7-10

-7-

Nie Jia walked in with Huo Qing. At some distance, he saw an easel kept under the tree beside the lake. A little boy was sitting behind the easel. Huo Yun, with her long hair and slender waist, sat on a wicker chair, with black tea by her side. On her leg was a novel that had been half read by her husband. There was a trace of melancholy in her eyebrows, but she had no expression on her face, as if she were a noble princess trapped with everything in the gem tower, filled with unknown sadness.

"Mom, Uncle is back, and he also brought back a guest." Ye Xiao June who was busy painting the canvas, glanced up.

Huo Yun raised her eyes and clenched her fingers tightly. She naturally recognized Yan Su, the brain surgery expert who was quite famous abroad. It was just that Huo Yun had invited experts who were far more famous than Yan Su, only to feel helpless about her husband's condition. In these years, she really hadn't considered this young doctor.

The Huo family's villa was very large, but there were not many people. Apart from the housekeepers and medical staff; the Huo brother and sister, Ye Xiaojue and Ye Shuming, who has been sleeping for many years, lived here quietly. Except for them, there were no others in the villa.

Nie Jia simply greeted Huo Yun and then was accompanied by the medical staff to check on Ye Shuming's situation. Huo Qing wanted to follow him in, but was dragged back by Huo Yun.

"Brother…" Huo Yun clutched Huo Qing's hand nervously.

"Relax, he is sure." Huo Qing said to his sister.

Huo Yun suddenly clenched her hand without saying a word, even breathing carefully.

He shouldn't have said this to Huo Yun before Ye Shuming opened his eyes. After all, Huo Yun had hoped too many times only for it to be smashed, in the past four years. But, Huo Qing believed this still young Dr. Yan from his heart, even if he couldn't tell why. He felt that there were some images of Dr. Yan hidden in his memory, but he couldn't remember.

Nie Jia looked at Ye Shuming's situation in the room, and asked the medical staff some questions, then fell silent. No further action was taken, but he leaned back lazily on the back of the chair and looked at an oil painting on the wall.

The painting was a ghost orchid with a crooked posture. Although the composition was beautiful, it did not match the jade frame it was inlaid with, just like a handful of dirt in a jewel box.

And this ghost orchid was the one painted by Meng Qian, which Jiang Yang bought for 3 million and gifted to Huo Yun.

Huo Yun was a painter and had a great reputation, which was comparable to Ye Shuming's position in the literary circle. Such a painting was like graffiti by kindergarten children in front of a real painter like her. But, Huo Yun had kept it like a precious and important painting. It was framed and placed in her husband's room.

"Doctor Yan likes this picture?" Huo Qing pushed the door open and saw Nie Jia looking at the oil painting on the wall.

Nie Jia's fingertips rubbed against his lower lip, and his soft lips brightened in a moment. Huo Qing's eyes dilated, and there was an ache in his heart. He wanted to rub the doctor's slender fingertips, wanted to touch his soft hair, and even wanted to kiss his colorful thin lips. Huo Qing's throat moved slightly, and it took a lot of effort to suppress his inexplicable urge against the doctor.

"Is there anything in this painting that I would like?" Nie Jia, unaware of Huo Qing's heated gaze, kept looking at the painting.

Huo Qing smiled, "It's really not a good painting. It's just that Shuming's favorite ghost orchid was painted. Xiao Yun was very happy and hung it."

"It turned out to be like this…" Nie Jia murmured.

Ye Shuming and Huo Yun's marriage was not publicized, no one knew that Ye Shuming was Huo Qing's brother-in-law, no one knew that he became vegetative, and no one knew that he liked ghost orchids. It just happened that Meng Qian drew a ghost orchid, and it happened to be bought by Jiang Yang and given to Huo Yun, who happened to be pleased with it because it was Ye Shuming's favorite. All this was just a coincidence, or Jiang Yang's and Meng Qian's protagonists' halo.

"Dr. Yan, how is my husband's situation?" Huo Yun came in, her eyes uneasy.

Nie Jia was still sitting idly on the chair, and said lightly: "The patient is in good health and can undergo surgery at any time."

Huo Yum slightly pursed her lips tightly. "Dr. Yan, I meant, what's the success rate of the operation?" She was still a little bit hopeful for the young doctor in front of her.

Nie Jia gave her a bright smile: "100%."

Last night, Nie Jia had contacted the First Hospital to arrange the operation. Although Huo Yun did not trust him, Huo Qing was there, and soon arranged for Ye Shuming to be admitted to the hospital. In fact, it was not necessary to go through the procedure of surgery, but this was just an ordinary world. Nie Jia needed a relatively believable cover-up.

Huo Qing accompanied Huo Yun to wait outside the operating room. Huo Yun felt a cold sweat on her forehead.

