"Ding dong"
Gu Lin stood in front of Shen Huaichu's villa, pressing the doorbell.
After waiting for a few minutes with no one answering, Gu Lin entered the passcode and went in.
"Brother?" No response. Gu Lin peered inside while closing the door behind him.
Walking into the living room, he saw Shen Huaichu lying on the sofa, his brows slightly furrowed.
Feeling worried, Gu Lin quickly approached and touched Shen Huaichu's forehead. The man lying down coldly said, "What are you doing?"
Gu Lin sighed in relief and withdrew his hand. He had thought his brother might have fallen ill or fainted due to the racing incident.
"I thought something happened to you. You weren't answering your phone or the doorbell."
Shen Huaichu slowly opened his eyes, pressing his fingers against his temples as he sat up. He looked like he hadn't rested comfortably.
Gu Lin was still concerned, "Brother, are you okay?"
Shen Huaichu got up, went to the kitchen to pour a glass of water, and drank it. "Don't worry, I'm not dead yet."
Gu Lin thought: Isn't your standard for being okay a bit too low?
However, since Shen Huaichu said he was fine, Gu Lin didn't press further and just sat down on the sofa.
"You know, if you don't like it, why did you go watch? Aren't you just torturing yourself?"
Shen Huaichu appeared nonchalant, but his head was still throbbing. He shook his head slightly and lay back down on the sofa. "To broaden my horizons."
Gu Lin pouted and muttered, "Who are you kidding?" Did Shen Huaichu really think he didn't know why he went?
Hearing Gu Lin's words, Shen Huaichu remained silent, lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, lost in thought.
Shen Huaichu's condition worried Gu Lin. "Brother, why don't you go home for a few days?"
"No."
Shen Tu would notice his condition immediately.
As expected, he was refused. Gu Lin felt helpless and a bit defeated. "Then how about I ask your aunt to come take care of you?"
Shen Huaichu kept his eyes closed, but his voice turned colder. "Gu Lin, are you threatening me?"
Gu Lin slumped back into the sofa corner, deflated. "How is this a threat, brother? I'm worried about you, a lonely young CEO, getting sick at home with no one to take care of you!"
With no one else at home, if he fainted, there wouldn't even be anyone to call an ambulance.
Shen Huaichu closed his eyes again and said flatly, "Don't worry, I'll call 120 myself."
How was that supposed to be reassuring?
"How will you call 120 if you're unconscious?"
Shen Huaichu's tone remained calm, "The villa gets cleaned daily. As long as I don't deliberately pass out in a corner, I'll definitely be found."
Gu Lin thought: I was just about to say, the cleaners might not see you either...
"I get a physical every year and don't have any sudden illnesses. Even if I'm unconscious for a whole day, I can still be saved."
Gu Lin stared at him in disbelief, amazed that someone could discuss such matters so calmly.
He really should let Shen Huaichu's aunt, his own mother, hear this – how her nephew had made such detailed and meticulous plans for survival.
...
At the Wang residence
Wang He put down the documents, the wrinkles on his face more pronounced in the flickering light, but his eyes were filled with sternness.
"Haven't you started implementing your plan yet?"
Wang Boqi stood before him, his eyes flickering with unease as he lowered his head slightly. "I haven't found the right opportunity yet."
Since finishing her variety show, Jing Yi had been living a routine life, either at home or at the racetrack. Even at the racetrack, she was practicing intensively.
His father's face darkened further. "When will be the right opportunity? When Jing Yi makes more headlines and Hengjing becomes even more famous?"
Recently, Jing Yi had been trending on social media again, boosting the popularity of the Jing family and Hengjing. Meanwhile, his son only had an empty plan.
Feeling the pressure from Wang He, Wang Boqi bowed his head respectfully and replied, "I've already investigated. I'll start taking action in the next few days."
"Are you sure your plan will succeed?" Wang He's gaze was full of doubt and disappointment. "Jing Yi is just a fake heiress. Instead of wasting time on her, why don't you directly target Jing Zeyou?"
For years, Jing Beicheng and Jing Zeyou had been on high alert, and he couldn't affect Hengjing at all. He had placed his hopes on his son, only to be met with even greater disappointment.
"Now you can't even deal with Jing Zeyou, let alone Jing Zeqian..."
Wang He's words made Wang Boqi's face turn pale. His downcast eyes were filled with anger, and his clenched fists trembled slightly.
Perhaps it was his father's repeated criticism that caused the dissatisfaction in Wang Boqi's heart to suddenly surge.
"Father, weren't you also unable to overcome Jing Beicheng? Otherwise, you wouldn't have targeted a three-year-old girl back then..."
"You insolent brat!"
Wang Boqi's voice was tinged with mockery. Wang He's gaze turned sharp as a knife, seemingly enraged by his son's words. He threw the folder in his hand at Wang Boqi.
Wang Boqi didn't dodge, taking the hit head-on. The folder left a bloody mark on his forehead, indicating the force with which Wang He had thrown it.
Wang He's sinister gaze was particularly frightening. The atmosphere was tense, as if even the air had become heavy.
Back then, his methods weren't particularly sophisticated. Seeing Hengjing of the Jing family gradually taking the lead in North river, Wang He couldn't accept it and had an idea.
That day, three-year-old Jing Zejun was out with Old Mrs. Jing, giving Wang He, who had been monitoring the Jing family, an opportunity.
Old Mrs. Jing was very cautious. Even when she went to the restroom, she took her granddaughter with her.
But Wang He's men had infiltrated and quickly drugged and took away the three-year-old Jing Zejun.
However, Jing Zejun was truly a lucky person. Wang He had originally planned to have her taken away and settled first, then use her to threaten Jing Beicheng, but she was intercepted halfway.
As a result, Jing Zejun ended up in an orphanage.
"When did you find out?" Wang He tried to calm himself down, but his eyes still revealed a hint of anger. This was his son challenging his authority.
"When I was little, I overheard you on the phone in the study."
Wang He had thought only he knew about this incident, but he never imagined that nine-year-old Wang Boqi had overheard his phone call and remembered the whole thing.
And now he was using it to mock him!
Wang Boqi stood with his head bowed, appearing respectful, but the mockery in his eyes hadn't faded.
He knew his father had always disapproved of his methods involving women, but in Wang Boqi's view, it was his weapon, a lethal weapon.
Once Jing Yi turned to his side, the Jing family would be in a precarious position.
Moreover, using a three-year-old girl as leverage? His father's methods weren't exactly righteous either.
They truly were father and son, not much different from each other.
"I don't care what methods you use. If I don't see results soon, I'll have to reconsider whether your current position in the company is appropriate."
Wang He looked up at Wang Boqi, his gaze full of impatience, wanting to end the conversation with his son as soon as possible.
"Yes," Wang Boqi said softly, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly in an almost imperceptible sneer.
