Fu Shuyi looked at her mother, "Mom, should I tell Brother Jun Nan about this?" Not telling Bai Junnan, she worried that Zhang Suxin might come to her again about this matter, but if she told Bai Junnan, it would seem like tattling, which made Fu Shuyi very hesitant.

Shen Qinglan patted her daughter’s hair, her face holding a tender smile, "Do you want Bai Junnan to know?"

After seriously considering, Fu Shuyi nodded, "Mom, I still feel quite uncomfortable about his mother’s actions today."

"Then just do what you feel you should," Shen Qinglan said. Fu Shuyi was not a child who liked to fabricate tales about others. She was certain to tell Bai Junnan the whole story as it happened today, and Shen Qinglan was not worried that Bai Junnan would misunderstand her.

Sure enough, Bai Junnan, even though his expression was very unsightly after hearing what Fu Shuyi had said, his tone remained gentle, "Shuyi, I am very glad you told me about this. It is my fault for not communicating well with my mother. Don’t worry, I will have a good talk with her tonight. Marriage is not something to rush into."

Fu Shuyi’s eyelashes trembled lightly, "Brother Jun Nan, am I being too selfish?" Bai Junnan had been truly good to her, incredibly accommodating.

"Shuyi, why would you think that? Don’t take my mother’s words to heart. You enjoying your studies is a good thing, and I think our current relationship is great. You like me, and I love you; we’re enjoying the process of dating, and I am very content with this life."

"Brother Jun Nan, rest assured, I definitely won’t be unfaithful and won’t let down your intentions," Fu Shuyi clenched her fist, swearing.

On the other end of the phone, Bai Junnan couldn’t help but chuckle. Had their roles been switched?

After hanging up the phone, Bai Junnan’s expression turned completely gloomy. He hadn’t expected that his mother would go behind his back to find Fu Shuyi. As her son, it only took a little thought to understand her motives clearly.

He sat in silence, his gaze cold, pondering that those things he had been hesitant about no longer needed any hesitation. If he dragged on any longer, the bond between them as mother and son might truly be worn away.

Having told Bai Junnan the matter, Fu Shuyi immediately felt a lot lighter, as if a weight pressing on her chest had been lifted, leaving her body feeling relaxed.

After dinner, Fu Shuyi even leisurely invited her mother to the cinema to watch a movie.

Meanwhile, at the Bai Family’s house, Zhang Suxin and her son were engaged in an unprecedented conflict.

"Jun Nan, didn’t you say you had a business engagement and wouldn’t come home for dinner tonight?" Zhang Suxin was having her meal when she saw her son return. Bai Junnan replied calmly, "I sent my assistant in my stead. It wasn’t an important event, and it’s fine that I didn’t go."

Zhang Suxin frowned, "You’ve just started to establish yourself at the company. You can’t be so willful in your actions. Some clients may not be that important, but you still need to present the right attitude and not give the impression that we don’t value them."

Bai Junnan asked the housemaid to get him a set of utensils and sat down opposite Zhang Suxin, "Mom, is it not good that I’ve come back to have a meal with you? It’s been such a long time since I’ve had a proper meal with you."

Zhang Suxin smiled, "Of course, I’m happy that you’ve come back to have a meal with Mom." However, the look in her eyes that fell upon Bai Junnan was full of inquiry, wondering why he had come back so early today. Could it be because she went to see Fu Shuyi and he knew about it?

But after careful consideration, it didn’t seem likely. Fu Shuyi wouldn’t do such a thing.

All throughout the dinner, Bai Junnan didn’t say a word.

Zhang Suxin gradually let go of her worries, with a hint of relief in her eyes. Perhaps he really did just want to come back to have a meal with his mother.

"Mom, it’s been a long time since we had a heart-to-heart talk, why don’t we sit down and chat?" Just when Zhang Suxin felt relieved, Bai Junnan suddenly spoke up.

Zhang Suxin was startled but then smiled, "Sure, what’s on your mind?"

"Mom, how do you think I’ve been performing at the company these past few months?"

"Very well, Mom never expected you could manage the company so nicely. I am very pleased."

