What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Turmoil

Su Chen’s tone was strange: “You don’t even know how many close relatives or siblings you have?”

Even if the other party hadn’t lived in the Shu family for a long time, it shouldn’t be to the point of being so unfamiliar that she’d suspect Su Chen was a member of the Shu family, right?

“You don’t understand,” Shu Qiong shook her head. “If someone told me one day that Shu Mufeng had incurred some ‘romantic debts’ in his youth, and a private child suddenly appeared just as he was dying, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”

Su Chen was momentarily speechless; such a possibility was actually not out of character for Shu Mufeng at all. Consequently, she could only squeeze out one sentence after a long pause: “In any case, don’t go talking nonsense in front of Sister Minmin.”

Shu Qiong nodded, refraining from saying anything more to provoke Su Chen. It was mainly because pumping her for information was always too easy—so easy that it felt like she was bullying an honest person. Sigh, she’s so well-behaved, I feel bad bullying her anymore.

Thus, for the rest of the journey, Shu Qiong folded her hands and played the part of a quiet, good person, at most exchanging a few meaningful glances with Yan Xiangyu.

When they arrived at the hospital, it was already afternoon. Shu Mufeng was lying in the hospital bed sleeping; at first glance, aside from being slightly pale, he looked no different than usual. Shu Qiong entered the ward empty-handed with her two “tails” in tow, and the people inside looked up simultaneously.

Zhang Mingzhi was wearing a dark green long dress today, her hair pulled back in a bun, her makeup radiating elegance. She beckoned Shu Qiong to sit on the sofa and cast a few extra glances at Su Chen and Yan Xiangyu. “Everyone sit. Was the journey tiring? Would you like some fruit?”

Her tone was like asking children. The two were flattered and sat down constrainedly next to Shu Qiong. Zhang Mingzhi had seen Su Chen several times and simply assumed Yan Xiangyu was like her—another one of Shu Xuanmin’s reliable subordinates.

As soon as Shu Qiong entered, she scanned the room but didn’t see her cousin or her cousin’s brother. Instead, her aunt, Shu Wen, nodded in greeting, her hands never stopping as she skillfully peeled fruit.

Hearing the sound of the door, Shu Mufeng’s eyelids twitched as he woke up, slowly reaching out a hand connected to an IV tube. Zhang Mingzhi was the first to notice; she went up concernedly to tuck him in, pushing the hand back under the quilt.

“You…” Shu Mufeng spoke weakly from the bed, seemingly wanting to hold his wife’s hand to give some instructions, so he stubbornly reached out again.

He saw his wife give a knowing, shallow smile. Sure enough, she leaned in and reached out to hold his hand just like always, and then… stuffed it back in again. This time, Zhang Mingzhi used a bit more force, pressing on the needle site and making Shu Mufeng’s face turn green with pain, his eyelids jumping. He instinctively glared at her, about to scold her, but was blinded by a sudden flash of brilliant white light.

“Mufeng, what’s wrong?” Zhang Mingzhi’s tone was concerned, only “belatedly” noticing the light reflecting off her onto his face. She apologetically covered the dazzling colored gemstone necklace on her neck. With it covered, the jewelry was no longer blinding, but there wasn’t a trace of worry for her husband to be seen on her entire person; in fact, her outfit and makeup were even more vibrant than usual.

Shu Mufeng closed his eyes forcefully and turned his head toward his most “filial” eldest daughter. Shu Wen noticed his gaze and gave her father a considerate smile. After finishing the apple, she started on a pineapple, carefully cutting it into small pieces on a plate. Shu Mufeng felt a bit relieved; his daughter was still considerate of him.

He instructed: “Cut them smaller.”

Hearing this, Shu Wen looked up at him with surprise, then quickly resumed her movements.

Click.

Shu Wen put down the fruit knife and pushed the prepared fruit plate toward Shu Qiong and the others on the coffee table. She smiled gently: “Eat up.”

“…”

Shu Qiong looked at the fruit basket, which now contained only a few lychees, and then at the plate piled high with neatly cut fruit pieces. She took a small silver fork, poked a piece of pineapple, and chewed. She gave a thumbs up: “Very sweet! Auntie, you still remember which fruits I like?”

“Mhm.” Shu Wen nodded with a smile and began peeling lychees.

On the bed, Shu Mufeng, dressed in a hospital gown, was so angry he started coughing. Can’t these unfilial descendants see such a large patient right here?!

