Things played out exactly as He Changning had expected.
Holding the tampered report in his hand, he smiled—eyes completely devoid of warmth.
Very well. If they dared to scheme against him like this, they’d better be ready to pay the price.
The Yin family living room had become a forbidden zone—every “family meeting” held there only ever ended in headaches. But whether they liked it or not, they had no choice but to gather there again.
Everyone was present except the eldest daughter, who was still abroad. The rest wore serious expressions, as if preparing for battle.
He Changning, however, remained calm and unbothered—serene as ever.
Cong Min shot a side glance at him. Seeing him so at ease made her uneasy. It felt like he knew something—like he had come prepared. The thought made her extremely anxious.
Old Madam Yin’s face was as dark as always. She’d never once smiled in He Changning’s presence. Her eyes flashed coldly with something close to glee, as if she were watching a prey walk into her trap. Her hand gently rubbed the teacup in her lap, waiting for the moment he would fall.
Yin Zhinen sat with his head down, never once looking up at He Changning. Maybe he was too heartbroken to look, or maybe too ashamed.
Yin Hao sat rigidly upright, his expression solemn. In his head, he was already calculating:
If He Changning agreed to what was in the report, the Yin family would save a huge expense.
The Shang Group’s investment would help pull Yin Corp through the crisis.
From there, the company’s future would look bright—and he would be the indispensable force behind its rise.
Taking over Yin Corp would be within reach.
Why should Shang Yushang get to run a multibillion-dollar empire by age thirty while he was just a middle manager? He didn’t accept that.
He believed his talent was no less. With his own hands, he could lead Yin Corp to greatness—reach heights others couldn’t even dream of.
And to do that, he was willing to remove any obstacle—visible or hidden—by any means necessary.
The most useless of the bunch was Yin Jun, the typical spoiled second son. As long as he had money, booze, and women, nothing else mattered.
The room was stifling, full of unspoken tension. Everyone had their own agenda, but no one dared break the silence.
Cong Min finally cracked. Nothing would move forward if no one spoke. She grabbed the report off the coffee table and handed it to He Changning.
“This is the company’s investment report. Take a look. If there’s no issue, the money will be in your account soon.”
She tried to appear calm, but the way her eyes kept flickering gave her away—she was nervous to death.
He Changning took his time, flipping through the report slowly and deliberately before setting it gently on the table.
“A ten million investment? When did Yin Corp get so poor that it needs to survive by digging into someone else’s wallet?”
Cong Min snapped.
“What kind of tone is that? It’s easy to talk when you’re not the one managing a household. You don’t even understand how the company works. You have no right to speak.”
“Oh really? Funny—because I distinctly remember Father saying twenty million. Not the ten listed here. Bit of a gap, don’t you think?”
Cong Min stiffened.
“What’s so strange about that? Maybe your father was nervous and misspoke.”
“If the chairman doesn’t even know the company’s financials, I’d say he’s not exactly fit for the job.”
“What does it matter to you? Just sign the damn thing and spare us all the drama,” Yin Hao cut in impatiently.
“You seem… anxious?”
“Why would I be anxious? I just don’t feel like talking to you.”
“Is that so?”
He Changning gave him a half-smile and looked around the room.
“Are you sure this data is accurate?”
“Of course it is. What would we get out of lying to you?” Cong Min tried desperately to sound convincing—maybe if she believed it hard enough, she could make herself believe it too.
“That’s debatable. With numbers this different, you’re talking about a major discrepancy in my so-called dowry.”
That one sentence stunned the room.
When had He Changning become so sharp, so hard to handle?
Old Madam Yin finally spoke.
“There’s no need for suspicion. What you’re owed, you’ll get. The Shang family already gave a sky-high betrothal gift. No point in fussing over a bit of money. Zhinen, transfer the funds now. After this, we owe each other nothing.”
He Changning smiled slightly.
“Hold on.”
He lifted a hand to stop Yin Zhinen from moving.
“I’m not greedy. I’ll take what’s rightfully mine—but not a cent more. Or less.”
He picked up the thin piece of paper and gave it a shake.
“I’ll be verifying just how accurate these figures are.”
Everyone’s eyes followed that little piece of paper, tension practically vibrating in the air.
Old Madam Yin forced a calm expression.
“What’s there to verify? Do you really think we’d short you?”
“Your credibility is already bankrupt with me.”
He gave the paper another flick. The message was clear: say whatever you want, I won’t believe a word of it.
Being toyed with like this made Yin Hao seethe.
“You’ve got some nerve, He Changning. What have you ever done for the Yin family to justify making demands? Just take what we’re offering and be grateful. It’s the least you can do to save face—for all our sakes.”
He Changning laughed coldly.
“Struck a nerve, did I? Your self-proclaimed generosity doesn’t mean anything to me.
Pack up that condescending act and start thinking about how you’re going to explain this to President Shang.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yin Hao tensed instantly.
“You tell me.”
He Changning grinned as if watching a comedy show. He’d had his fun—time to pull the curtain.
Right in front of the Yin family, he casually dialed a number.
“Hello, President Shang? This is He Changning.”
Shang Yushang immediately held up a hand to stop his assistant from reporting and waved everyone else out of his office. His voice softened.
“Changning, is everything alright?”
“I just need to confirm something with you.”
“If you don’t mind, just call me Yushang,” he said, sliding in the request he’d been waiting to make. He wanted to hear He Changning say his name.
He Changning cursed him silently a dozen different ways—but now wasn’t the time to argue. He still needed a favor. He’d settle that score later.
Calling him by name wasn’t a big deal, but their current relationship made it feel… weird.
He steadied his voice.
“Yushang, I need a copy of the official evaluation report on the Yin Corp investment.”
