Han Chong walked in and gave a slight bow to the man. "Young Master, the land in the southern part of the city has been secured by Gu Chao, and the plot Second Master bid on is also under control."
"Tell him to keep a close watch. Shen Yu, that old fox, isn't so easy to fool."
Shen Yu was his second uncle, the mastermind behind the plane crash that nearly killed him two years ago. Because of his outstanding abilities, he had earned the old man's favor and became a fierce rival in the competition for the Shen Group inheritance. As a result, the second branch of the family had always viewed him as a thorn in their side. He had no choice but to lie low here, secretly building his strength in the shadows, biding his time for the day he could exact his revenge.
Han Chong recalled witnessing a servant secretly reporting to the second branch earlier. "The news that the young master and young mistress are not getting along in their marriage has likely already reached the second madam's ears."
Knowing the outcome, Shen Xiaoxing couldn't even be bothered to lift his eyelids. In this villa, aside from Butler Xu, sent by Lin Zhao to look after him, there was also an eye from the second branch watching his every move. Everything he did would be relayed back to the Shen family.
"Did they mention targeting that woman?"
Han Chong shook his head. "No."
The man released his grip, letting his arm rest casually on the wheelchair's armrest, tapping it rhythmically. His dark, deep eyes were filled with calculated schemes.
"Young Master, should we warn the young mistress to be wary of the second branch?"
Shen Xiaoxing turned his wheelchair. "No need. The second branch loves watching a show. We need to keep playing our parts as convincing actors."
Out of respect for their uncle-nephew bond, he had turned a blind eye to Shen Yu's antics in the past. But his constant concessions had only invited the man's murderous intent. He would avenge the grudge from two years ago! But now wasn't the right time for revenge. Until then, he had to lie low to better disguise himself. An unexpected variable had appeared on this chessboard—a woman who had dropped in out of nowhere, and he couldn't tell if she was friend or foe. He couldn't afford to take risky moves.
Watching the sneaky little figure dart out of the villa, the man's gaze darkened. "Han Chong, prepare the car."
---
The weather had been poor these past two days, the sky gloomy as if on the eve of a blizzard. An Ruo didn't return to the An family immediately. Instead, she took a bus from far away to Shencheng Hospital. The hospital boasted excellent medical expertise and advanced equipment, offering the best treatment for An Che's condition. It was also one of the conditions she had proposed when agreeing to marry into the Shen family in An Qing's place.
An Ruo bought An Che's favorite fruits and went to his ward with a bright smile, only to find the VIP room's patient had vanished into thin air! She stopped a passing nurse. "Excuse me, where did the patient from this room go?"
The nurse pushed her cart. "He's been transferred."
"Transferred where?"
"How would I know? Go ask at the front desk's inpatient department."
An Ruo rushed to the first-floor lobby and inquired at the inpatient department. The answer she got was: the family hadn't paid the surgery fees on time, so he had been moved to a regular ward.
What? Ande Yu hadn't handed over that money to the doctor in time!? Anger flared up in An Ruo's heart. Frantic, she found out An Che's new ward. The regular ward was poorly equipped, with no funding and the worst facilities. When she hurried in, she saw the frail youth lying weakly on the hospital bed, barely kept alive by an oxygen mask.
An Ruo rushed over anxiously. "Xiao Che."
Hearing her voice, An Che slowly opened his eyes and parted his lips, his voice faint. "Sis..."
"I'm sorry, I'm late." An Ruo stroked his head, looking at his face, gaunt from the torment of illness, and couldn't help but tear up. "Wait here, I'll get them to do the surgery right now."
"Sis..." An Che struggled to lift his hand to tug at her sleeve, but the girl had already stormed out of the ward in anger.
---
The man stood by the window smoking, the faint wisps of smoke revealing a strikingly handsome face. He expertly flicked off the ash, his gaze fixed on the girl across the corridor, pleading desperately with a doctor. His cold, dark eyes narrowed slightly.
The door behind him opened, and He Su walked in wearing a white coat. Seeing him standing so openly, he said, "Those dogs outside are watching you. If they catch sight of these legs moving freely, the news will reach Shen Yu's ears in no time. Want to cause another plane crash?" He scolded like a fussy old mother hen, tossing a fake report meant for Shen Yu onto the desk. "What are you staring at so intently?"
He Su was a doctor recommended to Shen Xiaoxing by the second branch, but he was actually a double agent. Shen Xiaoxing took one last deep drag, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray, and through the haze of smoke, watched the girl in the corridor stand there in disappointment as the doctor who had rejected her walked away in a huff. This girl had lied to him—sneaking into the hospital because she was sick?
"Look into her for me."
He Su noticed the disheveled An Ruo and calmly took a sip of water. "She's a family member of a patient in the VIP intensive care unit." He couldn't help adding, "Her brother has stage two lung cancer, and the surgery costs over four hundred thousand. They were ready to operate, but the money never came, so the surgery got delayed."
The man's eyes grew even darker, unreadable.
"What, taken a liking to her?" He Su raised an eyebrow with a sly grin. "Didn't the old man just arrange a little wife for you? Hey, I heard..."
Shen Xiaoxing's handsome face tightened as he returned to his wheelchair, maneuvering it out of the room, leaving a bewildered He Su behind.
What's his deal?