The operation took 16 hours, and it was already early in the morning when the operation ended. Nie Jia did not expect that because the world had so few adjustable abilities, it took 16 hours and over taxation of his abilities to fully repair Ye Shuming's brain trauma and his four-year muscular injury (developed due to lying in bed for 4 years). The process of power overdraft was extremely painful for Nie Jia, not to mention that Yan Su's body couldn't carry so much energy that wasn't in the body. The end of the operation also meant that Nie Jia had survived a torture.

"Dr. Yan!" As soon as the door of the operating room opened, Huo Yun stood up nervously.

Nie Jia looked pale and gasped weakly, leaning against the wall with one hand. "He will wake up in the near future without accident, just take him to the ward for a good rest."

Huo Qing's heart was swallowed into his stomach as soon as he finished speaking, but Nie Jia's hand slipped and he fell on the ground. Huo Qing quickly grabbed his waist and said in a deep voice: "I will send you back to rest."

Nie Jia hung on to Huo Qing, half dead, and he didn't want to be brave, so he nodded. He had never hugged Huo Qing before and now, he hugged him directly, regardless of the hospital's regulations.

Huo Qing left without saying a word. Hu>o Yun looked at her elder brother's back with strange eyes, not knowing what he was thinking. Soon Ye Shuming was pushed out, and she didn't have time to think of other people and quickly followed into the intensive care unit.

Nie Jia clutched Huo Qing's back weakly. He was a little bit resistant to being so intimate with a person, but he couldn't even resist Huo Qing with his full strength, let alone the fact that Nie Jia didn't have even a little bit of strength left right now. He secretly raised his head and looked at Huo Qing's face from the side. After a while, he quietly released his hand and leaned exhaustedly on Huo Qing's shoulder and fell asleep.

Huo Qing did not send this person back to the Jiang house, but ordered his assistant to drive back to the lakeside villa and brought him into his room. He undressed the youth and gently wiped the sweat on his neck. He seemed exhausted. He didn't have the slightest sign of waking up when he was brought along by him. At this time, he fell asleep deeper and his head dipped on the pillow. Lying in bed and curling himself up just like when they first met at the Jiang house.

He seemed very insecure.

Huo Qing quietly stood by the bed. The young man's sleepy face made him look like a lonely child. After watching for a long time, Huo Qing frowned slightly. He felt very bad.

Early in the morning, the next day, the young man in bed did not wake up and was still asleep. He had just turned over not long ago, otherwise Huo Qing almost doubted whether he had fainted.

"Boss, Miss's call." The assistant came in with a mobile phone and lowered his voice as much as possible while talking to Huo Qing. Since the boss came back from the hospital, Dr. Yan had been sleeping all day, and the boss had been staying by the bed. He did not even eat or drink. Huo Qing reached for the phone without saying a word, and heard Huo Yun's excited voice crying, "Brother… Shuming's finger moved just now! It was not my illusion, Shuming's finger really moved!"

"Didn't Su Su say that he will wake up in the near future? Take good care of him and pay attention to yourself too." Huo Qing whispered.

Su Su? The assistant stood behind him and looked at the sleeping doctor on the bed, his eyes surprised. Not only was Dr. Yan's title suddenly so intimate, even when he heard that Mr. Ye was about to wake up, the boss' response was too calm.

Huo Qing hung up the phone after saying a few words to Huo Yun, and then threw the phone to his assistant, saying indifferently: "Don't bother me again."

The assistant nodded and turned around immediately.

Nie Jia slept for more than sixty hours. He laid in bed for more than two days. Although some dizziness rose, his body had enough rest. He opened his eyes and looked at the bright surroundings. There were no curtains in this strange bedroom. The golden afterglow from outside the window fell on his eyes, reflecting Nie Jia's extremely shallow pupils which looked like transparent gemstones.

It was quiet all around. It was already dusk. The light in the room was unclear. Most people who woke up to such a sunset would always develop some loneliness and feel abandoned by the world. Nie Jia instead enjoyed the feeling of loneliness.

He straightened up in bed and comfortably stretched lazily like a cat. Halfway through, a low voice suddenly sounded beside him: "Woke up?"

Nie Jia thought he was alone and was taken aback. He pulled his hands back and covered up his waist, and turned his head with a frightened expression. He saw Huo Qing sitting beside him, in the dim light, looking at him thoughtfully.

"You slept for a long time." Huo Qing said.

Nie Jia's tense nerves relaxed. He apparently fell asleep for nearly three days, but he still seemed to be in a state of mental distress. He said, "Is Ye Shuming awake?"

"Not yet." Huo Qing's eyes remained unchanged, and he kept looking at Nie Jia.

Nie Jia didn't notice it. Hearing that Ye Shuming hadn't awakened, he was a little disappointed. He hadn't awakened. Of course, he couldn't open his mouth and shamelessly ask Huo Qing for the shares. He could only wait. Qin Yiran hadn't won the reclamation project and was anxious to collect funds. Thinking of this, Nie Jia remembered he broke his phone when he was in Yunnan. Qin Yiran couldn't even contact him now.

