Chapter 48 350 million is alright

Chen Ang left Shen Pianran's home and drove his X5 out of the residential complex's underground garage.

While waiting at the red light at the first intersection, he noticed a commercial van behind him with its lights on, parked under the ginkgo tree outside the residential complex exit.

After he turned onto the main road, he seemed to see the same headlights again. He then deliberately slowed down, let the other vehicle pass him, and memorized its license plate number.

He was certain the other party was tailing him. Though he didn't panic, this served as a wake-up call.

Right now, he was just handling a divorce and infidelity case, and someone was already targeting him.

He knew better than anyone what kind of attention he would attract once his wealth increased and became exposed.

He remembered every detail of how his family's building materials company was set up and destroyed seven years ago.

The tactics used to hunt down the wealthy, from commercial framing to personal threats, were never in short supply.

He combed through the possible motives for today's incident from beginning to end.

Wen Huilin didn't have the resources for this; at most, she could steal phones, check bank statements, or hire lawyers. She couldn't pull off something like hiring someone to tail him.

That left only one answer: Tu Yuandong.

He had been quiet since returning from Yu Fei's home, but that was precisely what made him most suspicious.

According to the information provided by Jiang Shan and Yu Fei, Tu Yuandong was extremely suspicious and used underhanded methods. If he was really investigating him, finding Shen Pianran would only be a matter of time.

Chen Ang opened his phone and sent a message to Yu Fei: "Are you free tomorrow? Let's meet."

Yu Fei's reply came almost instantly: "Did you miss me?"

Chen Ang ignored her remark and typed directly: "Let's talk business."

"You can miss me while talking business." After sending this, she sent another message a few seconds later: "You left so hurriedly last time, I didn't get a chance to treat you properly. Next time you come, remember to stay a while longer. I'm very capable."

Chen Ang stared at the screen for a while without responding.

Had this woman unlocked some sort of seal after being with him once? She was completely different from when they first met.

Just as he was about to type a reply, another message came from her: "Let's have lunch tomorrow. I'll send you the address once I've booked it."

It was accompanied by a winking emoji.

Chen Ang sent an 'OK' and turned off his phone.

After returning to Sheng Huating Residential Area, he washed up and went straight to sleep.

In their current state, he and Wen Huilin seemed to share a tacit understanding not to break the facade.

On the surface, they each went about their own business, trying their best not to argue or bicker.

Behind the scenes, both were plotting and calculating.

Early the next morning, he left alone again, and Wen Huilin didn't make an issue of him not taking the children.

He found a shop near the Financial Center, ate a hearty breakfast at a leisurely pace, and then headed to the law firm.

When he entered the office, Shen Pianran was already organizing documents.

She was wearing a dark gray suit skirt today, her hair tied back in a simple low ponytail. The dark circles under her eyes weren't fully covered by concealer, clearly indicating she hadn't slept well last night.

Chen Ang sat down across from her and caught a faint whiff of alcohol in the air—it hadn't completely dissipated even after a night.

"Just how much did you drink last night?" Chen Ang glanced at her.

"It really wasn't much." Shen Pianran pushed a cup of tea toward him. Her fingers accidentally brushed the back of his hand, pausing for less than a second before pulling away.

"What is your definition of 'not much'? I seem to recall the decanter being empty and someone unable to stand steady." Chen Ang took the tea.

Shen Pianran lifted her eyelids to look at him, noting the playful smirk at the corner of his mouth, and gritted her teeth. "You certainly remember clearly. Could you please forget it?"

"I was the one who drove you home; it's crystal clear, I can't forget." Taking a sip of tea, Chen Ang smiled. "Why did you drink so much?"

After discovering he was being followed last night, he had reviewed everything and was naturally concerned about Shen Pianran.

"A previous case—we won the first trial, and the second trial is coming up soon. A witness suddenly flipped, so I went to try and persuade them."

Shen Pianran leaned back in her chair, her tone returning to its usual capable self, though her voice still carried a lingering touch of languor.

Then, with a hint of irritation on her face, she added, "I asked him out to talk, and he forced me to drink. It's as simple as that."

"The second trial is imminent, and the witness flipped—it's obvious they were bought off. You must know that. This doesn't sound like you." Chen Ang frowned.

He thought back to the commercial van across from Shen Pianran's home last night.

"I'm just a workhorse, Boss. I took the job, and if I don't get it done, it'll ruin my reputation." Rolling her eyes, she lifted her coffee to her lips.

"Is the witness in the building materials industry?" Chen Ang asked suddenly.

"Hmm... how did you guess?" Shen Pianran's tone rose, her brows furrowed as she stared at Chen Ang in surprise.

"If I told you Tu Yuandong hired someone to tail me, would you believe it?" Chen Ang's expression was serious as he met her gaze. "Be careful lately. Remember to tell me if anything happens."

Shen Pianran was slightly startled, but after confirming Chen Ang wasn't joking, she nodded.

Then, the corners of her mouth curled slightly as she asked, "Is my boss suddenly so concerned about me because he has ulterior motives?"

"Do I need ulterior motives?" Chen Ang was surprised by her sudden shift and looked at her. "Who was it that hung onto my neck last night and asked me how much I cost for the night?"

Shen Pianran's earlobes turned slightly red, but her expression remained unmoved. "That was drunken talk."

"Drunken talk is still talk."

"Mr. Chen, are you flirting with your legal counsel?"

"I am stating facts."

The two stared at each other for a moment before Shen Pianran conceded, looking away first. She flipped open another document on the desk, the tip of her pen tapping against the paper, her movements half a beat slower than usual.

"Let's talk business. You said yesterday you found a CFO—who is it?"

"Yu Liang's wife, Zhong Yuanxin," Chen Ang replied.

Shen Pianran looked up, one eyebrow raised slightly. "Director Yu's wife? What's her background?"

"She's from the Accounting Department of Nansheng University of Finance and Economics, a straight-A student who received full scholarships for four years and went straight through to her master's and PhD. She previously worked as a financial supervisor at the Provincial Investment Group for two years before resigning after giving birth to her daughter. Her daughter is in elementary school now, and she wants to return to work."

Chen Ang knew Zhong Yuanxin's resume like the back of his hand; after all, she and Director Xu Qingwan had been roommates for four years in college.

"You certainly know how to pick them. Yu Liang's wife—she's trustworthy and her expertise is a match. When is she coming?"

"Should be soon." Chen Ang checked the time.

Shen Pianran let out a sigh of relief and set her pen on the desk. "That's great. I'm a lawyer, and having me manage an account with over a hundred million in cash... do you know I haven't been able to sleep at night recently?"

She rubbed her temples and continued complaining: "In another half hour, the second installment of 33 million USD will come in, and there will be over 350 million RMB sitting in the account. If you don't find a finance person to take over soon, I'm really going to start charging you a management fee."

"350 million is just okay."

"Just okay?" Shen Pianran nearly choked on her coffee. "Do you want to hear what you're saying? Go find anyone on the street and see who would say 350 million is 'just okay'."

Chen Ang smiled slightly and didn't take the bait, turning the topic instead: "Once the money arrives, we can start investing it. Regarding the leasing company, Tan Xiaolei will be here in a couple of days. Make sure you communicate well with the other side regarding the investment framework for the Jiangning cultural tourism project."

"The framework is already in place; we'll push forward with the details once the team at Hengxing Investment is set up." Shen Pianran paused. "So, my dear Mr. Chen, what you're lacking most right now isn't money, it's people."

As the two were discussing this, the office door was knocked.