The Beauty Is Seducing Me Again - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Shen Qing’an Thought, This Time, They Look Like a Deer’s Eyes.

A-Country, Manhattan.

The first ray of morning light pierced through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the high-rise conference room, casting warm light circles onto the long wooden table.

The air was permeated with a faint atmosphere of tension.

Shen Qing’an sat in the main seat, her slender fingers rotating a fountain pen, her gaze fixed on the bald European man across from her, her expression completely devoid of emotion.

The European man spoke non-stop in heavily accented English about a certain ambiguous detail in the contract clauses, trying to secure the last bit of benefit for his company.

Facing the European man’s lengthy argument, Shen Qing’an remained silent, leaning back slightly against the chair.

The man standing behind Shen Qing’an immediately stepped forward.

He fluently countered the opponent’s view, citing three sets of market data and one international business law clause, utterly nailing the opponent’s defense to the spot.

Suddenly, the large conference room fell into a brief silence.

Beads of sweat formed on the European man’s forehead. His eyes scanned the room, noticing that the people Shen Qing’an brought, though smiling, were like “smiling tigers,” latching onto a single point and refusing to let go. His team was repeatedly on the defensive, and he was the only one still making a last-ditch effort.

When his eyes met Shen Qing’an’s in the main seat, the European man’s heart tightened.

These were very beautiful eyes, as lovely as brilliant gems, but more terrifying than the gaze of the alpha wolf in a pack—too sharp and cold, making one’s heart freeze, and signaling her quickly dwindling patience.

“…Alright,” the European man finally gave up dejectedly, closing his folder. “CEO Shen, we will proceed as you said.”

The corner of Shen Qing’an’s lips curled slightly, barely counting as a smile. She stood up and extended her right hand: “Pleasure working with you, Mr. Berger.”

“The pleasure is mine, CEO Shen.”

The meeting concluded.

The opposing team filed out, every one of them looking serious.

“CEO Shen.” Shen Qing’an’s Chief Assistant, Zhou Ming, quickly walked over and handed her personal phone to her.

The screen was lit, showing a call from Butler Xu, which had been called back three times consecutively.

Shen Qing’an’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. This trip was for an important meeting, which was why she had to fly to A-Country herself. Butler Xu should know this, and he wouldn’t make repeated calls like this unless it was an emergency.

She took the phone, walked to the window, and dialed back the number.

The call was answered almost immediately after a few seconds. Butler Xu’s anxious voice came through the receiver: “Miss, the Madam has had an accident.”

Shen Qing’an’s heart skipped a beat. She instinctively gripped the phone tightly. Her fingertips lost color, turning a slight, deathly pale.

She maintained her calm tone: “Explain clearly, what happened?”

“This afternoon, Madam went to a tea house near Central Plaza, but when she was crossing the street, a novice driver drove right into the intersection.”

“Thankfully, thankfully a female student reacted quickly and pulled the Madam out of the way. Both of them fell onto the ground. The female student is fine, just some scrapes. But the Madam is old and has poor bone density. She suffered a fracture in her left arm and was frightened. She’s currently undergoing examination at the hospital. There is no danger to her life, and the other party is fully liable and very cooperative with the proceedings…”

Shen Qing’an didn’t listen carefully to the rest of what Butler Xu said. Learning that her mother was out of life danger, the heavy stone hanging over her heart mostly dropped.

“Which hospital, and who is the attending physician?” Shen Qing’an interrupted him.

After receiving the answer, Shen Qing’an said: “I understand. Please call Dr. Xu to look at the Madam’s left arm; he specializes in orthopedics. I will return to the country immediately.”

Shen Qing’an then hung up the phone, turned around, and instructed: “Zhou Ming, book the earliest flight back home right now. Ye Yan, Guo Huiqing, the two of you stay here in Manhattan to wrap up the loose ends. Return after this matter is fully settled.”

“Yes, CEO Shen.”

During the approximately thirteen-hour flight, Shen Qing’an barely closed her eyes.

In front of her was a tablet displaying the electronic version of the accident report, as well as a file sent by Zhou Ming. The file contained initial investigative information about the female student who had happened to save her mother.

Chen Xiao Nuan, twenty years old, sophomore in the School of Economics at Yunjing University. An orphan, raised in the Cixin Orphanage. There was a coffee shop near the accident site, which was where Chen Xiao Nuan worked part-time.

The girl in the photo smiled brightly at the camera, with two small dimples on her cheeks, looking particularly cute. Her eyes were clear, conveying an unspoiled innocence and naiveté.

Shen Qing’an closed her eyes, yet her mind kept turning.

This girl is too clean, clean like a meticulously designed script.

The Shen family is prominent and attracts trouble. Many people try to get a piece of the pie, especially since her father passed away from illness a few years ago. There was an endless stream of people trying to get close to the Shen family by clinging to her mother.

A life-saving grace. The oldest yet most effective drama. And a pure white lotus with a clean background and no threat? It would be easy for her soft-hearted mother to drop her guard.

The plane sliced through the clouds and began a slow descent. Outside the window, the morning mist gradually dispersed, and the familiar city skyline appeared.

A black Bentley drove in and parked at the VIP channel exit.

“CEO Shen.” The driver standing beside the Bentley quickly opened the car door. After Shen Qing’an sat in the back, he hurriedly rushed to the other side of the car.

