Chapter 220: Chapter 218: Are You Going to Support Me?
Jiang Qimeng feigned modesty. "But it’s quite difficult to forget him. Junyan, you do well as the president, and let him see clearly that you are not useless. As for us, can you give me some time?"
Not being rejected, Si Junyan was ecstatic. He comforted her gently, "I understand, Qimeng. You’re truly kind."
He hugged Jiang Qimeng tightly, as if intoxicated and in a dream.
Jiang Qimeng gritted her teeth. This all should have been mine, but Si Junyan took advantage of it. Fortunately, he’s such a bootlicker; otherwise, I really would have ended up with nothing.
Jiang Qimeng was now very proud. So what if Jian Xi could turn Yaowang into a commercial legend! The Haohan Group is under my control now. Let’s see how you can still be so smug!
「By the hospital bed.」
Jian Xi peeled an orange and began to eat it.
Yan Qing pushed the door open and entered.
Jian Xi asked, "Has Si Junyan used the Old Master to rise to power?"
Yan Qing nodded but was somewhat puzzled. "Why didn’t you go? With your standing with the Old Master, plus the legend Yaowang has become, he would surely do everything in his power to make you president of the Haohan Group."
This was exactly what I wanted, Jian Xi thought. I’d love to swallow Haohan whole. But not now. Si Yuhuan just saved my life. If I turned around and annexed the Haohan Group, it would be too beastly, too inhuman.
Jian Xi said to Yan Qing, "Protect the Old Master well. Don’t tell him about Si Yuhuan’s condition. Keep it from him for as long as you can. Once Si Yuhuan wakes up, all our problems will be easily solved. Also, keep a close watch on Si Junyan and Jiang Qimeng’s every move. For them to stir up such a storm, they must have contacted someone powerful behind the scenes. There’s definitely something fishy going on."
They couldn’t possibly have this kind of power on their own, not unless someone is backing them,
Jian Xi mused. She suspected Fu Shengyuan.Yan Qing looked at Si Yuhuan, who was still in a coma. "The knife was poisoned. It seems they were determined to kill you. The police are intensively interrogating the suspects. I’ll report back if there’s any news."
"Mm."
Jian Xi had also just learned that Si Yuhuan’s wound had come into contact with lethal snake venom. His condition had gradually improved after the antivenom was administered, but the poison was the main reason he had remained unconscious for so long.
Yan Qing left.
The ward became quiet again.
Jian Xi looked at Si Yuhuan’s pale, bloodless, handsome face on the bed. Gone was his usual harshness and cold indifference. Now, he seemed gentler, more humane.
One of his hands was bandaged by the doctor like a thick rice dumpling.
I’ve never seen him so disheveled.
"You idiot," she murmured, "it’s rare to see you act so recklessly, nearly costing you your life."
Touching her belly, she felt the vigorous little lives inside.
Jian Xi sighed to herself. Consider it your scumbag father saving you this once; Mommy almost lost you.
She was sure this assassin had something to do with Jiang Qimeng. But can I find any solid evidence against her and bring her to justice? She’s like an eel, too slippery.
"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—"
Si Yuhuan’s eyes fluttered open. Groggily, he saw Jian Xi sitting beside him under the dim light, and for a moment, it felt as if everything had returned to how it was half a year ago.
Her eyes were as soft as water. "How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
Si Yuhuan tried to sit up, shakily, but she gently pressed him back down onto the bed. "The doctor said you’ve lost a lot of blood and were poisoned. Your body is very weak right now. You need to rest properly."
The pleasant fragrance from her body wafted into his nostrils.
Si Yuhuan’s struggles ceased. He calmly let her press him down, lying on the bed and staring at her with bright, deep eyes. "Have you been with me the whole time?"
"Of course! Do you think I’m as heartless as you?" Jian Xi rolled her eyes at him and handed him a glass of water.
Si Yuhuan enjoyed her care, the corners of his mouth tilting up slightly.
