Chapter 88: Deliberately Targeted

"Thank you so much. I always knew you were a thoughtful person."

Song Waning was trying something novel for the first time, and at that moment, she was utterly smitten with the heat pack, casually praising Wen Jingxing once more.

[Ah~ This is so delightful! One is attentive to every detail, the other showers praise without restraint—this is mutual understanding and appreciation!]

[I’ve made up my mind! I’m rooting for this pair!]

After handing over the gift, Wen Jingxing bid Song Waning farewell and truly went off to attend to his own task.

That afternoon, both of them returned to the small villa early after finishing work.

When the weather was pleasant, Song Waning enjoyed lying in the corridor, basking in the breeze. Now that the cold had set in, she barely stepped outside—making life difficult for the cameraman.

Once the guests returned to the villa, the cameraman stopped filming, leaving the indoor cameras to continue. However, Wen Jingxing and Song Waning would immediately turn off the cameras upon entering.

Helpless, the cameraman sought out Li Weiwei, who then called Wen Jingxing and spoke at length. Whatever she said, Song Waning saw Wen Jingxing, who had just refused, suddenly agree.

Song Waning lounged on the sofa, sipping hot tea, her gaze fixed on him—curiosity evident in her eyes. But Wen Jingxing refused to explain, instead asking, "Are you bored? Want to come to my room and play the game we played the other night?"

Song Waning’s eyes lit up, and she nodded without hesitation. "Of course!"

Viewers who had just entered the live stream were utterly confused.

Since there were no group activities or mini-games that evening, Li Weiwei had moved up the time and started the third live broadcast. The other guests were nearly finished with their tasks.

[Wait, what?! I looked away for a moment and these two are at it again, saying things that sound so provocative!]

[Playing the game from the other night? I remember Wen Jingxing saying Song Waning was a bit tired the next day!]

[Why does Song Waning look so interested?!]

[Wow, wow! They’ve gone into the room!]

[Seriously, is the rest of the content paywalled? Why are we only seeing a closed door?!]

Clearly, the viewers were once again misunderstanding and letting their imaginations run wild.

As soon as Song Waning entered the room, she adeptly turned on her laptop and started playing. Since Li Weiwei’s live broadcast schedule was unpredictable and she never notified the guests in advance, the two of them ended up unintentionally neglecting the audience.

Wen Jingxing opened his phone and saw a message from Chen Shaoyuan.

Chen Shaoyuan: [All information on the Song Corporation has been clarified. In the beginning, Song Zijian and his brother each held 10% of the shares, the old patriarch had 20%, Song Waning’s mother Xu Xiangling had 50%, and the remaining shares were distributed among senior management.]

Chen Shaoyuan: [After Xu Xiangling and the patriarch passed away, along with his brother, all their shares transferred to Song Zijian. Later, he allocated 20% each to his wife and daughter.]

Wen Jingxing paused, surprised. In most cases, who would hold so many shares personally? If profits were high, it might make sense.

But according to Chen Shaoyuan’s report on the Song Corporation’s performance, the company had managed not to lose money all these years. For such a firm to not collapse and still be standing was a miracle.

After reading everything, Wen Jingxing replied.

Wen Jingxing: [Who are their business partners?]

Chen Shaoyuan: [Actually… only us.]

Wen Jingxing: [?]

Chen Shaoyuan: [In recent years, as cybersecurity tech has advanced, Song Zijian’s company failed to develop new core technologies and was gradually eliminated by the market.]

[Wen Group began working with them long ago, back when Miss Xu was around. Song Corporation’s development and technology were industry-leading; the company was a loyal client of over ten years, so we outsourced some less important tasks to them.]

Wen Jingxing read these messages, his brows knitted tightly. He glanced at Song Waning, who was engrossed in her laptop.

Her mother had held 50% of the shares during the company’s founding, meaning she contributed at least half the effort to its rise.

But now, Song Zijian and his wife together held 70%. In Wen Jingxing’s eyes, Song Zijian’s marriage to a new wife, taking shares and distributing them to her and the adopted daughter, was unethical.

He had never been a particularly good person, let alone possessed much compassion. Wen Jingxing believed Song Waning should inherit her mother’s 50% stake.

He worried that if he targeted the Song Corporation and upset Song Waning or if she came to him for help, those were scenarios he wished to avoid.

Moreover, during their previous encounters, he sensed a closeness between Song Waning and her stepmother.

She didn’t address her as “Mother,” but called her “Aunt Mei” in an affectionate manner.

Oddly, Song Xin, the adopted daughter, called Aunt Mei “Mother.”

This was something Wen Jingxing couldn’t comprehend.

Noticing Wen Jingxing’s persistent gaze, Song Waning finally emerged from behind her screen. “Why do you keep staring at me?”

Wen Jingxing suddenly asked, “If… your family went bankrupt overnight, could you accept it?”

The Song Corporation was now a hollow shell, surviving only on outsourced work from Wen Group.

It was ironic—Wen Group’s unimportant outsourced tasks kept the Song Corporation afloat.

Song Waning shrugged indifferently. “If it goes bankrupt, so be it. It just means they’re not capable.”

She truly didn’t care. Song Zijian had always profited off her mother’s legacy. The market was ever-evolving, and Song Zijian couldn’t keep up, so it was inevitable he’d be phased out.

Clinging to what isn’t yours is pointless; everything will be lost eventually.

“Really? If the Song Corporation only survived because someone helped it, and then that person stopped, causing its demise—would you resent them?”

Wen Jingxing had expected to see displeasure on her face.

But she clapped her hands and exclaimed, “I’d be grateful! Thank goodness that person finally realized the truth about the Song Corporation’s incompetence.”

Wen Jingxing: “?”

Her answer caught him so off guard that he was momentarily speechless.

“Why are you suddenly asking me this?” Song Waning pressed when he didn’t respond. “Don’t tell me you’re the one who’s been helping?”

Wen Jingxing didn’t answer, but asked, “How many shares do you have in your family’s company?”

Hearing this, Song Waning laughed as if she’d heard a joke. “Shares? Not a single one.”

(End of chapter)