In the room, Nie Jia remained coiled up in a tight ball. His hands clasped around his knees, revealing ankles delicate as jade with faint blue veins. He gazed up at Huo Qing, whose sight was obscured by reflections on his glasses. Yet, in the young man's posture lay the demeanor of an intruded beast, a presence that hinted at much more.
Caught in the proximity of Huo Qing's striking face, Nie Jia felt a surge of complex emotions. He had believed that over the years, this face had faded from his memory. However, upon seeing Huo Qing at this moment, Nie Jia realized that time couldn't erase everything.
"Dr. Yan, feeling unwell?" Huo Qing inquired, noting Nie Jia's pale complexion and furrowed brows.
"Just a stomachache," Nie Jia casually replied. "What brings Mr. Huo here?"
As Huo Qing settled across from Nie Jia, he unbuttoned his suit, handing over a folder with a gentle smile. "I'd like to schedule a surgery appointment with Dr. Yan."
Accepting the folder and flipping it open, Nie Jia found a medical report, not Huo Qing's, but of a patient named Ye Shuming. Nie Jia, equipped with his God's Eye, recognized this person, but the name was unfamiliar to anyone else outside.
Ye Shuming was the husband of Huo Yun, a renowned suspense writer once hailed as an IP tycoon. However, four years ago, during a trip abroad with Huo Yun, they encountered an avalanche. Ye Shuming, in an attempt to save Huo Yun, fell into a glacier, rendering him a vegetable due to severe brain injury.
Huo Qing, doting on his sister, had summoned renowned medical experts from around the world during this period, but to no avail.
Glancing at Huo Qing, Nie Jia had initially planned to offer his expertise on Ye Shuming's condition in exchange for the Jiang family's shares he held. But why would Huo Qing approach him first? Initially, Huo Qing hadn't come to schedule surgery for Ye Shuming with Dr. Yan. According to the original course, Dr. Yan would still be in Yunnan at this time, and when he returned, Meng Qian's grandfather's condition would also worsen. Hence, Huo Qing would have abandoned this "inept doctor."
However, Ye Shuming's injury was irreversible; nobody could save him. Even if Huo Qing hadn't given up on Dr. Yan, with Dr. Yan's skills and experience, it wouldn't have been possible to make Ye Shuming open his eyes. In fact, the pinnacle of medical expertise in this world couldn't rescue Ye Shuming.
"I am confident in handling this case, but I have a condition," Nie Jia said. "You hold Jiang Corporation's shares in your Pacific Cable Construction. I want them all."
Huo Qing's expression shifted slightly. He didn't care much about Jiang's shares; rather, since the rescue from the glacier, no doctor had been so affirmative. Not even a whisper of "hope for recovery" had reached his ears.
"If Dr. Yan can save my brother-in-law, having Huo's shares won't be an issue," Huo Qing said solemnly.
Shaking his head, Nie Jia waved his hand. "I don't need anything extra, just Jiang's shares."
The significance of Huo's shares, in the young man's mouth, became redundant.
Unfazed, Huo Qing smiled gently.
Nie Jia immediately shifted his gaze away, adding, "Before the surgery, I need to know the patient's current condition. Come to pick me up tomorrow morning. You may leave now."
He issued the dismissal, clearly uninterested in further conversation.
Huo Qing, accustomed to his esteemed status, had never been treated so coldly. He stood motionless for a moment, observing the young man before finally buttoning up his suit. "Then, I'll take my leave."
Nie Jia remained still, but suddenly, he noticed Huo Qing's long legs stopping right in front of him, followed by a low, gentle voice, "Dr. Yan, your eyes are beautiful. Too bad you never look at me."
Having said that, Huo Qing strode away.
Nie Jia's pupils dilated abruptly, his breath disrupted for a few seconds. He raised his head, just in time to see Huo Qing's tall and straight figure vanish behind the door, prompting a surge of intricate and disorderly emotions within him.
In his youth, the first words spoken to him by Shi Chan were: "Nie Jia, your eyes are truly beautiful."
"KK, is your master Shi Chan?" Nie Jia inquired.
System: [Um...]
"I recall Shi Chan is currently the Director of the Empire's Information Security Bureau, right?" Nie Jia sneered. "Who else would have the audacity to breach the Personality Detection System of the Public Prosecution Department?"
System: [Um...]
"Give me one more 'um,'" Nie Jia's expression turned cold.
The system immediately whimpered, "It's not that I didn't want to say it, Director had instructed me not to disclose this! The Director's already seeking evidence to overturn the first trial, but it'll take some time. However, your 'criminal persona' is about to meet the judgment criteria, so the Director had me installed to assist in erasing your past records. And, the appearance setting wasn't chosen by me; it was the Director's own decision. I won't take the blame for that! Huo Qing is the Director; you should ask him."
Yan Su, formerly known as Nie Jia, felt an inexplicable surge of emotions, rendering him pale. "But by the looks of it, he doesn't seem to remember me," Nie Jia said.
