Worrying about his health had nothing to do with the group’s presidency, but bringing the two things together at a time like this made it sound as though Jiang Yihua was reluctant to relinquish his power.
Jiang Yihua calmly glanced at his third brother.
The venomous snake lurking in the shadows was finally unable to hold back now that the old man’s days were numbered.
“Big Brother, you…?” Jiang Yijie followed the opening, putting on a suspicious expression.
Jiang Yihua had no choice but to say, “Fine. Your family will keep watch tonight. The third branch tomorrow, and the fourth branch the day after.”
Once the arrangement was made, no one objected.
Of the four brothers, the only one who had not said a word from beginning to end and simply accepted whatever arrangements were made was Jiang Yifeng.
He was close to Old Master Jiang and could be said to be the person at the estate most familiar with his condition.
Aside from his weak legs, the old man was basically healthy in every other respect.
His private doctor had once told him in confidence that Old Master Jiang had at least another decade or so to live. That was why he had never been in a hurry. He had planned to expand his businesses outside the group first, then swallow up the group afterward.
But now, a cup of poisoned liquor had completely disrupted his plans.
He had not even begun laying out his forces within the group, and Old Master Jiang’s life was already counting down.
After they agreed on the order for keeping watch, Butler Lin also gave his approval. Everyone then left, each harboring their own thoughts.
Before leaving, Qiuyun glanced at the second branch couple, who were putting on an act of filial devotion. She could not shake the feeling that something was off.
After thinking it over, she informed the young lady before going to Butler Lin. “Steward Lin, I still want to stay in the hospital for a couple more days and keep an eye on my condition.”
She was a great contributor, and her reason was perfectly legitimate, so Steward Lin naturally agreed to her request. “It’s better to observe you for a few more days. The poison was potent—let’s make sure it hasn’t left any aftereffects.”
“Thank you, Steward Lin.”
Quietly, Qiuyun moved into the VIP room where she had slept the night before. It was some distance from Old Master Jiang’s room, but close to the elevator.
After spending the day at the hospital, Qiuyun washed up and lay down in bed. She soon fell sound asleep.
For some reason, she felt that the atmosphere between the second branch couple was strange. She could not quite put her finger on it. If she had to describe it, they were simply too eager—far more eager than usual.
At midnight, her alarm went off.
Qiuyun got up and went to the door.
There was a small glass window in the door. The hallway lights were on while the room remained dark, creating enough contrast that someone inside could easily see what was happening outside.
But those outside could not see in.
Qiuyun observed carefully and found that all the bodyguards were stationed at their posts. Other than Old Master Jiang’s several caretakers and private doctors, there was no sign of the second branch couple outside his room.
If they had merely abandoned their posts, that alone would not have explained the… strange feeling she was getting.
The VIP room had excellent soundproofing. To monitor what was happening outside in real time, Qiuyun moved the companion chair beside the door.
The second branch had always been impossible to read. Since she had already slept once, she decided to lie down in the companion chair and treat it as though she were keeping watch for Madam, as she had in the past.
Qiuyun closed her eyes and rested.
In a daze, she seemed to hear voices outside.
Her eyes snapped open. She immediately went to the small window to look out—and suddenly her eyes widened!
Good grief.
She knew the second branch played rough, but she had never expected them to go this far!
Two suited secretaries were pushing Old Master Jiang’s hospital bed toward the elevator in her direction. The second branch couple followed behind, urging them on as they hurried forward.
Qiuyun quickly took out her phone. She called Mr. Jiang while starting a video recording.
From the second branch’s perspective, Old Master Jiang was critically ill and on the verge of death. The struggle for power and succession had reached the final showdown, so there was no longer any need to pretend that the brothers were on good terms.
Quietly moving Old Master Jiang somewhere else was equivalent to taking control of a trump card—in other words, holding the emperor hostage to control the feudal lords!
At that point, whether it was appointments and assignments by the board of directors or the transfer and handover of inheritance rights, the lawyers and Steward Lin would have to go through him.
From a legal standpoint, if Old Master Jiang’s death could not be confirmed and there was no death certificate, the will could not take effect.
If he got hold of the will first, he would have countless ways to manipulate the situation. He could bribe the lawyer and have it forged. If the will was unfavorable to him and the lawyer could not be bought off, he could simply destroy it. He would still be entitled to a quarter of the estate.
It was not a sophisticated scheme, but it had the unmistakable feel of a wild flurry of punches bringing down a master.
Watching Jiang Yijie and Qian Yuqiong on camera—with their tightly pressed lips and eyes shining with excitement—Qiuyun finally understood what had felt so wrong about them.
When people are preparing to do something bad, they cannot help but become excited.
If Qiuyun played Werewolf, her sharp instincts would be called “reading people” or “spotting tells.” The excitement werewolves felt when preparing to kill someone at night was incredibly obvious to experienced players, especially right before they put on their masks!
She recorded for a short while, but Mr. Jiang still had not answered.
Qiuyun ended the recording and hung up, then made a video call to him.
Just as the group was about to reach her room, Qiuyun abruptly opened the door, giving the four people pushing the hospital bed a thorough fright.
Qian Yuqiong was stunned. “Why are you here?!”
This was the top floor of a private hospital. Everyone had to swipe a card to enter or leave. How could she have suddenly appeared here?!
Qiuyun blocked the hallway. “Where exactly are the two of you taking Old Master Jiang?”
“Move!” Secretary Yang, who was beside Jiang Yijie, stepped forward and tried to shove her aside.
Qiuyun nimbly dodged him and raised her voice. “Steward Lin! Steward Lin!”
Jiang Yijie snapped angrily, “What are you shouting for?!”
At that moment, Mr. Jiang finally woke up from the noise on the phone and answered sleepily, “Hello?”
Qiuyun immediately raised the phone and pointed it at the group around the hospital bed. “They’re trying to move Old Master Jiang somewhere else!”
On the other end, Jiang Yihua, bleary-eyed with sleep, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Before he could say anything, Secretary Yang strode forward, snatched Qiuyun’s phone, and smashed it against the floor.
“Go!”
They would have discovered everything the next day anyway. Now that matters had come to this, the faster they left, the better.
Qiuyun watched her phone—which she had bought only a few months ago—shatter against the corner of the wall. She did not even have time to retrieve it. She immediately ran in the opposite direction toward the elevator.
The others were still wearing puzzled expressions when Qiuyun had already pressed the button and dashed into the elevator.
There was only one elevator directly serving the top floor. In other words, if they wanted to move the hospital bed away, they had to use that elevator.
“Oh no!” Secretary Yang was the first to react. He hurried forward, trying to stop it.
But Qiuyun was faster. By the time he reached the elevator, he could neither hold the doors open nor press the buttons in time. The indicator was already showing a downward arrow.
“Damn it!”
Secretary Yang kicked the elevator doors and cursed loudly.
Jiang Yijie panicked as well. “What do we do now? The elevator should come back in time, shouldn’t it?”
Secretary Yang closed his eyes.
The question was not whether it would come back in time.
It was…
After reaching the first floor, Qiuyun immediately called over the nurse on duty and had her stand at the elevator entrance as a human barricade.