"Mr. Huo, can I borrow your phone?" Nie Jia asked.

Huo Qing didn't move, only called the assistant to come in and gave Nie Jia his mobile phone.

Nie Jia logged into his mailbox and found that there was indeed no mail from Qin Yiran. He was about to log out and return the phone, but suddenly felt shrouded in a shadow, and then was overthrown by an irresistible force.

"Dr. Yan, where have I seen you before?" Huo Qing held Nie Jia's slender wrist and pressed the man directly onto the bed. His gaze pierced Nie Jia's eyes like a knife with a burning temperature. He changed his previous gentlemanly and courteous behaviour and aggressively & directly interrogated the person under his arms, looking just like a hungry lion.

"No. We haven't met before. Please let me go." Nie Jia struggled a bit, but Huo Qing's hands were as hard to shake as a steel casting. He couldn't help but lean his head away from Huo Qing's eyes.

Huo Qing didn't hear him, only saw his little guilty gesture, and couldn't help sneer. "Really? But when you first appeared, it gave me a very strange feeling. I feel that I have seen you somewhere." Especially when you are sleeping.

"Maybe it was a previous life." Nie Jia teased. He was not wrong in saying that. Didn't he meet Shi in their previous life? Nie Jia remembered that Huo Qing was looking strangely at him this time, and he felt even more panicked. He quickly said: "Mr. Huo, I used a scalpel for sixteen hours and my wrist hurts. Could you please let go? "

Huo Qing frowned and immediately let go. "Sorry, I didn't mean it."

Nie Jia propped up his body and sat up halfway, rubbing. the wrist hurt by Huo Qing. He lowered his head to reveal a clean and white neck.

Huo Qing wondered if Yan Su didn't want to see him or was just avoiding looking at his eyes.

This weird feeling was even worse. Huo Qing was upset and a little uneasy.

"You slept for a long time, are you hungry? The kitchen staff has already prepared meals for you." Huo Qing said softly.

Nie Jia lowered his head and did not speak. Huo Qing got up and said, "I will wait for you. Come down after washing."

When Huo Qing went out, Nie Jia was completely relieved and fell back in a daze on the bed, feeling hungry after a while. Nie Jia was going to wash. When he lifted the quilt, he found that he was wearing a men's shirt that was obviously bigger than his size.

"Who changed my clothes?" Nie Jia frowned.

The system raised its hands to answer: [It was the Director! Reporting: The director secretly touched your face while changing your clothes. He touched it several times!]

Nie Jia retracted his foot back to the bed. He was silent for a long time, and the system asked: [Mr. Nie, are you not happy?]

"What do I have to be happy about?" Nie Jia said restlessly.

The system said: [You like the Director, and the Director is pleased with you. Isn't it a happy thing?]

Nie Jia gritted his teeth and said angrily: "How do you know if I like him? You peeped at me!"

The system was taken aback, and quickly explained: [I didn't mean it. I just accidentally discovered your subconscious during the routine testing while you were in coma.]

Nie Jia lifted the quilt angrily, went into the bathroom with a gloomy look. He turned the water on to take a shower and ignored KK.

The system shook his head and didn't quite understand Nie Jia's current state of mind. He asked cautiously: [Mr. Nie, I assure you that I will not disclose your feelings to the director. But, you actually know that the director likes you?]

Nie Jia didn't speak anymore, he always knew about his feelings for Shi Chen.

He and Shi Chen met each other when they were young, when Nie Jia's heart was still naive. He could feel the affection that Shi Chen had hidden in his eyes. However, it had been too long. Nie Jia clearly realized that the present his and Shi Chen's likes were different. At least in the past, Nie Jia could never hold a person's hand and ignore it.

Shi Chen was now involved in this world as Huo Qing, and had no memory, but when the data would be integrated with his consciousness, after this world was over, he would clearly find that he had not been the one who moved Nie Jia.

The scene must be hard to see, Nie Jia thought secretly.

After taking a bath, Nie Jia felt free of worries. It was already dark outside, but the lights were not turned on. Nie Jia stood on the floating stairs and saw Huo Qing standing by the window with his back to him. A little red dot was seen. He was smoking, and looking at his silent back, he seemed lonely.

Nie Jia was stunned, and finally, he did not call Huo Qing, so he went to the kitchen.

Three days later, Ye Shuming was awake and Huo Yun did a full-body examination for Ye Shuming in the First hospital. Finding that he had no problems, she took him directly to the lakeside villa. The case of Ye Shuming's recovery shocked the doctors and professors of the First Hospital but this person was the son-in-law of the Huo family. No news would be disclosed, so even if it was the most precious and surprising case, the hospital did not dare take it for seminars or presentations without explicit permission.

Although Ye Shuming was awake, he had laid down for four years after all. The muscle degeneration caused during this time required a period of rehabilitation to recover. At this time, it was difficult for him to stand up. Huo Yun simply pushed him back with a wheelchair.

