Nina, upon seeing these trending topics, went from extreme grief to being so enraged she nearly fainted again.
"Who? Who is so malicious?! Why would they curse my son like this?!" Nina cried out, a mixture of grief and anger.
"Aunt, think about it. Who has been targeting the Cen family? Who wants to see the Cen family suffer the most? And who has the capability to create such a massive stir?" Ou Minghan fanned the flames once more.
After a period of 'brainwashing', Nina, whose reason had been lost to grief, gritted her teeth, "It's Ye Zhi! It must be Ye Zhi, right?!"
Ou Minghan didn't answer her question. Instead, he said with feigned concern, "Aunt, it's not very meaningful to investigate who created these trending topics right now. What we need to worry about is that with Cen Xiucheng missing and the Cen family facing such a crisis, will someone try to take advantage of the situation? Aunt, at a time like this, the company desperately needs a pillar to stand up and stabilize the situation."
Nina was both angry and heartbroken. "My son's life is uncertain, and I need to go to N City to find him. How can I possibly have the heart to care about this sort of thing..."
"Aunt, how about this," Ou Minghan suggested. "You stay in Kyoto to oversee things, and Ya Ya and I will go to N City to search for Cen Xiucheng. Don't worry, I'll drain that river dry if I have to, but I will help you find Cen Xiucheng!"
His words were incredibly sincere, and Nina, who was already at a loss, felt even more convinced that he genuinely wanted to help the Cen family.
"No, I must go to N City personally. I need to find my son!" Nina thought for a long time before finally making up her mind. "You and Xiao Ya stay in Kyoto. Xiao Ya will be in charge of the company, and you will assist her. Do you have any objections?"
"No. Aunt, please rest assured," Ou Minghan said with an earnest demeanor. "I am sincere about Ya Ya. I know that you and your family have never accepted me, but I don't mind. I love Xiao Ya, and I will risk my life to protect her and her family!"
Nina, who had been somewhat hesitant, was now completely at ease.
"Aunt, when do you plan to go to N City?" Ou Minghan continued to ask.
"Of course, the sooner the better..." Suddenly, Nina looked at him warily. "Why are you asking this?"
"Aunt, you're too worried now. I really can't rest easy if you go to N City alone," Ou Minghan said with apparent concern. "I will book your flights and hotel to N City in advance, and then I'll contact a reliable local person to guide you in finding someone in N City, so you won't be unfamiliar with the place and encounter difficulties that are hard to resolve..."
Nina looked at Ou Minghan with a complex expression. When she first heard about Cen Xiucheng's accident, she had already panicked and hadn't thought things through. Ou Minghan's thoughtful arrangements calmed her down a little, and she couldn't help but trust him more.
"Ou Minghan, Xiucheng suspected you so much, don't you hold a grudge against him?" Nina asked tentatively.
"Aunt, you jest. Cen Xiucheng suspected me because, like me, he truly loves Ya Ya and genuinely worries about her. How could I hold a grudge against him?" Ou Minghan said confidently. Then, he changed the subject. "But no matter how much we argue, it's ultimately internal family matters. Fundamentally, Cen Xiucheng and I are in a community of shared interests where we prosper or suffer together. When facing external enemies, we must unite to overcome difficulties!"
Nina was relieved. She had still harbored some doubts about Ou Minghan before, but now she completely trusted him.
Ou Minghan's words cleverly placed himself in the same camp as Nina, as part of the family. And now, with the major upheaval in the Cen family, they needed to guard against outsiders.
"You're right, we can't continue with this internal friction," Nina said in a deep voice. "Help me book tickets now. I want to go to N City, as soon as possible! Xiao Ya is wonderful in every way, but she's too soft-hearted and lacks experience in company affairs. Kyoto still relies on you."
Ou Minghan readily agreed.
Afterward, he booked flights and a hotel for Nina as quickly as possible.
His target was the Cen family, but he wasn't foolish enough to directly ask Nina for shares or assets right away. That would only make Nina suspicious and label him as someone with ulterior motives.
Therefore, he would spend these few days diligently earning Nina's trust and making her feel at ease to go and search for Cen Xiucheng's whereabouts.
Cen Xiucheng's continued disappearance left him deeply unsatisfied.
While no one had found him after such a long time, Cen Xiucheng was likely beyond saving. However, with no body to be seen, who knew if Cen Xiucheng might suddenly reappear one day?
He believed that no one would search for their son more diligently than a mother. By letting Nina search, she had the highest chance of finding him.
During this time, as long as he continued to gain Nina's trust and treated her like his own mother, he could make Nina, who had lost her son, willingly hand over her money to him.
Once the money was handed over, she would be useless. When she suddenly 'fell ill and passed away', others would merely attribute it to her inability to accept her son's departure, and no one would suspect him.
*
Back in Kyoto, Qi Xuan and Ye Zhi were enveloped in a strong New Year's atmosphere. Despite their success in their careers, they were still treated like children by their parents.
On New Year's Eve, the two families dined together at the Ye family's home. Liu Lingyu, in a good mood, volunteered to cook several substantial dishes. Cheng Yi, feeling inspired, wanted to help in the kitchen. However, Qi Heng's expression changed, and he firmly blocked her from entering, strictly forbidding her from going near the kitchen.
Ye Zhi, in the living room, looked thoughtful at this.
She curiously looked at Qi Xuan and whispered, "Could it be that Aunt doesn't cook well either?"
Qi Xuan gasped as if recalling a terrible memory. "Why would you praise her?"
Ye Zhi: ...
Was not cooking well considered praise? Then how terrible must Cheng Yi's cooking skills be?
"Be careful, Aunt might hear you and hit you!" Ye Zhi said, amused.
"She won't," Qi Xuan said calmly. "Because I'm stating a fact."
"Is it really that terrible?" Ye Zhi still didn't quite believe it.
"Let me put it this way, my mother's cooking can no longer be described as unpalatable," Qi Xuan mused for a moment, then continued, "It should be called an accident. Not an adjective, but the literal meaning. If she enters the kitchen today, you can entrust the renovation of your kitchen next year to me."
Ye Zhi: ...
Was this cooking or an explosion of the kitchen? This was too exaggerated.