After Transmigrating as the Abandoned Rich Wife O, I Turned the Scum A's Life into a Crematorium [Transmigration] - Chapter 29

“Where are you? What are you doing? Do you have any idea what the market index looks like today?”

When Grandmother’s call came in, her towering rage was palpable even through the screen.

During her susceptibility period, Shen Siying’s reaction time was limited, but hearing Grandmother’s words, she remembered to quickly contact Xiao Ye to check the situation. She learned from Xiao Ye that her disruptive behavior last night had been recorded and uploaded online. it had caused a significant backlash, drawing a wave of condemnation and instantly trending on social media. The headline read: “Haolan Executive CEO Shen Lacks Alpha Decorum, Verbally Abusing and Assaulting a Ride-Share Driver.”

Shen Siying opened the trending interface. Listed alongside it was another entry: “Haolan Executive CEO Shen Publicly Releases Pheromones to Provoke Police During Susceptibility Period.”

The reputation of a large enterprise is its fortune. The stock price of Haolan Group plummeted overnight; by the time the market opened, it was already at its downward limit. As a leader in the industry, Haolan Group had many enemies. Other large enterprises that had long been resentful of living off its scraps saw these two incidents and, with the help of various “hidden hands” pushing from behind to let the matter ferment, successfully turned it into a viral scandal.

If the matter hadn’t fermented, it might have been possible to cover it up. But now that it was trending, it was clearly not going to die down quietly. Radicals added fuel to the fire, and the media added tabloid gossip to their reports, quickly elevating the issue to “The Group disregards its image and treats social ethics like filth.”

Previously, Xin Mengyao had been seen in high-profile photos with Shen Siying at the piano competition. Some insiders used this for speculation, spawning keywords like “Infidelity within marriage” and “The appearance of the Green Moonlight” [a pun on White Moonlight implying cheating].

Shen Siying felt her scalp tingle. Her hand gripped her phone so hard that her veins bulged.

“Where is Bei Bei?” Grandmother called again.

Shen Siying looked at Gu Bei in front of her, then at the worried butler. “She’s next to me.”

Grandmother’s side was noisy, sounding as if she were surrounded by a crowd. “She had better be. I’m giving you half an hour to bring Bei Bei and appear at the old family estate.”

The old estate? In a given year, the number of times Grandmother called Shen Siying back to the old estate could be counted on one hand: once for the old lady’s birthday, once for Gu Bei’s birthday, and the rest for private meetings with the company’s high-level executives.

Shen Siying felt a faint sense of unease. After hanging up, she remained silent for a moment before saying to Gu Bei, “Grandmother wants you to go back to the old estate with me.”

Gu Bei knew the old lady was good to her and favored her in everything. However, since she had decided to leave Shen Siying, she didn’t want to get too deeply involved in these matters, fearing that she might feel reluctant to leave when the time truly came.

“Just tell her I’m not feeling well and I’m not going,” Gu Bei replied.

“Gu Bei!” Shen Siying’s voice rose slightly.

“What!” Gu Bei snapped back, not backing down. “I’m not going!”

Shen Siying gritted her teeth. She had never seen Gu Bei act this defiantly and was momentarily at a loss. She didn’t dare disobey Grandmother, but she didn’t want to be harsh with Gu Bei. Shen Siying lowered her eyes, looking at Gu Bei’s small feet; they looked even thinner inside her short boots.

Gu Bei’s phone rang. She took it out to answer, but seeing the caller ID, she hesitated. The ringtone was still that song: “Today is a good day…”

Gu Bei thought for a moment, scratched her temple with her index finger to move a stray hair away from her mouth, swiped the screen, and pressed the phone to her ear.

“Bei Bei?”

“Grandmother.”

“Where are you two?”

Gu Bei: “…”

Grandmother asked again through the screen. From beginning to end, Grandmother had always stood by Gu Bei’s side, showing her love and pampering in front of everyone. Although Gu Bei didn’t have much affection for her “new” parents, she appreciated Grandmother’s kindness. Hearing Grandmother’s voice, Gu Bei felt momentarily dazed.

“Bei Bei?” Grandmother asked to confirm Gu Bei was listening.

Perhaps because the volume of Gu Bei’s phone was high, Shen Siying leaned toward the screen, craning her neck. Her long grape-purple hair fell over Gu Bei’s shoulder. “We’re about to set off,” Shen Siying said.

After hanging up, Gu Bei said with clear displeasure, “For the record, I only agreed to go to the old estate because of Grandmother. It has nothing to do with you.”

“I know,” Shen Siying tried to take Gu Bei’s hand but missed. She awkwardly rubbed the tip of her nose with her other hand. “Is it okay if you just cooperate and keep up appearances for me?”

Outside the Shen family estate, the area was packed with cars parked haphazardly, as if the owners hadn’t even had time to consider how they would leave. Seven or eight bodyguards stood at the entrance of the traditional building; they nodded quickly to the Shen-Gu couple before opening the large doors for them.

Xiao Ye was pacing frantically, waiting anxiously at the entrance of the main hall. Seeing the couple, her face was a mix of relief and worry.

“President Shen.” Xiao Ye handed an iPad to Shen Siying. On the screen was the internal stock trading data and the company’s financial trend analysis.

“Mm.” Shen Siying took the iPad, pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingertip, and took a quick glance at the screen. “What’s the situation inside?”

“More than half of the management level has arrived. This might not be simple. The Chairwoman is considering postponing the merger of the overseas branches. Also,” Xiao Ye paused for a moment. When Shen Siying’s gaze swept over her, she continued: “Also, your administrative control over the Group has been revoked.”