The sun shone brightly on the day they returned. Huo Yun got out of the car with crying eyes and held Ye Shuming. She hadn't informed Huo Qing in advance, and had hurried back to give him a surprise. When she pushed Ye Shuming into the hall, Huo Qing was talking quietly with Dr. Yan, and there were two policemen standing beside him.

-8-

"Brother!" Huo Yun frowned and stepped forward.

"Brother-in-law." Ye Shuming looked very spirited even in a wheelchair and greeted them with a smile.

"Just woke up." Huo Qing smiled slowly and introduced, "This is Dr. Yan, the man who performed your surgery."

Ye Shuming showed a look of surprise, looking both grateful and shocked, at Nie Jia who lazily looked up at him."It turns out that you are Dr. Yan! I didn't expect you to be so young. Thank you very much, Dr. Yan. If you need any help, please speak."

"Yes, Dr. Yan. I'm sorry that I doubted you before. If my brother had not insisted, I might have let Shuming miss this great opportunity because I couldn't believe in your ability." Huo Yun admitted frankly that she was ashamed. And then she noticed the embarrassed faces of the two policemen next to her, and said deliberately: "Dr. Yan, you are our life-saving benefactor. If someone embarrasses you, I am very willing to help you out."

The two policemen who stood beside them, stiffened and after hearing these words, they immediately started sweating. Before they came, they had no idea who lived here.

Nie Jia just smiled and said lightly: "Don't thank me. Mr. Huo's remuneration is not low and we already decided on the shares."

Huo Qing tilted his head slightly and said to Huo Yun: "Xiao Jue is still taking a nap in the room, so he doesn't know yet."

Huo Yun nodded and pushed Ye Shuming back to the room to see their son. The small family had just reunited, and they didn't expect Huo Yun to come out again. She sat by Huo Qing's side and said with aggression, "You are the criminal police from Nagano Police Station? What's the matter?"

The older policeman was the sergeant of the Nagano Interpol Force. He was about to speak, but Huo Qing was one step ahead.

Huo Qingdao: "Yan Yu is dead."

Nie Jia's eyes were like an ancient well, without any ripples.

"Oh, the drug addict who rushed into the Jiang family to make trouble and was almost picked apart by Dr. Yan?" Huo Yun sneered. She knew the ins and outs of the incident. It was not through Huo Qing, but the entire Yue City was talking about it. It wasn't hard to know.

Yan Su had a rogue father like Yan Yu which was certainly not good for his fame. But this was far less destructive than that of the Jiang family, whose engagement dinner became a laughing stock of the whole Yue City.

Jiang Yang's former wife's family assests stabilized his business. As soon as the former wife's family started declining, he immediately divorced his wife. Also, he had long been having an affair. Not to mention the circle of elites, now even the hawkers in the vegetable market and the aunts who danced in the square were talking about it. If it weren't for her brother, Huo Qing's name to still be associated with the Jiang family, who knows how low the Jiang family's stock would have fallen.

"Dr. Yan did have a conflict with the deceased during his lifetime. So, you are suspecting that Dr. Yan is the culprit?" Huo Yun said disapprovingly to the two of them.

The sheriff sweated, "We are just here to understand the situation."

"What is the time of death?" Huo Qing's arm rested on the back of the sofa, and Nie Jia was sitting beside him. At first glance, it seemed that Nie Jia was wrapped in his arms.

The sheriff immediately said, "Wee morning of the 17th."

Huo Yun's eyes dilated. "Dr. Yan performed the operation for my husband from the morning of the 16th to the 17th. The process lasted for 16 hours. The hospital has monitoring available which can confirm my words. The two of you can guess, after 16 hours of surgery, would Dr. Yan still have the strength to kill?"

"Xiao Yun." Huo Qing interrupted Huo Yun, signalling her with his eyes and then Huo Yun calmed down. Huo Qing looked at the policemen, his expression unchanged. "The operation ended at two in the morning, of the seventeenth. And then Dr. Yan was brought back here, by me. We haven't left home for a few days. There is a camera by the lake. If you want, you two can watch the monitoring."

The sheriff was already very nervous. He heard Huo Qing's words and then said, "No need, Mr. Huo. The time of death of the deceased is precisely at 0:40 on the 17th. Dr. Yan only finished the operation at two in the morning. It is a perfect alibi. Now, we will just go back."

Huo Qing nodded slightly and asked the housekeeper to send the two out.

Nie Jia looked somber and stood up. He walked upstairs without looking back. "I'll go back to the room first."

Huo Yun was surprised watching Nie Jia enter her brother's room and immediately whispered to Huo Qing, "Brother, Dr. Yan is sleeping in your room? Where have you been sleeping these days?"

"Room." Huo Qing pushed Huo Yun's head away.

Huo Yun was stunned, and then she kept on asking: "Yan Yu was killed by the loan sharks?"

"Loan sharks don't kill people." Huo Qing took over the folder handed over by his assistant, reading it slowly and carefully.

