Chapter 65

◎Because at that moment, I wanted you. ◎

Zhong Qi glanced at his watch, tapped his long fingers on the diamond-encrusted tourbillon dial, and said with a sly smile, "Young Master He's little darling will arrive in ten minutes."

He Qingzhao didn't even glance at him.

Zhong Qi stopped his frivolous smile and said seriously, "Are you just going to let your election defeat go like this?"

He Qingzhao's lips curled into a cold smile, and he said disdainfully, "Just a mere chamber of commerce president."

Zhong Qi raised an eyebrow: "So, we're just letting the 918 project go?"

He Qingzhao remained silent with a sullen face.

Zhong Qi took off his wristwatch and tossed it to him, grinning roguishly, "So, having too many admirers isn't always a good thing."

He Qingzhao's expression darkened further, but he remained silent.

Zhong Qi, however, seemed oblivious to the situation and deliberately said, "Take the leak of your 918 project, for example. Everyone originally thought it was a spy in your R&D team or among the company's senior management, but it turns out it was a romantic entanglement you caused yourself."

"What romantic entanglements?" Gu Xiwen asked casually as he entered the ward during his night shift rounds, having just heard the second half of Zhong Qi's sentence.

Zhong Qi explained with a smile, "You know, Zhao Qingman, the third young lady of the Zhao family, has liked Lao He since she was a teenager, and she still likes him now. She's completely obsessed. If Lao He hadn't agreed to marry Zhao Qingman in the first place, it would have been fine. But he insisted on provoking the third young lady, even taking wedding photos with her and sending out wedding invitations, only to suddenly break off the engagement. The third young lady couldn't stand this, so in a fit of anger, she came up with the 'if I can't have it, I'll destroy it' scheme."

Gu Xiwen glanced at He Qingzhao's cold face, pushed up his glasses, and asked with a smile, "What kind of dirty trick?"

Zhong Qi turned to the side and continued, "Professor Yang's daughter, Yang Panpan, also likes Lao He, and has liked him since she was a teenager. Zhao Qingman and Yang Panpan were high school classmates, and they both knew that the other liked Lao He. After Lao He broke off the engagement, Zhao Qingman found Yang Panpan and wanted her to steal the research and development blueprints for Project 918 and sell them to another company, so that Lao He could taste the bitterness of failure."

Gu Xiwen: "..."

Zhong Qi: "You know, Lao He has been the public enemy of us men since he was a child. With him around, we are all made to look worthless. No man doesn't want to see him suffer. I reckon that all those young masters and noblemen in Beijing are celebrating with champagne at their respective venues after his election defeat. It's just the two of us honest men here with him."

Gu Xiwen asked curiously, "Yang Panpan agreed?"

Zhong Qi: "No, Yang Panpan didn't agree. Lao He broke off his engagement with Zhao Qingman. Yang Panpan was overjoyed. How could she possibly help Zhao Qingman deal with Lao He? But there's a student that Professor Yang is mentoring in the 918 project's research and development team. That guy likes Yang Panpan."

"Zhao Qingman then found the man and told him that if the project was successfully developed, He Qingzhao would gain a foothold in the military industry and become the president of the Chamber of Commerce. He would have power and money, and would gain both fame and fortune. In his excitement and joy, he might even marry Yang Panpan."

"Once He Qingzhao marries Yang Panpan, he will become Professor Yang's son-in-law. With the strong support of Professor Yang, a scientific research expert, the pie of the military industry will only get bigger and bigger."

“Zhao Qingman understands human nature very well. She told the man, ‘You will have no chance at all by then. You will remain unknown and might even become a thorn in He Qingzhao’s side because you liked Yang Panpan. He Qingzhao will make things difficult for you.’”

Gu Xiwen: "Did the man believe it?"

Zhong Qi curled his lip: "That man is a very realistic 'phoenix man' (a man from a poor background who achieves success). He likes Yang Panpan, but it's not entirely because he likes Yang Panpan as a person. The bigger reason is because of Professor Yang. He wants to become the son-in-law of the Yang family and avoid detours to rise directly to the top."

