Chapter 75#
第75章#
Late night.
Xiao Wu seemed to have rested well over the past few days, as his complexion was much better. Even coming to the company in the middle of the night, he was still energetic.
He briefly explained the situation to Qiao Nanqi. Qiao Nanqi pondered for a moment and asked, “How does he know about Zhao Rong?”
“He said he tracked Mr. Zhao for a few days and overheard him talking to a friend. During the conversation, he emphasized to that friend not to tell anyone, especially…”
Xiao Wu paused, not yet deciding how to say it tactfully. Qiao Nanqi said self-deprecatingly, “You’re hesitating like this; it seems he emphasized that I shouldn’t know.”
Since Qiao Nanqi had hit the nail on the head, Xiao Wu didn’t deny it. He continued, “So he believes those secrets are important to Mr. Zhao. He thinks that since you care about Mr. Zhao’s safety, you’ll definitely want to know this. He wants to use the information he heard to beg you to hire a good lawyer for him, to reduce his sentence.”
Qiao Nanqi’s face darkened slightly. His eyes were indifferent, and the despair and sorrow he had shown when talking to Xia Yuantu earlier were all tucked away.
He fiddled with the Rubik’s cube he had just picked up from the desk. After thinking for just a few seconds, he said, “Then go handle this now. Drop everything else and only do this.”
Qiao Nanqi gently put down the Rubik’s cube, his gaze turning cold.
Hire a good lawyer for someone who tried to harm Zhao Rong?
Daydreaming.
“Tell him that if he has something to say, he’d better say it all at once. Only then can I turn a blind eye to him.”
“If he doesn’t speak, or if he hides or lies, I will instead hire a lawyer for him.”
“Hire a lawyer who won’t let a single thing he’s done slide. Ensure he stays in jail for as many years as he deserves, only more…”
“Not less.”
A few more days passed, and the end of the year drew closer.
February and March had passed the height of winter, but it was far from early spring.
The weather was cold and crisp. Fortunately, Zhuxi was not in the north and wasn’t as monotonous as Yangcheng. The parched yellow earth was interspersed with some evergreen vegetation, leaving a hint of vitality amidst the desolation.
The matter between Zhao Rong and the Zhou family was still at a stalemate.
Perhaps because his concern for Zhao Ming was too obvious, Zhou Yueqing seemed certain that he was determined to get that medical team from the Zhou family. After Zhao Rong rejected her previous pretentious concession, there was silence.
She said she would “think about it more,” but in two days, it would be New Year’s Eve. If it dragged on past the New Year, it would easily be another month or two.
Zhao Rong was no fool, but the Zhou family wasn’t stupid either. They clearly understood that the longer it dragged on, the fewer chips Zhao Rong had—capital could wait, but medical treatment needed to be as fast as possible.
But Zhao Rong could not agree to a method that involved constantly providing benefits to the other party.
This method was fine at first, but later on, if he had invested most of his money and the medical team was still held by Zhou Yueqing, he wouldn’t have enough capital to find another way. He would only be led by the nose by Zhou Yueqing.
Zhao Rong looked for connections through several layers, spent some money, and asked people to find out if there were doctors elsewhere willing to treat Zhao Ming long-term, while also planning how to deal with the Zhou family if he really couldn’t find anyone else.
He could also contact Ruan Cheng for cooperation.
If it really doesn’t work, at worst, he would give up all the inheritance he had and directly spend a large amount of money to poach people. He could even go more extreme and dump all the money into Zhou Yueqing’s rivals, letting others help him seize the team. This would lead to a falling out with Zhou Yueqing, but he didn’t care. Zhou Yueqing still had the foundation of the entire Zhou family; all he wanted was to cure Zhao Ming’s illness. A man with nothing to lose has nothing to fear; this was his advantage.
Having made his decision, Zhao Rong didn’t hesitate anymore, planning to see how things went after the New Year.
On this day, Liang Youjun was listlessly organizing the bookshelves. Because the students were on holiday, the bookstore wasn’t as crowded as before; only a few people were wandering around picking out books.
Zhao Rong checked the calendar—the day after tomorrow was New Year’s Eve.
