Tang Shiyun glanced at Ling Chen, and he nodded slightly without speaking, his eyes offering encouragement.

"Mom, this is my own decision; it doesn’t involve anyone else. You don’t need to blame Ling."

Yao Li cursed angrily: "Still calling him Ling? Why are you so close with him?" Then, turning to Ling Chen, she burst out: "I know it’s you, you bastard, leading my daughter astray! What business is it of yours to meddle in our family affairs? Get out! Get the hell out!"

Yang Chengfeng frowned slightly and said, "Miss Yao, we are at Silver Star Entertainment right now, not your home. You don’t have the right to tell anyone to get out."

Yao Li was left speechless for a moment and scoffed, picking up the contract off the table and holding it in front of Tang Shiyun, speaking sternly, "If you still think of me as your mother, then sign this right away. Otherwise, I will disown you."

Hearing her mother’s coercion, Tang Shiyun’s eyes immediately reddened, tears glistening. Lightly biting her lower lip, she struggled to hold back her tears.

Seeing Tang Shiyun’s indifference, Xu Qiang couldn’t sit still and blurted out, "Miss Tang, you reached out to us first, and now that everything has been negotiated, you’re unwilling to sign? Are you taking us for a ride?"

"I’m sorry!" Tang Shiyun replied. "I never approached you, nor did I think about switching companies. This was orchestrated by my mother without my knowledge, and I was kept in the dark until your appearance today. I’m sorry for any inconvenience caused, and please forgive us."

Hearing this, Xu Qiang looked at Yao Li with dissatisfaction and frowned. "Miss Yao, you repeatedly assured us that you could bring your daughter to our company. Because she is your daughter, we believed you and even paid the upfront fee you demanded – thirty million. Now that it’s come to this, don’t you think you owe us a reasonable explanation?"

"Thirty million?" Tang Shiyun asked in confusion. "What thirty million?"

"You don’t know?" Xu Qiang continued. "Your mother asked us to pay her thirty million as a 'hardship fee' for poaching you from Silver Star Entertainment."

"No, it’s not like that; there’s no such thing," Yao Li said in a panic, quickly denying it.

Xu Qiang snorted briefly. "It’s written in black and white, Miss Yao. Are you trying to renege on the deal?"

Tang Shiyun stared at Yao Li, her face deathly pale, and demanded, "Mom, what is going on? Explain yourself clearly."

Yao Li hastily replied, "I… daughter, listen to me. I thought you would obediently sign the contract, so I made that request. It’s not excessive."

After hearing Yao Li’s explanation, Ling Chen sighed silently. Calling her mercenary was indeed accurate. She was only interested in immediate benefits, utterly disregarding her daughter’s future. For Tang Shiyun to have such a mother was truly tragic.

"Miss Yao, what do you have to say now?" Xu Qiang said irritably. "The contract is right here. Will you sign it or not? If you can’t fulfill it, please, according to our initial agreement, pay us fifty million, including the penalty, and we can consider this matter closed."

"My dear daughter, you’ve heard it too. Just sign it. Mom can’t afford to pay them that much in damages," Yao Li still did not give up and persuaded.

Tang Shiyun sighed helplessly and said, "Mom, this is a mess you got yourself into. Find a way to resolve it yourself; I don’t have that much money either." With that, Tang Shiyun felt drained, not wanting to say another word, and turned to walk out.

Seeing this, Yang Chengfeng gently nudged Ling Chen’s arm and whispered, "Mr. Ling, go comfort Tang. We’ll handle things here."

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you."

After leaving the conference room, Tang Shiyun stood alone at the balcony, gazing at the bustling night scene in the distance. Gusts of evening breeze brought a hint of early autumn chill.

Ling Chen walked behind Tang Shiyun, took off his coat, and draped it over her, standing quietly by her side, wordless. Sometimes, silent companionship is more powerful than words.

"Ling."

Tang Shiyun, holding back her tears, slightly turned and leaned her head on Ling Chen’s shoulder, seeking comfort. Ling Chen raised his hand, enclosing her slender waist, whispering, "Don’t cry. No matter what happens, I’ll always be by your side."

Tang Shiyun nodded lightly, her lips curving into a sweet smile.

The evening breeze was cool, but with Ling Chen by her side, she felt a warm heart, unfearing of the chill.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps approached from behind. Ling Chen and Tang Shiyun turned around to see Zhu Yansong walking up.

"Mr. Zhu."

"Mr. Zhu, how did it go? Is everything taken care of?"

Zhu Yansong smiled lightly and said, "It’s all settled. The 30 million plus the penalty will be paid by our company in full. The 30 million that Miss Yao got can stay with her, but starting from today, she cannot be involved in any matter related to Miss Tang. From now on, all affairs will be fully handled by Miss Tang herself and our company."

At this point, Zhu Yansong paused slightly before continuing, "Miss Tang, you have a ten-year contract with Silver Star Entertainment. President Yang’s hope is that you could renew it early and extend the contract to fifteen years. Do you have any objections?"

"I accept," Tang Shiyun replied without hesitation.

"This is a happy outcome for all," Ling Chen remarked with a smile.

"Well..." Tang Shiyun hesitated before asking, "Mr. Zhu, what about my mother?"

"She’s still in the conference room. You can go see her if you want. It’s a good opportunity to have a proper talk. After all, you’re family, and there’s no need for relations to be so strained."

Ling Chen added, "Mr. Zhu is right. Go see your mom. Hopefully, this incident will serve as a lesson for her."

"Then I’ll head there first."

After seeing Tang Shiyun off, Ling Chen didn’t stay long. He greeted Zhu Yansong and then drove back to Wealthy Manor.

When he arrived back at the Nanrong home, Su Lin was still watching TV in the living room. Ling Chen casually asked, "Where’s Wanqing?"

"She went out."

"Out?" Ling Chen said in surprise. "What for?"

"She didn’t say. With Zhong Wei and the others with her, you don’t have to worry."

Hearing this, Ling Chen’s eyebrows instantly knitted together. "When I just got back, I ran into Captain Zhong and his team, and they definitely didn’t go out."

"Ah?" Su Lin’s face turned to shock as she sprang from the couch. "Really?"

Without another word, Ling Chen quickly took out his phone and dialed Nanrong Wanqing’s number. Immediately, however, the line on the other end beeped with the busy signal that the phone was switched off.

What is this woman doing?

Ling Chen’s mind raced with urgency, and he turned and ran out of the villa.

By then, the Honda minivan had already left the city area, arriving at a deserted countryside. In front of an abandoned, derelict house, the Honda minivan came to a stop.

The car door opened, and Nanrong Wanqing got out alone, heading towards the lit-up broken house.