Chapter 352: Chapter 350: Guilty Conscience
"It came from Jian Group, so I thought it was your doing. I wanted to ask you about it, but I was afraid you’d be too embarrassed to say anything... so I didn’t mention it."
Fu Shengyuan was perplexed. "So it has nothing to do with you?"
"Of course it doesn’t!"
After hanging up the phone, Jian Xi stood fuming, hands on her hips. Someone must be setting me up. She came out to find Si Yuhuan’s expression extremely grim.
Jian Xi immediately rushed over and clung to his arm to explain, "Si Yuhuan, listen to me. It’s not the Jian Family; it’s absolutely not related to the Jian Family. My brother and I never gave such orders. How could our subordinates possibly know..."
"Can you guarantee that when Jian Group was handling the funds, your subordinates couldn’t guess anything? Or that Salsi’s data didn’t circulate publicly? Professionals aren’t fools!"
This is terrible! Si Yuhuan’s stern face showed no trace of tenderness, making Jian Xi’s heart sink.
Jian Xi admitted guiltily, "You’re right. The news might have really come from Jian Group, and I’m responsible for that."
Si Yuhuan raised an eyebrow. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"I..." What am I supposed to do?
"Why don’t you help me secure Salsi Group? Otherwise, Haohan Group will never recover, and you will bear full responsibility."
"You wouldn’t ignore Mingming, would you?" Jian Xi was taken aback.
"Business is business, and personal matters are personal matters. I promised to help you save our child; how could I go back on my word? As for the bid for Salsi Group, if you help me, then we can discuss everything. It won’t be the worst-case scenario, and I can forgive you."
"Fine, no problem. I’ll have my older brother contact the relevant person at your company right away. If you need anything, you can reach out to him anytime. I’ll cooperate fully."
Si Yuhuan patted her head. "This attitude is acceptable."
Jian Xi felt a pang of guilt.
"Are you hungry?"
"A little."
"Let me make you something to eat."
When you do something wrong, you have to make some sort of amends, Jian Xi thought and went to the kitchen to cook.
Yan Qing scratched the back of his head. "Director Si, you know perfectly well this has nothing to do with Jian Group, yet you’re still deceiving Jian Xi. Aren’t you afraid that if she finds out, she’ll make you regret it?"
"If you don’t tell, who will know?"
TSK! This is a heavy responsibility for me! Yan Qing thought, quickly covering his mouth. "I won’t tell, I definitely won’t tell."
"If I don’t deceive her, she really won’t give me a chance. Maybe this way, there can be a breakthrough between us."
Si Yuhuan looked at the phone Jian Xi had left on the coffee table.
Interesting, he mused. These kinds of behind-the-scenes manipulations are child’s play to me. Does anyone really think I’m all temper and no brains?
Jian Xi prepared four dishes and a soup. They looked simple but were actually quite exquisite.
When she brought them out, an enticing aroma filled the air.
Huang Ying was called out but didn’t dare to sit at the main table to eat. Eating at the same table as Si Yuhuan? I’m afraid I’d get indigestion, she thought.
"Miss Jian, I should go back to my room. I still have some research topics I haven’t finished. You can come by later when you’re free if you’d like to try them." Huang Ying winked at Jian Xi.
Si Yuhuan followed Jian Xi’s gaze. "What sort of clandestine research are you two up to?"
"Not at all! Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just that I haven’t fully recovered from postpartum depression and want to continue my recovery with Dr. Huang."
I’ll die before I tell him I want to study psychology to get closer to Si Junyan, Jian Xi thought. With Si Yuhuan’s awful temper, he’d definitely never agree.
Right now, I don’t ask for much. I just want to be closer to my son, to know he’s healthy and safe. That’s more important than anything.
"Hurry and eat. The food is getting cold."
Jian Xi only picked at her food for a few bites before returning to her room.
To Si Yuhuan, this looked like Jian Xi had no appetite.
"It seems this postpartum depression is quite serious," Si Yuhuan remarked.
