Assistant Qian looked at Qiuyun with an especially benevolent expression.
To be honest, he genuinely wanted to help this little sister solve her problem!
After dinner, Mr. Jiang gradually came to after the anesthesia. The medical staff came over to notify the family.
Everyone hurried over and saw that he was in decent condition and still had enough strength to speak. Only then did they all breathe a sigh of relief.
Jiang Yihua was weak. “Cough, cough… What kind of surgery did I have?”
Since he had only just woken up and was forbidden to eat or drink, it was also inconvenient to make him think too hard. Yu Xiang simply told him that everything was normal and that the surgery had gone smoothly. She used a damp cotton swab to moisten his lips and urged him to rest without worrying.
Jiang Yihua was about to nod, but then he caught sight of Qiuyun and immediately frowned. “What exactly happened?”
Even Qiuyun had been dragged back from her leave. Something serious must have happened at home!
Seeing that she could not hide it from him, Yu Xiang chose the least alarming explanation she could think of. “The third and fourth brothers both had some accidents. Dad has already been discharged and went to deal with the matter himself.”
Even though the anesthetic had not fully worn off, Jiang Yihua immediately thought of something. “Could someone have realized that Old Master was pretending to be ill and deliberately targeted the four of us brothers to force him to show himself?”
Uh… that was possible.
Qiuyun quickly picked up the thread. “It’s not impossible.”
Yu Xiang hurriedly told him not to overthink it and to rest for now.
The doctor also said that visiting hours were over and that they should leave the patient some space.
The group filed out of the room.
Jiang Lin’an instructed them, “We still have things to deal with tonight. Let’s go get some sleep first.”
Everyone agreed, but Qiuyun said, “Tonight’s matter is unusual. Madam, Miss, and one of the young masters should preferably go home. Only one person should stay here to keep watch.”
“Why?” Jiang Chuling asked.
Qiuyun explained, “We’re making a secret transfer. If too many people remain here, won’t that completely expose us?” She looked at the two young masters. “As for who stays, the two of you can decide among yourselves.”
Jiang Linzhi glanced at his older brother, then remembered how his brother had once fallen out with the family over his girlfriend and run away from home like a lovesick fool.
He then looked at Assistant Qiu, who had been shining brilliantly all night.
For such an important matter, she would certainly have to be there in person to supervise. He volunteered immediately. “I’ll do it. I’ll stay here and keep watch.”
Jiang Lin’an refused. “I’m the eldest brother. I should be the one to go first.”
“It’s fine, Big Brother. You have class tomorrow.”
“…”
What kind of ridiculous excuse was that?
Jiang Lin’an was speechless. “Are you saying that a college student’s classes are more important than those of a high school senior?”
Jiang Linzhi shrugged. “I skip class all the time, but you hardly ever miss class, much less fail a course.”
He had no interest in getting into college. The family had already planned to simply donate money to secure him a place, and this was no secret.
Seeing this, Jiang Chuling also urged him, “Oh, come on, Big Brother. Do you really think he usually cares about this kind of thing? He’s finally showing some initiative for once. Just let him do it.”
All right.
Jiang Lin’an was persuaded.
“You stay here, then. Mom, my sister, and I will go home.”
Jiang Linzhi gave him a salute. “Don’t worry. I’m only here to supervise. I won’t get involved.”
Jiang Lin’an laughed despite himself. “You know you’re unreliable, too?”
“Self-awareness is a virtue.”
After exchanging a couple of jokes, the gloomy atmosphere eased somewhat.
Yu Xiang gathered her things and left with her son and daughter. Qiuyun followed them as well.
Jiang Linzhi: ??
“Assistant Qiu!” He called out to stop her. “This is such an important matter. Aren’t you going to personally keep an eye on it?”
Qiuyun was just as surprised. “Uh, there are three secretaries and three assistants around Mr. Jiang. They should be able to handle such a small matter… right?”
“…”
“Oh, right.” Qiuyun reminded Assistant Qian once more, “If something really happens tonight, our earlier plan was to call the police because we assumed the culprit was an outsider. But if it’s very likely that someone in the family is behind it…”
Assistant Qian nodded. “Understood. I’ll detain the person separately.”
After all, the old master most detested having family scandals spread outside the family.
Yu Xiang reminded her second son to be careful not to catch cold while sleeping at the hospital.
Jiang Lin’an replied that she had worked hard.
The cleverest of them all was Jiang Chuling. She took Sister Xiaoqiu’s hand and gave her brother a provocative smile. “I’m leaving, Bro. See you, Bro. Have fun keeping watch tonight.”
“…”
Jiang Linzhi was rendered speechless. He could only watch as Assistant Qiu walked away hand in hand with his sister.
Honestly.
If only he had known, he would never have fought his older brother for this thankless job.
—
The Ning family’s private hospital.
Jiang Yicheng paced back and forth in the hospital room.
Although the room had already been infused with a fruity floral fragrance, the faint smell of disinfectant still made him feel unbearably stifled.
“Stop pacing. You’re making my head hurt,” Ning Zhi said impatiently.
Jiang Yicheng was anxious. “What are we going to do? Dad was supposedly poisoned and on the verge of death, so how did he walk out of intensive care perfectly fine? Our people have made inquiries several times, yet they haven’t found out a thing. Do you think Big Brother and Fourth Brother know about this? Could they be keeping it from me and trying to test me? Or was the old man deliberately pretending to be sick to see how we brothers would behave after his death?”
Ning Yue, Ning Zhi’s older brother, said in a deep voice, “Impossible. Even if someone knows, it’s probably only Second Master Jiang, who suddenly disappeared.”
Jiang Yicheng fell silent.
Yes, that was right. The day after the old master was poisoned, his second brother and his wife had vanished.
At the time, they had assumed that the eldest brother had made the first move against the second branch. Afraid that they would be next if they hesitated any longer, they had hurriedly put their own plan into action.
Who would have thought?
The old master had actually played them all!
Only after everything was over, when they had finally thought it through, did they realize that their second brother and his wife had not been dealt with by the eldest brother at all. They had clearly been locked up by the old master!
“What do we do now?”
Jiang Yicheng irritably scratched at his head. “Back when reform and opening-up began, the laws and regulations weren’t nearly as comprehensive as they are today. The old man traveled all over the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong and has seen every kind of trick in the book!”
Ning Yue was unconcerned. “Relax. The people I arranged are absolutely foolproof. Even the pickup-truck driver doesn’t know that he was supposed to hit anyone. There’s no way the investigation can lead back to us.”
Jiang Yicheng looked at his brother-in-law suspiciously.
Ning Zhi also said, “No matter how shrewd and capable the old man is, he doesn’t have many years left. Instead of worrying about whether he can trace this back to us, we should think about how to deal with one more person.”
Jiang Yifeng’s paralysis had been part of their plan.
After all, if every brother died, even if the third branch took power, it would not have a good reputation in their social circle. So their goal this time was to cripple Fourth Brother and eliminate the eldest brother.
But Jiang Yihua’s luck was simply too good. Through a bizarre twist of fate, he had suffered only internal bleeding, and his life was still intact.
“What do you mean?” Jiang Yicheng asked, puzzled.
Ning Zhi said, “If the old master really has been pretending to be ill to test our reactions, then since he has taken the second branch out of the running himself—whether he sent them away or for some other reason—they no longer pose much of a threat.”
