When Shen Yin walked into the reception room, the people from Ruida Group hadn't arrived yet.
Shen Yin sat down in a chair. Qin Zhenzhen poured several glasses of water and placed them on the opposite side, while Liu Bo sat down next to Shen Yin.
"Will they be speaking English or Chinese later?" Shen Yin asked.
This question actually stumped Liu Bo. Previously, Xu Xiuhe had been the one negotiating with Ruida, and he hadn't even been present at their meetings. He had no idea what language the CEO spoke with them.
"Madam Shen, I really don't know about that."
Shen Yin sat in her chair, calm and composed, waiting for the Ruida Group people to arrive.
Ten minutes later, a blond man, accompanied by two assistants, arrived at the ground floor of the Heyuan Group building.
"They're here."
Chang Xue immediately called Qin Zhenzhen.
Everyone sat up straight.
A few minutes later, the Ruida Group people reached Heyuan Group's reception room.
As soon as the blond man entered the room, his expression changed slightly.
"Where is the boss of your company? Where is Xu Xiuhe?"
Hearing this, Shen Yin was also surprised. True to his blond appearance, he immediately spoke words she couldn't understand. Fortunately, what the blond man said wasn't too difficult, and relying on the original owner's memories, Shen Yin could now understand.
"Hello, the CEO of this company, who is also my husband, Xu Xiuhe, has had a slight accident and is currently in the hospital. I will be replacing him here to discuss cooperation with you."
Shen Yin spoke in a voice that wasn't loud, but her enunciation was particularly clear. Her voice carried strength, and everyone in the reception room could hear her.
"No, no," the blond man said in English-accented Chinese, waving his hands.
"Anthony, you can speak Chinese," Shen Yin said, ignoring the blond man's refusal and instead changing the subject to compliment him.
Sure enough, the topic was successfully shifted. Hearing Shen Yin's praising tone, the blond man felt particularly pleased.
"My Chinese is super super good. Can you, tell?"
The blond man gave himself a thumbs up.
Listening to the accented Chinese, Shen Yin wanted to laugh, but she knew it wouldn't be appropriate in this setting. Laughing would also be disrespectful to Anthony, so she had to hold it in.
"Anthony, your Chinese is very, very good," Shen Yin also gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you, thank you."
"So, how about our cooperation? I really admire your lover, I only want to discuss cooperation with your lover," the blond man continued in his broken Chinese after receiving Shen Yin's praise.
As they talked, Shen Yin's speaking style began to be slightly influenced by the blond man's accent.
"Am I not suitable? We have an old saying in China that husband and wife are one body. My lover and I are one, so even though he's not here now, I can negotiate on his behalf."
The blond man pondered for a moment, then said, "I see, Chinese culture, profound and extensive."
He gave another thumbs up after speaking.
Qin Zhenzhen and Liu Bo hadn't expected this Anthony to be so adorable and easily swayed by the CEO's wife.
"But, I still want to discuss cooperation with your husband. I admire him very much, and it's because of him that I decided to cooperate with Heyuan Group. If he doesn't negotiate with me, I can find other companies to cooperate with."
Shen Yin...
Liu Bo...
Qin Zhenzhen...
The situation reached an impasse. Shen Yin wanted to continue persuading and guiding the blond man, but Anthony's expression was already becoming impatient. He fiddled with a lighter in one hand and crossed one leg over the other.
"Anthony, although our Heyuan Group hasn't been established for long, our achievements are there for all to see. I believe that after your Ruida Group cooperates with our Heyuan Group, it will be all benefit and no harm."
"I know, but Heyuan Group has such achievements because of Xu Xiuhe. So, I still want to wait for Xu Xiuhe. By the way, what does 'all benefit and no harm' mean?"
The blond man looked at Shen Yin with an eager expression.
Shen Yin had to admit that this Anthony was a bit difficult to deal with.
"Anthony, 'all benefit and no harm' means there are many advantages and nothing bad."
"Saying it like that, I understand now."
Anthony wore an expression of having learned something new.
"Anthony, my husband hasn't woken up yet, he really can't come to meet you," Shen Yin said with some difficulty.
This Anthony was so stubborn and persistent. It was indeed as Special Assistant Liu had said – not easy to handle.
"I can go to see him."
...
