Shen Yun?
Hearing Gao Lingwang speak the name, Li Qianfan clearly paused.
The image of Su Lao Die's beautiful secretary immediately surfaced in his mind.
Not only him, but even Su Ziyu, who had met Shen Yun several times, thought of her at the first moment.
However, there were many people with the same name in the world.
Especially the name "Shen Yun," it sounded pleasant enough. There were probably no less than eight hundred women named Shen Yun across the country, if not a thousand.
Moreover, the Shen Yun that Gao Lingwang was specifically looking for couldn't possibly be the Shen Yun who worked as Secretary for Old Su for a few thousand yuan a month.
After saying Shen Yun's name, Gao Lingwang's emotions fluctuated. He picked up his wine glass and drained it.
Although his attempt to conceal his feelings was quick, Li Qianfan still caught a glimpse of heart-wrenching pain in his eyes.
"It seems this Shen Yun has some emotional entanglement with him."
Li Qianfan and Su Ziyu exchanged a glance. Li Qianfan asked Gao Lingwang, "Do you have any information or photos of her?"
"Yes."
Gao Lingwang put down his wine glass, wiped his mouth, and said with a smile, "Qianfan, why don't we go outside and talk privately?"
"Of course."
Even though they had just sat down, and Li Qianfan, the absolute protagonist of the evening, was leaving, it would be disrespectful to Bai Ziyan and the others.
But would he care?
"Wife, please entertain Boss Bai and the others for me. I'll go chat with Brother Gao for a while."
Li Qianfan said to Su Ziyu, picked up a cigarette from the table, and walked quickly out of the private room with Gao Lingwang.
At the end of the corridor, by the window.
"Qianfan, I know you have many unpleasant dealings with the Shen family of Lingnan."
Gao Lingwang said with a face full of apology, "I shouldn't have mentioned Shen Yun in front of you. And I shouldn't have asked you to help me search for her whereabouts in Tiandong. After all, according to our elders' wishes, we would be brothers-in-law."
Li Qianfan—
Only then did he realize that the Shen Yun Gao Lingwang was looking for was not only from the Shen family of Lingnan but also Du Junlin's elder sister!
Gao Lingwang continued, "But if I want to find her, asking for your help is undoubtedly the most promising."
"Brother Gao, don't worry, I will definitely do my best to help you."
Li Qianfan hesitated for a moment, offered a cigarette, and asked, "Brother Gao, would it be convenient for you to tell me what exactly happened between you two?"
"It's convenient, of course."
Gao Lingwang lit his cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and began to narrate.
Many years ago, the Gao family of Xibei and the Shen family of Lingnan had arranged a marriage between Gao Lingwang and Shen Yun.
If nothing unexpected had happened, they would have gotten married six years ago.
But an accident occurred—
"Qianfan, don't laugh at me. I really liked Shen Yun. Especially as the wedding date approached, in my dreams at night, it was always her. I was absolutely waiting for the stars to fall and the moon to rise, eagerly anticipating the wedding day."
Gao Lingwang smiled self-deprecatingly.
His voice was low, "But as the wedding date drew near, shortly after you went to Lingnan to celebrate Old Man Shen's birthday and were injured by Du Junlin, Shen Yun suddenly proposed to break off the engagement."
Mentioning this, Li Qianfan felt a wave of embarrassment.
He subconsciously reached back and rubbed his backside.
Clearing his throat, he asked, "Brother Gao, why did she want to break off the engagement?"
"No reason, she just wanted to break it off."
Gao Lingwang shook his head. "And her attitude was extremely firm. She would rather give up all the shares the Shen family had allocated to her and be expelled from the family than break off the engagement. If the Shen family pressured her too much, she threatened to commit suicide."
Damn it.
How could the daughters of the Shen family be so stubborn?
Li Qianfan cursed inwardly.
Gao Lingwang continued, "After Shen Yun unilaterally broke off the engagement, it dealt me a great blow. I was dispirited for several years, unable to escape the pain, living a life of debauchery. My elders were very disappointed. In fact, I was very disappointed in myself. Even..."