This injury... it was worth it!
"I’m dizzy!" he exclaimed, taking a sip of water and looking as if he were about to faint.
Jian Xi grew anxious. Could it be a side effect of the snake venom? She was about to call for a doctor when Si Yuhuan grabbed her hand. "Massage my temples for me."
"Are you really okay?" Though skeptical, her cool hand was already on Si Yuhuan’s forehead, gently massaging his temples.
Up close, they could clearly see each other’s pores. Their breaths mingled, falling on each other’s faces, and the ambiguous atmosphere between them suddenly intensified.
As their eyes met, an undercurrent surged.
Uncontrollably, Si Yuhuan’s lips brushed against hers, as light as a dragonfly’s touch.
Jian Xi’s eyes widened. Her face instantly flushed as red as an apple, and she hastily stepped back several paces. "Wh-what do you think you’re doing?"
She looks as shy as an ostrich, so cute, Si Yuhuan thought, his mood excellent.
He touched his lips and said, "You were seducing me."
"Nonsense! You rascal!" Jian Xi retorted. She decided to hit him with all the bad news, wanting to shock him and get a bit of a thrill herself.
Unexpectedly, after Si Yuhuan heard it all, his handsome face remained perfectly calm, as if Jian Xi had just been discussing the weather.
His composure made Jian Xi suspect that it wasn’t his hand that was injured, but his brain.
"Why didn’t you go and fight for my position? I was injured because of you, you know," he suddenly asked, looking up at Jian Xi.
"Do you think I’m a fool? That I’d overestimate my own abilities so badly?" Jian Xi countered.
"We’re already divorced. As a former wife, what chance would I have competing against the Si Family’s second young master for the company?"
"Besides, the moment you went down, the board of directors started making moves. It’s obvious someone was orchestrating it. If I had stepped forward, it would have been like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den; they would have devoured me whole."
"Grandfather cares for me and is fond of me, but I’m not of Si Family blood. Only a Si can control the Haohan Group, unless..." Jian Xi trailed off, looking meaningfully at Si Yuhuan.
"You want the Haohan Group?" he asked.
Her innermost thoughts were suddenly exposed, and a wave of panic washed over her. Jian Xi struggled to appear natural as she retorted sarcastically, "Who wouldn’t want to be the president of the Haohan Group?"
Si Yuhuan scoffed. "Quite an ambition you have there."
"Your ambition was big enough, yet Si Junyan still found a way to exploit the situation. Don’t you dare say it’s all because of me; I’m not taking the blame for that."
"Heartless," Si Yuhuan remarked.
Jian Xi clenched her jaw.
He was right; I am heartless, Jian Xi admitted to herself. In my previous life, my conscience led to a miserable death. In this life, I’d rather be unfeeling and utterly ruthless!
"But you were smart not to get entangled in this mess," Si Yuhuan suddenly said, his gaze burning as he looked at her. "Otherwise, even the Yaowang Group might not have avoided an unexpected calamity. Protecting yourself by staying out of it was a wise move. If I had nothing, would you be with me again?"
"No."
"I wouldn’t want you even if you were the richest man alive, let alone if you were penniless and destitute," Jian Xi said, feigning disdain.
Si Yuhuan gritted his teeth in anger. Calling her heartless is an understatement. She’s thoroughly cruel and ungrateful!
"Don’t curse me in your head," Jian Xi said. "You saved my life, and I’m grateful. Supporting you is out of the question, but giving you a sum of money so you can start over... that we can discuss."
Si Yuhuan was curious. "How much?"
"Ten million!" Jian Xi declared, holding up one finger and sneering.
It was like an invisible slap across his face.
When they had first discussed their divorce, Si Yuhuan had offered her ten million to disappear from his life forever.
He hadn’t expected her to hold such a grudge, to use his own words to humiliate him now.
And he found himself utterly speechless, unable to retort.