Volume One, Chapter 19: The Man in Tea Attire Faints to Prevent the Contract Signing

The empty office was so silent that only Song Wanxi’s damp heart throbbed quietly in the stillness.

Her phone had only 3% battery left, yet she hesitated over whether to call You Jin.

By the time the phone shut off, she still lacked the courage to dial his number.

The passage of time felt like a torrential rainstorm inside her heart chamber—the wind was cold, the rain chill, the sky heavy—a suffocating sense of helplessness beyond imagination.

She waited a full hour.

That was her absolute limit.

Song Wanxi gathered her things and left the office.

At the elevator, she pressed the button.

In an instant, the doors opened.

Two renovation workers inside stepped back as Song Wanxi entered and leaned weakly against the wall.

Behind her, the workers whispered to each other.

“If we’d recorded this, she wouldn’t be able to blackmail us.”

“Who would’ve thought she’d step on that nail-studded board? If anyone’s to blame, it’s You Corporation, not us.”

“These days, you really see all kinds of weirdos.”

“Right? Must be a donkey kicked in the head.”

Ding! The elevator doors closed.

The two workers exited behind Song Wanxi.

She stepped out and approached the reception desk, her voice soft and weary, “Hello, may I ask if President You has left the company?”

The receptionist replied politely, “Yes, about an hour ago. President You hurried out with Miss Wu in his arms. Miss Wu had an injury on her foot, and there was blood dripping everywhere.”

Putting together what she had overheard in the elevator, Song Wanxi understood everything and replied politely, “Thank you.”

Stepping out into the building’s bright afternoon sunlight, Song Wanxi felt a heavy gloom settle in her heart as she trudged toward the subway station.

The bustling city around her felt utterly detached from her existence.

Her heart began aching inexplicably again.

After falling in love with You Jin, she discovered a kind of heartache that was not wrenching or unbearable; it was a subtle dampness corroding her heart, a feeling that made her barely able to hold on.

She bought a ticket with cash and boarded the subway.

The chill of the air conditioning made her shiver as she stood by the door, arms crossed, leaning against the wall.

Over an hour of travel, her mind was foggy and she desperately longed for a warm shoulder to lean upon.

Yet, there was none.

—

At the hospital,

Wu’s parents arrived in a panic.

You Jin greeted them, “Uncle, Auntie, Weiwei is inside having an MRI.”

Wu’s mother turned pale, voice trembling with tears, “What happened to Weiwei?”

Wu’s father was angry, “My daughter went to your company in perfect health, how did it come to this?”

You Jin’s expression darkened, “She went up to the rooftop to livestream. There happened to be workers there, and she stepped on a nail, bleeding heavily.”

Wu’s father frowned, “If it’s just a foot injury, why the MRI?”

You Jin explained, “When I received the call and arrived at the rooftop, she had already fainted. We took her to the hospital for all the tests. She hadn’t lost too much blood or gone into shock, no head trauma. The wound on her leg was treated and she received a tetanus shot, but she remained unconscious and no one could wake her.”

Wu’s mother anxiously asked, “What did the doctor say?”

“The doctor couldn’t give a definitive conclusion and is conducting a thorough examination.” You Jin’s face was cold and serious, tinged with helplessness. “But I suspect she’s faking it, so I called you here. I’m heading back to the company now.”

Wu’s father’s face turned black with anger as he grabbed You Jin’s collar and snarled, “My daughter’s life is uncertain, and you say she’s pretending? You grew up together, like siblings. How can you say such things? And how dare you leave her alone like this?”

You Jin grasped Wu’s father’s wrist and gently pushed him away. “Uncle, I know her too well. If I didn’t treat her like a sister, I wouldn’t care at all.”

He then looked at Wu’s mother. “Auntie, I’m leaving now. When you’re by her bedside, tell her I’m gone so she doesn’t have to fake it anymore. She’ll wake up naturally.”

Wu’s mother seemed to understand her daughter too and nodded awkwardly without further words.

You Jin hurriedly left the hospital and drove back to the company.

When he returned to the office, Song Wanxi was gone.

He went to the assistant’s room, panting, “Where is Song Wanxi?”

Assistant Chen nervously stood up, “President You, I’ve been busy and haven’t noticed.”

You Jin turned and took out his phone to call.

The voicemail message sounded: “The number you have dialed is switched off…”

—

The next day.

Song Wanxi had been asleep since the night before, lying in her room all night.

She got up at six in the morning, washed, and left her room.

On the living room coffee table lay two brand-new contracts.

She picked one up to examine it carefully.

It was the revised contract from You Jin, drafted according to her suggestions, with most details favorable to her.

She put the contract into her backpack, intending to bring it back to the company for An Xiao to review.

She made two servings of breakfast as usual, started the robot vacuum cleaner, and tossed dirty clothes into the washer-dryer.

Sitting in the living room reading, she waited for You Jin to wake, hoping to thank him.

Time passed by the minute.

Just after eight, her phone rang.

Song Wanxi glanced—An Xiao.

She answered softly, “Good morning, Xiao Xiao.”

An Xiao’s voice was tense and urgent, “Wanxi, come back quickly. Something happened at the company.”

Startled, Song Wanxi asked no questions, immediately hung up, grabbed her bag, and rushed out.

After five minutes of running along the ten-minute route, she arrived at the entrance of the Pharmaceutical Research Institute, gasping for breath.

An Xiao escorted two firefighters out, holding a correction notice respectfully, “Don’t worry, firefighters. We’ll make the corrections properly and be more careful next time.”

After seeing the firefighters off, An Xiao sighed deeply and approached Song Wanxi, handing her the notice, “Luckily, it’s only minor issues that can be fixed.”

Song Wanxi looked at the notice. “Just a fire inspection? Why did you say something happened? You scared me.”

An Xiao snorted coldly and stood with hands on hips, as if struggling to contain her anger, then slowly said, “We just need to clear the fire lanes of clutter, and it’ll be fine. But before the fire department came, the industry and commerce bureau was here. Finance went to the tax bureau saying our taxes might have problems and need a thorough investigation. There’s a whole team inside—that’s the real headache.”

Song Wanxi felt her heart sink as pressures from all directions overwhelmed her. This was far from normal. “Who’s inside?” she asked.

An Xiao gritted her teeth and spoke slowly, “The Animal Protection Association…”

The group was somewhat official but also felt unofficial.

Song Wanxi felt utterly exhausted. “Why are they here?”

An Xiao took a deep breath, “I want to know too. I just had an argument with them. Luckily, the firefighters arrived, or it would have turned physical. The salespeople are with them now. The batch of lab animals we bought all have proper certificates and approvals, but they’re accusing us of animal abuse. Except for the mice, they want us to release all the others and even threaten to sue us…”

An Xiao’s face turned green with anger. She paced in front of Song Wanxi, hands on hips, looking everywhere, unable to catch her breath. Then she looked at Song Wanxi, “Did you offend someone?”