Chapter 676 - 455: Bastard
With nothing better to do, Jiangg Ning lay in her hospital bed, unable to move. So, she decided to snuggle up to Chen Yuan, treating it as quality time for a couple to grow closer. Together, they watched an animated feature film on his phone.
Surprisingly, they got really into it.
Unlike the typical animated films aimed at children, this New Year’s blockbuster was suitable for all ages. It explored the sincere friendship between animals and humans, and the cinematography effortlessly captured a festive New Year’s spirit.
With their cheeks pressed together, Chen Yuan and Jiangg Ning watched the small screen, creating an unexpectedly heartwarming scene.
So heartwarming, in fact... that he completely forgot about Yaoyao’s surgery.
...
CLICK—
The door to the room creaked open, and a nurse wheeled in Jiangg Yao, who had just come out of surgery. A fluffy blanket covered the lower half of her body. She was still in the clothes she’d arrived in, not yet changed into a hospital gown.
The nurse left right after wheeling her in, presumably to attend to other matters.
Hearing the sound, Chen Yuan looked up.
And saw Jiangg Yao’s beautiful, yet incredibly resentful eyes, staring coldly at him.
"Yaoyao!" Chen Yuan shot up from the bed, his eyes widening. "You’re done with surgery? I thought..."
"Heh." Jiangg Yao gave him a smile that sent a shiver down his spine.
The moment she entered, she had seen the heartwarming sight of Ningning and her *dear* boyfriend lying on the bed together. ’What more needed to be explained?’
She had been under the knife in the operating room, feeling utterly miserable and just waiting to pour her heart out to Chen Yuan for some comfort.
But when she was wheeled out, the hallway outside the operating room was deserted.
There wasn’t a single soul in sight.
One can only imagine how she felt.
And that was before the shock she received upon entering the room.
’It’s over, it’s over...’ Chen Yuan repeated the two words in his mind. He had really messed up this time. He’d been so focused on placating Ningning that he had completely forgotten about Yaoyao’s surgery.
He looked down at the time.
More than forty minutes had passed since Jiangg Yao was taken to the operating room.
With things as they were, Chen Yuan scrambled off the bed without even putting on his shoes. He ran behind Jiangg Yao’s wheelchair and started pushing her, murmuring an explanation in a desperate attempt at damage control.
"I lost track of time. I was so nervous when you went into the operating room that I completely forgot what time it was. I thought there were still ten more minutes... I was just about to get dressed to go downstairs—"
"Liar!"
"I..."
Jiangg Yao reached out and twisted Chen Yuan’s ear, biting her full lip and gritting her teeth.
"You couldn’t even remember my surgery time? Do you have any idea how scared I was in there? And you call yourself my boyfriend? You’re going to be the death of me!"
After letting go of his ear, her chest heaved with anger.
Her anger wasn’t going to fade anytime soon.
After a moment, her nose twitched. She smelled the aroma of chicken soup wontons wafting through the room.
Her eyes shifted, and she saw nothing but an empty soup bowl on the small tray table.
Jiangg Yao glanced down at her own empty stomach, and the look in her narrowed eyes grew even more dangerous.
"Oh, how were the wontons? And where, pray tell, is my portion?"
"I’ll get them! I’ll have someone go get them right now!"
Chen Yuan would normally banter right back at Jiangg Yao, but since he was in the wrong, he could only be completely obedient. Hearing her words felt like a pardon, and he scrambled to his feet and headed for the hallway.
"Hey! You could at least help me onto the bed first! I’m still in this wheelchair!" Jiangg Yao shouted after Chen Yuan, who was already scurrying out the door.
...
「The next day.」
Early in the morning, the sky was clear after a night of rain, and brilliant sunlight bathed the entire city.
A luxurious, solid black Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen drove ostentatiously past the entrance of the Qi Long Real Estate Company before turning into the underground garage.
Dressed in a suit with his hair slicked back and gleaming, Qi Yingchen parked his car and stepped out.
After a night of peaceful sleep following his drunken escapade, he felt completely refreshed. He strode past the front desk, met by the respectful gazes and timid greetings of his employees.
He gave a slight nod, putting on an air of authority.
Having risen from a small-time operator to one of the most prominent real estate tycoons in Mingzhu City, Qi Yingchen, now in his forties and at the peak of his career, was the very picture of self-satisfaction.