Qin Zhenzhen and Liu Bo exchanged glances. This blond Anthony was really hard to deal with. Could it be that he had taken a liking to their CEO?
"Is that so?" Shen Yin smiled awkwardly. To be honest, she hadn't expected Anthony to say this.
"Anthony, my husband hasn't woken up yet. Do you still want to see him?"
"Yes, I want to see."
"Special Assistant Liu, prepare the car. We're going to First Hospital."
"No need to prepare, just lead the way. We have our own car."
The group filed out of the reception room in an orderly manner and headed towards the underground parking garage.
"Did you bring the contract?" Anthony turned and asked.
"Yes, we did."
Liu Bo was driving, with Qin Zhenzhen in the passenger seat. Shen Yin sat in the back. As soon as she got in the car, Shen Yin rubbed her brow. This Anthony was too stubborn; she had no idea what to do.
"Madam Shen, don't worry. Anthony just asked if we brought the contract. Maybe we'll be able to sign it soon."
What Shen Yin was more worried about was when Xu Xiuhe would finally wake up.
In the VIP ward, Fang Yue was playing with Zheng on the sofa. When the group entered, the little one kept staring at the blond man.
"Mommy," Xu Yunzheng called out when he saw Shen Yin.
"Is this Xiuhe?" Anthony walked to the bedside, looking at Xu Xiuhe lying on the bed, his sadness naturally apparent on his face.
Fang Yue looked at Shen Yin, confused. What was going on? Could it be that Xiuhe previously...
Unimaginable.
"Yin Yin, what's this?"
In the end, Fang Yue couldn't hold back and asked.
"Mom, this is a partner from Heyuan Group. We were just discussing the contract."
Anthony turned to Xu Xiuhe on the hospital bed and said, "My friend, rest assured, I will take our cooperation project seriously. I'll also study Chinese diligently. Today I learned another phrase, which means 'all benefits and no harm.'"
The others stood nearby, speechless. What was going on now?
"The contract, give me the pen."
Hearing this, Liu Bo immediately handed over the contract and pen.
Anthony took them, signed his name at the bottom, and then passed it to Shen Yin.
"Teacher's wife, it's your turn to sign."
Teacher's wife?
Shen Yin was bewildered.
"Xiuhe teaches me Chinese. He's my Chinese teacher. According to your custom, that makes you my teacher's wife."
As Anthony finished speaking, several people came in from outside, bringing in a few boxes of milk.
"Alright, the contract is signed. I need to go now."
In the end, only Liu Bo and Qin Zhenzhen remained in the hospital room besides Fang Yue and Xu Yunzheng.
None of them could have imagined that this negotiation would end up being so perfunctory.
"Madam." Liu Bo held the contract, looking at Shen Yin.
"You can go back first. For the following matters, I'll trouble Assistant Liu."
"No trouble at all."
After Liu Bo and Qin Zhen left, Fang Yue walked over and said, "This foreigner is really strange."
Shen Yin wholeheartedly agreed. She felt that her outfit and makeup today had all been for nothing.
Looking at Xu Xiuhe again, Shen Yin felt even more distressed. Xu Xiuhe was so good that he could even win over business partners. Even lying in a hospital bed, he hadn't left her facing any difficulties.
"Mom, did I see wrong just now? Did Xiuhe's hand move a little?" Shen Yin said.
Fang Yue hadn't been watching Xu Xiuhe, so she had no idea.
Shen Yin walked to Xu Xiuhe's side, staring at him intently.
"Mom, it moved."
"Dad's eyelashes moved too." The little one leaned close to Xu Xiuhe's face.
Shen Yin looked, and sure enough, Xu Xiuhe's eyelashes really did move.
Shen Yin was so excited she almost cried. Xu Xiuhe had been lying there for four days already. If he didn't wake up soon, she was going to go crazy.
"Xiuhe, Xiuhe, wake up."
"Dad, Dad, Zheng Zheng wants to play with Dad."
The man's hand moved a few more times, and his eyes slowly opened.
"Mom, Zheng Zheng, Xiuhe's awake!"
Shen Yin covered Xu Xiuhe's hand with her own.
"Why is it dark? Why haven't you turned on the lights?" Xu Xiuhe's words were like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing all of Shen Yin's previous joy.
Outside, it was bright daylight. The window glass was slightly fogged due to the temperature difference, but other buildings could be faintly seen outside.