"Yan Yu took drugs and gambled during his lifetime, and owed millions of gambling debts. It's no surprise that such people are killed. Why should they suspect Dr. Yan?" Huo Yun was very grateful to Yan Su, but she didn't even know how to repay him. It was very difficult for her to allow others to make trouble for her savior.

"Yan Yu has taken a lot of money from Su Su in the past two years. His creditors would not be willing to kill a cash cow like him." Huo Qing said coldly. "Can't you see who moved his hands?"

"You mean Jiang Yang?" Huo Yun thought a lot in her mind. The whole Yue City knew about Jiang Yang and Dr. Yan's entanglement. Jiang Yang couldn't afford it. "But Jiang Yang is just a businessman, how would he dare to? If he goes out of line, he will be finished…"

In terms of status in Yue City, if Jiang Yang wanted to kill Yan Yu, a gutter rat, he could do it without letting others know. But, if he wanted to splash dirty water on Yan Su, he would have to think twice. Otherwise, it would easily involve himself, just as Huo Yun said. After all, Dr. Yan was not a person anyone could so easily touch. Jiang Yang was now the heir of the Jiang family. Would he be willing to take such a big risk?

"He didn't dare. And he wouldn't be willing to kill himself with his own knife. It's not your business, don't blindly barge in." Huo Qing read and put the folders together, and got up.

"How am I blindly barging in? Dr. Yan rescued Shuming. Of course, we have to thank him. How can we let others slander Dr. Yan under our own eyes?" Huo Yun dragged him back in disbelief and arbitrarily grabbed the folders. Looking through the documents in Huo Qing's hand, she said unhappily, "Dr. Yan said the compensation is Jiang's shares. Just such a small amount, not even making him a high-rank shareholder? Brother, you are too stingy!"

"I want to give him something else, but Dr. Yan doesn't want it." Huo Qing grew up accustomed to Huo Yun's behaviour. Except for her son and husband, he hadn't seen her protecting others like this. Seeing her protecting Yan Su like this, Huo Qing felt a little happy.

Huo Yun paused, suddenly realizing: "Dr. Yan seems to have been dealing with Jiang Yang all this time…."

Huo Qing took the file back and gently slammed Huo Yun's head with it, warning her again, "It's got nothing to do with you."

He just took the file and went upstairs.

Huo Yun held her head for a while and then returned to her room. Ye Shuming was chatting with Ye Xiaojue. His son had grown so much after four years of his sleep that he felt very overwhelmed. Ye Xiaojue was so excited that he was showing his dad the artworks he had won prizes for in the past two years. He had perfectly inherited Huo Yun's talent and was carefully taught by famous teachers. At an early age, he had won numerous awards. Ye Shuming was very proud.

"Dear, who sent the painting?" Ye Shuming hugged Ye Xiaojue in his lap, looking up at the blue ghost orchids on the wall.

It was hung so preciously on the wall that Ye Shuming thought it was Ye Xiaojue's award-winning work. But his son said that it was sent by an uncle.

"Jiang Yang sent it." Huo Yun went up to the bed and smiled. "You don't like it? I just took it for the sake of the ghost orchids. Speaking of it, it was my brother who spent the money. Hundreds of millions, in fact."

Ye Shuming guessed at the hidden meaning behind the words. He played with his fingertips pitifully, and said with a helpless smile, "I wondered why Brother Qing suddenly injected capital in the government project of Yue City. It turned out to be the case."

"If you don't like it, let's just take it down." Huo Yun called the housekeeper to come in and take down the painting. She didn't like the messed-up painting, and it was hung only because she thought deeply about Ye Shuming. Shuming was awake now, and she wanted nothing more to do with this painting, not to mention that she didn't have any good feelings about the Jiang family. Ye Shuming didn't stop her. Huo Yun suddenly said coldly to the butler, "When are you going to send it back?"

—–

It was Meng Qian's birthday. Jiang Yang had planned his schedule even before his engagement, to accompany Meng Qian on his birthday. However, because of the storm at the engagement banquet, the names of the two people were blackened. Jiang Yang was busy dealing with the board of directors. Without doubt, there wouldn't be any time to accompany Meng Qian on this day.

Meng Qian called several students who he had a good relationship with in the Academy of Fine Arts, to gather in the Jiang house. Although there had been rumors about Meng Qian outside recently, these students still envied Meng Qian. Not only did he sign a contract with the Blackpool Gallery just after graduation, his works were often sold at the auction price of hundreds of thousands, and he was now engaged to Jiang Yang, the richest man in Yue City. Even when he was studying, he was troubled by this rich second generation man. Even if they took advantage of their acquaintance with Meng Qian, who wouldn't envy him?

"Meng Qian, I booked a show for tonight. Let's go out and call a few classmates on your birthday?" Li Yue, the heir of the Li group, asked to bring Jiang Yang with him for some reason.

