"Did you sell Jiang's shares as I asked before?" Nie Jia pinched Huo Qing's earlobe, tossing the damp towel aside. He then wrapped his arm around Huo Qing's neck, leaning on his back. "The funding for Qin Yiran and Gu Xueying, was it directly from you?"
Upon hearing Jiang Yang's words earlier, Nie Jia had already speculated. He had entrusted Huo Qing to sell his shares in Jiang's holdings, but Jiang Yang couldn't be oblivious to the change in the shareholders. Why did he think Huo Qing was aiding Qin Yiran? The only explanation was that Huo Qing hadn't touched the shares but had directly financed Qin's and Gu's interests under his name.
"Jiang's shares are useful to you; there's no need to sell them," Huo Qing replied softly.
Nie Jia chuckled, "But Jiang's shares will soon be worthless."
"Is your game coming to an end?" Huo Qing indulged Nie Jia, who was fidgeting atop his head. He didn't actually know Nie Jia's intentions or plans; Nie Jia hadn't disclosed them, and he hadn't inquired. Regardless, whatever Nie Jia did, Huo Qing would wholeheartedly support.
"A little twist has arisen," Nie Jia smirked mischievously. "Keeping the shares was right. Initially, I wanted to ruin Jiang's, but now, I've changed my mind. Jiang's success relied on my mother's sacrifices; it wouldn't be right to bring it down without returning what's due."
"Are you aiming to pull Jiang Yang from his position as the head of the family?" Huo Qing asked.
"Not just that." Nie Jia fetched a loose tracksuit from the changing room for Huo Qing. As Huo Qing hadn't brought any change of clothes, the sleeves and shorts were too short for his long limbs. Nie Jia sighed, "Let Wang Zong bring you some clothes."
"Are you coming home with me tonight?" Huo Qing lifted Nie Jia's damp fingertips and kissed them gently, gazing lovingly into his exquisite eyes. "Xiao Jue and Huo Yun really miss you."
"I've only been home for a few days, and you want to whisk me away again. Aren't you worried about angering my mom?" Nie Jia pushed away his hand and grabbed his own clothes. "Hurry up and take off these clothes."
Huo Qing raised an eyebrow helplessly as Nie Jia stripped off his clothes.
Wang Zong quickly arrived to bring Huo Qing a suit. An Na, coming in to call Nie Jia for lunch, found Wang Zong standing at her son's bedroom door.
"Su Su, is there a guest?" An Na entered the room, seeing her son still in his pajamas, slouched on the bed, typing on the keyboard. She furrowed her brow, pulling open the curtains. "It's so late, and you haven't gotten up. Hurry, isn't Mr. Huo looking for you? Your assistant is waiting at the door, and you're still sleeping!"
"Mom, don't pull me. I've been exercising all night; I'm exhausted," Nie Jia murmured, barely conscious.
An Na asked, "Exercising? What kind of exercise? Weren't you attending a discussion meeting?"
"Love health exercises," Nie Jia replied.
An Na couldn't help but laugh as she lightly smacked the back of Nie Jia's head. "You naughty child, you're not serious like your mom. Your girlfriend isn't in the country; who are you exercising with?"
"Su Su, help me with the tie," Huo Qing requested as he emerged from the dressing room, well-dressed.
An Na froze as she saw Huo Qing, immediately offering a polite and humble smile when he caught her gaze.
Nie Jia jumped up and walked over to help Huo Qing with the tie. After a while, he frowned, loosening the tie and unbuttoning Huo Qing's shirt. "This looks better."
Huo Qing indulgently smiled.
Nie Jia put his arm around Huo Qing's waist, turning to An Na. "Mom, this is the person I mentioned, the one surnamed Huo, my girlfriend."
Huo Qing raised an eyebrow near Nie Jia's ear. "Girlfriend? Is that how you introduce me?"
An Na remained composed, seemingly unsure about what was happening. She knew her son's orientation; after all, as a child, he openly liked Jiang Yang. However, she never imagined that one day her son would indeed bring a man home, especially someone as influential as Huo Qing.
"Mrs. An, I deeply love Su Su, and he has already agreed to marry me. I hope you can trust me to take care of Su Su," Huo Qing held Nie Jia's hand as he spoke to Mrs. An.
"Has it only been less than a month since you two progressed to the stage of engagement?" Mrs. An finally snapped back to reality, looking at the couple who appeared deeply in love. She said, "Mr. Huo, if you genuinely care for Su Su as an equal partner, I am genuinely happy for both of you."
Mrs. An's words carried a subtle warning, disregarding Huo Qing's status. At that moment, she was simply a mother considering her child's welfare.
"Please, rest assured," Huo Qing promised solemnly.
Given Huo Qing's standing and being the chosen partner for their child, Mrs. An quickly accepted their relationship. It conveniently provided Huo Qing with a reasonable excuse to take Nie Jia home that very night, with Mrs. An's consent.