Bai Junnan’s smile lightly curled, "Then it seems that my performance has not disappointed you."

"Not disappointed at all. You’ve always been a good child, Mom’s pride from birth to now. I’m delighted to have a son like you."

"Mom, the company is Dad’s life work and yours as well, so naturally, I want to give it my all to make it flourish."

Zhang Suxin felt very reassured, "With that in mind, Mom is very pleased. You’re still young and lacking experience. In a few more years, once you’ve gained enough experience and have settled down, I will officially hand over the company to you."

Bai Junnan’s smile was shallow, tinged with a hint of coldness, "Mom, I remember last time you said that once the project with the Feng Family is completed, and once I’ve established myself in the company, you would hand over the company to me."

Zhang Suxin stiffened, letting out a dry laugh, "Jun Nan, managing a company isn’t so easy. There’s an old saying, a man should marry first and then pursue his career. I think for now, the most important thing is to settle your relationship with Shuyi."

Bai Junnan looked at his mother with a mockingly playful expression, "Mom, Shuyi and I are boyfriend and girlfriend; our relationship has already been established."

"You know that’s not what I mean, Jun Nan. Whether you get engaged to Shuyi first or go straight to marriage, we need to establish your relationship so that I can feel at ease handing over the company to you."

"Mom, are you seriously asking me to confirm my relationship with Shuyi, or are you just using this as an excuse not to give me the company?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Suxin’s expression changed, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean what I said, literally."

"Did Shuyi tell you everything about me going to see her today?" asked Zhang Suxin, half doubting.

Bai Junnan didn’t deny it, "Mom, Shuyi and I are still young, and we both don’t want to get married for the time being. I hope you won’t go to see her about this matter in the future, especially without letting me know."

Zhang Suxin’s face darkened, and she stared at Bai Junnan firmly, "Jun Nan, I am your mother." What surprised her was that Shuyi had actually told her son about today’s incident. Didn’t she worry that she would be disliked as a result? She is Bai Junnan’s mother and would be his mother-in-law. Before even marrying into the Bai Family, she had already caused a conflict. Was this daughter of the Fu Family really foolish or just pretending to be?

Bai Junnan smiled, precisely because the person in front of him was his mother, he chose to talk with her. Otherwise, he would have taken action directly.

"Mom, I have two things I want to discuss with you today. First, I hope you won’t see Shuyi without my permission. Shuyi and I are in a relationship, but that doesn’t mean she has to make sacrifices for me. I admire and support her plans for her future. Second, I have now established a foothold in the company. However, I am an ambitious man, and I want to expand my father’s enterprise into a renowned multinational corporation. So, to freely fulfill my ambitions, I ask you to transfer the shares my father left for me to my name. I don’t want to be held back by those uncles. I need full decision-making power."

Zhang Suxin’s face turned ashen. Her son was just short of cursing her to her face. How could she not be angry with such a blatant lack of respect? She took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions from getting too intense, "Jun Nan, I’m not trying to hoard these shares and keep them from you. Your father and I only have you, our one child, and these shares will eventually be yours. I am not giving them to you now because I think you need to mature a little more. You are still too young; you haven’t experienced enough to realize how deep the waters of the business world are. Rash actions could lead to a fall, and the company’s interests could suffer."

Bai Junnan’s expression was somber, and he didn’t speak. Unable to gauge his thoughts, Zhang Suxin continued to persuade him, "Regarding the first matter you mentioned, that was my oversight, and I will not trouble Miss Shuyi again in the future. However, I really can’t hand over the company to you now. It represents your father’s life’s work, and I cannot treat it lightly. I hope you understand, Jun Nan. You’ve seen how I’ve come through these years."

The living room fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. Bai Junnan remained silent, and so did Zhang Suxin. After a while, Bai Junnan finally spoke in a deep voice, "Mom, is power really that important to you? Important enough to come before me?"

Zhang Suxin’s face turned ugly, "Jun Nan, what kind of talk is that? In my heart, you’re the most important. You’re my only son."

Bai Junnan laughed, his smile laced with irony, "You keep emphasizing that I’m the most important person to you, your only family member, yet your actions contradict your words."

