Chapter 89#
Ji Yang always felt like Nie Xu was hunting him step by step, with traps on all sides.
But he had genuinely helped review the documents — truly reviewed, not just going through the motions.
This time, the Yiyuan team headed to South Island. Setting aside the situation Ji Yang himself had encountered, the “consolidated shipping for small scattered orders” model he’d proposed was just an initial concept. When it came to implementation, there were still many details to finalize.
So Ji Yang called everyone together for a meeting.
Ji Yang was the one presiding over this meeting.
Nie Xu sat at his diagonal.
All of Yiyuan’s founding members had come from Haicheng originally. Nie Xu attending the meeting — seemingly no one found anything wrong with that.
But halfway through, Jianyuan’s side requested a video link-up. No one had expected it.
Only Ji Yang quietly glanced at Nie Xu.
Nie Xu gave him a reassuring look.
Jianyuan’s side specifically wanted the warehousing and operations departments on the link-up. Compared to Yiyuan’s small office, the moment the link-up screen was activated, the first thing Yiyuan’s people saw was the other side’s impressively large conference room that practically screamed high-end.
Jianyuan’s operations department leader had his hands clasped together on the conference table. Having learned from last time’s experience with the finance department, the various leadership levels had already given each other a heads-up — their attitude toward Yiyuan was quite cautious and earnest.
He spoke carefully: “Young Boss Ji, the purpose of this video-link meeting is mainly that we’ve had some preliminary discussions and analysis. Jianyuan just acquired the shipping business and has been encountering many problems ourselves, but the model you proposed can absolutely be applied to other ports. It would save a huge portion of grassroots negotiation costs. We’d like to join forces with Yiyuan to put it into practice jointly. If your side encounters any operational or technical difficulties, we’re equally willing to provide top-tier support.”
For a moment, the conference room grew somewhat noisy.
Discussion was lively and unending.
But for a conglomerate of Jianyuan’s scale to proactively propose adopting Yiyuan’s model — that absolutely qualified as a good thing.
It was just that Ji Yang had some suspicions.
He tilted his head and whispered to Nie Xu: “This isn’t some benefit you secretly secured for me, is it?”
“Do I look like someone who’d confuse public and private interests?” Nie Xu still had a notepad open on his knee, tapping his fountain pen against it as he countered.
Ji Yang: “Who knows.”
Nie Xu leaned slightly toward him on his own initiative, speaking up: “Most of Jianyuan’s people don’t even know me, and this area isn’t under my jurisdiction either. This is clearly Qi Songqing trying to freeload off your labor. Don’t be too naive — if I were you, I’d absolutely take the opportunity to bleed him for a sum.”
Ji Yang’s mind immediately erupted with a holy shit. “Really?”
Nie Xu: “Just send him a message and find out for yourself.”
Ji Yang, half-believing and half-doubting, actually did send a message to Qi Songqing.
Less than two minutes after sending, Qi Songqing appeared in the conference room.
This guy was all smiles, waving at Ji Yang: “Fourth Young Master, long time no see.”
A smiling tiger, this one.
Ji Yang had barely finished his internal remark when anyone with eyes could see — President Qi, who had been about to take a seat, turned his gaze, and cursed right there on the spot: “Fuck!”
Both conference rooms went deathly quiet.
Ji Yang gave up and had to play along, half-smiling: “President Qi, if Jianyuan truly needs something so small, it’s Yiyuan’s honor. Why go to the trouble of attending the meeting yourself?”
“Young Boss Ji, where are those words coming from.” Qi Songqing’s expression didn’t change, though his words were slightly through gritted teeth. “I’m swamped here on my own, but what Yiyuan is owed — not a single cent will be short.”
People on both sides probably all felt the atmosphere was somewhat strange.
But each side was better at putting on a front than the last, and the meeting carried on smoothly through its narrow escape.
Until they returned to the office again.
Ji Yang had just sat down when his phone rang.
“Hello.” Ji Yang answered.
Qi Songqing: “Put it on speaker.”
Ji Yang activated the speaker and placed the phone on the side table.
Qi Songqing’s voice erupted out: “You two are really something — ganging up on me!”
Ji Yang was leisurely peeling lychees off the table, speaking up: “President Qi, wasn’t it you who played dirty first?”
Qi Songqing fired back on the spot: “Then tell your husband to come back to work. If you can get him to come back — never mind what’s owed to your company, I’ll give you a thirty percent profit share across all Ji family industries.”
That title nearly made Ji Yang choke to death on a lychee.
He struggled: “With such a grand pie you’re painting, I wouldn’t dare take a bite even if you offered.”
Qi Songqing heard the commotion and didn’t quite understand: “Leizi said you two had earth-shattering adventures out there this time, and your relationship had made great progress.”
Ji Yang finally recovered, spitting the lychee pit into Nie Xu’s outstretched palm, saying: “We’re at the company. As the CTO of such a large conglomerate, can you not spout such outrageous nonsense?”
Qi Songqing changed the subject: “You’ve changed.”
“Changed where?” Ji Yang listened to him ramble.
Qi Songqing: “You’ve gotten bolder, no longer careful and cautious. Did Nie Xu feed you some love potion?”
“I did,” Ji Yang retorted. “I’m completely dazed and besotted — otherwise how could I argue with you?”
Qi Songqing: “Young Master, my advice — drink less of that stuff. That guy is no good…”
Qi Songqing was only halfway through when Nie Xu directly switched off the speaker and picked up the phone.
Nie Xu walked to the side, asking him: “When is the transition signing ceremony scheduled?”
