Chapter 120 Strike First

I see.

Shen Cong is truly resourceful; even under Li Tingxi's surveillance, he was still able to contact Shen Xiyue, who was far away overseas!

"Did I hold a gun to their heads and force them to kidnap me and illegally remove my kidney?" Su Youling said sarcastically without any mercy. "Shen Xiyue, you did help me once, but don't forget that their initial motivation for committing the crime was also for you. I don't owe you anything, so stop trying to morally blackmail me."

She was about to hang up when she heard a heart-wrenching scream, "Sister!"

"Chen Xiyue!" Li Mufeng's panicked voice rang out, "Quick! Go find Professor Jin! The patient is vomiting blood, and the condition is very bad..."

He spoke in English, and Su Youling understood him.

The phone line was filled with the faint sound of breathing mixed with static, sobs, and barely audible murmurs of pleading, one "sister" after another...

Su Youling gripped her phone tightly, unable to press the hang-up button. She listened to the chaotic sounds on the other end, the calls for immediate resuscitation; she heard Professor Jin's reprimand, saying the patient couldn't be agitated; she heard Li Mufeng's worry, saying that if Li Tingxi knew Shen Xiyue had vomited blood, he definitely wouldn't let her off the hook.

The other end of the phone was in chaos, but Su Youling felt strangely calm.

Shen Xiyue was once her blood relative.

They were born in the same womb and once relied on each other to come into this new world together. However, due to their parents' absurd and unconventional reasons, they were separated by fate from a young age. They did not know each other, let alone have any sisterly affection.

That's what I've always thought, and I've calculated the boundaries between her and Shen Xiyue very clearly.

So she never thought of being a moral saint, donating her own kidney for a complete stranger.

She's such a cold-blooded and selfish person!

I've always only cared about the family and friends I approve of.

But as the beeping of the resuscitation device echoed in her ears like a death knell, she clearly saw the cold defenses in her heart gradually crumbling.

"Li Mufeng, please tell Shen Xiyue for me—" Su Youling said calmly after hearing Li Mufeng's reply, "She wants me to make an exception for Shen Cong and his wife and let Shen Xiyue come to me alive to plead for her."

“Su Youling, you…” Li Mufeng’s voice held a hint of heartache. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have let Shen Xiyue see us on the phone. Don’t make yourself suffer because of your guilt. Her health was already poor, it has nothing to do with you…”

"Thank you." Su Youling smiled faintly.

The smile was devoid of warmth, so cold it was heartbreaking.

Even an outsider like Li Mufeng would treat her as a real person with flesh and blood.

But Shen Xiyue kept calling her "sister," using morality as a pretext to relentlessly press her despite her weakened state.

"I won't wrong myself, but I don't want to involve a life." Su Youling wasn't being morally blackmailed; she just didn't want to be burdened with those constraints.

"Then why did you just say you wanted to let those two disgusting old bastards from the Shen family go!" Li Mufeng already knew what Shen Cong and his wife had done to Su Youling, so he hated these scum even more and felt even more sorry for Su Youling, this strong and forbearing seaweed in the deep sea.

"I only said I'd give them a break," Su Youling said. "I'll hang up now if there's nothing else."

"Wait a minute." Li Mufeng hesitated, "Su Youling, are you planning to continue like this with Li Tingxi? Without any official status! Shen Xiyue will need surgery sooner or later, and after she recovers..."

#Please do not use incognito mode whenever verification is required!

"The Li family will probably stabilize then. If Li Tingxi and Shen Xiyue openly rekindle their old flame, won't you become cannon fodder?"

Su Youling's breath hitched for a moment. She tried to ignore the discomfort in her chest and said indifferently, "I hope that day comes soon."

Li Mufeng understood that she wanted to leave and was secretly pleased, but then he thought about it again and was more worried. "So you're just going to wait like this? Continue to be inseparable from Li Tingxi? If someone finds out your identities, then Li Tingxi and Shen Xiyue will be 'returning to the right path,' and you, the substitute, will become a sitting duck."

Su Youling gripped the ointment in her hand tightly. "Did Li Tingxi make you say these things?"

"No!" Li Mufeng carefully chose his words and said solemnly, "Tingxi acted impulsively and insisted on keeping you by his side. But if you want to leave, I can help you!"

He sent Su Youling a new number, "Li Tingxi is well aware of my influence. This is a capable person in my family, outside of Li Tingxi's sphere of influence. If you ever want to leave quietly, contact him for help."

Su Youling accepted it.

After hanging up the phone, she suddenly felt that even the sunlight had become very cold.

My hands and feet were ice cold. I don't know when the ointment in my hand was broken, and the sticky ointment was squeezed out and covered my hands.

Su Youling glanced at it, walked to the trash can, and threw the tube of medicine away.

...

Li Tingxi drove back to the hotel, still feeling frustrated, but he was worried about the predicament of Yitao Culture and didn't want Su Youling to become isolated and helpless.

Qin He reported to him about Su Youling's scheme against Zhao Fu, so she must have found a new way to do it now.

However, since Li's mother had given them three days, and Zhao Fu was no pushover, it would be best to strike first to avoid any unforeseen complications.

"Qin He, is Manager Liu awake?" Li Tingxi asked.

"He's receiving treatment in the hospital and should wake up today," Qin He said in a low voice. "Madam said she's keeping him in the hospital for now, probably because she wants to use him to bring down Zhao Fu after the project is resolved."

“Zhao Fu won’t sit idly by. After all, B City is his territory, and the hospital might not be completely safe.” Li Tingxi pondered for a moment. “Find a safe private clinic and transfer him there. I want to see him tonight.”

"Okay." Qin He paused for a moment. "President Li, Zhao Fu gave Madam an electronic invitation. Madam is supposed to be attending a charity gala at the Yin family's residence, hoping to find the hidden President Li. However, the Yin family is powerful and mysterious. Could Zhao Fu's 'kindness' be a trap?"

Li Tingxi frowned.

He had originally planned to go home with Su Youling and have a proper talk about what Zhao Fu had confessed to, and then plan what to do next, but he forgot to ask because he was angry.

She didn't even tell me.

Is he planning to venture into a dangerous place alone?

Even if she could get into the Yin family, if the person surnamed Li had a deep relationship with the Yin family, why would those people help her?

I'm afraid that even safety will become a problem then!

"Try to get an invitation..." Before Li Tingxi could finish speaking, Qin He shook his head apologetically, "President Li, the Yin family acts strangely. They only invite friends approved by the Yin family to the charity banquet, and they never associate with foreign businessmen. I'm afraid they won't give the Li family any face."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I've checked. The Yin family has a mysterious and low-profile manor in the suburbs. It's heavily guarded and full of high-tech gadgets. Without an invitation, you probably can't get in."