"You keep saying that you won’t give me the shares because I’m too young, but Mom, don’t forget, when Father left the shares to me, he also said that these shares would be under your management until I turned twenty. After that, I could manage them freely."

Zhang Suxin’s complexion shifted slightly. Indeed, her husband had left such a document, even having it notarized by a lawyer. It was just that if Bai Junnan didn’t bring it up, she would have forgotten about it. Now that he had mentioned it, Zhang Suxin felt a chill in her heart.

"You’re pushing your mother this hard for an outsider?" Zhang Suxin’s eyes were sharp.

"Mom, this is between you and me. Why bring Shuyi into it?" Bai Junnan was displeased.

"Are you telling me it’s not because of her that you’re doing this?"

In Zhang Suxin’s view, her son was upset because she talked to Fu Shuyi behind his back today, thinking she had wronged Shuyi, which is why he came back to confront her intensely. But after all, she was an elder; it wouldn’t look good for him to make a fuss over this, so he used the company shares as an excuse.

"I’m talking about facts. I’m indeed upset because you went to see Shuyi. My love for Shuyi is my own; I don’t want to mix any benefits into my love. But we’ve already talked about that, and it’s in the past. What I want to discuss with you now is the share issue. This existed before I even met Shuyi. Mom, I don’t believe you’re completely in the dark about why I left the company in the first place."

Zhang Suxin’s expression stiffened. Of course, she knew, but the thought of being left idle at home and having a daughter-in-law from the Fu Family while she had no shares left her feeling like she would have nothing, no status in the home. Would Shuyi even consider her?

"These are just your excuses. Plainly speaking, you’re just upset because I went to see Fu Shuyi."

"Mom, I now have two options. First, I leave the Bai Family, take nothing with me—the company, everything at home—I won’t ask for anything in the future, and I’ll become a son-in-law entering the Fu Family; you can be all by yourself, holding everything from the Bai Family. Second, you give me the shares, and from then on, you just live comfortably as the Lady of the Bai Family, shopping, having tea, traveling with your sisters—whatever you wish, enjoying the life of a wealthy wife and leaving me to manage the company fully. Mom, which option do you think I should choose?"

Bai Junnan spoke with such calm, as if discussing the weather, but it stirred a storm in Zhang Suxin’s heart. She had never imagined her son could be so aggressive.

"Bai Junnan, do you even know what you’re talking about? Entering another family? What about your male dignity?" Any man with ambition wouldn’t choose to be a son-in-law entering another family.

"I don’t see becoming a son-in-law entering another family as something shameful," Bai Junnan said lightly. He knew his mother’s vulnerability; by her nature, she wouldn’t allow him to do this—it’d be like asking for her life. He didn’t want to force his mother like this, and he also knew that by doing so, he was creating a rift between his mother and Shuyi. But there was no choice—his mother’s desire for control was too strong. If he didn’t resolve the issue now, not only would marrying Shuyi lead to a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law battle, but whether he could even marry Shuyi was questionable, as the Fu Family would definitely not marry their daughter into the current state of the Bai Family. Bai Junnan was crystal clear about this.

And by acting this way, it might seem like he was pressuring his mother, but from another angle, wasn’t he also helping her? Over the years, he had observed her growing obsession with power, sinking deeper into it. If he didn’t force her to hand over the company, Bai Junnan truly worried she would fall into a vortex of power, become a puppet, and be doomed. According to the information he had gathered recently, his mother was already skirting the edge of the law, which was one of the reasons he had decided to settle matters tonight.

As if worried the shock to Zhang Suxin wasn’t enough, Bai Junnan then took a document from his bag and placed it in front of her, "Mom, I hope you’ll look at this document before you make a decision."

Zhang Suxin’s face was stern. After reading the document, her complexion turned ashen and fluctuated wildly. She looked at Bai Junnan as if he were a stranger, "Very well, very well, this is the good son I’ve raised. Impressive. I haven’t raised you in vain. You’re ruthless, even capable of striking at your birth mother. Truly worthy of the Bai Family name, just like your uncles!"

Faced with his mother’s accusations, Bai Junnan’s expression remained unchanged.