He smiled self-deprecatingly again. "Even, I had thoughts of ending my own life several times."
"Ah?"
Li Qianfan was startled and blurted out, "Damn it! Old Gao, is it worth it to be so foolish for a woman without morals?"
"Ha!"
Gao Lingwang chuckled and slapped Li Qianfan heavily on the shoulder. "This is why I felt you were so manly when I heard you absolutely refused to marry Du Junlin. I'm really not as good as you."
Li Qianfan immediately felt he had found a kindred spirit.
He boasted, "As the saying goes, 'There are plenty of fish in the sea, why stick to one flower?' A true man stands tall and upright, why worry about not having a wife? At least in my opinion, any girl is better than a girl from the Shen family. Anyway, I'd rather be a bachelor than marry a daughter of the Shen family."
"Well said."
A look of admiration appeared on Gao Lingwang's face. "Although you are so much younger than me, your perspective on this matter is much better than mine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have suffered for so many years, causing my parents and elders to worry and be disappointed in me."
Li Qianfan leaned against the window, his legs trembling. "No matter what it is, it's good to let it go."
"Yes. I've finally let go and seen clearly."
Gao Lingwang said, "It is precisely because I've let go and seen clearly that I want to find Shen Yun. I want to ask her myself why she broke off the engagement. This is perhaps my only lingering attachment."
"Is that necessary?"
Li Qianfan sneered and changed the subject, "Did that Shen Yun come to Tiandong now?"
Gao Lingwang nodded. "Yes. And this is why I'm asking you to help me find her."
Li Qianfan was completely confused.
"By chance, I obtained some information unintentionally."
Gao Lingwang said in a low voice, "A month ago, Shen Yun, who had suddenly disappeared, had actually infiltrated your side, secretly helping Du Junlin monitor your and your wife's every move."
What!?
Li Qianfan's eyebrows shot up.
He immediately thought of what his father had told him.
That someone from the Shen family was secretly observing Su Ziyu closely.
Once Dean Su transformed from a pure and flawless beauty into a happy young bride, the Shen family would stop at nothing to eliminate her, no matter the cost!
But Li Qianfan never imagined that the person the Shen family sent to secretly monitor Su Ziyu would be Shen Yun, Du Nanyin's own daughter!!
He asked in a deep voice, "Old Gao, is this news reliable?"
"Absolutely reliable."
Gao Lingwang seemed to hesitate.
Li Qianfan immediately said, "Old Gao, from a certain perspective, both of us brothers have been unfortunate souls hurt by the Shen sisters. But you've already let go and moved on. Yet Du Junlin is still haunting me, driving me crazy. If you consider me your brother, don't hide anything from me."
"Alright!"
Gao Lingwang, a man of integrity, finally made up his mind.
His information came from the most wicked female demon of the Shen family, Shan Jian Yaqing.
A week ago, Shan Jian Yaqing went to the Gao family.
On the evening of her wedding to the Gao family, Gao Lingwang went for a walk in the woods after dinner and inadvertently overheard her making a phone call.
The gist was as follows—
"Yun'er, you must infiltrate well, and absolutely do not reveal any flaws that Li Qianfan can see through you. This not only concerns Junlin's happiness but also the estrangement between the Shen family and the Li family. I'm truly worried you'll be eaten by that little scoundrel! If he does manage to eat you, regardless of whether you can marry him or not, just based on your status as Junlin's sister, Junlin will have to give him up."
Gao Lingwang finished speaking.
When he recounted this incident, his attitude and tone were very objective.
Li Qianfan, however, his gaze flickered incessantly.
Since the Shen family dared to go to such lengths to prevent him and Su Ziyu from becoming true husband and wife—
Then—
What else would they not dare to do!?
He took a deep breath, looked into Gao Lingwang's eyes, but said nothing.
Gao Lingwang, however, understood his gaze.
