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Join the ServerInside the dead-silent car, a phone ringtone shattered the quiet abruptly.
Leaning against the back seat resting with his eyes closed, Wei Nianxi cast an indifferent glance before answering.
– “Wei Nianxi, what on earth are you doing?”
From the other end came a hushed yet unmistakably furious interrogation.
Wei Nianxi’s brow furrowed, a glint of cold sharpness flashing across his narrowed eyes.
He looked at his phone once more.
Seeing the three words “Gu Qingnan” on the screen, everything suddenly made sense.
In the whole of Weicheng, only one person was daring enough to speak to him like that and still draw breath.
The image of that livid face in the hospital six months ago surfaced in Wei Nianxi’s mind.
This was already the second time Gu Qingnan had shouted at him.
Holding the phone in one hand, Wei Nianxi pinched the bridge of his nose with the other.
– “What is it?”
– “What do you think it is?”
– “I already told you that his current condition isn’t suitable for changing doctors, so why did you replace her anyway?”
The fingers pinching the bridge of his nose paused.
In the next moment, he rubbed the bridge of his nose firmly before speaking.
– “I’m nearby, I’ll be back right away.”
With that, he hung up the call.
***
From the passenger seat, Ji Wen turned to look back.
“Head back,” Wei Nianxi said.
Ji Wen glanced out the window at the headquarters gates close at hand, refraining from asking questions, and notified the driver beside him.
The vehicle Wei Nianxi used was no ordinary car, equipped with acoustic shielding so the driver could not hear conversations in the rear while driving.
The driver did not utter an unnecessary word either.
This was a fundamental rule of working by Wei Nianxi’s side.
A few minutes later, the car rolled into the underground garage of the Wei Family Mansion.
***
When Wei Nianxi went upstairs, Shen Qing was standing outside the guest room talking with an unfamiliar man, while Gu Qingnan stood outside Wei Yeban’s room on the second floor with a dark scowl.
Catching sight of him entering, Gu Qingnan’s face darkened even further.
Outside the guest room, hearing the commotion and recognizing Wei Nianxi, Xia Gaosen, who was clutching a stack of records, reacted instantly.
He shoved all those records back into Shen Qing’s arms, smoothing his clothes as he walked briskly toward Wei Nianxi.
Wei Yeban was Wei Nianxi’s only child and the future head of the Wei family; as long as he could cure Wei Yeban, he would certainly gain high esteem from the Wei family.
Although the Wei family was not involved in his medical field, given the Wei family’s immense influence, even a bit of support would pave a dazzling path for his future.
“Hello, I am Xia Gaosen, you must have heard of me.”
Approaching, Xia Gaosen extended his hand.
Wei Nianxi merely looked at him.
Receiving no response, Xia Gaosen froze for a beat before realizing that the person before him was a Ge’er who had always detested people treating him lightly or referencing his gender status, so he withdrew his hand naturally.
At the same time, he said quickly, “I already reviewed the child’s medical records before coming, and I intended to conduct an in-person consultation just now, but your husband wouldn’t allow it…”
Wei Nianxi’s brow furrowed.
“An in-person consultation?”
He finally understood why Gu Qingnan had spoken in that tone just now.
Xia Gaosen was not used to being interrupted, yet he explained with a smile, “Yes—”
Before Xia Gaosen could finish, Wei Nianxi spoke once more, “You may leave.”
Xia Gaosen was stunned.
“What?”
Wei Nianxi turned his gaze to Ji Wen.
“Get him out.”
The moment the words left his lips, Wei Nianxi headed swiftly upstairs.
Seeing Wei Nianxi turn to leave, Xia Gaosen finally came to his senses, the smile on his face vanishing entirely.
“Mr. Wei?”
Wei Nianxi did not look back.
Xia Gaosen immediately attempted to give chase.
“Is there some misunderstanding between us…?”
Ji Wen took a step forward, blocking his path.
“Please follow me.”
Xia Gaosen tried to sidestep Ji Wen to chase after him again.
The very day he had received the inquiry from the Wei family, he had resigned from his current position without hesitation, having already bragged to his colleagues, friends, mentors, and students.
If Wei Nianxi dismissed him at this point, how was he supposed to face them upon his return?
Ji Wen caught him in a firm grip.
***
Upstairs, having taken in this entire scene, Gu Qingnan watched with a furrowed brow as the figure walked toward him.
Approaching, Wei Nianxi stopped in his tracks.
He looked at Gu Qingnan, whose current expression overlapped entirely with that furious face from the hospital.
Wei Nianxi opened his mouth to speak.
“After what you said earlier, I had already decided to call it off, and I saw your message as well, but I forgot to instruct Ji Wen.”
He had been intensely busy with the product launch lately, and on top of that, Wei Yeban’s sudden stress reaction two days ago had disrupted his original plans; swept up in work, it had slipped his mind.
Wei Nianxi had no intention of shirking responsibility.
“This time was my fault.”
Gu Qingnan kept his brows knit, remaining silent.
Wei Nianxi was not lying.
For whether at the company or within the Wei Family Mansion, there was absolutely no need for Wei Nianxi to lie.
Nor was he the type of person who would resort to deceit to conceal a mistake.
“Where is he?” Wei Nianxi asked.
Gu Qingnan took a deep breath and stepped aside slightly, revealing Wei Yeban sitting on the rug through the ajar door.
Seeing that Wei Yeban did not look like he had thrown a severe fit, the frosty look in Wei Nianxi’s eyes softened slightly, and he walked into the room.
***
Downstairs, witnessing this unfold, Xia Gaosen’s expression shifted continuously.
Wei Nianxi was… apologizing to Gu Qingnan?
He had assumed the relationship between the two was terrible.
Was the information he gathered erroneous?
