Changsheng: Peak at the Beginning

Chapter 1757 Ode to Joy + First Half of Life 21

Qu Xinxin originally didn't want to really meddle in Andy's private affairs. After all, this wasn't just a simple analysis; she was being invited by Andy to directly participate in her personal matters. Although Andy trusted her completely, she wasn't ready to accept Andy as her friend. Therefore, going with Andy to pick up her younger brother, Xiaoming, seemed a bit too intimate.

However, Qu Xiaoxiao needed Andy's connections. Her small film and television production company certainly didn't need to be associated with Shengxuan Group, but the Qu family desperately needed to be associated with Shengxuan Group, so in the end she still appeared at Ode to Joy, ready to go out with Andy.

Andy had already mentioned that her old friend and boss, Tan Zongming, would be accompanying her. Qu Xinxin was now in a position to ask for his help, so how could she put on airs?

As Qu Xiaoxiao was seeing Qu Xinxin off, she couldn't help but hug her and whisper, "Oh dear, if Andy hadn't been worried that Xiaoming wouldn't be able to handle my enthusiasm, would I have troubled you to make this trip, Xinxin? So for the sake of the family business, Xinxin, you'll have to sacrifice a little bit~"

Daishan is not far from downtown Shanghai. Andy couldn't help but overthink the whole way, and Tan Zongming couldn't calm her down. But Qu Xinxin just sat there and held Andy's hand, which calmed Andy down a lot. This made Tan Zongming secretly observe Qu Xinxin through the rearview mirror the whole way.

Qu Xinxin's appearance alone is outstanding enough. Tan Zongming even suspects that if the Qu family hadn't been wealthy and powerful, Qu Xinxin probably wouldn't have been able to stay with the family long ago.

After Andy calmed down, she noticed Tan Zongming's gaze on Qu Xinxin. She immediately reminded Tan Zongming, "Okay, Lao Tan, I feel much more relaxed now. Don't keep looking back, and be careful while driving."

Tan Zongming played along, smiling apologetically, but still sided with Andy: "I'm sorry, Miss Qu, but don't be fooled by Andy's usual aloof and indifferent demeanor. In reality, she can't help but get overly nervous when she encounters people and things she cares about."

Qu Xinxin smiled and let the matter drop: "It's alright, I know President Tan must be curious. In fact, even I am curious myself, why Andy would give me the same level of trust as you, his old friend, after only meeting me twice."

Tan Zongming was simply curious, with at most a little bit of unintentional probing. He didn't even have any condescending attitude, which shows how important Andy was to him. Otherwise, he could have directly warned her when she wasn't looking, or even tried his best to persuade Andy to give up the idea when she asked him to accompany her.

To be honest, judging from the few words Qu Xinxin gleaned from Qu Xiaoxiao, Tan Zongming's feelings for Andy were clearly more than just good friends. Otherwise, why would he personally arrange a dinner to thank her just because Andy was being slandered online?

Before that, Qu Xinxin only saw Tan Zongming's contempt and exploitation of Andy.

Tan Zongming asked Andy to return to China under the pretext of helping to find Andy's younger brother, Xiaoming. Andy, a financial elite with her own name on Wall Street, was actually placed in the position of CFO by Tan Zongming to be in charge of an acquisition case that was relatively important for the group's expansion. It even seemed that she was not given many proper staff. Otherwise, why would Qiu Yingying, who was slacking off at work, be the first to discover that Andy was being smeared online?

Therefore, regarding Andy's current position and role in Shengxuan Group, as well as the whole story of the incident where Andy was smeared online, Qu Xinxin did have suspicions that Tan Zongming might have some sinister intentions. However, after seeing that Andy, although she seemed a bit naive in terms of interpersonal relationships, was not stupid, she stopped her suspicions.

Now it seems that Tan Zongming cares about Andy even more than Qu Xinxin imagined.

The "welfare home" that Xiaoming is currently in is just a name; in reality, it's a proper nursing home. No wonder Tan Zongming spent so long to finally find him—it turns out he wasn't adopted by the welfare home at all, but placed in a nursing home!

Qu Xinxin's last shred of doubt about Tan Zongming was finally completely dispelled, and naturally, she no longer needed to scrutinize Tan Zongming as a person.

The dean was a gentle person, judging from her appearance. Her concern for Xiaoming was genuine. After Tan Zongming explained his purpose, she looked at Andy, the legendary older sister of Xiaoming, but did not immediately allow Andy to approach Xiaoming. Instead, she asked Andy for evidence to confirm that Xiaoming was her brother: "Miss Andy, I just heard from this Mr. Tan that you were also adopted and sent abroad when you were very young. So how can you be sure that Xiaoming is your younger brother?"

“If you can’t produce concrete and reliable evidence today, I’m afraid I can’t let you get close to Xiaoming. I’m sure you’ve done a lot of investigation into Xiaoming, and you should know that his current silent state is related to the fact that he was abandoned several times.”

Tan Zongming said directly, "Then I hope you can help provide a sample that can be used for testing, or we can provide a sample of Andy's. With today's advanced technology, it is possible to test blood relations between siblings."

"Don't worry, no matter what the outcome, I will donate a sum of money to the nursing home and also donate a separate sum to Xiaoming, hoping it will be used for Xiaoming's psychological treatment and counseling, as well as his subsequent education and life."

The dean was naturally tempted. After thinking it over, he decided to take a sample from Xiaoming and give it to Tan Zongming. After all, Tan Zongming, being such a high-ranking executive, must have his own channels to quickly complete the testing and get the results as soon as possible.

Xiao Ming and Andy's samples were taken together. The dean was unwilling to let them get close to Xiao Ming before the results came out. Fortunately, Tan Zongming had a friend who owned property nearby, so he simply took Andy and Qu Xinxin there to relax.

As Andy walked out of the nursing home, he looked back a few times with lingering reluctance, then turned to Qu Xinxin and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Xinxin, I've really kept you up too long today..."

Qu Xinxin glanced at Tan Zongming and smiled at Andy: "It wasn't a wasted trip, at least we don't have to worry about Xiaoming's future today. With President Tan's sponsorship, Xiaoming, even if he doesn't fully recover, can at least live a normal life. That way, that kind-hearted dean won't have to worry too much."

Upon hearing this, Andy turned to look at Tan Zongming, who seemed to have "done nothing remarkable." A subtle tremor stirred within her, but because it was so slight and she was preoccupied with other matters, she temporarily ignored it.