The system explained, "The main program is still under the Public Prosecution Department's personality detection system. Altering too much data might draw attention, so the Director's self-awareness is built upon the original consciousness. Although his eyes don't recognize you, his heart does."
Nie Jia fell silent for a moment, a mix of joy and an unexplained sadness swirling within him.
"Mr. Nie, there's something I must remind you of," the system suddenly spoke, "You are no longer under the control of the Public Prosecution Department's system, but just now, I detected a tendency towards murder in you."
"I've been trying my best to restrain myself from harming Yan Yu," Nie Jia replied.
"No, you're not aware that your urge to kill isn't directed towards Yan Yu, but towards those who are off the system's control. I've detected that you have bipolar disorder. Fortunately, it's within your control for now. However, if your condition worsens, it might be recorded by the Public Prosecution Department's personality detection system," the system disclosed truthfully.
Nie Jia's gaze darkened as he uttered softly, "I understand."
Only when the system detected bipolar disorder did it understand why the Mr. Nie it encountered differed from the one the Director spoke of. His bipolar disorder was entirely coerced by the Public Prosecution Department, utterly shattering his psyche, leading to a reshaping of his personality. This left the system unable to fathom what terrifying experiences could shatter someone's mental world.
That evening, shortly after Huo Qing left, the already ruined banquet ended prematurely. Nie Jia, feeling mentally strained, was about to take a sleeping pill when he heard Jiang Yang banging on the door.
Jiang He had brought Yan Yu to embarrass Yan Su. Jiang Yang was glad to have Yan Su publicly expose this person, although the effect wasn't ideal. Still, he managed to unveil Yan Yu's identity publicly. Jiang Yang even intentionally leaked this information to the media. By early tomorrow, the entire city would know that the renowned Dr. Yan had sponsored his despicable, gambling, drug-addicted father numerous times, displaying filial piety in an ironic sense.
However, after the banquet, to his surprise, major news websites didn't report a single word about Yan Su. Instead, the accusations against Qin Yi Ran took the front page! The information he deliberately suppressed had spread throughout the city overnight! Jiang Yang could tell someone was orchestrating this behind the scenes, and he was livid.
"Yan Su, come out!" Jiang Yang raged. "Come out!"
Having swallowed the pill, Nie Jia flung the half-full cup of water towards the door, commanding, "Get lost."
Jiang Yang heard a faint shattering sound, and water started seeping under the door. There was no more movement inside.
"If you have the guts, come out, Yan Su! If you don't, don't blame me for being ruthless!" After his outburst, Jiang Yang pounded the door before finally suppressing his anger and leaving.
Inside the room, Nie Jia had long been lying on the bed, curled up, eyes closed, drifting into sleep amidst a dull ache in his stomach.
The next morning, Nie Jia woke up feeling much better mentally. He knew he had failed to control his impulses the previous night and hadn't thought about how to handle the situation. Once Yan Yu's identity was revealed to the outside world, it wouldn't bode well. Nie Jia attempted to clean up the related news online, only to find nothing about himself. The internet was flooded with phrases like "Qin Yi Ran deceived into marriage," "Jiang Yang, the scumbag," "Meng Qian, the mistress," and more.
In just one night, Jiang Yang and Meng Qian were universally criticized online. Deceiving someone into marriage easily ignited public outrage, and even those unfamiliar with Jiang Yang were quick to condemn him.
Nie Jia was puzzled. Not only were the guests at the banquet influential figures who wouldn't leak such information, but from the uproar last night to now, the whole city was well-informed. Someone was deliberately guiding this situation, and in one night, Jiang Yang couldn't have stayed idle while such scandals circulated everywhere. Who in Moon City could surpass Jiang Yang?
Nie Jia immediately thought of Huo Qing, but as he was currently Jiang Yang's support, why would he target Jiang Yang?
Nie Jia stopped delving deeper into thoughts regarding Huo Qing. After a brief stroll and a shower, he headed to the dining room.
Without a precise arrangement with Huo Qing, Nie Jia planned to go over if Huo Qing's car didn't arrive after his breakfast.
"Susu, is your stomach feeling better?" An Na, seeing her son entering the dining room, quickly placed a bowl of vegetable porridge in front of him.
"Much better, thanks, Mom," Nie Jia replied, ignoring Meng Qian's piercing stare and spooning a mouthful of porridge.
Meng Qian clenched her chopsticks, glaring at Nie Jia. Her long-awaited engagement banquet was not only ruined but had also tarnished Jiang Yang's reputation. Even online, she was being labeled as the third party. Meng Qian was starting to hate Yan Su immensely!
Across the dining table sat Jiang Zhaolin, who was reading the financial newspaper. Jiang Yang was absent, probably busy repairing his tarnished reputation after last night's disastrous engagement banquet.
Jiang Zhaolin suddenly set aside the newspaper, looking displeased as he directed his gaze at Yan Su. "Yan Su, who is your biological father?"
"I hope what happened last night with your biological father was the last. If anything similar happens again, affecting the Jiang family's reputation, you better leave for abroad and never come back!" Jiang Zhaolin reprimanded without any hesitation.