Volume 1, Chapter 26: When Affection Fissures, Parting Is Inevitable

Lin Si did not hesitate to pull Cheng Qian’s hand and rush inside.

Upon entering, they saw a group of people sitting in the room, all formally dressed in suits. It was a large suite, and the arrangement of their seating made it look more like a conference room. Li Zhinan was sitting at the head of the table, accompanied by the Cheng family—father and daughter—along with a dozen or so men and women who appeared to be senior executives. On a giant screen nearby, a set of experimental data was being displayed.

"What... is going on?" Lin Si was bewildered.

Cheng Qian reacted quickly and hurriedly apologized, "I am sorry, we have the wrong room."

With that, she grabbed Lin Si’s arm, retreated, and closed the door.

Lin Si looked at Cheng Qian awkwardly. "Xiao Qian, the intelligence was wrong."

Cheng Qian felt embarrassed as well, but instead of blaming her friend, she said gently, "It’s alright."

"Do you think that 'Li-dog' guessed what we were here for?" Lin Si asked worriedly. "Will he be on guard about this from now on?"

Cheng Qian sighed softly. "It doesn't matter. He has already embraced her so openly; would he even care?"

Lin Si nodded, finding that point logical.

After Cheng Qian left, the atmosphere in the hotel suite remained frozen for several seconds.

"Continue!" Li Zhinan ordered in a deep voice.

The meeting resumed.

On Cheng Yan’s haggard face, a faint trace of mockery flickered in her eyes. *Could Cheng Qian have come here to catch them in the act?* She thought. *Look at how small-minded she is; she has no class at all.* Cheng Yan felt a sudden surge of confidence about her future.

After the meeting, Li Zhinan left the hotel, followed by the senior executives.

The Cheng family remained in the living room. Cheng Zhifei smoked as he said, "We must find the person who posted that content as soon as possible. We cannot let President Li find out about this."

Cheng Yan played with a stylus on the side. "We have already sent people to look for her. We only need her IP address to track her down."

Cheng Zhifei exhaled a heavy cloud of smoke. "In the meeting just now, it was clear that President Li was very disappointed in us. Will this affect the funding for the second phase?"

Cheng Yan was blank for a moment before saying, "Dad, don't worry. It won't have any impact."

"Do you have a way?" Cheng Zhifei looked at his daughter with hope.

Cheng Yan curled her lips into a smile. "Dad, guess why Cheng Qian and her friend came here just now?"

Cheng Zhifei frowned. "They didn't really just walk into the wrong room, did they?"

Cheng Yan sneered, "You actually believe such a clumsy excuse?"

Cheng Zhifei thought about it carefully. "Could it be that she suspected President Li and came to catch him in the act? Did she secretly follow you?"

Cheng Yan burst into laughter. "Exactly. Cheng Qian came to catch him cheating, which also proves that her relationship with Zhinan is truly on the rocks."

"Dad, didn't you see Zhinan's expression earlier? He must be absolutely sick of Cheng Qian's paranoia." Cheng Yan breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke. "Men hate a woman's suspicion most of all. Once trust is lost in a marriage, it isn't far from falling apart."

Cheng Zhifei laughed instantly. "Xiao Yan, you are truly clever to see through it at a glance. Cheng Qian lost both her parents; now, the Li family is her only sanctuary. Of course, she would treat it like a life-saving straw and refuse to let go."

"Men don't like that kind of relationship; it's suffocating." Cheng Yan raised her eyebrows. "Sand held in the hand—the tighter you grip, the faster it slips away."

"Xiao Yan, then you must keep up the effort. Since you understand the minds of men so well, I have nothing to worry about." Cheng Zhifei patted his daughter’s arm. "Once you marry into the Li family, will I still need to look at anyone else's face?"

Cheng Yan nodded, her expression determined. "Dad, don't worry. Their relationship already has cracks; they will divorce sooner or later."

"Find that 'Fingertip Elf,' convince her to join the team, and develop the new drug as quickly as possible. The launch can be delayed, but the company is waiting for financing," Cheng Zhifei urged his daughter.

...

