Chapter 554 Zi Shao Throws in the Towel
Zhao Nianqun saw the discontent on his daughter's face and knew she hadn't taken his words to heart. The girl, usually obedient, was being remarkably stubborn for the first time.
"Shanshan, we should avoid those people as much as possible. Not only are their family backgrounds beyond our reach, but their backgrounds themselves bring trouble, where one move affects the whole.
Our family is already very stable. You and your brothers have good careers and stable lives. Why would you want to get involved in a world that doesn't belong to us?"
"But, but I just like him."
"Feelings like this pass quickly. Be good, rest at home for a while, and come back to work after they've all left.
If you really want to find a partner, you can pick any male doctor at the hospital, okay?"
Zhao Shanshan knew she couldn't push further today; her father's patience was limited. But that didn't stop her from trying. How could she give up without trying?
"Dad, I understand. Please ask for leave for me."
"Alright, my good girl, you must be obedient. Dad will never harm you."
"Mm, I'll be obedient."
Zhao Shanshan went back, changed, and left with her backpack, ignoring some people's mockery.
"Uncle, I want to go to school. It's not fun at the hospital, and it smells awful."
Little Mi'er contentedly drank her soda. This was only the third time in her life she'd had a soda, and it was so rare.
Ye Mu'en took the handkerchief from the person behind him and wiped the little dirty face of Little Mi'er, who had just sneakily eaten cake.
"It should be soon. Wouldn't it be nice if we waited for Mom to come home before going to school? Then we wouldn't have to run back and forth to the hospital."
"Mm, it's not the same at home without Mom."
"You've eaten and drunk. Can we go back now?"
"Yes, but Uncle, walk slower. Let me finish my soda."
"Okay."
As Ye Mu'en entered the hospital gate, he saw someone rushing towards him.
"Young Master Ye, I want..."
"Cough cough, cough cough, cough cough."
Little Mi'er, who had just taken a sip of soda and hadn't swallowed, was startled. Ye Mu'en's face immediately darkened, and he quickly patted her back.
The two guards following Ye Mu'en directly blocked Zhao Shanshan, who was trying to get closer. He usually didn't bring anyone with him when he went out, but it was necessary during this special period.
"Are you feeling better?"
"Cough cough, much better. Mom says not to shout when eating."
Little Mi'er almost pointed the finger at Zhao Shanshan.
"Mom's words are always right. Little Mi'er is a good girl."
Zhao Shanshan finally understood her father's words. It was hard even to get close to him.
Ye Mu'en looked up at Zhao Shanshan. He had seen many girls like her in both his past and present lives. He didn't dislike them, but he wouldn't give them any false hope.
"I can't resolve your matter. Don't come to me again in the future."
Zhao Shanshan, who was almost pushed to the ground by the guards, knew this was her only chance. Ignoring her pride, she blurted out what was on her mind.
"Young Master Ye, I like you very much. Do I have any chance to get closer to you?"
"Thank you, no chance."
Ye Mu'en walked past Zhao Shanshan. Little Mi'er curiously stared at Zhao Shanshan.
"Uncle, are you being chased?"
"Hehehe, you little kid know what 'being chased' means?"
Ye Mu'en felt that his nephew and niece were precocious children. There wasn't as much romantic content on TV now as there was in his past life, yet a five-year-old girl knew the term.
"I'm not a little kid. Someone at school is chasing me, but I beat them up."
Ye Mu'en was amused. Was this the reason his sister was called to school every day?
"Those who chase you must want to be your friend. It's okay to refuse if you don't like them, but you can't hit people often. Mom isn't well, and you can't make her angry. Or next time, give my number when they call your parents."
"Really? I haven't wanted Mom to come to school for a long time. Every time, I'm made to write Pinyin at home and told to calm down."
"It's right to be punished for doing wrong."
Ye Mu'en suppressed a laugh. Fortunately, his sister had a good temper. In other families, she would have been spanked countless times by now.
After being released, Zhao Shanshan stood in place, watching his retreating back. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She needed a good cry.
Back home, Little Mi'er loudly spread the news of her uncle being chased. Ye Shengge even played along, chiming in with her.
Ye Shengge truly wished her elder brother would find a woman he liked. He hadn't in his past life, and now, in this life, he was over thirty and still not looking.
If she didn't know for a fact that her elder brother was normal, she would have suspected he had feelings for some of his male friends.