He said calmly, "Qianfan, when I said I've completely moved on from Shen Yun, I wasn't just talking. No matter what you do to her, it has nothing to do with me. Although, I don't approve of you doing that."
Li Qianfan remained silent, just quietly smoking.
Gao Lingwang sat with him in silence.
After a long while, Li Qianfan finally looked up and asked with a smile, "Old Gao, you said you came to Tiandong for two things in the private room."
Alas.
Sensing that Li Qianfan had made a certain decision, Gao Lingwang sighed inwardly.
But he would never interfere in the affairs between the Shen and Li families.
He also said with a smile, "Tonight, I came with the Bai siblings. With your intelligence, you should be able to guess what's going on."
I'm smart, but I'm not a god.
Just as Li Qianfan was about to say this, a flash of inspiration struck him. "Old Gao, you're not planning to date Bai Ziyan, are you?"
"Yes."
Gao Lingwang admitted frankly.
He had arrived at the Bai family in Tiandong that afternoon.
The one who had introduced him to Bai Ziyan was Shan Jian Yaqing of the Shen family.
After Shen Yun broke off her engagement, the Shen family felt they owed him and had always wanted to introduce him to a more outstanding girlfriend.
Shan Jian Yaqing, who was "undercover" in Tiandong with Shen Yun, inadvertently learned about Bai Ziyan. After observing her, she set her sights on her.
Then Shan Jian Yaqing went directly to the Bai family, revealed her identity to Old Bai on the spot, and stated her intentions.
When the Bai family heard this—
They were overjoyed!
When the Lan family of Tiandong married into the Murong family of Sijiu, it had already made the Bai family and the Du family feel apprehensive.
And the Murong family of Sijiu was merely a quasi-first-class prestigious family.
But the Gao family of Xibei was a super-first-class family in the East!
If the Shen family, also a super-first-class prestigious family, acted as a matchmaker and married Bai Ziyan into the Gao family, then the Bai family's future development would be on the fast track.
After confirming the Bai family's attitude, Shan Jian Yaqing rushed to the Gao family in Xibei.
This led to Gao Lingwang's trip to Tiandong.
"Bai Ziyan didn't know about this before I came."
Gao Lingwang explained briefly and then asked Li Qianfan directly, "Qianfan, I see you know Bai Ziyan. What do you think of her?"
What about Bai Ziyan?
Li Qianfan frowned.
In the eyes of outsiders, Bai Ziyan, with her outstanding figure, appearance, temperament, ability, and excellent family background, was the epitome of a lady from a prominent family.
But Li Qianfan knew that she was actually a formidable banded krait hidden beneath a beautiful exterior!
And the key was, Bai Ziyan was a lesbian.
So, should he tell Gao Lingwang about Bai Ziyan's secrets?
As Li Qianfan hesitated, Gao Lingwang smiled, "If you're not sure, then don't say it. Actually, I can tell she's not interested in me. And I would never shamelessly pursue a girl who's not interested in me."
Li Qianfan asked, "How do you know she's not interested in you?"
Gao Lingwang said, "She actively invited people from the Du and Lan families to participate in tonight's event. From their conversation and attitude, I can tell that Du Yingjun and Lan Yunting are both pursuing her. She's very smart, and she's using this method to subtly reject me."
"Old Gao, I think you're the smartest one."
Li Qianfan said with great emotion, "When I first saw people from the Lan and Du families, I was wondering why they were here. Turns out, they were just shields that Bai Ziyan easily picked up."
"Actually, she didn't need to do that. But no matter what, for Aunt Yaqing's sake, I'll stay in Tiandong for a few more days."
Gao Lingwang said, "After you help me find Shen Yun's whereabouts, you can also go sightseeing and relax."
"Okay, you can go to Qingyun when you have time."
Li Qianfan nodded. "Oh, right, let's add each other as friends. Send me the information and photos of that Shen Yun."
Gao Lingwang took out his phone.
A moment later, Li Qianfan's phone made a ding.
Shen Yun's photo appeared on his phone screen.