With the successful conclusion of the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Feicheng New Energy Vehicle Project, that same evening, the police also announced the results of a long-running investigation into a transnational corporate crime case.
In recent years, the stock markets of many small countries had been volatile, with countless cases of them being shorted by foreign capital.
After successfully experimenting in these small countries, these ruthless capitalists, their ambitions no longer satisfied, turned their sights to prosperous major nations. They primarily sought cooperation as foreign capital, forming a complete industrial chain.
Take Feicheng’s new energy project, for example. The project was highly valued and supported by the government. Even though the partners had to fund the first phase themselves, once they achieved results, the funding for the second, third, or even later phases could be secured through government-led, low-interest bank loans.
But their ambition was far from limited to the project’s profits; they had their eyes on the stock market after the project took shape and went public. With just the initial capital, they could obtain large loans, use that money to secretly manipulate stock prices, and ultimately achieve their goal of shorting the stock.
As for the eventual stock buyers, they were emboldened by China’s desire to support new energy vehicles, figuring that even if individual investors didn’t buy in, the Chinese government would intervene.
This was not the first time such an act had occurred in China, but previous instances had been small-scale test runs.
The police had been lying in wait for a year. After the QT fashion show was exposed at the end of last year, the capital behind it officially came onto the police’s radar due to the investigation by relevant departments. However, these companies were so adept at their business operations that it was difficult to find any leverage against them.
That was until Feicheng’s new energy project began seeking partners, and until Mu Yanche and the group of enterprises backed by the same T-country capital greedily tried to get a piece of the pie.
Kang Qi’s car accident was indeed as it had been publicly announced: the car that rear-ended him was new, and the driver of the car that hit him was driving under the influence.
However, what the police deliberately did not disclose, so as not to alert the culprits, was that the driver of the car that caused the crash was heavily in debt, yet had received funds from six different overseas accounts a week prior.
These accounts were heavily encrypted and often used for dark web transactions, confirming that the car accident was premeditated. Therefore, from the moment Mu Yanche began negotiating with Kang Qi, he was essentially walking step by step into the trap set for him by the police.
What followed was the process of luring the snake out of its hole. After Mu Yanche recommended technical personnel and “trustworthy” investors to Kang Qi, the police worked overnight to vet the list. After an entire Spring Festival of nearly round-the-clock collection, organization, and comparison, they finally gathered enough criminal evidence.
At the Feicheng ribbon-cutting ceremony, Mu Yanche and the representatives of those companies were arrested on the spot. The enterprises behind them were also shut down one by one that same day, without even a chance to flee China.
By a strange twist of fate, Mu Yanche’s system had actually done a good deed. It had previously used Likability Points to make the heads of these companies and the T-country consortium behind them firmly believe in Mu Yanche’s abilities.
Coupled with the smooth cooperation from the Feicheng side, which had consulted with the police, this arrest operation went off without a hitch.
The most direct victims of stock market turmoil are the investors. Although this operation was business-related, after the results were announced by the Chinese police and reposted by some finance and law-related marketing accounts, it quickly dominated the trending topics list. Even the entertainment charts were no exception, with discussions erupting:
【You can always trust the country. Can all this malicious foreign capital just die?】
【Stock market volatility is inevitable, but when I think that the people who jump off buildings every year might have lost everything for this reason, I just want to curse.】
【Thank you, country, thank you, police officers. And by the way, props to Feicheng’s new energy vehicles. Hope to see them on the market soon!】
Weibo is, after all, the domain of entertainment news. Soon, sharp-eyed people noticed something odd. They found that one of the people whose eyes were pixelated looked very familiar. A look at the name below—it was indeed the entertainment industry’s Yanche!
The internet’s memory may be short, but Yanche’s meteoric rise in the past two months had baffled many, especially the popular celebrities whose traffic he had stolen. No matter how hard they tried to smear him before, Yanche’s resources came one after another, leaving them powerless to fight back.
Now that something like this had happened to Yanche, people both inside and outside the industry started grabbing their popcorn:
【Oh my god, so Yanche really was a puppet of T-country capital?】
【What puppet of capital? Please call him a traitor, thank you. The kind with irrefutable evidence who’s going to rot in jail.】
【T-country was so arrogant during the QT fashion show. I remember a celebrity was mistaken for being from T-country back then. So the real traitor was here all along?】
【No way, no way, Yanche still dared to collaborate with them so brazenly after the QT incident? As expected of someone who’s been paying his way to the top since before he returned to the country.】
【So what did the T-country consortium see in him? His plastic surgery face and terrible skills? Or his penchant for clubbing?】
【I don’t care how Yanche got involved with them, I just want to know how many years he’ll be sentenced to.】
【Me too, me too, waiting for a law student sister to explain (obediently).】
Originally, netizens were just talking big, but the topic became so popular that several well-known legal influencers actually posted their analyses.