Ye Xiao Jue was ecstatic, completely ignoring his uncle's attempt to lead Nie Jia to the dining hall, inviting him to dinner.
"We've already had dinner. Su Su has work tomorrow, so I'll take him upstairs for some rest. We'll join you tomorrow night," Huo Qing politely declined Ye Xiao Jue's enthusiastic invitation on Nie Jia's behalf.
Huo Yun chuckled, "As tasty as dumplings, as fun as..."
"Brother Qing rolled up his sleeves," Ye Shuming reminded him, shutting Huo Yun up immediately.
The next morning, the system notified Nie Jia that Jiang He had been taken care of. However, the disappearance had been meticulously handled; presently, no one had noticed Jiang He's absence. Even though Jiang He had no parents, being Jiang Yang's cousin, if the police discovered his body, it would create a major uproar.
Meng Qian didn't disappoint Nie Jia.
"Mr. Nie, Meng Qian's grandfather is on his last three days of life," the system reminded.
Muttering to himself, Nie Jia said, "Looks like I need to rearrange the surgery at the main hospital."
"Do you want to save him?" the system asked hesitantly. Meng Qian's grandfather was depleting his life force rather than due to an illness. If they were to prolong his life, it would require much more of Nie Jia's abilities than awakening Ye Shuming. Could Mr. Nie's body handle it?
"Jiang Yang still owes me 10% of the shares," Nie Jia sneered.
Having informed the main hospital, the surgery for Meng Qian's grandfather was arranged the next day. The old man's deteriorating condition was visibly apparent to everyone. The experts at the main hospital believed Dr. Yan's proposal for restorative surgery to be outrageous. Given the patient's condition, there was a high chance he might die on the operating table.
Even though the surgery was successful, if any complications arose this time, it would be hard to justify. Dr. Yan wondered why he was burdening himself with such thankless trouble.
Yet, Dr. Yan had identified the cause of the old man's coma and persisted with another surgery, not violating any hospital regulations.
On the day of the surgery, Meng Qian didn't go to the company. Jiang Yang, busy with company matters, stayed with Meng Qian in the hospital in the morning and then returned to the company. He felt inexplicably anxious. He hadn't forgotten his promise to Yan Su back then. However, while Jiang's family used to be his sole authority, now they were in the public eye, Qin Yi Ran had regained control of the Qin family's authority, and on the other side, Gu Xueying was waiting for an opportunity to strike. In such a critical situation, if he indeed gave away 10% of the shares, the consequences would be unimaginable.
10% of the shares! How did he agree to give Yan Su 10% in the first place, all for the sake of saving an old man buried in the countryside?
The turmoil in Jiang Yang's mind didn't show on his face. Instead, he calmly accompanied Meng Qian in the morning before leaving.
As he left, he glanced at the glaring words indicating the surgery, his gaze carrying a hint of gloom.
The surgery took a long time. As night fell, Huo Qing and Huo Yun arrived at the hospital, waiting outside the operating room.
Meng Qian was surprised as she stood up from the bench. "Mr. Huo, Miss Huo... what brings you here?"
"We're not here to see you," Huo Yun glanced coldly at her, making Meng Qian blush and step aside hurriedly.
Huo Qing didn't pay any attention to Meng Qian. He turned to Wang Zong, asking, "How long has the surgery been?"
"It's been over twelve hours," Wang Zong replied.
Huo Qing and Huo Yun immediately furrowed their brows in worry. The last time they had surgery for Ye Shuming, he collapsed directly and slept for two days before recovering. They wondered about the current situation.
Initially, Meng Qian was anxious only about her grandfather's condition. But with the Huo siblings' arrival and their silent presence, she couldn't help but start to overthink, almost forgetting that her grandfather was undergoing surgery.
It wasn't until the red light above the operating room went off, and a nurse, looking exhausted, walked out that Meng Qian's heart skipped a beat. She blurted out, "How's my grandfather? What about Dr. Yan? Did he run away?"
Huo Qing's expression turned sour.
The nurse, removing her mask, glared angrily, "The surgery was successful. Dr. Yan had exhausted himself but persisted until the final stitches. The patient is old, and Dr. Yan was already under immense pressure to save your grandfather. Please don't casually insult him."
Meng Qian realized her mistake due to her anxiousness and quickly suppressed her discontent.
As they moved the patient from the operating room to the ward, Meng Qian followed hurriedly. Only then did Huo Qing enter the operating room. Huo Yun crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on Meng Qian's back for a while before snorting in disdain, "How unpleasant."
Coincidentally, Meng Qian was pondering why the Huo siblings had come. When she turned her head and met Huo Yun's dark gaze, she was startled. Instinctively avoiding her gaze, she hurriedly left.
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