The fortune he had already amassed was enough for several generations of his family to live in extravagant luxury.
But Qi Yingchen remained unsatisfied.
His goal was to become the wealthiest man in Mingzhu City, a leader of the upper crust. He wanted to forever stand at the city’s apex—arrogant, superior, and looking down on everyone else. The feeling of being so high up was intoxicating to him.
Who could imagine that he was once the child of a destitute family, one that had to borrow money just to send him to school?
Now, he had undoubtedly latched onto a gravy train. As long as he held on tight, future wealth and opportunities would be endless.
This latest urban planning reform was one such opportunity.
With power comes wealth.
He had always been a firm believer in this principle.
That’s why he had bet his entire fortune for a chance to get on board that ship.
Without a doubt, to have achieved what he had today, he had won his gamble.
Upon reaching the top floor, Qi Yingchen strolled down the corridor, gazing out at the surrounding skyscrapers. This was always his favorite part of the day, but the serene atmosphere was shattered by an urgent cry.
"President Qi! President Qi, you’re finally here..." Assistant Li came jogging over from the office doorway, his expression panicked.
"Shut up! What do you look like, running around in a panic?" he snapped, shooting his assistant a vicious glare.
But Assistant Li didn’t quiet down in the slightest; if anything, he grew more anxious.
"President Qi, please listen! The Leader is here! He’s been in the office since early this morning."
"What!?" Qi Yingchen started. "Which leader?"
"Who else could it be? The one from the municipal building..." the assistant whispered.
Qi Yingchen’s heart sank, and his leisurely pace instantly quickened.
"He’s here and you didn’t call me sooner!?" His voice was a mixture of shock and suspicion.
"I had just finished making the Leader some tea and was coming out to call you when I ran into you."
With no more time to think, Qi Yingchen suppressed his confusion, took a deep breath, straightened his suit, and pushed open his office door.
In the past, to avoid arousing suspicion,
the Leader would never have visited his company.
They only ever met in private.
After all, getting mixed up with a businessman like him wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.
Inside the office, steam was gently rising from a freshly brewed pot of tea. The Leader sat stiffly in the swivel chair, his face grim and his fingers intertwined.
A single glance was enough to feel the suffocating pressure of his authority.
Cold sweat nearly broke out on Qi Yingchen’s forehead as he forced a smile.
"Leader, if you needed anything, you could have just called, and I would have come to you. Why trouble yourself with a personal visit? I’m truly ashamed..."
He hurried over and crouched down beside him.
A fawning smile replaced the usual ferocity on his face.
The Leader, however, simply stared at him, his gaze as piercing as a flame, enough to make one’s blood run cold.
After being subjected to that gaze for a few moments, Qi Yingchen felt his throat go dry.
He looked pleadingly toward the personal secretary the Leader had brought along, a man he had often tried to butter up. But the secretary, dressed in a sharp administrative suit, simply turned his face away, ignoring him completely.
Qi Yingchen felt a mountain of pressure crash down on him.
"What exactly have you been doing behind my back?" The Leader’s voice was hoarse and dry. Behind his glasses, his eyes glinted with a sharp light.
𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
The question left Qi Yingchen frozen on the spot.
His mind raced, cycling through countless possibilities, and his expression faltered.
After a moment, he forced an unnatural smile. "Leader, what could I possibly dare to hide from you?"
"You really haven’t? I will ask you one last time!"
The Leader’s voice was now laced with a clear warning.
"I... I haven’t done anything. Where is this coming from—"
SLAP!
The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the office, taking everyone by surprise.
The assistant standing near President Qi felt his eye twitch, and it seemed as if his own breathing had stopped.
The sound was so jarring.
It echoed for a long, long time.
Qi Yingchen stood frozen, clutching his cheek, completely stunned. He stared, wide-eyed, at the powerful leader he had always treated with such reverence.
He clenched his fists.
A moment later, he lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.
"You haven’t done anything? Then why did I receive a phone call at my home last night? I warned you explicitly that the acquisition of that building was to be dropped. You were not to involve yourself with it any further. So tell me, what did you do?"
"I..." Qi Yingchen was silent for a long moment before speaking bluntly. "I just don’t understand. Why, when we’re at the final hurdle, do I have to hand over the fruits of my labor to someone else..."
"And your lack of understanding gives you the right to hire thugs? Do you have any idea who you hit? You bastard!"