Being called by name lit up Shang Yushang’s mood like a sunrise. Even the secretaries outside the office noticed.
Peeking through the blinds, they whispered among themselves:
“Why’s the boss in such a good mood all of a sudden? He’s smiling!”
“Right? It’s like he’s floating.”
“Is the iceberg finally melting?”
“Whoever melted that block of ice must have divine protection.”
The powerful CEO of Shang Group, smiling like a lovestruck man, held the phone and said in a warm, low voice,
“Got it. Give me fifteen minutes.”
After the call ended, He Changning looked around the room and said in his clear, steady tone:
“Please be patient a little longer. It won’t be long before this is all over.”
As the minutes dragged by, the Yin family grew visibly restless.
They kept glancing at the door—hoping someone would walk in to settle the matter, but also dreading what that someone might bring.
Caught in that contradiction, time itself seemed to slow.
Cong Min finally cracked under the pressure.
“What do you want, exactly? The report’s right here! What more do you need to verify? Just sign it, take the money, and be done with it! We’ll go our separate ways!”
“No need to rush. The truth will reveal itself soon enough.”
Under the butler’s nervous and cautious announcement, Shang Yushang’s tall and imposing figure appeared at the entrance of the Yin family living room.
Yin Hao shot up from his seat, eyes wide in disbelief as he stared at the legendary titan of the business world standing before him.
The rest of the Yin family also quickly stood, stunned.
He Changning was genuinely surprised by Shang Yushang’s arrival. He’d thought he would just send someone over with the documents—not come in person. This man really was full of surprises. He stood up and walked over casually, blinking at him.
“You came?”
Shang Yushang’s face was as emotionless as ever—but when his gaze fell on He Changning, there was a distinct softness and affection in his eyes.
“I came to give you this,” he said, handing him a document.
He Changning took it, locking eyes with him, his gaze calm and steady.
“Wanna sit?”
Shang Yushang nodded, reached for He Changning’s hand, and led him to the sofa. The two sat down side by side. He crossed one long leg over the other, rested He Changning’s hand on his thigh, placed his other hand over it, then leaned in close to whisper—not too loud, but loud enough for everyone to hear,
“Changning, go on.”
Then he leaned back like a spectator, absentmindedly tracing the shape of those slender fingers resting in his palm.
He Changning tried to ignore the strange sensation tingling through his hand and cleared his throat.
“This evaluation report—there shouldn’t be any issue with it, right?”
Yin Zhinen visibly flinched.
Yin Hao clenched his fists tightly.
Cong Min’s face went as pale as a sheet.
Old Madam Yin fidgeted with an empty teacup—uncertain if she meant to drink or put it down.
Only Yin Jun, the family’s resident idiot, looked around blankly. He had no clue what was going on or why everyone was acting like it was doomsday.
“Grandma? Mom? What’s wrong with you guys?”
Yin Zhinen took a deep breath, trying to calm his rising panic.
“President Shang, what a surprise. We weren’t expecting you. I hope we didn’t offend you with our lack of preparation.”
Cong Min quickly chimed in with a nervous laugh.
“Yes, yes. Hope you won’t mind. We weren’t ready for such an honor.”
“There’s no need. I’m just here to see Changning.”
Their attempt to cozy up to him fell flat. They both awkwardly shut up.
He Changning returned to the topic.
“The numbers on these two reports… don’t seem to match.”
With a sharp thwap, he tossed the document onto the table.
“I just want to know—which one are you using?”
Yin Zhinen’s hand shook as he wiped sweat from his forehead.
Yin Hao’s hands tightened into fists as he tried to tamp down the dread inside him. His hatred for He Changning had already sunk to his bones. He hadn’t expected this move at all—and definitely hadn’t expected this business mogul to show up in person.
If Shang Yushang discovered they’d tampered with the data… with his ruthlessness and decisiveness, he’d crush Yin Corp into dust.
He couldn’t let it get that far.
“Of course the report from President Shang is the correct one! Someone in the company must’ve made a clerical error with the numbers. Changning, don’t take it to heart, haha…”
He Changning’s eyes turned frosty.
“What a bunch of hypocrites.”
“Of course it’s true!” Yin Hao forced himself to stay calm, swallowing his own shame like broken glass. With Shang Yushang sitting right there, the Yin family had no choice but to fold.
“Then that’s that.”
He Changning glanced around at the family—some glaring at him with murderous looks, others too afraid to speak. His lips curled up in a mocking smile full of disdain.
Shang Yushang remained seated beside him the whole time, expression unreadable.
He held He Changning’s hand gently, tracing every line, every curve with delicate care—like he was memorizing each detail. His warm palm wrapped around He Changning’s cool fingers with quiet satisfaction.
He had no intention of meddling in the Yin family’s business—so long as Changning didn’t suffer, he was happy to let him handle it however he wanted.
Years in the business world had made Shang Yushang nearly bulletproof—but facing Shang Yushang’s overwhelming presence, Yin Zhinen was completely outmatched. He forced himself to act calm and gave a direct order to finance.
Half a minute later, He Changning’s phone buzzed.
A text from the bank:
You have received a deposit of 3,000,000.
He smirked. It was his dowry, his “price tag.” Hard-won through schemes and power plays.
But as quickly as satisfaction bloomed, a hollow emptiness swept through his chest—like something had been ripped right out of him. The ache was so deep, he went numb.
Sensing the chill in his fingers, Shang Yushang gripped them tighter, squeezing firmly. Offering strength. Telling him, I’m here.
Lowering his long lashes, He Changning thought:
After living nearly twenty years with these people, the so-called love and family they gave him couldn’t even compare to the quiet comfort offered by someone he’d only just met a handful of times.
Should he feel lucky?
Or just… deeply, deeply sad?
