No—this is a society governed by the rule of law; how could Duan Yiheng possibly dare to kill her? He was merely trying to scare her.
Chen Liangyi lifted her head and looked Duan Yiheng straight in the eye: "I want to see Lin Xi." Duan Yiheng smiled: "Seeing Lin Xi is certainly possible, but first, help your adoptive mother to her feet. Let's have a talk; if you refuse to cooperate this time, then there will be nothing left to discuss."
Upon hearing this, Chen Liangyi's adoptive mother assumed that Duan Yiheng—cowed by pressure from the media—was preparing to offer her financial compensation; her eyes instantly lit up with avarice. Her headache vanished, and the aches in her legs faded away. She scrambled to her feet in a flash and, moving with practiced familiarity, headed straight inside. Duan Yiheng then summoned Qin Yang:
"Go handle the media for now; escort them over to the park's auditorium." Qin Yang nodded: "Understood." Duan Yiheng then called out to the HR manager: "Separate Chen Liangyi from her mother; I will see them individually." "Very well."
Duan Yiheng turned his face, instantly resuming his demeanor of gentle, jade-like refinement—not a trace of his previous sternness remained. He personally exchanged a few words with the police officers present, requesting their assistance with the investigation. Naturally, the police agreed to cooperate.
Duan Yiheng laid out the entirety of his suspicions; approximately five minutes later, he turned and headed toward the conference room. He decided to see Chen Liangyi first. She was the only person in the conference room; upon seeing Duan Yiheng, she immediately stood up. "Where is my foster mother?"
"She agreed to cooperate of her own accord; she was also the one who pushed open the conference room door herself," Duan Yiheng said as he took a seat. "I came to see you first, naturally, because I have questions to ask. Are you one of Ke Yu's people?" Chen Liangyi replied, "I don't understand what you're talking about." Duan Yiheng smiled.
"There are only the two of us in this room; there is no need for you to be so guarded. Besides, you wouldn't be able to hide it from me anyway." Chen Liangyi smiled back. "I still don't understand what you're talking about." Duan Yiheng continued:
"It doesn't matter; I've already had someone look into the matter. What I want to ask you now is this: don't you find it rather coincidental—the timing of your mental illness?" Chen Liangyi frowned. "What do you mean?" Duan Yiheng asked:
"That is something you must ask yourself. Aside from Ke Yu, who else did you see while you were with her? Or perhaps—what did you eat or drink?" Chen Liangyi's body went rigid. She parted her lips, about to speak, but before she could utter a word, Duan Yiheng had already stood up and left the room.
Chen Liangyi chased after him, but she was blocked by bodyguards at the entrance to the adjacent conference room. The door hadn't been shut tight, leaving a narrow gap through which Chen Liangyi could clearly see her foster mother greedily demanding even more money in compensation. Upon seeing Duan Yiheng, the woman smiled and asked:
"So, Mr. Duan—how much are you planning to pay me?" Duan Yiheng picked up a stack of cash lying on the table. "You let yourself be bought off for a measly sum like this?" "I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted. Duan Yiheng replied:
"This money certainly didn't come from Lin Xi. When you came to the company to cause a scene earlier—someone paid you to do that, didn't they? All you cared about was the money, so naturally, you agreed."
"Nobody hired me! I was just short on cash, so I went to that girl to ask for some. If she wouldn't give it to me, then she has no right to blame me for sabotaging her job." Duan Yiheng cast a sidelong glance at her.
"Naturally, you didn't care about anything other than getting paid—because the true objective of the person who hired you was to make Chen Liangyi believe that *Lin Xi* was the one who had hired you, thereby achieving their ultimate goal: to manipulate your daughter." Chen Liangyi's eyes widened in sudden shock. *No... that's impossible.* She had never spoken to Ke Yu about her history with Lin Xi; in fact, her acquaintance with Ke Yu stemmed solely from her foundation, as she had once received funding from the Ke Yu Foundation.
"Never mind all that. All I know is that after you people fired my daughter, she suffered a mental breakdown. Naturally, I expect you to compensate us." Duan Yiheng smiled faintly:
"You are already suspected of breaking the law; I will be handing this matter over to the police for investigation. As for your daughter's mental illness, the truth regarding that will naturally come to light as well." "Are you saying you refuse to pay?" Duan Yiheng asked:
"We have already turned over all relevant evidence to the police. If the police determine that we are at fault—and the court issues a ruling to that effect—I will pay you whatever is owed, even if it amounts to a hundred million. However, if you attempt to extort money by causing a disturbance, I fear you may live long enough to take the cash, but not long enough to spend it."