As evening approached, Cheng Qian was in the courtyard playing ball with her son. A silver Bentley drove into the driveway, its powerful headlights tearing through the darkness.

As the car stopped, Xiao Ye ran over with his short legs, calling out in a milky voice, "Daddy is back! Daddy, hug!"

The car door opened, and Li Zhinan stepped out. He bent down, gently scooped his son into his arms, and kissed him several times. "Did you miss Daddy?"

The little one reached out his small hands to cup Li Zhinan’s handsome face and gave him a kiss before saying, "I did."

Li Zhinan looked at Cheng Qian, who was standing nearby. Though his deep eyes betrayed nothing, Cheng Qian still felt a sense of shame. She lowered her head, tidying the hair by her ear, waiting for the man's interrogation.

However, Li Zhinan only glanced at her once before carrying his son upstairs without a single word of questioning.

Cheng Qian froze, then pulled at the corners of her lips and smiled. *That's right, why would he care what she did? Whether she had walked into the wrong room or had really come to catch him cheating, to Li Zhinan, it was all just a joke.* Since it was a joke, Li Zhinan wouldn't bother mentioning it.

Cheng Qian processed this on her own. At the dinner table, Li Zhinan didn't bring it up either. After dinner, once Cheng Qian handed their son over to him, she returned to the study to work.

Around 9:30 PM, Li Zhinan had finished bathing himself and his son. He stood at the door of her study, holding the child and watching her focus intently on the computer.

Li Zhinan suddenly asked, "Cheng Qian, the Cheng family's new drug has failed. Is there any progress on your end?"

Cheng Qian turned around, surprised, and said, "Xiao Wei's condition is genetic. Seeking a breakthrough at this stage will be very difficult."

Hearing this, Li Zhinan felt a blow. He said with a faint, self-deprecating tone, "That's true. You haven't made much progress in these four years, so what hope should I have had?"

Cheng Qian replied calmly, "My father did a great deal of research, and he was also striving for a breakthrough in this area, but the difficulty is simply too great."

"I see." Li Zhinan’s voice grew cold, and he turned and left.

Cheng Qian stared at the computer screen. She had already organized all of her father's notes; the dense data on the pages made her eyes ache with fatigue.

The Spring Festival had passed, and by the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, people across the country were visiting relatives and friends. Cheng Qian received an invitation from Ji Nan to join him for lunch. Since she had some work-related matters to consult him about, she agreed.

Li Zhinan was not going out today, so Cheng Qian knocked on his study door. "I have something to attend to at noon; please look after Xiao Ye."

Li Zhinan only looked back at her once and continued to stare at his computer screen.

Cheng Qian left at eleven o'clock. The little one wanted to tag along, but was scooped up by a large hand.

"Daddy, I want to go out and play too..." Xiao Ye started to fuss.

Li Zhinan lowered his head to comfort him. "Alright, Daddy will take you out."

Xiao Ye then broke into a smile and stopped crying.

At the Ji residence, Ji Nan had invited many friends from the scientific research community. Four tables were set up in the villa. When Cheng Qian arrived, Ji Nan led her around to introduce her to everyone, showing how much he valued her.

He Xue, the number one pursuer of Ji Yichen, had also arrived. Although she was a guest, she busied herself helping in and out, preparing lunch. Since Ji Nan's wife was still abroad, there was no hostess in the house, and He Xue seized the opportunity to fill that void.

As He Xue accompanied Ji Yichen from the wine cellar into the living room, she saw Cheng Qian.

Ji Yichen walked over immediately. "Little Sister Qian is here."

Cheng Qian turned and smiled politely. "Brother Yichen!"

He Xue gripped the basket tightly, anger flashing in her eyes.

Beyond eating, Cheng Qian had a more important reason for coming today. She wanted to consult Ji Nan about her research into genetics; having spent over a decade at a research institute abroad, perhaps Ji Nan had found a breakthrough.

After exchanging greetings, Ji Nan led Cheng Qian upstairs to the second floor. Ji Yichen followed along naturally. Seeing this, He Xue felt as though she could grind her back teeth to dust.