He said to Liang Youjun, “Don’t come to open the door tomorrow. Take a few days off. Come to my house for New Year’s Eve.”
“It’s fine,” Liang Youjun said. “At home, I just play games or find card friends. Here, you don’t mind if I’m on my phone, and having it open gives me something to do.”
Zhao Rong smiled and didn’t bother with him.
He had just picked up a book and was about to put down his phone to read when the phone suddenly buzzed a few times in his hand—a new message had come in.
The sender’s name was someone Zhao Rong hadn’t expected.
Zhou Yueqing.
The message was only a few sentences, but it took Zhao Rong by surprise for a moment.
—“Mr. Zhao, I’m very sorry for the delay. I have already cleared it with the hospital. You can bring your mother directly, or let them bring the equipment to your home. If you need it, we can perform an equity transfer; I will sell the entire team to you. As for the investment cooperation, as long as Mr. Zhao is willing to cooperate, we can talk after the New Year.”
This was a completely different attitude from before.
It could even be described as worlds apart.
Not only did she not hold up Zhao Ming’s matter, but it was also practically a gift, letting Zhao Rong decide whether to take the team directly into his own hands, and pushing the cooperation matters to after the New Year.
By then, Zhao Ming would have already seen the doctors. If Zhao Rong directly took the team away, wouldn’t he have the complete initiative on whether or not to cooperate after the New Year?
Actually, given Zhao Rong’s character, since the other party had done him such a big favor, he couldn’t possibly break his word.
But Zhou Yueqing was clearly not someone who would discuss cooperation based on character; otherwise, they wouldn’t have had their previous stalemate. From Zhao Rong’s understanding, she valued profit and believed that profit-sharing was the long-term way. Such a concession was not something the Zhou family would do.
Moreover, she was thinking of continuing to stall a few days ago, but today she suddenly…?
Zhao Rong’s first thought was that there was a trap.
He frowned slightly and read the message carefully word by word from beginning to end, but still couldn’t see any potential hidden dangers.
He was just about to call Zhou Yueqing directly to ask for clarification when he received a call from another person.
This time, as he held his buzzing phone, his surprise was so great that he didn’t answer it at first.
The call was just automatically disconnected when it rang again.
Liang Youjun said from the side, “Boss, what’s with that expression? Is the caller your debtor?”
Zhao Rong: “…”
Not a debtor, but someone he didn’t really want to deal with.
However, with this call coming at this specific time, there was a high possibility… that it was related to Zhou Yueqing’s sudden change of heart.
After thinking about it, he answered.
“Mr. Ruan.”
Ruan Cheng was calm on the other end: “Mr. Zhao, I hope you’ve been well.”
“Do you know I’m in Zhuxi?”
“I’m also from this area. With someone as wealthy as you here, Mr. Zhao, and having caused quite a stir with the Zhou family, it’s not hard to know, is it?”
“Fine, even if it’s not hard to know I’m here, finding me so suddenly at this time, it can’t possibly be for New Year greetings, right?”
“Why are you being so serious, Mr. Zhao? Although our last cooperation wasn’t successful, I’m here this time to discuss cooperation again,” Ruan Cheng said slowly. “I heard that there seems to be a stalemate between you and Zhou Yueqing. I’m also a businessman, and I also value the large sum of money you have, so I want to talk to you.”
Zhao Rong fell silent for a moment after hearing this.
Now, whenever he saw Ruan Cheng’s name, he would think of another person, so he was naturally wary.
He said, “Let’s be blunt.”
“I’m not sure why your cooperation with Zhou Yueqing hasn’t reached the final step, but recently our conflict with the Zhou family has become more severe. These past two days, we’ve nearly reached a point where both sides lose; everyone urgently needs capital. Since you can’t reach an agreement with them, why not consider our side? Regardless of who you invest in, the money stays there, and the dividends won’t be less. There’s no difference, is there?”
Zhao Rong pondered, holding the phone in one hand and casually flipping through the book in front of him with the other, without answering immediately.
Zhao Rong heard other information from Ruan Cheng’s words.
This time Ruan Cheng came to find him, it was different from the cooperation they hadn’t agreed upon last time. Last time, it was actually him asking for help, and Ruan Cheng was in the absolute leading position but lowered his posture to give him all kinds of benefits. But this time, it was Ruan Cheng asking him, so he sought him out.