“The day after tomorrow.” On genuinely important matters, Qi Songqing didn’t waste words. “You were in Zhouling before — I thought you weren’t coming back to attend. Now you’ve decided to go?”
Nie Xu glanced back at the person on the sofa, peeling lychees and placing them into the fruit bowl.
He hummed in affirmation.
Qi Songqing asked: “Why?”
Nie Xu spoke: “Ji Yang may very well have something that the Blue Ocean Project wants. It’s more convenient to operate under his public-facing identity. Additionally, prepare people with experience in chip extraction surgery.”
Qi Songqing: “Alright, I’ll arrange it.”
The next day, Nie Xu took Ji Yang to the hospital.
It was morning.
“Nothing?” In the examination room, Nie Xu’s expression was grave. “Are you sure?”
The doctor wearing glasses nodded, pointing at the scan on the computer. “Indeed nothing’s there. But you can see some traces of recovery, which proves that an implantation was possible at some point. It’s just that the object was extracted and taken away a long time ago.”
While Nie Xu was bent over looking at the computer, Ji Yang had just come out of the restroom on the hospital’s first floor.
He bumped head-on into someone.
Ji Yang wasn’t like a normal person — he nearly lost his footing.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” The other person quickly steadied him. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Ji Yang waved it off.
The person had a somewhat scholarly look, appearing to be in his forties, with the refined bearing of a mature man. Ji Yang felt his features looked somehow familiar, but couldn’t recall from where.
The person hesitated, then asked: “Your leg?”
“Oh, prosthetic.” Ji Yang said.
Hearing the word “prosthetic,” the man’s expression flickered briefly.
Ji Yang continued: “Really, I’m fine.”
The man thought for a moment, then simply pulled a business card from his breast pocket and handed it over, saying: “I’m a psychologist who just returned from abroad. You can call me Yu Qin. Today I’m here for onboarding procedures. If you ever need help, you can find me at the psychological counseling room on the fifth floor.”
Ji Yang took the card, hesitated, then nodded.
Just then, in the lobby, a nurse and family member came rushing toward them, pushing an emergency bed.
The person on the bed appeared to have suffered external injuries, blood still streaming from his forehead. Ji Yang couldn’t dodge in time — the person beside him reflexively pulled him, shielding him between his own body and the wall.
Ji Yang froze, looking up, about to say thank you.
But the burly, rough-looking male family member spoke first, angrily: “Are you blind?! Don’t you have eyes when you walk?!”
“This gentleman.” Yu Qin turned around, reasoning with the man. “I can understand your feelings, but at a time like this—”
“Don’t bullshit me!” The man shoved him with both hands, sending Yu Qin crashing into the wall, and moved to go further, ready to get physical.
Ji Yang stepped forward: “Make another scene and I’ll call the police.”
“Then call them!” the man shouted.
His voice was loud, and suddenly many eyes turned toward them. The surroundings were a cacophony of noise — after hearing a few words, Ji Yang gathered that the couple had been fighting and this man had shoved his wife into a wall, causing severe injuries. For someone with rabid-dog energy like this, no wonder he was attacking everyone indiscriminately.
Ji Yang took out his phone on the spot. He had barely pressed the first digit — “1” — when the phone was snatched from his hand.
The man held the phone high, clearly about to smash it on the ground.
Except he didn’t succeed.
His hand was seized. Because the grip of the person squeezing it was terrifying, the man’s face twisted on the spot.
With his other hand, Nie Xu took the phone down, shoved the man to the ground, and when handing the phone back to Ji Yang, frowned: “Why did you come down here?”
“The restrooms upstairs were all occupied.” Ji Yang checked his phone. “Bad luck.”
Nie Xu: “Didn’t I tell you not to wander off?”
“I didn’t wander—”
Hearing their conversation, Yu Qin seemed to want to speak up for Ji Yang, interjecting: “This gentleman, just now I was the one who accidentally bumped into him. You’re being a bit too harsh on him.”
As Yu Qin spoke, he reached out to pull Ji Yang toward him. Before he even made contact, Nie Xu yanked him away with one hand.
Nie Xu held Ji Yang firmly in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the other man. He didn’t respond to that statement, only lowering his head to ask: “Did he bump into you just now?”
Ji Yang shook his head. He could actually sense Nie Xu’s wariness.
He wanted to say that he didn’t think this person meant any harm.
Then came the clicking and clattering of cameras from all around.
Ji Yang realized someone was taking photos, and turned his head to duck inward. Nie Xu steadied him, raising his eyes to look.
Ji Yang had originally assumed it was hospital staff or bystanders who, seeing a conflict, were randomly snapping pictures on their phones.
Half an hour later.
He was sitting in Nie Xu’s car, looking at the front-page news Lin Yue had sent him: Former Fourth Young Master of the Ji Family Spotted at Hospital, Once Again Stages a Real-Life Version of “A Leopard Cannot Change Its Spots.”
It was third-rate reporting full of fabrications, claiming he had personally insulted an ordinary citizen and threatened to call the police, saying he’d make the other party suffer.
Lin Yue: “This outlet has been publishing hit pieces on you for years now, Young Boss Ji. They couldn’t dig up anything about what happened in South Island, so now they’ve latched onto you.”
Ji Yang found it amusing: “The way you say it, you’d think I’m some kind of A-lister.”
He had just finished replying when Ji Mingyue’s message came through.
Clarify this immediately! My drama’s about to air — don’t drag me into the scold !
Ji Yang: “Miss Actress, are you really that popular these days?”
Ji Mingyue: It’s YOU who’s popular! Remember to promote my show during the press cycle! Also, what were you doing at the hospital?
“Having a baby — you believe it?” Ji Yang said.
Ji Mingyue: Get lost!