Shen Siying’s pace slowed. A shadow of gloom flashed in her eyes. She raised her left hand and gave it a small shake—it was a steel-colored watch. It was the birthday gift Gu Bei had given her last year. She hadn’t worn it before, but she had recently dug it out to wear.

“Whose proposal was it?” Shen Siying asked.

Xiao Ye replied, “The Vice President and a few directors. Also…”

“Who else?” Shen Siying stopped scrolling on the screen.

“Your parents.”

Gu Bei’s parents were furious after seeing the scandal regarding the Shen-Xin couple. After all, Shen Siying was a child they had watched grow up. While they chose to defend Shen Siying’s image in front of outsiders, they had nonetheless raised their hands in favor of the motion during the vote to strip her of administrative control.

Grandmother had no objection to this.

As the Executive CEO of Haolan Group, Shen Siying had been managing the company for over three years. Her familiarity with the business was naturally beyond reproach, and she had handled many large projects with caution and success. She could not accept this sudden seizure of power.

“So, how did this whole thing happen?” Shen Siying was referring to the stock crash.

Xiao Ye took Shen Siying’s black-rimmed glasses from her bag and handed them to her, then produced a hurriedly printed report—one for Shen Siying and one for herself. “We can’t rule out manipulation by hidden hands, but the most critical factor is influence. Several competitors used your incident to make a big fuss. The Chairwoman couldn’t respond in time, and I’m afraid…”

“I understand.” Shen Siying quickly scanned the data. The discomfort of her susceptibility period was still torturing her, but her rationality gained the upper hand. She rubbed her temples again and quickened her pace.

As the three of them walked through the long corridor, Gu Bei noticed that the central courtyard—which she had glimpsed briefly during Grandmother’s birthday and had been planted with dwarf pines—had now been replaced by a tall locust tree. Perhaps it had undergone some special treatment, as its leaves were still hanging thick and lush on the branches.

Coming to the entrance of the main hall, she heard the chatter of a room full of people. Shen Siying tucked her long hair behind her ear, revealing her elegant neck. She crooked her arm, signaling Gu Bei to take it, but Gu Bei refused. Shen Siying didn’t give up and tried to take Gu Bei’s hand, only to be shaken off immediately.

This scene happened to be caught by Grandmother, who slammed the blue-and-white porcelain teacup heavily onto its saucer.

The moment Shen Siying stepped into the room, the people present went silent for a moment before resuming their whispers. Grandmother, holding a fat Silver Shaded cat, beckoned to Gu Bei. “Bei Bei, come here. Sit next to me.”

Under the gaze of over a dozen pairs of eyes, Gu Bei looped around from behind Shen Siying, came to Grandmother’s side, and sat down on the rosewood Luohan couch. The Silver Shaded cat seemed to recognize Gu Bei; it slowly moved toward her and rubbed its round head against the back of her hand.

Gu Bei had no guard against this fluffy little darling. She let it rub against her and unconsciously reached out to stroke its head. The fat cat let out two comfortable “meows” and lay down on Gu Bei’s lap.

“Tell me, what happened?” Grandmother gave Gu Bei a brief smile, but when she turned to look at Shen Siying, her expression turned icy.

After Shen Siying answered truthfully, Grandmother stood up and walked over to her. Her magnificent, thickened dark-green satin qipao made the elderly woman look more than ten years younger.

“Do you know how much market value the company has lost?”

“The subsidiaries have already received several complaints saying our stock price is being maliciously shrunk.”

“The phones at our partners’ offices are ringing off the hook.”

The various shareholders spoke up one after another.

“Did you hear that?” Grandmother asked.

“I did,” Shen Siying answered.

“Have you considered the company’s image? Can you control yourself? Didn’t I tell you to handle that vixen surnamed Xin?” Grandmother said sternly.

“Grandmother, don’t say that…”

Slap—!

Before Shen Siying could finish, a loud slap landed on her fair face. Everyone shut their mouths. Gu Bei was so startled that the hand stroking the cat twitched, causing the cat in her arms to let out a cry of annoyance.

“This slap is for the elders to see,” Grandmother said. Then she raised her arm and delivered another slap. “This slap is for Bei Bei to see.”

Grandmother had truly used her full strength. Half of Shen Siying’s face throbbed with stinging pain, and red finger marks soon appeared.

“Do you think highly of yourself? Just because you closed a few big deals, you no longer have the elders present in your eyes? Do you know how many people worked hard for Haolan to reach its current position? Your susceptibility period and some tabloid gossip have forced everyone to take the blame with you, yet you seem to think you’re quite justified?”

Grandmother was also a veteran top-tier Alpha; her aura completely crushed Shen Siying as she spoke. She had been strict with Shen Siying since childhood—not that she wasn’t allowed to make mistakes, but that she wasn’t allowed to fail. As a top-tier Alpha, Shen Siying was required to have precise foresight, and this incident was indeed a failure resulting from her lack of consideration.

“You don’t need to come to the company for the time being.” Grandmother turned and walked back to the couch. “Company affairs will be handled by the General Manager. I will have the final say.”

“But…”

“But what? Do you know how many eyes are watching you wait for a mistake? Is the media useless? Truly, you’ve lost all our face!”

Grandmother was right. With the Shen family’s strength, as long as they didn’t make a mistake, no one would dare provoke them. But the moment a mistake was made, there were plenty of red-eyed hungry wolves lining up to add insult to injury.

Shen Siying suppressed the rage in her heart and her nearly collapsing sanity. Lowering her head, she replied, “Understood.”

The usually high-and-mighty, arrogant President Shen looked like a stray dog at this moment—disheveled and humbled.