Ruan Cheng urgently needed a large amount of liquid capital, which meant Zhou Yueqing was in the same situation.
It seemed to make sense.
Zhou Yueqing couldn’t wait, so she made such a concession.
Very reasonable.
Then on Ruan Cheng’s side…
He put down the book he was fiddling with and finally said, “When I was in Yangcheng, I actually learned a lot from you, Mr. Ruan. As a way of repaying you, I agree to this cooperation. But on Miss Zhou’s side, our stalemate has just ended, and I don’t want to break my word. I will still invest in the projects I previously agreed upon with Zhou Yueqing, but I can invest all my remaining liquid capital in you.”
“Mr. Zha—”
“Don’t be in a hurry to persuade me. I’m saying this because I have much, much more money than you think. Mr. Ruan, even if I were to fill all your projects that need funding, I would likely still have a lot left over, so you don’t need to worry.”
Ruan Cheng seemed to think for a moment.
After a while, he said, “Then I will wait for your mother to finish her treatment and discuss the details with you after the New Year.”
The call ended, and Liang Youjun approached: “Boss, who were you talking to? You looked like you were facing a great enemy.”
“It’s nothing. I just got lucky. When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. My mother’s matter is resolved. What do you want to eat tonight? Let’s go, call Brother Xu and Sister-in-law; we’re eating out.”
The next day.
Regarding Zhao Ming’s matter, Zhao Rong didn’t want to delay for even a day, especially since New Year’s Eve was coming, and holidays are always inconvenient. So as soon as Zhou Yueqing relented, he brought Zhao Ming to the hospital.
He had called Zhou Yueqing in advance. When he arrived, the hospital was all ready. Nurses pushed Zhao Ming’s wheelchair and sent her directly inside for the examination.
Surprisingly, Zhou Yueqing did not come.
The people who received him were all from the hospital. After Zhao Ming went for the examination, someone guided him to sit in the family area.
Zhao Rong sat there, seriously watching those people busy themselves.
Being able to recuperate Zhao Ming’s health made him happier than getting the inheritance, so he didn’t even play on his phone. He did nothing, just watching the doctors come and go, waiting for Zhao Ming’s results.
Today, this section was serving him exclusively, and the efficiency was very high.
For some reason, every time there were scans, documents, or similar things, a doctor would first take them to an office at the end of the corridor. After a while, the doctor would come out with those things again to analyze the situation with Zhao Rong.
Zhao Rong just assumed there was some attending physician or director in there.
Anyway, he only cared about Zhao Ming’s condition. He didn’t care how these people worked and didn’t interfere, merely thinking that these doctors were indeed responsible.
When each doctor came out of that office to speak to him, their words were clearly analyzed and organized with clear logic, and they specifically used terms an outsider could understand.
He said to the doctor who was explaining the illness to him, “Your director is very meticulous. When I used to take my mother to see doctors, many of the terms they used made my head spin. Now that these things are organized like this, I understand everything at once.”
The doctor was instinctively confused: “Director?”
Zhao Rong smiled: “Weren’t you just reporting to your director?”
As he spoke, he also glanced at the office at the end of the corridor where people frequently went in and out.
The doctor hurriedly nodded: “Right, right…”
At this moment, a young nurse brought him a cup of tea.
The tea was clear and golden, without a single speck of tea dregs. The tea was warm, just the right temperature, and emitted a warm fragrance.
Zhao Rong, who was discussing the illness with the doctor, smiled and said “thank you” to the young nurse. He glanced at the tea and said in surprise, “You guys also like drinking this kind of tea?”
This was clearly his taste; people in Zhuxi didn’t really like drinking this kind.
The nurse said awkwardly, “Maybe… just a coincidence. I’m glad you like it.”
Zhao Rong naturally liked it.
He took it, had a few sips, and sat aside waiting for the other test results.
The remaining results didn’t seem to be coming that quickly; some required a certain amount of waiting time. Zhao Rong became a bit bored sitting there and had a sudden idea to thank those doctors to build a bit of a rapport.
He stood up, walked toward that office, and tapped on the door a few times.