After the meal, a few people sat in the garden drinking tea and chatting. Meng Qian had been unhappy these days. He naturally wouldn't give face to Li Yue, his school rival, but he didn't have a huge reaction either. He just held the black tea in his hands and said lukewarmly, "No interest."

"Yeah, you want to celebrate happily but Meng Qian will go to the hospital at night."

"You almost put your finger in Meng Qian's business in the university to compete for the first place. Who would forget that?"

Several classmates talked about Li Yue with a lot of taunting words. Li Yue was embarrassed, and felt a kind of anger that stabbed at his heart. He stood up and glared at Meng Qian. "Meng Qian, don't you know? It's my dad who made me come over because we were classmates. Do you think I'd want to see you? Who was the one who played the game? Where did your game quota come from? You yourself know it better!"

Meng Qian put down the tea cup and said with a smile: "Li Yue, there is a saying that 'good feng shui rotates every 20 years'. You talk to people with this attitude, go back and ask your father if it is suitable."

"Our Li family will not ask for your help even if it goes bankrupt!" Li Yue gritted his teeth resentfully, he hated Meng Qian incomparably.

He had dreamt of becoming a painter, but Meng Qian was injured and almost unable to hold the paintbrush. He accused that he was hurt by someone, and Li Yue had lost the only quota. Finally the quota fell in Meng Qian's hands. However, he was humiliated by the whole school because of his sensitive status of "rich second generation" and eventually his father forced him to drop out of school and to follow the family business.

He knew that all this was a good show directed and played by Meng Qian. After so many years, Li Yue still had grudges over it.

"Of course it is good." Meng Qian said with a smile."I mean, your bankruptcy."

Li Yue was so short of breath that he grabbed his coat and was about to leave. When he got up, he almost collided with Jiang residence's nanny.

The nanny led a stranger towards them and said to Meng Qian, "This is Housekeeper Xue from the Huo house. He came for you."

"Mr. Meng, this is what Ms. Huo Yun ordered me to send you." Butler Xue placed a wide flat box wrapped in special wrapping paper on the table in front of Meng Qian.

"Miss Huo Yun gave it?" Meng Qian felt surprised. "Really?"

Butler Xue smiled decently and said, "Yes, the young lady told me to hand it over to you and watch you accept it."

Li Yue stopped in disbelief. Of course he knew who Huo Yun was. That was his former muse. Despite her artistic accomplishments, she was also an unattainable princess. How could Meng Qian be favored by Huo Yun? Even preparing birthday gifts in person?

Seeing Li Yue freeze, a classmate said immediately, "Miss Huo liked your painting so much. Seeing the shape of this gift, did she return her own painting? Meng Qian, open it and show us quickly! Miss Huo Yun hasn't painted since four years. God, how expensive is this painting!?"

Meng Qian's cheeks were flushed with excitement, but he never expected Huo Yun to favor him so much. At that time, Huo Yun's acceptance of his painting had made him excited for a few days and he did not even sleep well. He must tell Jiang Yang this good news!

But when Meng Qian opened the package, his face paled.

In the box was the ghost orchid bought by Jiang Yang and given to Huo Yun two years ago. This painting made him famous and gave him everything he had and made Jiang Yang whatever he was now. But now, seeing it, Meng Qian felt that the blood in his body had cooled down in an instant, like being stripped and thrown into the ice and snow.

Several classmates looked at each other in embarrassment, Meng Qian hurriedly put the picture in the box and threw it to the nanny.

Li Yue raised his eyebrows and asked Butler Xue, "This is the birthday gift Ms. Huo Yun gave to Meng Qian?"

Butler Xue said with a smile: "This is certainly not a birthday gift. The lady said she didn't like this bad work so she gave it back to Mr. Meng. Now that Mr. Meng has received it, I will say goodbye."

"You should go back carefully." Meng Qian blushed, stood up and grinned reluctantly, watching with a smile as the butler walked away.

Li Yue laughed abominably and threw his coat over his shoulder. Every syllable he uttered fell on Meng Qian's face like a slap.

Several classmates were embarrassed and felt overwhelmed.

"Send him off!" Meng Qian gripped his fingers together, staring at Li Yue's tears and said angrily to the nanny.

Li Yue waved his hand politely and wiped away the tears in the corner of his eyes, saying, "No no, don't send me off, I'll go by myself. Meng Qian, you can remember the words that 'good feng shui rotates every twenty years'. You don't have to ask me to meet in the future." He couldn't help but taunt. He pressed his fist against his lips and walked away with a laugh.

Meng Qian's face turned red and he almost exploded. He felt angry and fell back on the chair. He didn't know what it meant for Huo Yun to send back his painting, and he didn't dare to guess. He dare not tell Jiang Yang. It was because of this painting that Mr. Huo would provide funds to Jiang Yang. If Mr. Huo withdrew the funds because of this painting, Meng Qian would not even dare to think about the consequences.