"Later, the man sold the blueprints to Rames through Zhao Qingman and immigrated to New York."

Gu Xiwen lifted He Qingzhao's shirt and glanced at him. The injury on his waist and abdomen had almost healed. He put the shirt down and looked up at He Qingzhao: "The blueprints were leaked, Project 918 failed, and you're just going to let it go like this?"

He Qingzhao remained calm, his eyes as still and undisturbed as an ancient well.

Zhong Qi: "I'm curious too. With Young Master He's personality, he's always the one who schemes against people. Anyone who dares to scheme against him will either be killed or maimed by him, or have their tendons ripped off and bones broken."

He Qingzhao ignored the two of them and got up to go to the bathroom.

Gu Xiwen smiled and said, "I guess Boss He has turned over a new leaf and wants to..."

Before Gu Xiwen could finish speaking, a soft, gentle voice came from the doorway: "Excuse me, is this He Qingzhao's hospital room?"

Zhong Qi hurriedly stood up, turned to Cheng Jiamo, and said with a smile, "Jiamo, come in quickly." He then turned to Gu Xiwen and said, "Dr. Gu, please go to the bathroom and help Lao He out."

Gu Xiwen: "..."

Zhong Qi winked at him: "Go quickly."

Gu Xiwen raised an eyebrow: "..."

Zhong Qi said anxiously, "He's so sick he can barely walk. You can't just help him in and not help him out. He can't crawl out, can he? His girlfriend is watching. It would be so unseemly for him to crawl out like that."

He Qingzhao was holding onto the bathroom door frame with one hand, his foot already sticking out, but when he heard the word "girlfriend," he silently pulled his foot back in.

Gu Xiwen went into the bathroom, turned on the tap at the sink to wash his hands, and, using the sound of the water as cover, whispered, "The reason you tolerated the leak of Project 918 is because of her, isn't it?"

He Qingzhao closed the door and hummed in hushed tones.

Gu Xiwen squeezed some hand sanitizer into his palm and rubbed it together, then asked with a smile, "Afraid the Zhao family will hurt her?"

He Qingzhao: "Mm."

Gu Xiwen laughed: "Boss He has a weakness."

He Qingzhao smiled and said, "She's not a weakness to me, she's my protective armor."

Gu Xiwen twitched her lips, looking sour, wiped her hands clean, and grabbed his arm: "Let's go, let me help you, this Eastern dragon temporarily trapped in the shallows, out of here."

He Qingzhao originally stayed in a high-end VIP deluxe ward, which was a suite. In addition to the spacious and comfortable bed, there were two rest rooms where family members or nursing staff could stay and take care of the patient at any time.

However, after Zhong Qi finished his call with Cheng Jiamo, he immediately asked Gu Xiwen to change the ward. The high-end VIP deluxe ward was changed to a slightly less luxurious VIP ward. The ward still had a large and comfortable bed, and all the facilities in the ward were still complete, including a sofa, coffee table, computer, and TV. However, there was no private rest room. It was essentially a larger single ward.

Cheng Jiamo entered the ward and stood obediently and quietly beside the bed.

He Qingzhao, hunched over, walked out of the bathroom with Gu Xiwen's help. When he saw Cheng Jiamo, his Adam's apple bobbed rapidly, and he was so excited that he wanted to rush up and hug her.

Gu Xiwen pinched his arm and reminded him, "Slow down, don't get excited."

He Qingzhao resisted the urge to hug her and said in a low voice, "Momo."

After saying that, he clenched his fist and coughed a few times, his chest vibrating and his sexy collarbone trembling as he coughed.

While still in the bathroom, He Qingzhao unbuttoned two buttons on her blue and white striped hospital gown, deliberately exposing her prominent collarbone. Against the backdrop of the hospital gown, she looked both sexy and frail, instantly captivating anyone's attention.

As expected, when Cheng Jiamo saw his cold and broken appearance, her nose tingled and her eyes reddened.

Zhong Qi quickly stood up and said in a fast voice, "Old He, since Momo is here, I'll be leaving now. I have things to do at my company. You should take good care of yourself and don't worry about the project or the election."

