingxuan’s dictionary, the word ’surrender’ simply didn’t exist!