Chapter 316 Three Dead Ends

Qian Hao felt like he was going crazy.

That letter was like a death warrant, swirling in his mind day and night.

He locked himself in the private room for two whole days.

From the next room, the father's suppressed groans of pain and the hurried footsteps of the servants could be heard from time to time.

Dr. Liu came every day, and each time he left shaking his head, his expression growing more and more grave.

“Young Master, the old master… the blackness on the old master’s fingers has spread to his wrist.”

"Young Master, the old master's pulse is exactly the same as described in the letter. This...this really is the Black Gold Poison!"

"Young Master, if you don't come up with a solution soon, the old man... I'm afraid he won't make it through this week!"

Every word was like an awl, piercing Qian Hao's heart.

Fear clung to him like vines, making it hard for him to breathe.

He finally realized that he had not provoked some quack doctor at all, but a Yama who could easily crush him.

On the morning of the third day, Qian Haotong pushed open the door with red eyes.

He dressed himself up impeccably, then went to the storeroom himself and packed the most valuable century-old wild ginseng, a pair of jade ruyi scepters, and a thick stack of brand-new 10,000-yuan bills into an exquisite leather suitcase.

He was going all out.

He would give up his father's life, not to mention money, he would even give up his dignity!

The car sped along and finally stopped at the heavily guarded gate of the military compound.

Qian Hao carried the heavy suitcase, walked up to the police officer on duty, and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Comrade, hello. I'm looking for Brigade Commander Lu's wife. I'm Qian Hao from Derentang, and I'd like to see Mr. Bai Shu."

The sentry glanced at him, then picked up the internal phone and dialed the number.

A short while later, the courtyard gate opened.

What came out was not a gentleman, but a tall, imposing officer in military uniform with a menacing face.

Gao Jianjun strode out, looked Qian Hao up and down with the same look he gave him as if he were a bug.

"You're Qian Hao?"

"Yes, yes, that's me." Qian Hao quickly offered a cigarette. "Sir, I'm here to..."

Gao Jianjun didn't take his cigarette and interrupted him expressionlessly.

“There is no ‘Mr. Baishu’ here, only the family of our Brigade Commander Lu.”

He paused, then said, word by word, "Mr. Qian, you've come to the wrong place."

After saying that, he turned around and was about to close the door.

Qian Hao's mind went blank for a moment, and he panicked.

He knew this was the other party giving him a warning; if he didn't show some attitude, he wouldn't be getting through the door today!

"Sir! Sir, please wait!"

Qian Hao didn't care about saving face anymore and lunged forward, almost grabbing Gao Jianjun's leg.

"I was blind to your greatness! I'm not human! I've offended Madam Lu, I deserve to die!"

"Please, please, let me see Madam Lu! I'm willing to pay any price! Please!"

Gao Jian-jun frowned in disgust and shook off his hand.

"Madam Lu is unwell and will not receive guests."

With a loud bang, the vermilion gate slammed shut in front of him.

Qian Hao was turned away at the gate, but he didn't dare to show any anger. He knew this was a show of force.

He gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and knelt down with a thud at the entrance of the Lu family compound.

"Mrs. Lu, Qian Hao has come to apologize to you!"

"I know I was wrong! Please, have mercy on me this time!"

His voice was loud and mournful, which quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers.

The military compound is inhabited by military families, who usually have a quiet life. But seeing the commotion, they all came over.

"Hey, isn't that the young master of Derentang?"

"Why is he kneeling here? What did he do wrong?"

"I heard she offended that woman in our No. 1 compound, that new Lu family daughter-in-law who looks like a fairy."

"Serves him right! I heard that kid is no good outside. He's done all sorts of bad things because his family has some money."

"They've bitten off more than they can chew, haven't they? How many guts does he have to mess with our King Yama Lu?"

The whispers and pointing fingers felt like needles pricking Qian Hao.

He had never suffered such humiliation in his entire life.

But he dared not leave, for his father's life was in the hands of the man inside.

He could only kneel on the ground like a lapdog, kowtowing again and again, pleading desperately.

From afternoon until evening, when the sun was almost setting, Qian Hao's knees were numb from kneeling and his voice was hoarse from shouting.

By the window on the second floor, Su Wantang, dressed in loose-fitting home clothes, held a glass of warm water in her hand and coldly watched the humble figure downstairs.

Lu Jingyan stood behind her, his tall figure completely enveloping her.

He didn't say anything, but simply reached out and gently massaged her shoulders.

He knew that his young wife wasn't simply trying to humiliate him.

She was using this method to gradually wear down Qian Hao's arrogance and wishful thinking, making him fully realize his situation.

Su Wantang didn't put down her water glass until it was completely dark.

"Let him in. The noise is too loud and will frighten the child."

Lu Jingyan lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

"good."

He picked up the phone and notified Gao Jianjun.

Soon, the door opened again.

Gao Jian-jun came out and looked down at Qian Hao, who was almost exhausted.

"Want to live?"

"Yes! Yes!" Qian Hao nodded frantically, as if grasping at a lifeline.

Gao Jianjun didn't help him up. Instead, he took a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and threw it in front of him.

"My wife said to take a look at this first, and then think about whether I deserve to live."

With trembling hands, Qian Hao picked up the note.

He unfolded it and saw a few lines of text, written in neat handwriting, but the content chilled him to the bone.

The conditions set out by "Bai Zhu" were listed there.

Looking at the three extremely harsh conditions, Qian Hao felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, as if all the blood in his body had been drained.

First, 30% of Derentang's shares will be unconditionally transferred to the name of someone I designate.

Second, hand over all of Derentang's medicinal material channels and supplier lists, including those that are shady.

Third, at this time tomorrow, prepare fragrant tea, kneel at the door, and serve tea to my wife to apologize.

"If you do these three things, I'll consider whether or not to save your father's life."

This is hardly a condition.

This is fucking going to kill him!

A 30% stake means nearly half of Derentang's profits!

The source and catalog of medicinal materials are the foundation of Derentang's survival and livelihood!

They even demanded that he kneel down, serve tea, and apologize!

Qian Hao, a prominent figure in Beijing, had never suffered such a humiliating disgrace.

His face flushed red and then turned pale, and his hand holding the note trembled like a leaf falling in the autumn wind.

Gao Jianjun looked at his expression, as if his parents had died, and sneered.

"What? You don't want to?"

“If you feel you’ve been taken advantage of, you can get lost now. But let me warn you, your father’s life is in our lady’s hands. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

"You should think about it carefully."

After saying that, Gao Jianjun ignored him, turned around and went back to the compound, slamming the gate shut again.

Qian Hao was left alone, kneeling on the cold stone road, clutching the piece of paper that would determine the fate of his family, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.