After Going Viral on a Dating Show, I'm Pampered by All

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Mr. Sang Senior: Come, I’ll Invest in Your Company!

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Sang Qiao had been lounging around like a salted fish, binge-watching dramas for fun ever since she finished her endorsement shoot.

And the news of Fu Xing switching jobs had also reached Su Nuanying’s ears, who had been taking meticulous care of Sang Qiao daily and sharing the supposed “flaws” of Fu Xing, which she seemed to have dug up from somewhere.

“I really didn’t expect Fu Xing to look handsome, but actually, he has a bunch of chest hair. I can’t stand it. I’m officially un-fanning.”

“And then, his close staff says he goes ten to fifteen days without brushing his teeth. It’s disgusting.”

“I even heard he might have hemorrhoids, but he’s always too secretive to get it checked out.”

Sang Qiao’s ears were almost callused from hearing all this groundless “dirt” on Fu Xing, and the last comment truly made her laugh until she cried.

What, was Fu Xing supposed to strip down for everyone to check if he had hemorrhoids or not?

Sang Qiao held back her laughter and raised her eyelids, “Stop! What exactly are you trying to say?”

“I mean, we shouldn’t be sad about an artist plagued by scandals like him leaving. I’m thoroughly over him!” Su Nuanying was feeling conflicted; she had never liked a celebrity so much before, yet he had deeply disappointed her.

Leaving the company that had given him a leg up was one thing, but to kick it while down and show no gratitude?

“I’m not upset, but you, do you really not want to see him anymore?” Sang Qiao hadn’t forgotten her promise.

Although Fu Xing was no longer an artist under her management, using the pretext of visiting Lu Anchi to see Fu Xing wasn’t difficult.

Su Nuanying showed no delight, instead, her head was shaking like a rattle-drum.

“To be honest, now that he and my artist are on the same set, there’s still a chance for a close-up look, but it’ll be hard in the future.” Sang Qiao spoke slowly.

Upon hearing this, Su Nuanying’s eyes swiveled, a bit torn, “Maybe one last look, as a farewell?”

“Alright, you go by yourself tomorrow; I’ll have An Chi’s agent take you.” Sang Qiao agreed without hesitation.

“I’m not his fan anymore; I just want to see the person I was once blind to like.” Su Nuanying nodded, making sure to clarify it.

A prolonged ringtone suddenly sounded, and Sang Qiao glanced down to see it was her grandfather calling.

As soon as she answered, she heard the robust voice from the other side, “You don’t have any schedules lately, right? Come and play chess at Old Man Li’s house tonight with me.”

“Not going, send someone else.” Sang Qiao raised her eyebrows, refusing outright without even pausing.

This left Mr. Sang Senior in an awkward position on the other side of the screen, especially since he had just readily agreed that Sang Shen would help him get Qiaoqiao to come out.

Mr. Sang Senior softened his voice, “You know, your four brothers play terrible chess, bringing them means Old Man Li will trounce me.”

“Then just take back your moves if you mess up.” Sang Qiao remained unmoved, lounging back on the cushion with a lazy tone.

“How can you suggest such a thing! How could I engage in such behavior!” Mr. Sang Senior retorted, his face red and neck thick.

“… Isn’t that your usual trick?”

“Just come this once, have a meal with the two families, talk about things. Sang Qiao, do you plan to be at odds with the Sang Family forever? You’ll have to get close to me at some point; what will you do about getting married? What if you get bullied?”

Old Mr. Sang found himself at a loss for words, rare as it was for him to soften his tone for her sake. Mostly because his grandson intended to please Sang Qiao, he was naturally happy to lend a hand; he didn’t want a family discord.

“I could marry someone who moves in with me. If he dares to bully me, I’ll just have him pack up and leave.”

“Pfft…” Su Nuanying couldn’t help but laugh out loud when she heard this.

Old Mr. Sang’s face darkened on the other end of the phone, “You think marriage is a joke!”

“It’s fine, I’m hanging up.”

“Hold on! Come visit Old Man Li with me, I’ll invest a billion in your company.”

Sang Qiao raised an eyebrow, promptly agreeing, “It’s a deal, send me the card number right away.”

“You really are pragmatic,” Old Mr. Sang snorted coldly and hung up the phone.

He turned his head to look at Sang Shen, “I’ve already arranged for you to meet her; the rest is up to you.”

“I know. Grandfather, I don’t understand why, if you really do care about Qiaoqiao, you let Mom treat her like this and didn’t stop us from adopting Jiaojiao.”

Sang Shen found he could never fully understand the old man, including many instances where the elder could have solved things with a word, yet he chose never to interfere.

“When I was young, I was too busy to care about these issues, only focused on taking the Sang Family to greater heights.”

Old Mr. Sang sighed deeply, also feeling regretful. What had he achieved after striving his whole life? He could have enjoyed family bliss, but he only had eyes for his business.

It wasn’t until his wife passed away that he realized there was more to life than business, and cherishing the present was what mattered most.

But by then, it was all too late; he owed his wife an apology.

Old Mr. Sang picked up the teacup from the table and took a sip, “The four of you have your own thoughts; what determined belief will change just because of my words? I am old now, and with the little time I have left, I don’t want to quarrel with you.”

Hearing this, Sang Shen couldn’t deny it. During their time grateful to Sang Jiao, Grandfather’s word could only go so far as preventing her from being registered in their household.

“Why do I give Qiaoqiao twice the shares as the rest of you? It’s compensation. When she returned to the country, complying and humble, the legitimate daughter bore the brunt unfairly – it disappointed me.”

What Old Mr. Sang didn’t say was that because of his disappointment, he never spoke up about Mrs. Sang not introducing Sang Qiao publicly. He believed it was time for her to grow up.

But now, Sang Qiao’s indifferent attitude made him regretful again. He wondered if he had been too cruel.

“But she has no powerful backing, she can’t be strong,” Sang Shen’s eyes grew moist.

He often thought that if only Grandfather had been Qiaoqiao’s support back then, they wouldn’t have been able to bully Qiaoqiao to this extent. Would their relationship be better now?

“She holds twice the shares you two do; if she wants to, she is her own support,” Old Mr. Sang sighed, “Sang Shen, you need to learn to face the mistakes you’ve made.”

“I understand,” Sang Shen nodded, ultimately choosing not to question further.

Even if Old Mr. Sang was wrong, in the end, wasn’t it his own fault?

He turned and left the room to call his younger brother, informing him he had made an appointment with Qiaoqiao.

After much consideration, Sang Shen decided to also call his eldest brother, but Nanfeng was still unwilling to yield, “What, have you no pride now? Even if the estrangement was because of Mom, even if Sang Qiao was receiving treatment, couldn’t she find a chance to return home and check on us in three years?”

“But she was ill,” Sang Shen felt uncomfortable hearing his brother’s tone.

“You see her now, lively and energetic; could she really have been suffering a serious illness, incapacitated for three whole years and unable to touch the ground? When Jiaojiao heard I got into a fight, she came to the police station with a high fever to pick me up. In the end, it’s because Sang Qiao doesn’t care about us as much!”