The influencers’ conclusions were largely similar. Based on the information released by the police, charges like hiring someone to cause injury, dual contracts, corporate espionage, and malicious short-selling could each carry a maximum sentence of ten years. Added all together… netizens might never see this person Yanche again in their lifetime.
【Holy crap, holy crap, did Yanche get the brainless cannon fodder script? Instead of being a glamorous celebrity, he had to get involved in this kind of business?】
【Yanche’s fans are so pitiful. You guys won’t get to see your idol for the rest of your lives, sob sob sob.】
【So that’s where Yanche’s rumored rich second-generation identity came from. I advise those Yanche fans who are still in denial to open their eyes and see clearly, okay? If you really like him, go study hard, pass the civil service exam, and become a prison guard (doge).】
While this matter caused a huge stir on Weibo, with its popularity remaining high, for Mu Yanxi, it was destined to be a sleepless night.
The disappearance of the system had taken away all the invisible shackles imposed on this world, and it had also taken away the barrier in Yi Wulan’s mind that Mu Yanxi had been unable to fully penetrate.
Due to the novel’s plot development, Yi Wulan had to die more than two years later, after the protagonist had gained enough experience.
Therefore, while the barrier in her brain was a slow-acting death sentence, it was also, in another sense, a life-saving talisman that delayed the eruption of Yi Wulan’s brain injury.
The injury on Yi Wulan’s leg had become less critical precisely because Mu Yanxi had used her ability to remove the barrier bit by bit, which gave her the opportunity to undergo surgery like any other car accident patient.
But now that the barrier had suddenly vanished, Yi Wulan would not die because of the novel’s predetermined plot trajectory, but she would suffer a sudden flare-up of her injury from being unable to withstand the abrupt withdrawal of the system’s energy.
The location of Yi Wulan’s brain injury was already particularly tricky. The doctors in Feicheng were unfamiliar with her condition and lacked the expertise of Xiusina’s medical team, which comprised the world’s top brain specialists.
Fortunately, Doctor Xiusina’s medical team was already on standby in the suburbs of Yuncheng, with an excellent medical environment and advanced equipment. Upon hearing that Yi Wulan had suddenly collapsed, they immediately began pre-operative preparations.
Now, only one problem remained: could Yi Wulan survive the journey to Yuncheng?
After weighing her options, Mu Yanxi decided to return to Yuncheng immediately rather than let doctors unfamiliar with Yi Wulan’s condition treat her.
Besides, Mu Yanxi had a selfish motive. During the trip back to Yuncheng, she wanted to use her ability to treat Yi Wulan as much as possible to increase the chances of a successful surgery.
Mu Yanxi forcibly extracted the nearly depleted energy from her power core and infused it into Yi Wulan’s body, forming a protective film in her brain to replace the function of the original system barrier.
As long as the ability was not interrupted, Yi Wulan could make it back to Yuncheng safely.
But this act was ultimately a strain for Mu Yanxi. After destroying Mu Yanche’s system, she had very little of her ability left. Coupled with her unreserved infusion, her ability was exhausted just as they got on the highway.
The spread that had been successfully halted gradually began to show signs of a comeback. The obvious pallor on Yi Wulan’s face was a harbinger of what was to come.
Biting her lip, Mu Yanxi persistently continued to draw power from her power core.
Once, failure.
Twice, failure.
Thrice… she didn’t know how many times she tried, until she was on the verge of despair.
It was as if this rebirth was a joke played on her by the heavens. She had regained everything she had lost in her past life, only to have the most important person snatched away at the very moment she had it all.
If this was all a dream, she would rather return to her former nightmare than have this light.
It was simply too cruel.
As Mu Yanxi tried again and again, the power core in her abdomen finally began to loosen slightly. Even this extremely subtle change immediately caught Mu Yanxi’s attention, as she felt the ability seeping out from the loosened area.
As if grasping at a life-saving straw, Mu Yanxi focused all her attention on that spot. But this amount of ability was far from enough. After a few seconds of silence, Mu Yanxi decided to risk it all, using this ability to strike the power core, attempting to draw out more.
