Oxygen +1

Blazing Oxygen

Text/Yan Chen

2025.8.11 Banxia novel first published

The 7th Huaibei Elderly Care Industry Summit Forum was grandly held in Lin'an Building.

The venue was brightly lit, and promotional videos of major elderly care companies were played on a large screen in a loop.

Xu Liang sat in the front row, casually flipping through the meeting manual that his secretary had just handed him.

Her fingertips tapped lightly on the smooth paper, and her eyes swept across the long introduction, stopping at the last line.

Special guest: Qi Yu, CEO of Yian Technology.

Xu Liang pursed his lips and closed the manual with his backhand, but just as he looked up, he caught a glimpse of the tall figure coming in from outside the venue.

Qi Yu was wearing a neat black suit and was talking to the assistant beside him with his head tilted to the side. The watch exposed on his cuffs reflected a cold light under the light.

He seemed to sense her gaze and slowly raised his eyes.

Their eyes met, and Xu Liang saw a smile on his face.

Xu Liang simply looked away.

I secretly complained: It really is a ghost that won’t go away.

The lights above our heads converged, and the host was already standing on the stage, officially kicking off the forum.

"Next, let us invite Ms. Xu Liang, the director of Tongxin Nursing Home, to give a keynote speech on "The Core Competitiveness of the Elderly Care Industry: Humanistic Care"!"

As she stood up, Xu Liang noticed from the corner of her eye that Qi Yu had taken a seat in the empty seat directly behind her.

She stood upright on the wide platform, glanced down, and her eyes suddenly met those eyes with a hint of provocation.

Xu Liang calmly adjusted the position of the microphone, and his cool and calm face became the perfect focus on the platform under the spotlight.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xu Kyung from Tongxin Nursing Home. I'm honored to be here."

There was a brief pause in his speech, and thunderous applause broke out from the audience.

The person in front of him symbolically raised his hand, clapped twice slowly, raised his eyebrows, and had an expression of "all ears".

Xu Liang curled his lips almost imperceptibly and refocused his attention on the speech.

"'Ensuring every elderly person can enjoy their later years in peace' has always been the core value of our industry. Based on years of continuity and development, it is clear that humanistic care is the core competitiveness of the elderly care industry. Over the past year, Tongxin Nursing Home has gained wide recognition in the industry, and its research in the humanities field has become increasingly in-depth."

The content in the PPT is the essence that Xu Kyung spent a lot of time to extract.

She fluently expressed her views to every colleague present, hoping that they would pay more attention to the role of humanity in the elderly care industry.

"Finally, I wanted to share a photo."

Xu Liang switched the screen and a photo appeared: a white-haired old man was holding Xu Liang's hand affectionately with a warm smile.

"Grandma Zhang has lived in our hospital for five years. Thanks to our comprehensive humanistic care system and services, her anxiety has been significantly alleviated. She has always said..."

Heo Kyung paused briefly and spoke more slowly: "'Everyone here makes me feel happy in my old age.'"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Yu in the audience suddenly tilted his head, chuckled, and raised his hand.

Xu Liang tightened his grip on the microphone, "What do you think, Mr. Qi?"

Qi Yu stood up, his brows looking particularly sharp under the cold light.

"It's not a brilliant opinion, but I'd like to ask Mr. Xu about the complaint rate at Tongxin Nursing Home, which has increased by 5% in the past year. The main reason for the complaints is that the night nurses don't respond quickly enough."

"Excuse me, can your humanistic care solve this problem? Is it inappropriate to conclude that humanistic care is a core competitive advantage?"

The venue suddenly became quiet.

Xu Liang's fingertips secretly pinched into his palm, and a bright smile appeared on his face, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Mr. Qi really knows your competitors inside out, but you've overlooked one thing."

She switched the screen again, and a comparison chart appeared on the big screen. "The depression index of the elderly in our hospital is nearly half the industry average. This is the effect of humanistic care. At the same time, it is also those complaints that have alerted me to more rigorously screen and train the nurses on duty."

She looked directly at Qi Yu and said sharply, "After all, no matter how smart a machine is, it can't give an elderly person warmth and comfort when they're lonely and afraid."

Qi Yu was obviously choked. He glanced coldly at the people on the stage and sat down again.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by an uproar and discussions.

Who doesn’t know that Qi Yu is a pioneer in promoting the technological elderly care model?

Not long ago, he acquired a medical company at a high price and officially launched a high-tech nursing bed, opening the door to a new type of elderly care.

In the words of his peers, Qi Yu dares to think and act.

Xu Liang's words were obviously directed at Qi Yu.

"It's them again?" The CEO of a medical institution was watching the fun from the side.

Another senior care center manager was no longer surprised. "They're both normal. Everyone in the industry knows that Xu Liang and Qi Yu don't get along. They always fight when they meet. They almost got into a fight at the last exhibition."

"A fight broke out? So exaggerated?"

"Yes, these two are both top talents in the industry. Unfortunately, one is a surging wave, and the other is a blazing flame. Naturally, when they collide, there's no stopping them."