However, Ye Shengge didn't urge him anymore. She understood that her elder brother genuinely hadn't met the right person. Pushing him might lead to another unfortunate relationship.
Zi Yisheng finally received the call from above. He hadn't seen the old man for a long time, and his schedule had been too busy.
"The Baili family has dominated Mingcheng for years and has infiltrated everywhere. They are also skilled at disguise. My intention is not to act openly, but to tighten our grip in private."
"It's hard to track without any leads. Baili Qing alone has consumed too many human and material resources. We can't do nothing but focus solely on the Baili family."
Zi Yisheng rubbed his temples. He had already put aside many of his current tasks.
"It's actually very simple. Their target has always been you and me. Think about it, after we're both gone, who is most likely to benefit? It must be someone they've kept hidden."
Zi Yisheng frowned. His subordinates had already investigated everyone below him. Why would the higher-ups say this? This wasn't a conclusion he should have reached.
"You suspect them?"
"It's not suspicion, it's certainty."
"There's no evidence to support that."
The voice on the other end of the phone went silent. Zi Yisheng also stopped speaking.
After a long pause, the voice returned.
"You brat, you never doubted my words before."
"You also never made such a decision before."
"Hahahaha, you cheeky kid are less respectful of me."
"Do you still need respect, old man? Sometimes, too much pride makes people lose clarity."
Zi Yisheng was reminding him, and also reminding himself.
"Also, I need all information from your end about the Baili family, even Baili Qi. Don't hide anything, or I'll quit."
One incident almost cost him his wife. Even with all his capabilities, he didn't see the point of continuing.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Yes. Is it right for me and those below to endure bloodshed by keeping secrets that shouldn't be kept? Shouldn't we catch them all at once? Why keep them around unless they have something you desperately need?"
"Zi Yisheng, you've gone too far."
"It's precisely because I've been too silent that we've become so passive. Not sharing any information, and only learning at the end that my opponent was Baili Qing, who should have died over ten years ago.
Tell me, what have you been doing all these years while I was away? Why did you keep Baili Qing alive? Don't tell me you don't know.
There's nothing in this world you don't know. So your concealment makes me very uncomfortable. If I'm uncomfortable, we'll all be uncomfortable."
"Are you threatening me?"
"You betrayed my trust."
The phone call ended unpleasantly. From that day on, Zi Yisheng stopped going to work and paid no attention to anything related to the Baili family.
Ye Mu'en and Ye Huaijin also simultaneously halted all their actions, spending their days drinking tea and reading newspapers at their units.
Ye Shengge, seeing her husband not leave the hospital for several consecutive days, finally couldn't help but speak up after a few days.
Zi Yisheng was brushing his wife's hair. Her smooth, satin-like long hair was his favorite. As long as he had enough time, he would comb it a hundred times every night.
"I thought you wouldn't ask."
"I'm worried about you. I don't care about anything else. Life is short, only a few decades. You can strive for your ideals and interests, but when your ideals and interests become a burden and a source of pain, letting go is also a new beginning."
"So, you support my decision?"
"Of course. We lack nothing and fear nothing. Why should we make ourselves unhappy?"
What Zi Yisheng loved most about his wife was that she understood him better than anyone in the world.
"Mm, this time I want to live a different life. If it's successful, not only I, but the entire country will welcome a new beginning."
"Then I'll support you. Go and give it your all. At worst, I'll take you all to hide, and we'll still have our happy little lives."
Zi Yisheng hugged his wife and kissed her. His wife's trump card was too strong.
"Alright, then I have no worries."
With this, everyone became idle. The hospital rooms became their gathering places for chatting and dining.
"Has he not come yet?"
"No, it's been five days."
"He's determined to go against me."
"Should we give him a disciplinary warning first?"
"How? He hasn't made any mistakes. He even took leave citing the need to care for a patient. Don't try these little tricks on him; they won't work. Otherwise, he wouldn't be Zi Yisheng."
"Then we'll just wait like this? He's responsible for too many aspects; if this continues, many things can't proceed."
"This is his leverage. He can indeed make things so that they can't proceed without him. Isn't that infuriating? Forget it, you can leave now."
The room darkened. On the table lay a mirror, reflecting an old yet spirited face.
A pair of withered hands tore off a facial mask from his neck. The mirror once again showed an old face that couldn't hold its skin.