The power core vibrated violently, and a faint tremor and pain seemed to run through all the meridians in Mu Yanxi’s body.
Mu Yanxi unconsciously buried her head in the crook of Yi Wulan’s neck. The familiar scent from Yi Wulan’s body gradually soothed her agitated heart, and she continued to strike the small crack in the power core.
The vibrations of the power core grew stronger, and more and more ability overflowed. Mu Yanxi split the newly acquired ability in two, sending one part to Yi Wulan while using the other to once again strike and squeeze the source of the power core, like a long tug-of-war.
The crack in the power core grew larger, gradually forming a deep fissure. With the force of the impacts, a small block of energy finally couldn’t hold on and broke off.
However, the moment it broke off, the energy block transformed into a massive wave of energy. Like finding life in a desperate situation, it instantly filled the entire power core, which also began to operate at high speed…
A little over two hours later, as the last fragment of Mu Yanxi’s power core disintegrated, Yi Wulan was finally delivered to the designated private hospital.
Watching Yi Wulan being wheeled into the operating room, Mu Yanxi forced herself to stay alert and wait at the door.
In the few minutes it took to prepare the patient, Yi Wulan, for surgery, Xiusina also received Yi Wulan’s latest examination data. She walked toward Mu Yanxi with the pre-operative consent form.
Seeing Xiusina’s grave expression, Mu Yanxi took the document and asked, “Tell me the truth, doctor. How is she?”
Xiusina was carefully reviewing the scan results in her hand and only then realized her expression had given Mu Yanxi the wrong impression. She quickly explained:
“No, no, Miss Yi’s condition is much better than the last examination results. Although I don’t know the reason for her collapse this time, she completely meets the conditions for surgery. This is simply a miracle!”
Mu Yanxi breathed a sigh of relief. After quickly and carefully reading the document, she signed her name. “Xiusina, I’m counting on you all.”
Doctor Xiusina nodded and took the pre-operative consent form. “We will do our best.”
Then she turned and walked into the operating room.
Previously, Mu Yanxi and Yi Wulan had invested in this private hospital for the surgery, buying out an entire building to ensure Yi Wulan had a good treatment environment.
The light in the operating room stayed on from dusk until late at night. The corridor was sparsely populated, and the doctors and nurses consciously avoided disturbing Mu Yanxi.
Compared to the unconscious Yi Wulan, time was more agonizing for Mu Yanxi, who was waiting for the results. But she only waited at the operating room door for ten minutes before quickly pulling herself together.
No one could predict the outcome of Yi Wulan’s surgery or what post-operative complications might arise. With a group as large as Rongjia, everything had to be planned in advance.
Gu Yan came to deliver some documents after receiving a message from Mu Yanxi. Fortunately, Mu Yanxi had been by Yi Wulan’s side for nearly three months, and with her experience from working for Yi Jingming in her past life, she quickly and adeptly handled the official business Gu Yan brought.
The operating room light remained on until the next morning, having been lit for a full fourteen hours.
During this time, doctors had entered and exited a few times. Every time Mu Yanxi went up to ask about the situation, the answer was that the surgery was proceeding smoothly for the time being, which served as a reassurance during her long wait.
Mu Yanxi had also tried to probe her power core multiple times, but ever since its energy fragments had turned into an energy source and been injected into Yi Wulan’s body, she could no longer sense it.
Although the ability had been with her for so long, Mu Yanxi didn’t feel too much regret at the moment of its loss. She only hoped it could help her one more time, hoped it could bring Yi Wulan a chance at life.
“Click—” The sound of the door opening echoed in the quiet corridor, seeming amplified and exceptionally loud.
Mu Yanxi’s hand, which was signing a document, paused. She immediately looked up, hastily shoved the file into the hands of Chen Xu beside her, and stood up to walk over.
Doctor Xiusina, who had taken off her mask, had been in the operating room the entire time. She was an authoritative expert in the surgical field. At only in her thirties, she had saved countless lives. Her hand holding the scalpel was very steady, especially for high-demand surgeries involving nerves, which was her specialty. This time, she was also one of Yi Wulan’s lead surgeons.
She walked toward Mu Yanxi, and guessing her state of mind, she smiled before speaking: “Miss Mu, congratulations. The surgery was a great success.”
