"Have the flowers I sent you bloomed?" Xiao Feng suddenly looked toward Du Linlang in the back of the crowd.

Du Linlang was taken aback, then remembered the note saying, "Surprised? Unexpected?" in the pot she had smashed, and her face instantly darkened.

She pushed through the crowd, stood in front of Xiao Feng, and said, "A word in private."

Xiao Feng nodded decisively, but as he was about to leave, he noticeably felt Jiang Yixin holding his arm even tighter.

"Wait for me here, I'll be back shortly." After speaking, he gave a warning glance at the surrounding Du Family members.

Watching Xiao Feng leave, Jiang Yixin felt even more anxious inside, but this worry was evidently unnecessary. With just one look from Xiao Feng, the Du Family members seemed to become mute, not daring to even make a sound.

At the corner of the stairs, Xiao Feng went straight to the point: "Say what you need to quickly."

Du Linlang's gaze was sharp as she said, "Do you suspect that Du Qingyue's current condition is because of my machinations?"

"Did I say that?" Xiao Feng innocently retorted.

"Just because you don't say it doesn't mean you don't think it." Du Linlang replied irritably, "I just want to tell you that even though in your eyes, I'm not a good person, I wouldn't stoop so low as to defeat an opponent this way. I will be running Lanyue Group from now on, and I will prove myself with my actions and then defeat her fair and square."

Xiao Feng chuckled, "You're quite persistent in competing with Du Qingyue. Just a friendly reminder, don't get in too deep and end up distorting your character."

"Friendly reminder?" Du Linlang gave a meaningful smile, "Are you sure we're just friends?"

Xiao Feng turned his head away, ignoring Du Linlang's teasing, "You must have more to say."

"Correct." Du Linlang's smile faded, and she said seriously, "I need Jiang Yixin as my assistant. It's not because of her capability, but because there are many areas where I need her to transition work for me, to facilitate my upcoming tasks."

"Then why don't you talk to Jiang Yixin? What's the use of telling me?" Xiao Feng seemed confused.

"Before Du Qingyue's accident, she never agreed to it. Now that Du Qingyue is comatose, do you think she might agree?" Du Linlang said calmly.

"And if I ask, she'll agree?" Xiao Feng retorted.

Du Linlang looked frustrated, "You seem especially keen on contradicting me. Every time I pose a question, you counter with another. Is this really a good approach?"

Xiao Feng nodded seriously, "I think it's quite good. Being able to counter-question means I still hold the initiative. If there ever comes a time when I can't, that's when it would be troubling."

"Alright, back to the topic at hand..." Du Linlang realized that Xiao Feng was indeed adept at verbal sparring and decided not to focus on it.

Taking a deep breath, Du Linlang said, "As long as you open your mouth, Jiang Yixin will surely agree."

"So certain?" Xiao Feng remarked with a smirk, "To be honest with you, I don't get along with her, we often bicker. She might actually agree, but once I intervene, she might change her mind."

"She won't." Du Linlang confidently replied, "From the moment she clung to you earlier, it revealed quite a lot. I'm just curious, aren't you afraid of being dragged underwater by juggling two relationships?"

Xiao Feng immediately objected, "What do you mean by juggling two relationships? Don't spread rumors, alright?"

"You know best whether you're juggling or not." Du Linlang sneered, "Let's get to the point, are you going to help or not?"

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Feng nodded, "I'll give it a shot."

Du Linlang was taken aback, doubting if she heard correctly. Did he agree that easily?

She had always believed Xiao Feng to be someone who never undertakes something without profit. It seemed impossible for such a person to agree to a request without any conditions.

But reality was just that way; although Xiao Feng didn't guarantee success, he agreed without setting any conditions.

The fact is, the reason Xiao Feng agreed to Du Linlang's request was that considering Jiang Yixin's current situation, it didn't seem right for her to stay in the hospital.

Seeing Du Qingyue every day would evoke guilt, and with the Du Family around, even if they said nothing, they would exert psychological pressure on her.

Over time, who knows what might happen? It's better to change environments, at least to distract herself.

"If Jiang Yixin agrees to assist you, I have one condition." Xiao Feng stated coldly.

Du Linlang felt an inexplicable relief, "Go ahead."

Admittedly, this was quite a peculiar situation. If Xiao Feng set no conditions, Du Linlang would feel something was amiss. But by setting conditions, she could relax.

"My condition is that once Jiang Yixin returns to Lanyue Group, no one is to give her a hard time, including you." Xiao Feng's tone shifted, like a gust of icy wind suddenly blowing in the deep of night.

"No problem!" Du Linlang immediately responded.

Back in front of the ward, Xiao Feng ignored the Du Family members, gently opened the door, and walked in, with Jiang Yixin following him inside. Meanwhile, the Du Family members outside exchanged glances, too afraid to enter recklessly.

In a sense, the Du Family's current situation seemed very precarious. Besides Wang Lubo's investment intentions being unclear, Du Qingyue's accident alone had caused significant impact, with different problems cropping up throughout the company's various operations.

It was at this moment that the Du Family realized that changing leadership wasn't so simple. At least it couldn't be done abruptly; a transitional period was necessary.

Yet the problem was, Du Qingyue lay in a coma and Xiao Feng showed no sign of wanting to help, making everyone feel a sense of unease.

"Let's go back." Du Linlang spoke up.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Linlang, although we shouldn't pry, given the current situation, could you tell us what you discussed with Xiao Feng earlier?"

Du Linlang smiled slightly, "What we talked about isn't important. What's crucial is that the issue has been resolved. The Du Family hasn't reached a critical point yet!"

The crowd felt somewhat reassured. Du Linlang had always been reliable, so her words suggested that there really was a solution. Still, people couldn't help but wonder about Xiao Feng's role in all this?

As they wondered, Du Linlang continued, "There's something I need to clarify in advance. What I'm going to do next might displease you elders, but please trust that each of my decisions is made with the Du Family's long-term interests in mind. I hope everyone can understand."

With that, Du Linlang turned and left, her stride subtly revealing the aura of someone in a position of power.

Those left standing in the hallway furrowed their brows, appearing thoughtful; Du Linlang's words before she left had silently imposed a certain psychological pressure on everyone.

Was the Du Family truly out of capable successors, other than relying on the younger generation for key positions?

The answer was clearly no. At least the presidency position wasn't solely reserved for Du Qingyue and Du Linlang.

The key issue lay in the family-style management model, where everyone had ways of securing personal benefits, creating a subtle balance through mutual checks and balances.

This balance wouldn't be disrupted unless crucially necessary. Otherwise, the internal structure might collapse even without external pressure.

Gradually, everyone realized that a change was imminent. The balance of mutual checks might not be shattered, but changes were inevitable.

"Linlang's rise to power—who knows if it's a blessing or a curse." Someone couldn't help but sigh.

Another followed up, saying, "Blessings and curses always accompany each other. For now, we can only take it one step at a time."

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