-9-

Of course, even if Meng Qian was so tight-lipped about this matter, Li Yue released the whole story in the afternoon. Mr. Huo's baby sister had put the Jiang family at the forefront for two years because of the famous ghost orchid. Now it was returned to Meng Qian intact and unscathed. The news media in Yue City was bombarding this news. It was difficult for Jiang Yang to not know it.

No one knew what Huo Yun's move meant. Jiang Yang couldn't even call and ask Huo Yun anymore. Meng Qian was uneasy, angry and hoped to tear Li Yue!

In fact, Huo Yun knew what effect this move would bring. She intentionally did it as she just wanted to help Doctor Yan.

Huo Qing didn't care about her. At night, he stood outside his room and knocked. He murmured: "Yan Su, it's time for dinner."

After the two policemen left, Dr. Yan did not leave the room all afternoon. Huo Qing did not bother him, but he would never let him starve his fragile stomach again.

He knocked for a while and no one answered. He pushed the door straight in. Fortunately, the door was unlocked, but the light was not turned on.

Huo Qing stood at the door and glanced past but did not find the figure of the youth. The bed was not creased and there was no sound of water in the bathroom. Huo Qing walked to the balcony and stepped on the floor covered with a cashmere blanket without making any slight footsteps. He saw the figure bathed in moonlight.

The young man was squatting barefoot on the chair, his knees folded to his chest. His fingers striking the keyboard, he sat with a concentrated face, his expression cold and indifferent as if giving orders. The blue light from the computer reflected on his lens. Huo Qing could clearly see who he was communicating with through his lens. His expression was so serious that it looked that he had always maintained a high degree of vigilance, just like a wild cat. At this time, Huo Qing had already walked in front of him but Yan Su had not noticed.

Huo Qing stood quietly and observed Nie Jia unscrupulously. The longer he observed, the more uncomfortable Huo Qing felt, and the strange feeling became even worse. He wanted to squeeze the young man's chin, to force him to look at him, questioning 'why', but he was afraid to scare him again.

"Su Su, it's time to eat." Huo Qing finally refrained from doing anything, and didn't even take another step forward, just stood still and reminded him softly.

Nie Jia recovered. Huo Qing turned on the balcony light when he looked up. Nie Jia narrowed his eyes slightly, and immediately lowered his head before seeing what Huo Qing looked like. He tapped twice on the keyboard, slowing down, and replied, "Got it, coming immediately."

Having said that, he still squatted like before.

Huo Qing frowned unpleasantly, and was very uncomfortable with the youth avoiding looking directly at him. He stepped forward and directly closed Nie Jia's laptop, pulling him up.

Nie Jia held his hand and tried to hurry, saying: "Don't! My legs are numb."

"Were you squatting all afternoon?" Huo Qing frowned, holding Nie Jia's hands patiently and tenderly, pulling him up slowly.

Nie Jia slowly stood up from the chair, his eyebrows were twisted uncomfortably. Huo Qing said nothing, just hugged him up and walked indoors, like he had done in the hospital. He put Nie Jia on the bed and gently rubbed his achille's heel while holding his ankle, quickly eliminating Nie Jia's numbness.

"You should change your habit. At least stand up and do a few exercises." Huo Qing said like a worried dad.

Nie Jia looked at his profile and whimpered softly.

'He is like a mule whirling around the millstone, only walking two more steps due to the whip', Huo Qing thought lightly.

On the other side, Qin Yiran was wondering why Yan Su had suddenly disconnected. When there was a knock on the door, she put down the laptop and immediately opened the door. "Uncle, you are back."

Gu Xueying walked in frustrated, "I don't know why the police are taking this case so seriously. No news can be heard."

Qin Yiran poured him a glass of water and smiled, "Uncle, Yan Su is fine, no need to inquire. I just finished chatting with him. Yan Su asked me to get ready to go to work in Qin's Building next month."

"It's called Jiang's Mansion now." Gu Xueying laughed mockingly before reacting, and then looked at Qin Yiran with surprise. "What? Tell you where to go to work?"

When Qin Yiran's father passed away, Jiang Yang took advantage of Qin Yiran's inheritance rights and took the opportunity to devour most of Qin's assets, even holding more than 45% of the shares, becoming Qin's largest shareholder. Qin's Mansion, the most iconic landmark in Yuecheng, was also received by Jiang Yang. After the divorce, Qin's was directly changed to Jiang's, and it was announced to the whole city as if it was a glorious thing that he had annexed his ex-wife's business.

After Jiang Yang got Huo Qing's capital and won the government project, he couldn't worry anymore about the Qin's, who were now a small family. The market assets that had belonged to Qin's were all given to Jiang Yang's assistants and Jiang He to take care of.

"Uncle, I will definitely take back all that belonged to the Qin Clan, and let Jiang Yang realise that for him, dying is better than living!" Qin Yiran's eyes showed a raging hatred.

——

Half an hour after the meal, Huo Qing took the stock transfer documents prepared during the day and went upstairs to find Nie Jia.