The string that had been pulled taut in Mu Yanxi’s heart suddenly snapped loose. She took two relieved breaths and looked past Xiusina. “Then… what about her?”
Mu Yanxi hadn’t slept a wink all night, whether it was to handle Rongjia’s affairs or to be the first to hear the results of Yi Wulan’s surgery. But her body inevitably showed the fatigue of staying up late, and her voice came out half-hoarse.
“Miss Mu, you should get some rest too, so you can properly accompany her later.” Xiusina offered a reminder before answering Mu Yanxi’s question:
“Miss Yi has been moved to the intensive care unit for observation. Any potential side effects are still unknown, but the surgery went very smoothly. The blood clot was cleared out very cleanly, and no brain nerves were damaged. As long as she gets through the most critical 48 hours, you can go see her in the ICU.”
Mu Yanxi stared blankly at Doctor Xiusina. After confirming the words she heard over and over, she finally let out a relieved laugh. “Thank you.”
Doctor Xiusina put her mask back on and led several doctors away to handle post-operative matters.
Mu Yanxi leaned back against the wall in relief. Sunlight streamed in from the opposite window, slightly dazzling. She raised a hand to block the light, and the corners of her lips finally turned up again.
Yi Wulan, the day has broken.
Welcome back to the world of the living.
On the third day after the surgery, Yi Wulan’s observation period was over. Mu Yanxi was finally allowed into the intensive care unit, but only for a few minutes. She changed into a sterile gown and walked in alone.
Yi Wulan lay quietly on the hospital bed, still not awake. Her head was wrapped in thick gauze, and she wore a respirator on her face, making it almost impossible to see her features, only her still-pale complexion.
Unlike some special patients in the ICU, Yi Wulan didn’t need to avoid light, so the curtains on the side were slightly drawn, allowing the sunlight to bring a bit of warmth to her.
Mu Yanxi only dared to touch Yi Wulan tentatively through the sterile gown, as if handling a porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment, and quickly withdrew her hand.
She leaned down slightly, stopping by Yi Wulan’s ear, but didn’t know what to say. She could only repeat Yi Wulan’s name over and over, telling her of all her worries and fears over the past two days, and of her longing and hope for Yi Wulan to wake up.
When the visiting time was over, Mu Yanxi’s gaze lingered on Yi Wulan’s face for a long time before she finally walked out.
Doctor Xiusina was still waiting at the door. She reassured her, “Don’t worry, Miss Yi’s vitals are all normal. For now, it doesn’t seem like there will be any side effects.”
Mu Yanxi’s hands were clenched. She hesitated for a moment before asking, “Then why isn’t she awake yet?”
Doctor Xiusina paused for a moment, but quickly replied, “This is a normal phenomenon after brain surgery. It can’t be influenced by external forces. We can only rely on Miss Yi to wake up on her own. If…”
“She won’t.” Mu Yanxi guessed what Xiusina was about to say and interrupted her impolitely, looking over with a stubborn gaze. “She will wake up.” Doctor Xiusina was taken aback, then nodded. “Yes, her vitals are all returning to normal levels. She will definitely wake up.”
Mu Yanxi was responsible for handling important decisions at the hospital, occasionally attending important meetings via video conference. Gu Yan, meanwhile, had transformed from Yi Wulan’s assistant to Mu Yanxi’s assistant, in addition to presiding over some smaller meetings.
This situation continued for several days. After Yi Wulan’s observation period ended and she was moved to a regular ward, dissenting voices gradually began to appear within Rongjia.
In the months that Yi Wulan had brought Mu Yanxi along to handle Rongjia’s affairs, it wasn’t as if Mu Yanxi had never signed her name on documents.
But for the past few days, Yi Wulan hadn’t been at work, and almost all documents were handled by Mu Yanxi. More and more people in Rongjia’s senior management began to subtly question Gu Yan, trying to find out the reason for Yi Wulan’s absence from the company.
Yi Wulan’s car accident last year was no secret among Rongjia’s senior management. Her prolonged absence had led to rumors spreading within the company’s management.
When Gu Yan told Mu Yanxi about this, she wasn’t surprised at all. Coincidentally, the weekly meeting was the next day, and she planned to give everyone an explanation at the meeting.
Mu Yanxi said goodbye to Gu Yan, walked into the hospital room, and leaned over the bed, studying Yi Wulan’s face, which had regained a good deal of color.