A few minutes later, Shu Wen finally finished peeling the bowl of lychees. The flesh was white, plump, and translucent—looking sweet and juicy. She stood up with the bowl and walked toward Shu Mufeng. A trace of indiscernible anticipation flickered in Shu Mufeng’s eyes. Is it finally my turn?

He watched Shu Wen walk toward the bed, pass the bed, and ignore the bed. He watched in disbelief as she walked past him as if he were air and sat down next to Zhang Mingzhi.

“Mom, have some lychees to tide you over; we’re going to have a big meal later. There’s a nice restaurant near the hospital; I booked a table in advance.”

“Will it be too much trouble? How about we just have food delivered?”

“It’s not far, only a ten-minute walk. Besides, if we order takeout, Father can’t eat it anyway; he’d just have to watch us eat while smelling the aroma. That wouldn’t be nice.”

“Auntie, Grandfather shouldn’t mind, right?” Shu Qiong interjected. She spat out an apricot pit and looked at Shu Mufeng. “Right, Grandfather?”

Shu Mufeng wished he could grab the IV tube and scream at these nonsensical people to assert his usual authority. But he couldn’t. Now, he was lying in a hospital bed, covered in tubes connected to monitors; even turning over or sitting up was difficult.

“Grandfather, why aren’t you saying anything?” Shu Qiong asked again. “If you have any instructions, just tell us.”

As for whether anyone will actually follow them, that’s another matter.

Shu Mufeng closed his eyes tightly and said in a deep voice: “Find me a few caregivers.”

Shu Qiong poked another piece of honeydew: “A good caregiver should be quite expensive. As a student, I definitely can’t afford one… Oh, I’ll ask my cousin; he’s much richer than me, he can surely afford it.”

Zhang Mingzhi didn’t object, smiling kindly: “Yes, let him handle it.”

“Xuanhe…” Shu Mufeng struggled to lift his neck, asking with difficulty, “Where is he?”

“Who knows,” Shu Qiong said indifferently. “Maybe he went to be a ‘happy father.'” As she spoke, she suddenly sighed aloud, “Sigh!”

Su Chen, who had been sitting stiffly, was made half-speechless and half-curious by Shu Qiong’s antics. She asked: “What are you sighing for?”

“What do you think Cousin’s mood is right now? After all, his most respected grandfather and his most beloved mistress entered the hospital at the same time. The latter is about to give birth, while the former is… sigh!” Shu Qiong let out another fake sigh. “Compared to the passing of a life, people are always more willing to welcome the arrival of a new one!”

It sounded as if Shu Mufeng were already dead and buried.

As soon as this bizarre life sentiment was uttered, even Yan Xiangyu stopped her fruit-poking. She unobtrusively touched Shu Qiong’s arm, hinting that it might be better to stop chewing before amping up the acting. Shu Qiong immediately swallowed faster and added melodramatically: “Is this the meaning of ‘weddings and funerals’ happening at once? I understand now.”

Su Chen was dumbfounded: “What did you understand?”

Shu Qiong gave her a profound look and shook her head as if Su Chen were a hopeless student, making Su Chen get goosebumps.

Yan Xiangyu helped her answer: “The inheritance and replacement of life is indeed moving.”

If it weren’t for the fact that her face still wore a cold expression, Su Chen would have actually believed her.

Shu Mufeng was so angry his heart rate sped up significantly; for a moment, various values on the monitors surged, looking like they were about to hit the danger zone. Shu Qiong regretfully swallowed her follow-up line about it “not just being the cycle of life, but the cycle of retribution.”

She then turned to Su Chen: “Where’s your sister?”

Su Chen didn’t react: “Huh?”

Yan Xiangyu glanced at her: “Your ‘Dear Sister’.”

Su Chen nearly spat out a mouthful of watermelon juice. She quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief and shock. She finally realized that Yan Xiangyu—this person who seemed like a woman of few words—was even more irritating than Shu Qiong when she actually spoke.

“What ‘dear’… ‘dear’…” she stammered. Since Sister Minmin’s elders were in the room, she was terrified these two would say something even more misunderstood and wished she could cover their mouths.

Shu Qiong appreciatively bumped Yan Xiangyu’s shoulder, her face written with “you really get me,” and said to Su Chen with an insincere apologetic tone: “You misheard, she said your ‘Sister Min’. Where is she? I have business with her.”

Su Chen took a lot of effort to restrain her rebellious emotions and replied: “Still at the company. She’ll be here after four.”