"I've worn this for so long that I've forgotten what I look like."
Ye Shengge was finally discharged after joint examinations by Elder Gu and Elder Fan. Gu Miao, who was in a wheelchair, was discharged along with them.
The group arrived in a grand procession at their newly renovated home. Today was their big move.
As the courtyard was very large, the Ye family and their bodyguards like Asen also moved in, with each allocated their own small courtyard.
Gu Miao, who was to be Ye Shengge's exclusive bodyguard, also moved in with Gu Ning, living opposite Asen and his group.
The four-section house was quickly filled. Min Xing, bringing Tiantian, complained about not having a private room.
"They all live so close; why do they keep coming to my place? They have nothing better to do."
"I am idle. The pharmacy is almost yours. I finally invested in a jewelry company with Shengge, but Aunt Bai took over. What kind of authority do I have in front of these strong women?"
Zi Yisheng tossed Min Xing a cigarette, and the two sat in the pavilion, enjoying the scenery.
"You never had authority in the jewelry company anyway. As for the pharmacy, I still need it. I'll return it to you after this last battle."
"It doesn't matter. I'm doing pretty well now. Taking Tiantian to and from school every day is also quite interesting."
"It would be even better to find a live-in husband for Tiantian."
"Bullshit! I plan for Tiantian to wait until she's thirty before getting married."
Zi Yisheng gave Min Xing a disdainful look. This guy had issues.
"You might as well keep her until you die."
"That would be fine too. Then I wouldn't have to worry about her anymore."
"Aren't you afraid Mo Lin will fight you? His punches are strong."
Min Xing habitually touched his mouth. Zi Yisheng immediately laughed.
"It seems you've taken quite a beating."
"Hmph, I don't want to stoop to the level of the younger generation."
Zi Yisheng never advised Min Xing, as he was inherently confused about life.
Ouyang also brought his wife and child. For the past few days, he had been adjusting to his wife being darker, fatter, and more boisterous. He thought he would have an easier time once Young Master Zi took a break, but the opposite was true.
"Is it appropriate for you all to be hiding here in leisure?"
"Didn't you find your way here too?"
Zi Yisheng threw him a cigarette pack. Why did this guy look so haggard?
"What's wrong with you?"
Ouyang shook his head helplessly, lit a cigarette, and exhaled.
"Tired out by your wife, aren't you? Is your old back giving out?"
"That's still better than yours, which has been involved everywhere."
Ouyang directly threw the cigarette pack at Min Xing.
"Hey, don't spread rumors about me. I only leave my affections, not my body or mind. I'm still pure now."
"Mm-hmm, I know. An old virgin."
"Get lost, you bastard! I have a germ phobia."
"What's the big deal? There are plenty of old virgins here. Look at Young Master Ye, Asen, who isn't pure as jade?"
"Oh, Secretary Ouyang is quite capable, even I've become your target for teasing."
Ouyang almost choked on his smoke. In this day and age, one should never speak ill of people behind their backs.
"Oh, Young Master Ye, please have a seat. I'll pour you some tea."
Ye Mu'en kicked Ouyang. This guy was becoming bolder and bolder.
"Have you all been peaceful lately?"
"We're peaceful, but everyone is watching with covetous eyes."
Ye Mu'en picked up the cup Ouyang offered and took a sip.
"Appearing calm externally but tense internally. This time, it's bound to cause a huge stir."
"Don't worry, we won't lose a single one of our people."
Zi Yisheng nodded. His father-in-law and brother-in-law were definitely his strongest support.
"Actually, thinking about it, the higher-ups haven't done anything substantial over the years. But I'm much worse off than when I was younger."
The speaker said it unintentionally, but the listener took it to heart. Zi Yisheng savored Min Xing's words.
"People get confused when they get old."
"If they get confused for over ten years? Medically, that's called dementia."
Zi Yisheng tapped his fingers on the armrest, the speed increasing.
Ouyang knew this was the prelude to Young Master Zi making a decision.
"Ouyang, secretly arrest Elder Gu."
"Uh, yes."
Zi Yisheng looked at the children running by the pond and relaxed his brows.
"Do you have a next step?"
"No, what I need now is verification. There's too much I don't know."
"What? You're out of your depth?"
Ye Mu'en lit a cigarette and joined the group in puffing smoke.
"Yes, this time I realized there are too many things I can't control."