The mechanical sound of the instruments beeped steadily. Yi Wulan still hadn’t woken up. She took Yi Wulan’s hand and rubbed it against her cheek. “Yi Wulan, things are getting chaotic at Rongjia. Are you going to do anything about it? What if they bully me tomorrow?”
Mu Yanxi’s act of playing pitiful lasted only a moment before her true colors showed.
She put Yi Wulan’s hand down and threatened fiercely:
“Yi Wulan, you know my personality. If they go too far tomorrow, I’ll fire them all. When you wake up, Rongjia will be empty. Aren’t you scared? So you’d better wake up quickly and stop me.”
She fell silent for a moment, then took Yi Wulan’s hand again, resting her head gently on Yi Wulan’s waist. “Yi Wulan, when are you going to wake up…”
Just then, the hand in her palm suddenly moved slightly. Mu Yanxi quickly looked up, but Yi Wulan’s hand was calm again.
Mu Yanxi’s heart began to beat uncontrollably fast. She suppressed her overly excited voice, “Yi Wulan?”
Yi Wulan’s eyes remained tightly closed, deep in a heavy sleep. The movement of her hand just now seemed to have been Mu Yanxi’s imagination.
But Mu Yanxi was certain that Yi Wulan’s hand had indeed moved. It wasn’t a hallucination from her recent mental strain. She hurriedly went to find Xiusina to ask.
After hearing about Yi Wulan’s situation, Xiusina immediately came over with several doctors to check on Yi Wulan’s condition. After some discussion among themselves, they looked at Mu Yanxi:
“Miss Mu, it probably wasn’t your imagination. Miss Yi’s vitals have improved significantly compared to a few days ago. There’s been no rejection reaction after the clot was removed, so it seems no brain tissue was damaged.”
Mu Yanxi listened carefully to every word Xiusina said, her hands by her sides unconsciously clenching into fists.
Noticing Mu Yanxi’s emotional state, Xiusina smiled at her. “Miss Yi probably just reacted to your voice. This is a good sign. For Miss Yi, waking up sooner is also beneficial for her body and subsequent recovery. You can spend more time with her, let her feel your presence.”
Mu Yanxi nodded. After seeing the doctors off, she turned back to hold Yi Wulan’s hand and began to prepare for the next day’s meeting.
The next day, Mu Yanxi changed from her usual flamboyant style and wore a rare, formal suit. Even her overcoat was pure black, and her black high heels gave her an imposing air, exuding a sharp aura.
As the doors to the conference room were pushed open, the chattering voices inside fell silent. Mu Yanxi appeared at the shareholders’ meeting with Gu Yan.
Amid a sea of puzzled, curious, and searching gazes, Mu Yanxi walked forward without looking sideways. To the growing astonishment of the crowd, she sat down in the main seat, scanned the room, and announced, “Let’s begin the meeting.”
Although they knew Mu Yanxi’s identity, everyone was still stunned by her act of sitting in the main seat. Amid whispers, a shareholder with more seniority finally voiced his confusion: “Has something happened to President Yi? Why are you leading the meeting? You… are probably not suitable, are you?”
“President Yi is unwell and has temporarily authorized me to handle all of Rongjia’s affairs. As for whether I’m qualified…” Mu Yanxi let out a light laugh and glanced at the lawyer next to Gu Yan.
The lawyer quickly understood and took out the relevant documents to read: “Miss Mu Yanxi holds sixty-five percent of Rongjia’s shares. If anyone has any objections, you can come to me to inspect the relevant documents and procedures.”
When Mu Yanxi and Yi Wulan got married, she had received ten percent of Rongjia’s shares from Old Madam Yi. In exchange, Yi Wulan was supposed to have ten percent of Xinyu’s shares.
At the time of their marriage, this union, which should have been between equals, was seen as more of a loss for Mu Yanxi due to Yi Wulan’s poor health.
Consequently, when discussing the share exchange agreement originally planned by the two families, Yi Wulan did not accept the shares, instead having Mu Yanqing transfer them to Mu Yanxi.
That ten percent, plus the asset agreement Yi Wulan had given Mu Yanxi at the Yi family’s old residence months ago, was what gave Mu Yanxi the confidence to stand here.
The shareholder who had just asked the question immediately went forward to check. Looking at the valid asset transfer agreement signed by Yi Wulan, his face gradually darkened. The others didn’t need to look; the result was already obvious.
The conference room fell silent again.
Mu Yanxi smiled at the crowd. “So, can we start the meeting now?”