Shen Yin calmed herself down and said, "Xiuhe, you haven't fully recovered yet, so your eyes might be temporarily blind. It will get better after a while."
She was comforting herself as much as she was comforting Xu Xiuhe.
Xu Xiuhe was quiet for a few seconds before asking, "How many days have I been asleep?"
"Exactly four days."
"Call the doctor to come check on you." Shen Yin said. What she had just said was indeed true. If she wasn't mistaken, Xu Xiuhe's blindness might be due to blood clots or bruising in his eyes.
Soon, the examination results came out, confirming Shen Yin's guess.
"When will it get better?" Shen Yin asked.
"It's hard to say. It depends on the patient's own recovery. It could be a week, it could be a month."
"Dad, Zheng Zheng will keep Dad company."
"Mom, you've been here for so long, you must be tired. You should go back first. Dad will probably be looking for you soon."
"I'm relieved now that you're awake. Xiuhe, don't worry. This is temporary blindness. It will get better soon."
"Mm, don't worry, Mom."
After Fang Yue left, Shen Yin and Xu Yunzheng remained by the bedside.
"Can't Dad see anymore?" Xu Yunzheng asked.
"Dad is just temporarily blind. When Dad gets better, he'll be able to see Zheng Zheng again."
"Mm-hmm, Dad says eyes are the windows to the soul." The little one suddenly remembered what his father had told him before.
Hearing this, Shen Yin felt uneasy. Such an excellent person as Xu Xiuhe suddenly losing his sight must be very upsetting for him.
"Don't be sad. It will get better. Zheng Zheng and I will always be here."
"Mm, okay. What about the car accident?"
"So far, it's been determined that Driver Wang lost control of his body, resulting in an operational error that caused the engine to spontaneously combust."
Hearing this, Xu Xiuhe felt something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly.
"You must have been worried these past few days. Thank you for your hard work." Xu Xiuhe followed Shen Yin's hand and touched her head.
"It wasn't hard. I'm just glad you're awake."
That afternoon, a group of people came to Xu Xiuhe's hospital room, including Chang Zhiyuan and Xue Jingrui.
Seeing the now-blind Xu Xiuhe, everyone felt a bit off-balance, afraid to mention words like "see" or "eyes," fearing it would upset Xu Xiuhe even more.
"Xiuhe, when you're up and about, you'll have to treat us to a good meal," Chang Zhiyuan said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Sure."
"We've found out some other information. That driver had contact with Xu Zhengyang's side."
Chang Zhiyuan's words shocked everyone in the room. Clearly, none of them had expected this.
"Should we report it to the police?" Xue Jingrui asked. This matter would be easy to handle if they could find solid evidence.
"We don't have detailed evidence, but Driver Wang is definitely suspicious." Chang Zhiyuan had been busy promoting the new drama these past few days, but he had also been searching for information. He didn't believe in such coincidences – just as the old man fell into the water, the young one got into a car accident. If it was deliberate, everything would make sense.
"This afternoon, I need to go to the Second Hospital. I want to see Xu Guimin again."
"But your eyes?" Xue Jingrui asked.
"It's fine. I'll go with him." Shen Yin always unconditionally supported Xu Xiuhe's decisions. Whatever he wanted to do, she would accompany him.
As they left, Shen Yin held Zheng Zheng's hand with one hand and linked arms with Xu Xiuhe with the other, afraid of losing either of them.
Xu Xiuhe wore sunglasses and had changed out of his hospital gown, moving from one hospital to another.
As he entered the room, Xu Xiuhe didn't know what Xu Guimin was doing, but Shen Yin knew. That man was leisurely sipping tea, which irritated Shen Yin. Xu Guimin was largely to blame for the current situation.
"Xiuhe, why are you here?"
"To see you," the man replied, his tone unreadable.
"Why are you still wearing sunglasses indoors?"
Xu Guimin hadn't noticed anything unusual about Xu Xiuhe at all.
"What exactly did you mean when you asked me to save you?" Xu Xiuhe repeated the question.
The man sitting on the bed fell silent again, instead turning to look at Shen Yin.
"Speak up. If you don't, I'll send you right back," Xu Xiuhe threatened.
Upon hearing that he might be sent back, Xu Guimin became a bit nervous. He was living comfortably now, without much to worry about, but if he were sent back, he might be in danger again.