Zhou Ming, sitting in the passenger seat, handed Shen Qing’an the materials he had received immediately.

“How is the Madam’s condition?”

Zhou Ming immediately replied: “The Madam’s condition is stable and normal, but she is worried about you. Miss Chen… has been staying at the hospital with the Madam for the past two days.”

Shen Qing’an quickly flipped through the pages with her fingertips, scanning the key information. It was largely consistent with what she had seen on the plane.

“Mhm. Go to the hospital.” Shen Qing’an closed the file, tossed it aside, and looked at the scenery outside the car window.

The trees on both sides of the road were quickly receding. She couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, the coldness in her gaze still undiminished.

First People’s Hospital of Quanhai City.

The patient room door was pushed open from the outside, and Shen Qing’an walked in. A faint fragrance of flowers and warm scent of food dispelled the strong smell of disinfectant in the corridor.

Yuan Yanyu was half-reclining on the elevated hospital bed, her left arm in a cast. Her face was a bit pale, but her spirits were good. She was listening gently, her eyes warm, to the girl sitting by her bed.

The girl’s back was facing the door. She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and washed-out jeans, with a cute messy bun. She was gesticulating excitedly, her voice soft and sweet, with a hint of cheerfulness, as if telling a world-shattering joke.

Shen Qing’an’s gaze went over the girl’s head and met her mother’s eyes on the hospital bed.

“Qing’an?” Yuan Yanyu was surprised at first, then joy rippled in her eyes, “How did you get back so fast? I thought the meeting was important and you wouldn’t be back for another two days.”

Yuan Yanyu waved at her: “Come closer.”

The voice by the bed suddenly stopped.

Chen Xiao Nuan froze, as if the pause button had been pressed. Then, she stood up somewhat flustered, offering the space beside the bed.

Shen Qing’an finally saw the girl’s face clearly. She looked similar to the photo, but her face was smaller, still retaining a bit of baby fat.

Her eyes were large, like two moist purple grapes, and her pupils were a clean light brown. At this moment, perhaps due to the shock, those eyes were wide and round.

This time, they look like a deer’s eyes, Shen Qing’an thought.

Chen Xiao Nuan unconsciously fidgeted with the hem of her T-shirt. Facing the suddenly appearing stranger, a situation she hadn’t anticipated at all, she felt a bit helpless.

Her acting is decent. A shy and harmless look, certainly very deceptive. Shen Qing’an scoffed internally, but her expression remained impassive. She walked to the bedside.

“The meeting ended early. Knowing you were hospitalized, I rushed back immediately. Mom, how are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks to Xiao Nuan accompanying me these two days, running around doing things. If Xiao Nuan hadn’t been there to pull me that day, I’m afraid my old bones wouldn’t have withstood the impact of a car crash.” Yuan Yanyu smiled, reaching out to pull the stiff girl standing beside her. “Xiao Nuan, this is my daughter, Shen Qing’an. You can just call her ‘Elder Sister’ from now on.”

Chen Xiao Nuan was forced to look up, meeting Shen Qing’an’s utterly cold gaze. Her heart leaped, and her cheeks uncontrollably began to heat up.

“Elder S—” Just as she uttered the first syllable, the other party’s gaze seemed to grow colder. Immediately, Chen Xiao Nuan’s voice became as faint as a mosquito’s buzzing, carrying obvious nervousness, “Miss Shen, h-hello.”

Up close, the woman in front of her was excessively beautiful, but also terrifyingly cold. Her features seemed to have been meticulously carved by the Goddess Nüwa. If Chen Xiao Nuan looked any longer, her soul would be sucked away.

Chen Xiao Nuan felt an inexplicable shortness of breath and panic, wanting only to hide from the other party’s scrutinizing gaze.

Shen Qing’an replied with an extremely faint “Mhm,” acknowledging Chen Xiao Nuan, then looked at her mother: “What did Dr. Xu say?”

“He just said rest and regular check-ups. Nothing serious,” Yuan Yanyu patted her daughter’s hand. “Don’t worry.”

Shen Qing’an nodded and added: “I’m going to find Dr. Xu to ask about the specific situation.”

She needed to get the most objective information from a professional, rather than rely on her mother’s sentimental description after being warmed by the ‘little sun’ next to her.

Dr. Xu’s statement was consistent with Zhou Ming’s report, and perhaps even more optimistic, emphasizing that the Madam’s basic health was good and her recovery speed would be faster.

Hearing this result, Shen Qing’an felt much more relieved.

Shen Qing’an returned to the patient room again. This time, she only stayed for less than ten minutes. After confirming her mother was fine, the backlog of company work prevented her from staying longer.

“I have business at the company, so I’ll go now. I’ll come back to see you tonight.” Shen Qing’an said, standing up to leave.

“Oh, you child. Rushing off to the company right after getting back? Are you made of iron? Why don’t you rest a little more?” Yuan Yanyu couldn’t help but complain, “Can’t you stay with your mother and talk for a few more minutes?”

“I’ll be back after dealing with it.” Shen Qing’an’s tone was flat. As she turned, her gaze casually swept over the girl by the bed who seemed to want to shrink into a ball.

Chen Xiao Nuan was secretly watching Shen Qing’an. The moment their eyes met, she abruptly lowered her head like a startled rabbit.

Only the top of her fuzzy head remained facing Shen Qing’an.

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