Rongjia’s management exchanged glances, seemingly wanting to say something more. Just then, Gu Yan spoke up first, routinely reporting on the project’s progress at the weekly meeting. After reporting on the profits from the holographic products, he suddenly changed the subject and asked:
“President Mu, President Yi was originally scheduled to attend the financial summit in a few days to present the company’s integrated holographic software. At that time, the new round of funding…”
Mu Yanxi responded coolly, “Xinyu has signed the documents and naturally won’t hold Rongjia back. If there are still problems then, I will solve them.”
As soon as these words were spoken, those who were about to say something more shut their mouths. They had only seen Yi Wulan foolishly transfer her shares to Mu Yanxi, and because of Mu Yanxi’s beautiful appearance, they only thought of her celebrity profession. But they had completely overlooked one thing—behind Mu Yanxi was Xinyu Bank!
Not to mention, the president of Xinyu Bank was notoriously doting on her younger sister. A company’s cash flow is often tied up, and the biggest fear in business these days is a break in the funding chain.
Thanks to its marital ties with Xinyu, Rongjia hadn’t faced such a situation for a long time.
The reason Rongjia Group was able to quickly and firmly control the market for holographic products was not only due to its technology and effective promotion but, most advantageously, its relatively low prices.
The reason Rongjia Group dared to keep its prices low was its reliance on the backing of Xinyu Bank. Although Xinyu also had investments in the holographic project, no one present could guarantee that if they really gave Mu Yanxi a hard time, Xinyu’s president wouldn’t cut off Rongjia’s funding.
The rebuttals they had wanted to make were now completely swallowed. The meeting continued.
They couldn’t make things difficult for her openly, but that didn’t stop them from doing so secretly. Some senior executives deliberately complicated matters during their reports and used a lot of professional jargon to challenge Mu Yanxi, but to their surprise, Mu Yanxi’s performance remained flawless.
Probing once or twice was one thing, but when the fourth person began to report, the little ancestor’s temper flared. With a ‘clack’, she tossed her pen onto the table:
“I know you all want to test me. If you have a problem with me, you can come at me directly. I welcome corrections if I’m wrong, but don’t waste everyone’s time here. When Yi Wulan was around, you probably didn’t hold meetings like this, did you?”
At this point, Mu Yanxi let out a low laugh and slowly looked at the manager who was standing and reporting. “Or is your work pressure so great that you can’t even give a concise report anymore? If that’s the case, I can give you a vacation right now, let you relax properly. How about it?”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present realized that Mu Yanxi’s calm and serious demeanor was just an act. This ancestor, backed by the two great mountains of Yi Wulan and Xinyu, was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
You could still reason with Yi Wulan, but what reason was there to be had with this ancestor?
What if she got angry and just quit? Who would run Rongjia? Who would they go to for Rongjia’s funding?
Not to mention, when Yi Wulan returned and held them accountable, which one of them could escape?
Everyone exchanged glances and saw compromise in each other’s eyes. The manager who was still standing quickly stated his position: “Miss Mu… no, President Mu, please give me another chance.”
Mu Yanxi had no intention of truly making things difficult for Rongjia’s senior management. She scanned the crowd again and asked, “Does anyone else have a report to make?”
A project manager stood up trembling, “I, I do…”
This time, Mu Yanxi’s attitude was much better. “Go ahead.”
“President Mu, about the financial summit that President Yi was scheduled to attend in ten days…”
After the meeting, where she gave Rongjia’s senior management a show of force, Mu Yanxi hurried to the hospital in the suburbs.
Yi Wulan was no different from when she had left. Mu Yanxi tossed her bag onto the bedside table and then slumped onto Yi Wulan’s chest, her little mouth chattering on and on, complaining without any restraint: “Yi Wulan, the people at your Rongjia are too much. Today…”
After Mu Yanxi had talked until her mouth was dry, pouring out all her grievances to Yi Wulan, she vengefully bit Yi Wulan’s hospital gown, grinding her teeth on it a couple of times.
Just as she was about to let go, a weak, breathy voice came from above her head: “How old are you…”
Mu Yanxi’s biting motion froze. Like a dazed little animal, she slowly raised her head and met Yi Wulan’s eyes, stunned.
In that moment, she seemed to have lost the ability to speak. She just stared at Yi Wulan for who knows how long, before letting out a ‘whimper’ and burying her head again.
But at least her reason remained. Mu Yanxi quickly straightened her and Yi Wulan’s clothes and called for Xiusina.
