Age of Legends

Chapter 318 Rumors
At the family gathering on Sunday, Shen Mingbo, Ning Wenjing, and Shen Nuoyi arrived late.

"Sorry, sorry, I had to take care of something and I'm a little late," Shen Mingbo apologized to everyone.

Shen Mingbo took his seat, and Ning Wenjing maintained her usual intellectual demeanor.

Qin Tangxi gestured for Shen Nuoyi to sit down next to her.

The food was already on the table. After some pleasantries, everyone started eating. The atmosphere was as usual. But as they were talking, someone suddenly asked Shen Mingbo, "Mingbo, how's things going on your end? There are a lot of rumors going around saying your company is going to go under."

The conversation was initiated by Shen Nuoyi's great-uncle, Ning Junshan. Since Ning Wenjing's father passed away over a decade ago, this great-uncle had been the patriarch of the Ning family. He used to be a high-ranking official, and although he had retired, his knowledge of the family was still largely accurate. With Ning Junshan taking the lead, everyone immediately chimed in with their own comments.

"What kind of market is this? A cash flow problem is no joke!"

"How about we go to a bank and mortgage some real estate?"

The speakers were from the Ning family, but the Qin family members all perked up their ears. Ning Wenjing's younger sister, Ning Wenhua, married Qin An, forming a marriage alliance with the Qin family, and was living the best life. Most of the Qin family members were in business and doing quite well. However, this might not be entirely without the Ning family's influence in the officialdom.

At today's banquet, the Qin family members generally remained silent, their minds preoccupied.

They were naturally considering broader and more distant matters, because the rumor had essentially been confirmed. The Pei family, who used to have a good relationship with the Qin family, had recently become difficult to contact; in fact, they hadn't had any interaction for quite some time. This was a stark contrast to before.

Some of the Qin family members' businesses were run by Liu Yan, but now they have all become somewhat marginalized and are relegated to the sidelines in some situations.

Everyone knows perfectly well where these changes came from.

Qin Tangxi was the one who understood this most deeply, as it was no exaggeration to say that her own interests were directly involved. She used to be practically the princess of the Foreign Languages ​​School, knowing Pei Yan and Shen Nuoyi was her cousin. It could be said that the two most famous high school students from the two prestigious schools had close ties with Qin Tangxi. Therefore, even though Miss Qin wasn't very popular, no one dared to mess with her; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she could walk sideways.

However, just as she was feeling troubled by the recent whispers about her, someone finally came up to her, patted her on the shoulder, and asked bluntly, "Qin Tangxi, has Shen Nuo's family been abandoned by Pei Yan's family? The cooperation is over, so is her family going bankrupt?"

It's unclear when those rumors started. Taixun Group was so well-known in Rongcheng, and the collaboration between Shen Nuo's family and Taixun Group was known to many who inquired about the business. The problem was that Taixun Group was a behemoth, involved in multiple sectors. Compared to this, it seemed perfectly natural for Shen Mingbo's company to be affiliated with, or even backed by, Taixun. This sense of naturalness extended to how people perceived the two individuals. Foreign Language School was an elite institution, and many students there were quite different from those in ordinary public schools. They were more inclined to compare themselves to others, influenced more by their families, and were more mature and free-spirited. For example, idol worship, which was discouraged and prohibited in good public schools in Rongcheng, was very casual at Foreign Language School, at least because the students there had the financial means to do so.

The rumors about Shen Nuoyi and Pei Yan at the Foreign Language School didn't turn into a Cinderella-and-Prince romance, because Shen Nuoyi's aura was strong enough to carry the story. Generally speaking, Shen Nuoyi is the leading lady, while Pei Yan is the one who has to be more devoted. Even though their family backgrounds aren't as good, no one would object to them being together.

However, the biggest problem lies in the physics competition training incident. Pei Yan's unsuccessful pursuit at Yu De School angered many fans of the couple at the Foreign Languages ​​School. Based on the school's principles, they naturally sided with Pei Yan, thus becoming more hostile towards Shen Nuoyi.

The weakness wasn't apparent before because Shen Nuoyi wasn't actually weak; in fact, she possessed a subtle strength. However, nothing stays hidden forever. Many students from the Foreign Languages ​​School came from families working at Taixun, some even holding mid-to-high-level positions, and were aware of some of the inside stories. Therefore, after some busybodies exposed the conflict between Shen Nuoyi's company and Taixun, Shen Nuoyi appeared vulnerable to some.

Yes, you are indeed academically excellent, beautiful, and seemingly perfect from head to toe. But so what? You don't cherish it and have put your family on the opposite side of Pei Yan's family. But you seem to have forgotten that the head of Taixun Group is none other than Pei Yan's strong and capable mother, Liu Yan. So, they decided to teach a lesson to a woman like you who is arrogant and doesn't know her place.

Of course, these were all rumors that Qin Tangxi heard from the gossipy girls.

Qin Tangxi felt suddenly isolated. She didn't dare to approach Pei Yan, and even when she saw him on the street, unlike before when she would jump over and greet him sweetly, she would simply avoid him. Pei Yan was probably also feeling down, so he didn't come looking for her either.

Qin Tangxi desperately wanted to confront those people who made those comments about her cousin, telling them that it was absolutely not true! She wanted to argue, even to quarrel with those sarcastic and gloating individuals. But she lacked the courage. Her two major assets—her prowess in foreign languages—had now completely vanished, leaving her like a rootless duckweed.

And all of this only affected the surface of her power. What would the real person involved, her cousin, be feeling? Qin Tangxi even wanted to know if it was really true, as the rumors said, that her cousin's family was going bankrupt!

Under everyone's gaze, Shen Mingbo looked somewhat tired. He put down his chopsticks, but his expression remained very calm. His tone was composed yet tinged with helplessness: "How did this gossip spread like this again...? Rumors always circulate like this. Just listen to them and move on. I admit, the company's funds are a bit tight, but it's far from collapsing. Business always has its ups and downs. Right now, we just lack working capital. I'm trying to find ways to raise money, and I'm also reflecting on our past practices. I feel we can't rely solely on Taixun, so we're also looking for alternatives."

He looked at everyone again, his tone firm: "The machines haven't stopped, the people haven't left, and the company is still here. As long as we get through this period, things will naturally turn around."

Qin Tangxi secretly glanced at Shen Nuoyi, who sat quietly to the side. Throughout these conversations, her cousin remained calm, quietly picking at her food, seemingly oblivious to the topic at hand.

(End of this chapter)