Yan Qing replied readily, "Of course. Little Shen from the Secretarial Department had postpartum depression before. One day in the office, she was gossiping and mentioned she’d almost wanted to commit suicide. Luckily, she made it through safely after seeing many psychologists and taking a lot of medication to recover!"
"It’s that serious?" Si Yuhuan took out his phone and looked it up online.
After reading various cases, he ordered, "Find more cases of postpartum depression for Huang Ying to study."
"Understood," Yan Qing replied.
「That evening.」
Huang Ying received a large pile of books and case studies on the treatment and recovery of postpartum depression. Yan Qing handed them to her.
"Director Si asked me to give these to you," Yan Qing said. "He said you must cure Madam. Here, take this red envelope."
It was a thick file bag, heavy to lift.
Huang Ying was shocked.
She returned and handed the file bag to Jian Xi. "I guess you tricked Director Si into thinking you have postpartum depression, right? Look, this is all for me."
PFFT— Jian Xi couldn’t help but burst out laughing in astonishment.
"All of this is from him?"
I never expected Si Yuhuan to become like this! she thought. It’s truly rather incredible.
In my past life, Jian Xi recalled, even when I had a forty-degree fever and was on the verge of death, he thought I was just faking with a hot compress. He’d walk past without even lifting an eyelid. The butler would follow him, shouting that Madam had fallen ill, but he’d just casually say there was a company meeting and put me out of his mind.
Compared to that, Wan Yu’s words, ’He’s deeply infatuated with you, he’s fallen for you,’ might actually be true.
Si Yuhuan... has fallen for me?
This thought sent a shiver down Jian Xi’s spine.This can’t be true!
Perhaps it started with his unwillingness to admit defeat, and now, over time, feelings have developed. But this feeling... it can’t be real.
Jian Xi, you are not to go back to him! she sternly reminded herself.
Huang Ying gently shook her. "Miss Jian, what are you muttering about?"
"Nothing. Here, take this money. You deserve it. As for these books, just make a show of using them. It’s just that we have to keep up this lie, which is a bit troublesome."
Huang Ying patted her chest. "You can rest assured, Miss Jian. I will never tell Director Si. As for the money, I won’t take a penny more than I’m due. A person must have principles."
Alright then, Jian Xi thought. I’ll give it to her as a bonus later in some other way.
Jian Xi stopped fretting over the envelope of cash and immersed herself seriously in her psychology studies.
Huang Ying said she had a talent for it and learned quickly. In just a few days, she covered material that would take others a year to learn, and she could even draw broader conclusions from a single case study. Jian Xi still felt it wasn’t enough and began to study so hard she forgot to eat or sleep.
News came from Li Bin: the hospital had interviewed many psychologists, but none were hired. Si Junyan’s temper was shockingly terrible, frightening off many of them. They might want to earn money, but they need to be alive to spend it, Li Bin had implied.
"I’ll go!" Jian Xi declared into the phone.
Just then, the door swung open, and Huang Ying entered. "No, I should be the one to go."
Jian Xi was astonished. "Aren’t they looking for a psychologist? I’m more suitable!"
"Alright then," Huang Ying conceded.
Jian Xi hung up the phone, then hesitated before speaking to Huang Ying.
"Is the patient very dangerous?" Huang Ying asked.
Jian Xi rubbed her fingers together and took a deep, nervous breath. "Not just ordinarily dangerous, it’s life-threatening. That guy is a complete lunatic now. My son was kidnapped—you know about that—and he’s the one who took him."
"Then I have all the more reason to go and bring your son back for you!" Huang Ying declared.
CLANG—
The takeaway food Wan Yu was carrying dropped to the ground by the entrance.
"What? You’re going to approach that lunatic for Xixi’s sake? Huang Ying, think this through! This isn’t about money; your life is at stake!"
Wan Yu had come to study, but hearing Huang Ying’s words, her eyes welled up with tears in an instant, just as Jian Xi’s did.
"Don’t worry," Huang Ying said, very determined. "As a psychologist, it’s quite normal to encounter a few extremely challenging patients. I’m not afraid!"