Nie Jia had run to the balcony and squatted on the chair again, wearing a thin shirt which was blowing with the cold wind. The laptop wasn't turned on. He just stared at the moon with his hands around his ankles, in a daze.

"Did Yan Yu's death make you sad?" Huo Qing stepped forward and put his coat on Nie Jia's shoulders, looking at the young man's 'soulless look'.

Nie Jia was stunned for a moment, and his subconsciousness showed a trace of disdain, but he immediately realized that his depressed mood made Huo Qing misunderstand. He put his feet down and straightened his seating posture, gently waving his hand. "Not because of him."

"Is it because of me?" Huo Qing grinned and sat down next to Nie Jia. He pushed the document on the coffee table.

Nie Jia didn't say anything, just picked up the file and browsed through it. He blocked his sight with the file, and then heard Huo Qing get up and leave. Nie Jia was relieved, but there was a feeling of loss too. He still didn't know how to face Shi Chen's feelings.

"If it were not for me, I think you would have denied it for a long time." Huo Qing's voice came back. Nie Jia put down the document and saw him sitting opposite him again with red wine and wine glasses. Huo Qing poured him a small glass of red wine.

"Mr. Huo, I am only here for this reward, you know?" Nie Jia shook his wine glass gently. He opened the agreement, and was suddenly shocked by a string of numbers. The transfer agreement prepared by Huo Qing covered 38% of Jiang's shares, but according to his knowledge, Huo Qing should only have 20%.

"I bought a part of the scattered shares for you, plus the shares in your mother's hands, and 10% of what Jiang Yang promised you to pay for the treatment of Meng Qian's grandfather. You can become the controlling shareholder of the Jiang's." Huo Qing explained when he saw him stunned.

Nie Jia suddenly didn't know what to say, "How do you know my agreement with Jiang Yang?"

"Meng Qian's grandfather's situation was terrible. You should be more aware of the consequences of this operation than a layman, but you still accepted it." Huo Qing said lightly. "This is just labor cost, please don't worry."

Nie Jia was silent for a while, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Huo, but I do not intend to be Jiang's controlling shareholder. My mother's shares will be sold, including the remuneration I received from you." He intended to sell it. He pushed the document back, and his eyes were a little sly. "If these are from Mr. Huo, they will be sold at a better price than from me, right?"

"If you want to support Qin's, you really need a lot of money, and I am very willing to serve." Huo Qing did investigate Yan Su's past and Nie Jia's motives.

Huo Qing's eyes, which looked directly at Nie Jia, for the first time, did not stray for long. Nie Jia said lightly, "I have an operation tomorrow morning. I want to rest early."

Huo Qing reluctantly said, "Want me gone again?"

Nie Jia froze for a moment, then scratching his forehead, he said, "Sorry, I forgot that this is your room."

"You know I don't mean that." Huo Qing smiled faintly, and clinked his glass against Nie Jia's wine glass. With his glass bottomed up, he drank the wine before leaving.

Nie Jia let out a sigh of relief. After Huo Qing left, he didn't go to rest immediately, but instead curled up on the chair again, drinking silently in the moonlight.

Huo Qing personally drove Nie Jia to the hospital the next day. On the way, he asked: "Yan Yu's case has not yet been closed by the police. If you want to investigate, I have the manpower to help you."

Nie Jia closed his eyes in the co-pilot's seat and said, "No, I know who did it. Someone is helping him, even if the police can't check it."

Huo Qing raised his eyebrows slightly and didn't ask much. He looked at Nie Jia with a gentle smile on his lips.

Yan Yu's death was an unexpected event for Nie Jia. He did not expect Meng Qian to be so capable that he could even murder someone. The early appearance of Yan Yu and his sudden death certainly disrupted some of Nie Jia's plans, but Meng Qian's reaction aroused Nie Jia's interest. He wondered what interesting reaction Meng Qian would have if he continued whipping from behind?

Would he kill Jiang Yang? That scene must be very interesting.

Huo Qing didn't know what the youth around him was thinking, but he could clearly feel that the youth's aura changed.

It was Yan Yu who helped cut down Yan Su's hand without hesitation for the Jiang family's money. Even if he didn't do anything, just closed his eyes and assumed sleep, Yan Su was a kind of dormant shura spirit. He was totally different from the person who people had avoided looking at during the Jiang family's banquet.

{T/N: Shura spirit – Asura – also known as Shura or Ashura. Warlike beings well-known for their anger, belligerence, and great strength and killing intent. Here, it means that Yan Su seems innocent enough when he is sleeping or not doing anything but he is still a Shura spirit seeing how he ruthlessly cut Yan Yu's hand. It's just that he is not always in that state, so he seems harmless but he obviously isn't.}

"I'll pick you up at noon and we can have lunch together?" Huo Qing stopped him when getting off the car.

Nie Jia hesitated for half a second, then nodded. "Okay."

Huo Qing smiled and drove away after dropping him at the hospital.

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