While Ji Wen spoke polite words, his face was utterly void of emotion.
“Dr. Xia, please do not make things difficult for me.”
***
Upstairs, Gu Qingnan lingered at the doorway for a while before finally stepping inside.
He had carried Wei Yeban into the room before Xia Gaosen came upstairs, but Wei Yeban had caught sight of the stranger nonetheless.
There were other servants in the villa, but aside from specific times when they went upstairs to clean, they usually remained on the first floor and actively steered clear whenever Wei Yeban came out.
Inside, as expected, Wei Yeban was anxiously picking at the shoulder strap of the little rabbit’s overalls.
Wei Nianxi was speaking to him, “…I’m sorry.”
Wei Yeban simply kept plucking at the rabbit’s strap over and over.
Gu Qingnan took two deep breaths, forced a smile onto his face, and sat down in front of Wei Yeban.
“Daddy has already chased the bad guys away!”
“Daddy promised to protect you, so I will definitely keep my word, see? Daddy did it, didn’t I?”
Having said that, Gu Qingnan even struck a childish strongman pose.
Gu Qingnan had expected Wei Yeban to give no reaction as usual, but hearing this, Wei Yeban’s repetitive motion halted.
He reached out to pull the little plush beast over, clutching it and the rabbit one in each arm.
He still kept his head lowered, appearing immersed in his own world, yet the little plush beast was held tightly in his embrace.
Gu Qingnan had still been somewhat angry, but seeing this, his eyes welled up with tears in an instant, blurring his vision.
Wei Yeban had heard him.
On that day, before they found him, the boy must have been frightened out of his wits, crying out and calling for them countless times, wishing desperately that they would appear immediately to protect him.
Yet they had never shown up in time.
He must have been so terrified that he hid himself away; he had simply lost the way back home.
Gu Qingnan desperately yearned to hug Wei Yeban, but he dared not, only gently stroking the boy’s head.
“Daddy is very strong, the strongest in the whole wide world.”
Gu Qingnan struggled to control himself as he spoke, but his voice broke into an uncooperative choke nonetheless.
Wei Nianxi had already heard from Shen Qing and Gu Qingnan about the recent changes in Wei Yeban, but this was the first time he witnessed it with his own eyes.
The expression on his face shifted subtly as well.
He looked across at Gu Qingnan, who sat at a deliberate distance from him.
If his marriage with Gu Qingnan was considered a business transaction, then Gu Qingnan was undoubtedly an acceptable partner.
No, not merely acceptable; he was exceptional.
The outside speculations were not wrong: he had chosen Gu Qingnan precisely because Gu Qingnan was easy to manage.
The Wei family needed an heir, and he needed a child.
The other father of the child certainly could not come from major corporations or prominent clans eyeing the Wei family’s wealth, nor could he be a complete commoner.
The former would invite wolves into the house, while the latter had nothing to lose.
He had investigated the Gu family and naturally investigated Gu Qingnan as well; he was well aware of the Gu family’s mercenary nature and fully cognizant of Gu Qingnan’s history with them.
The Gu family could stir up no significant waves since they lacked the intellect, but they could keep Gu Qingnan in check.
As for Gu Qingnan, as long as he did not do anything excessively out of line after marriage, supporting an extra person meant nothing to him.
Yet the progression of events had defied his expectations.
Those people of the Gu family were indeed unintelligent.
Gu Qingnan, however, was not someone who could be manipulated by the Gu family.
Nor did Gu Qingnan display the anticipated ambition, greed, fawning servility, scheming, or the wild euphoria of ascending to high status.
At first, Wei Nianxi had suspected this was all a calculated act on Gu Qingnan’s part to lower his guard before revealing his true hand.
Yet having taken over the Wei family in his teens and weathered countless storms over the years, he had long encountered every type of person; even the most brilliant actor could not deceive him over prolonged day-to-day contact.
Gu Qingnan genuinely shared a hostile rift with the Gu family.
Not only that, Gu Qingnan had even expressed a desire to live their lives together properly.
In his original blueprint, he never intended to let Gu Qingnan come into contact with the child; once the nursing period passed, he would have hired specialists for care and early childhood education…
Yet Gu Qingnan was a good father.
“What do you want?” Wei Nianxi suddenly spoke.
As the head of the Wei family, any misstep could lead to incalculable losses; he could never afford to make mistakes.
Those two individuals had long etched that truth into his mind through bloody lessons.
Yet he had made two mistakes when it came to Wei Yeban.
The previous incident could still be chalked up to unforeseen circumstances, but this time…
Since when had he taken it for granted that Gu Qingnan would handle everything regarding Wei Yeban?
Gu Qingnan looked toward him.
“As an apology for this matter,” Wei Nianxi said.
Gu Qingnan had already pushed the prior annoyance aside, but hearing this brought it straight back, and his brow furrowed anew.
Wei Nianxi raised a brow.
‘Gu Qingnan is angry again?’
‘Weren’t things just fine a moment ago?’
Just as Wei Nianxi was about to speak, his phone rang.
The caller was Ji Wen.
Wei Nianxi stood up and walked over to the window.
– “Speak.”
– “President Shen’s side mentioned they have a few more matters to inquire about, and if possible, they’d like to finalize the contract today…”
Wei Nianxi had no intention of putting all his eggs in one basket.
The new product had only been launched two days ago, yet he had already begun preparing another project; his trip out of town yesterday had been for final inspections.
– “I’ll be down immediately.”
Finishing his words, Wei Nianxi hung up and headed toward the door.
Reaching the doorway, Wei Nianxi spoke once more.
“If there’s anything you want, send the list directly to Ji Wen.”
Gu Qingnan ignored him.
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Read : How To Survive Without Dying at The Hands of The Emperor
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