Shu Qiong wasn’t surprised by this and said pointedly: “I heard many people in the upper management have issues with Cousin.”

Su Chen lowered her voice and hummed in agreement: “Last night, some partners even expressed a desire to terminate contracts early, saying Shu Xuanhe’s personal scandals were even affecting the product image of downstream enterprises. The Wang family, in particular, has completely turned their backs, leading a group of business partners to turn against us and kick the Shu family while they’re down.”

“That serious?” Shu Qiong’s eyes showed surprise.

Su Chen nodded slightly: “You haven’t checked the Interstellar Web yet, have you? At the banquet last night, some media outlet managed to sneak in and secretly take photos. They carefully crafted an explosive headline that instantly blew up. Sister Minmin spent a long time managing the direction of public opinion.”

Shu Qiong could understand. Ordinary wealthy-family scandals didn’t have such high engagement, but Shu Xuanhe was a special case. It was common knowledge in the circle that he played fast and loose; he had been involved in scandals with many stars, and paparazzi had tons of ambiguous photos of him. Supposedly not long ago, he was even photographed entering a luxury hotel with a rising idol, and the gossip had been widespread.

Now, just a few days later, these melodramatic events—stepping on multiple boats, a victim making a scene at the banquet, and wealthy brothers turning into love rivals—had broken. The large fan base of that idol was the first to lose their cool.

For a time, all kinds of marketing account articles were flying across the web. Various groups joined the fray, combining fan-circle infighting, business warfare, and wealthy-family strife. Each faction insulted the others while guiding public opinion; at first glance, it was impossible to tell who was an ally—it was pure chaos.

The common point was that every group was cursing Shu Xuanhe. The surging wave of public opinion could directly drown out any paid “water army” hired to clear his name.

At the same time, the interior of the Shu Group was also in shambles. There were already many shareholders and executives who couldn’t stand Shu Xuanhe, plus some ambitious people who were stirring the pot. After this incident, Shu Xuanhe’s personal communication was blown up last night. Later, he simply turned off his device and disappeared, acting like a complete “hands-off boss,” which made the executives even angrier.

On the Interstellar Web, public opinion was still fermenting and becoming increasingly outrageous. All sorts of conspiracy theories were spreading. The problem was that from start to finish, only an official account of the Shu legal department had posted a dry, non-binding clarification post; the protagonist himself never showed up to respond, and even the companies under the Shu banner remained silent.

Now even the casual bystanders noticed something was wrong. Normally, who would dare mess with a giant like the Shu family? Consequently, people’s hearts became even more unsettled. The most widely spread rumor was that the current head of the Shu family, Shu Mufeng, had been literally angered to death by Shu Xuanhe, and the Shu family was undergoing a massive change. And as everyone knew, the latter was just a profligate crown prince who couldn’t handle serious business; the Shu Group would surely be ruined in his hands.

Then the Shu Group’s stock price began to plummet, and the voices of investors predicting doom were endless. Opening the trading interface, the Shu family’s future looked like a sea of red (or green, depending on the market color scheme, but the text implies a crash).

Shu Xuanhe had disappeared; in contrast stood Shu Xuanmin, who had been busy all night. After parting with Shu Qiong last night, she returned to her private residence and immediately held an online meeting to assign tasks she had long prepared for. Afterward, she only napped briefly on the way back to the company before working non-stop, holding meetings and drafting proposals. Su Chen, however, was not taken to the company but told to stay at the residence to rest.

By noon, the situation had stabilized initially. The shareholders had somehow been persuaded and seemed to tacitly approve of Shu Xuanmin’s intervention in the group’s general affairs. As for the actual controller, Shu Mufeng, he was lying in a hospital bed unable to voice any protest.

Shu Qiong searched the web and was impressed. Not only did Shu Xuanmin have a set of skills for internal corporate governance, but she was also very capable in public opinion marketing. She suspected Shu Xuanmin had started laying the groundwork for public opinion years ago, such that most people now saw her as the “capable but unloved, marginalized but uniquely charismatic” underdog—appearing for years as the reliable figure who cleaned up after her brother, the useless crown prince.

People are naturally inclined to favor the underdog, especially one who is beautiful, strong, and tragic. Now that Shu Xuanhe had caused another absurdity, some people naturally began to make assumptions like, “What if the true heir to the Shu family was Shu Xuanmin?”

Shu Qiong figured out the key points and sighed from the bottom of her heart: “Luckily, I was fast enough to cling to this thigh.”