Inside the room.
Several doctors in white coats were either standing or sitting at desks, holding report documents, clearly analyzing something for the person sitting behind the desk.
Although those wearing white coats were doctors, the person’s clothing was very casual, yet upon closer inspection, the others didn’t have even a ten-thousandth of his air.
The person seemed to be listening seriously to the doctors’ words. When Zhao Rong knocked, his face was serious, and he still carried an aura that brooked no contradiction, turning his head to question one of the doctors.
Like a natural superior, calm yet powerful.
Behind him stood a young man who was clearly an assistant, wearing a suit and holding a stack of things, occasionally categorizing things with extreme efficiency to give to his superior when needed.
When Zhao Rong knocked, Qiao Nanqi was learning about Zhao Ming’s current condition.
Hearing the knock, his expression froze for a moment, and then his steady, calm eyes suddenly flickered.
He had been at ease among a group of experts just now, but now he suddenly panicked.
All the staff here who could enter and leave this office had long been instructed by him that they could enter and leave at will.
No one would knock at a time like this.
Except for a guest.
Xiao Wu also noticed this. He leaned down and asked in a low voice, “…Sir?”
What should they do?
Qiao Nanqi seemed to have no desire—no, he didn’t dare to see Zhao Rong.
At the door, Zhao Rong received no response and knocked again, calling out, “May I come in?”
Qiao Nanqi’s composure, which wouldn’t have changed even if the heavens collapsed just now, was completely scattered by this call.
In his guilt, he suddenly stood up, unable to put away the documents in his hand or in front of him in time. They all scattered with his movements.
For a moment, the rustling sound of paper was continuous, and white paper was scattered all over the floor in total disarray.
In his desperation, he even looked around the room to see if there was a place to hide.
He actually really wanted to see Zhao Rong.
He hadn’t seen Zhao Rong in a long time. At this moment, even hearing Zhao Rong’s voice made him want to immediately walk forward and open the door to see how Zhao Rong was doing now.
He was like a traveler walking in the desert almost dying of thirst, suddenly hearing the sound of a flowing stream. Even though he was exhausted, he still wanted to run forward quickly.
But he also knew very well that the sound of the stream was just his hallucination; there was no water source ahead.
He couldn’t go forward at all, and he didn’t dare to.
He only deserved to die of thirst.
He was crazily thinking of seeing Zhao Rong, wanting to rush out and hug him.
But now he was afraid that Zhao Rong would see him.
Zhao Rong definitely wouldn’t want to see him.
After he had secretly helped Zhao Rong last time, Zhao Rong got angry and refused all his help.
Zhao Rong definitely wouldn’t want to owe him any favors.
Seeing him would only make Zhao Rong unhappy.
Qiao Nanqi heard another knock on the door and was already thinking of having someone go out and open the door while he and Xiao Wu found a place to hide first.
Outside the door.
Zhao Rong knocked several times without receiving a response. He frowned, and a bit of strangeness already began to surface in his heart.
Suddenly someone called him from behind: “Mr. Zhao, Mrs. Zhao is waiting for the brainwave examination and wants you to go over and chat.”
Zhao Ming’s matter was clearly more important than anything else. Zhao Rong immediately put away all his thoughts and turned back: “Okay, I’m coming now.”
Inside the door.
Qiao Nanqi’s tense body finally relaxed. He had been holding his breath just now, and now he felt as if he had been granted a general amnesty. He took a few deep breaths before slowly sitting down.
Xiao Wu was behind him, having watched the whole thing. He couldn’t help but say, “Sir, how about I go find Mr. Zhao? Explain it to him; he shouldn’t be angry.”
Qiao Nanqi raised his eyes slightly and swept a glance at him.
His voice was very low and very solemn: “You are not allowed to disturb him.”
Xiao Wu had no choice but to fall silent, crouched down, and picked up the scattered documents on the floor.
Qiao Nanqi had already suppressed his previous emotions. His face returned to calmness as he turned to the doctor beside him and said, “Where were you just now?”
He thought, this was enough.
His heart was in great pain.
The pain was so great that he wanted to tear it apart immediately and end it all.
But he was glad that he felt this pain—this was his deserved reward.