Upon learning that Yi Wulan was awake, doctors streamed in with medical equipment, quickly pushing Mu Yanxi away from the bedside.
Mu Yanxi walked to the doorway. Nearly half an hour later, she received Xiusina’s examination results. Just like before, Yi Wulan’s physical condition was recovering very well, with no other rejection reactions or side effects.
Yi Wulan’s awakening undoubtedly brought a sigh of relief to everyone in the entire building. After all, for this type of brain surgery, surviving the operation is only half the battle; waking up is what truly signifies that the danger has passed.
Too many people, despite having uneventful surgeries, never woke up again.
The doctors knew this, and so did Mu Yanxi.
For a moment, the entire hospital room was filled with joy.
Yi Wulan was still very weak. Not long after waking up, she fell asleep again. It wasn’t until she woke up again in the evening that she finally had some strength.
After waking up again, Yi Wulan’s gaze followed Mu Yanxi until she sat down in front of her. Only then did she slowly speak: “Are you tired?”
A sour feeling welled up in Mu Yanxi’s eyes. She took Yi Wulan’s hand pitifully. “So you have to compensate me.”
“Okay.” Yi Wulan’s agreement was very straightforward.
Mu Yanxi blinked in surprise.
Although Yi Wulan had always indulged her before, she was always one to be precise when speaking, answering exactly what was asked. A situation like this, where she agreed without even asking what she was agreeing to, had never happened before.
And now, after one surgery, she’s become so ‘unceremonious’?
Mu Yanxi looked Yi Wulan up and down, hesitating to speak, but finally couldn’t help but ask:
“Yi Wulan, don’t tell me the surgery made your brain silly? You never used to agree to my requests so casually. Aren’t you afraid I’ll ask for something outrageous?”
Yi Wulan frowned. “Would you?”
Meeting Yi Wulan’s eyes, Mu Yanxi actually felt a bit guilty. She averted her gaze, pretending to look at Yi Wulan’s IV drip. “Ah, am I that kind of person?”
The moment Yi Wulan saw her expression, she knew the little fox was brewing some mischief in her belly. She raised her hand, intending to rub Mu Yanxi’s head, but Mu Yanxi, sensing her intention, proactively leaned her face closer.
Who knew that Yi Wulan would pinch her cheek instead: “Really not?”
Mu Yanxi deliberately frowned. “It hurts!”
Yi Wulan quickly let go, nervously stroking Mu Yanxi’s cheek with her fingertips.
Seeing how nervous Yi Wulan was, Mu Yanxi immediately changed her tune: “Alright, alright, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
The worry in Yi Wulan’s eyes did not fade. “But you’ve lost weight.”
“You’re the one who’s lost weight.” Mu Yanxi squeezed Yi Wulan’s hand. “Your surgery was a success, and Xiusina said there are no other side effects, so you need to get well soon.”
Yi Wulan nodded. “Rongjia…”
“Don’t mention Rongjia.” Mu Yanxi interrupted Yi Wulan. “Right now, you just need to rest and recover. Don’t worry about other things.”
“But didn’t you say the people at Rongjia gave you a hard time?”
Mu Yanxi remembered all the complaints she had made while Yi Wulan was unconscious and immediately felt embarrassed. Not only did she deny it to the death, but she also turned the tables on her: “Yi Wulan, are you afraid I’ll bankrupt your Rongjia? If you don’t think I can handle it, why don’t you find someone else to help you? If you—”
“I’m not.” This time, it was Yi Wulan who interrupted Mu Yanxi. “I don’t distrust you.”
After thinking for a moment, she added, “Even if you really did bankrupt it, I’ll earn it all back for you.”
Mu Yanxi’s feisty little expression froze. She stammered, “R-really?”
Yi Wulan nodded, her gaze unflinching. “It’s all for you.”
Mu Yanxi: …
A blush quickly spread from the base of Mu Yanxi’s neck all the way to the tips of her ears.
And yet, Yi Wulan was still looking at her with a serious and solemn expression, leaving her no room to escape, seemingly wanting to say more to express her determination.
Unable to avoid Yi Wulan’s gaze, Mu Yanxi became flustered and bit Yi Wulan out of anger. Finally escaping her gaze, she leaned close to Yi Wulan’s ear and said through gritted teeth, “Who… who wants it!”
There is perceptibly a bunch to know about this. I suppose you made certain good points in features also.