He was afraid that if he spoke slowly, he would burst out laughing, so he hurriedly left after finishing.

Gu Xiwen helped He Qingzhao to bed: "Call me if you need anything."

Only Cheng Jiamo and He Qingzhao remained in the ward. Cheng Jiamo stood by the bed looking at him, her rosy lips moved slightly, then she pursed them tightly.

He Qingzhao smiled at her: "Don't cry, I'm fine."

Cheng Jiamo sat down on the sofa where Zhong Qi had just sat, turned her head and looked at the TV: "Who cried? I didn't cry. Don't flatter yourself."

He Qingzhao coughed a few times, propped himself up on the bed, reached out to her, lightly touched her arm with his fingertips, and asked gently, "Did you take the Mandarin proficiency test?"

Today is the day of the general level exam, he remembered.

Cheng Jiamo's throat felt a little dry: "I took the exam."

He Qingzhao asked with a smile, "How did the exam go?"

Cheng Jiamo: "It's alright, pretty sunny."

In her excitement, she made it even harder to distinguish between retroflex and alveolar consonants. After speaking, she was so embarrassed that she wanted to bite her tongue, and her ears turned red involuntarily.

He Qingzhao suppressed a laugh, pressing his lips down forcefully: "Without Si'er, we'll definitely pass."

Cheng Jiamo turned her face and glared at him: "Why are you still so mean?"

He Qingzhao smiled and took her hand: "The Mandarin test is for the teacher qualification exam, you don't necessarily have to be a teacher."

Cheng Jiamo pulled her hand away: "What else can I do if I don't become a teacher? There aren't many career paths for my major to begin with. Either I become a teacher, or..."

He Qingzhao: "You can also be my secretary."

Cheng Jiamo: "..."

He Qingzhao grabbed her hand again: "Come to Jingkun during the summer vacation to be the chairman's secretary, just consider it an early internship."

Jingkun Group Co., Ltd. is a leading company in China's electronics industry and a Fortune Global 500 listed company.

Cheng Jiamo knew that He Qingzhao was the chairman of Jingkun Group, or you could say the boss, but she never thought about working for his company because of her major; she had always wanted to be a primary or secondary school teacher.

After a brief pause, Cheng Jiamo withdrew her hand again, stood up, took a few steps back, and shook her head: "Forget it. I know my limitations. I know I don't have the ability to be the chairman's secretary, especially for a big company like Jingkun Group."

He Qingzhao laughed: "But you have the guts to slap Chairman Jingkun in the face."

Cheng Jiamo: "..."

He Qingzhao stopped teasing her and beckoned to her: "Come here."

Cheng Jiamo didn't go over, but stood there and asked, "What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"

He Qingzhao: "If I said it was because I missed you, would you believe me?"

Cheng Jiamo smiled slightly: "Should I believe it?"

He Qingzhao forced a smile: "Whether you believe it or not, I really miss you."

He drank heavily because he missed her so much that he was in so much pain that he ended up in the hospital.

Cheng Jiamo lowered her eyes: "I don't have that much charm, not enough to make you..."

“You do,” He Qingzhao said. “Cheng Jiamo, you know nothing about your own charm, and you know nothing about me.”

Cheng Jiamo lifted her eyelids to look at him.

He Qingzhao leaned against the hospital bed, her collar loosely open, revealing her sexy collarbone and firm chest.

"Momo." His Adam's apple bobbed, and he said in a low, husky voice, "I like you. I liked you the moment I saw you at Hongyu Club. Otherwise, why do you think I helped you that day?"

Cheng Jiamo opened her mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, wanting to say it was because he was a good person, but now she knew very well that He Qingzhao was not a good person.

He Qingzhao: "I have never been a good person, let alone have the virtue of chivalry. There are so many women suffering in the world, why shouldn't I help them?"

Cheng Jiamo pursed her lips.

He Qingzhao: "Let's not talk about anything else. Take Qi Yingjie's club for example. Do you think it's a clean and respectable club? There are many girls in that club who need help, but why did I only help you out? Because at that moment, I felt desire for you. I wanted you."

Cheng Jiamo pursed her lips even tighter: "..."