Chen Liangyi's adoptive mother shuddered, instinctively straightening her back as she prepared to retort. Duan Yiheng cast a look at the head of security, then rose and exited the conference room. He paid no heed to Chen Liangyi, proceeding directly toward the main auditorium. Qin Yang had already managed to calm the media down. Upon his arrival, Duan Yiheng turned to the Director of Public Relations and said, "Record the clarifications I make to the media shortly. Draft an official statement based exactly on what I say." "Understood."
The auditorium was fully equipped; Duan Yiheng walked straight to the podium, took the microphone, and addressed the crowd: "Please, let's dispense with the individual questions. My grandfather is currently in critical condition and undergoing emergency treatment, so I cannot afford to waste any more time here. I will now address—one by one—the questions you have raised."
"First, let me introduce myself: I am Duan Yiheng, President of Silver Sail Technology. The allegations regarding our company unjustly dismissing an employee—and thereby causing her to suffer a mental breakdown—are entirely baseless and constitute nothing but malicious rumor." Duan Yiheng then proceeded to provide a precise timeline of events:
"Ms. Chen Liangyi's adoptive mother arrived at our company entrance, causing a scene and demanding money. My secretary, Ms. Lin Xi—who happened to be passing by on her way to work—stepped in to handle the situation initially. Subsequently, our HR Manager and the Director of Sales, Xu Yu, arrived on the scene, accompanied by our head of security, who was present to maintain order."
"As an employee of this company, Ms. Chen Liangyi bore a professional responsibility and obligation to uphold our corporate image and maintain order. When she repeatedly refused to cooperate despite multiple attempts to reason with her, the company naturally exercised its right to terminate her employment."
"Even under those circumstances, we made every effort to soothe her agitation. When my assistant noticed her behavior becoming erratic while we were in the conference room, we immediately arranged for her to be taken to the hospital." "Furthermore, we subsequently provided her with humanitarian financial assistance."
"The entire incident was captured on surveillance footage, and her medical records serve as corroborating evidence; all relevant materials have been submitted to the police for verification." "As for my relationship with Ms. Lin Xi: we are currently in a committed romantic relationship with the intention of marriage. Beyond that, I have no further comment."
"Regarding any subsequent developments, the company will issue an official statement in due course. We also ask that you await the official findings of the ongoing police investigation. Thank you." Seeing that Duan Yiheng was preparing to leave, the reporters scrambled to pursue him. Two bodyguards turned to form a barrier against the surging crowd, while two others escorted Duan Yiheng out of the auditorium and into his waiting vehicle.
Qin Yang followed them out but did not board the car; instead, he stood respectfully by the door. Duan Yiheng turned to him and said, "I'm leaving everything here in your capable hands." Qin Yang responded reassuringly, "Rest assured, Mr. Duan."
Duan Yiheng gave a brief nod. The bodyguards filed into the vehicle one by one, and the driver stepped on the gas, whisking Duan Yiheng away toward the hospital. His first impulse was to call Lin Xi, but there was no answer. Duan Yiheng froze, then dialed Lin Xi's number once more.
Just as he stood there, fists clenched tight with mounting anxiety, she finally picked up. "Hello? Did you get everything sorted out?" Duan Yiheng let out a breath of relief. "Why weren't you answering your phone?" Lin Xi replied, "Duan Mingxuan and Duan Zheng have arrived." Duan Yiheng's expression remained cold and aloof, yet his tone was gentle:
"You've worked hard. Wait for me—I'll be there right away." Lin Xi acknowledged him, "Okay. Grandpa has already left the operating room and has been moved to the ICU." Duan Yiheng gave a brief affirmative sound, then turned to his driver. "Hurry up."
No sooner had Lin Xi hung up than Duan Zheng charged forward again, only to be firmly blocked by two bodyguards. "Lin Xi, how dare you stand in my way?" Lin Xi replied, "Uncle Duan, without my direct orders, they won't step aside." Duan Zheng sneered. "Do you think I came here alone?"
Lin Xi immediately called out, "Uncle Deng! No matter how many people show up, make sure you block every single one of them." Uncle Deng responded, "Rest assured, Miss." Lin Xi clenched her hands tightly; all she had to do was hold out until Duan Yiheng arrived.
Duan Zheng's insistence on entering the ward right now had only one motive: to force Grandpa to alter his will while he still had a breath left in him. She would absolutely not let him have his way. Duan Yiheng... you have to get here fast!