“…”

In order to continue the process, the host interrupted the confrontation between the two in time, and Xu Liang returned to his seat.

As soon as she sat down, the person behind her, whether intentionally or unintentionally, gently kicked her seat.

She turned away coldly, ignored him, and continued to listen to the rest of the speech.

…

In the tea room during the intermission, Xu Kyung was waiting to grind coffee.

She leaned against a pillar, editing a message for the vice-president.

"Grandma Li recently changed her oral medication. Remember to tell her to drink plenty of water and urinate regularly. Grandpa Gu's daughter can't come today because she has something else to do. Prepare his favorite braised eggplant for dinner, but make sure it's low in oil and salt. Grandma Yang hasn't been sleeping well lately. Ask Xiao Li to give her a massage."

"I have other things to do after finishing the forum, so I won't be going back today."

After a brief explanation, the hand-ground coffee is ready.

Xu Liang took three packets of candy and went to the small round table next to him with his coffee.

The delicate sweet sugar quickly melts in the coffee, and the brown coffee liquid sways gently, emitting a mellow aroma.

"Excessive sugar intake will accelerate skin aging." A familiar and deep male voice suddenly came from behind.

Xu Liang didn't look back as he poured the last of the sugar into the coffee and stirred it with satisfaction. "Boss Qi, are you even going to monitor the health of your competitors?"

The bitter aroma of black coffee mixed with the fresh scent of cedar wafted over, and Xu Kyung took a sip of the sweet coffee in his hand.

This person still likes to endure hardships, what a pervert.

"Just a friendly reminder." Qi Yu placed the nearly inky black cup of coffee in front of Xu Liang, the bitter aroma becoming even stronger. "Mr. Xu has been quite busy lately, attending forums and busy acquiring abandoned nursing homes."

Xu Kyung paused as he stirred his coffee.

She raised her eyes and met Qi Yu's unclear gaze.

The bitter aroma of black coffee is followed by a hint of astringency.

Xu Liang snorted coldly, "Boss Qi is truly a qualified competitor. He even knows my every move."

Qi Yu's face was calm, his Adam's apple moved slightly, but before he could answer, someone in the venue came to remind him that the intermission was over.

Xu Liang simply stood up without any intention of listening to his answer.

However, she moved too hastily and lost her balance, nearly spraining her ankle in her high heels.

Qi Yu stood up as well, and Xu Liang quickly supported himself on the table, his unbalanced heel landing on the tip of Qi Yu's shiny leather shoes.

Qi Yu stopped and reached out to lend her strength. After she stood firmly, he quickly let go: "If you can't stand steadily, don't wear high heels. With such thin heels, your ankles will suffer."

The next second, Qi Yu hissed because of the sudden increased pain on the instep of his foot.

"It's okay. I'm honored to have President Qi accompany me through this pain."

Xu Kyung's smile is too fake, full of flaws.

She stood up again and walked steadily towards the venue, completely ignoring the man behind her.

Qi Yu stared at the ostentatious figure, drank the already cold black coffee in one gulp, propped up his cheek, and followed in.

-

The forum ends at 5 pm.

Xu Liang was in a hurry to leave the venue. She didn't drive today, and the online taxi had arrived early and was waiting downstairs.

The destination is away from the hustle and bustle of the city center and has a more mysterious charm.

Xu Liang got off the car in front of the antique shop.

She had already made an appointment with her boss in advance.

The boss was waiting for her at the counter.

"Boss Lin, long time no see."

Xu Kyung greeted politely.

Boss Lin nodded slightly: "Let me see how bad it is."

Xu Liang took out an old pocket watch in a box from her bag. This was something her grandparents left her. Two days ago, the pocket watch suddenly stopped working and the gears seemed to be falling off.

"This watch isn't working. Can you fix it?"

Boss Lin looked around the pocket watch, then scanned the inner ring with his flashlight. He said confidently, "It can be repaired. Just come pick it up in a couple of days."

Hearing this, Xu Liang’s heart finally settled down.

She nodded. "No problem, thank you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wind chimes at the door suddenly rang.

Boss Lin glanced sideways, his eyes moving slightly.

She turned around and reminded Xu Liang with a hint of sarcasm: "Your mortal enemy is here."

However, before Xu Liang turned around, Qi Yu was already standing beside her.

“…”

Xu Liang didn't move, showing no intention of paying attention to him.

"Mr. Xu's schedule is quite full."

Qi Yu's eyes fell on the pocket watch in Boss Lin's hand: "It's been so long, you still keep it?"

He remembered that this was a gift from Grandpa Xu. Ever since Grandpa Xu's accident, Xu Liang had been carrying this watch with him.

"Are you planning to monitor me from all angles?"

Xu Liang took two steps to the side, putting some distance between them.

Qi Yu slowly took out a gilded pocket watch from his suit pocket and placed it on the counter:

"Boss Lin, have the parts you mentioned last time arrived?"

Xu Liang glanced at the watch out of the corner of his eye. It was somewhat similar to hers, except for the slightly different chain.

Boss Lin smiled and said, "You two came at the right time. These two watches are from the same batch, so we can repair them together!"

The air froze for a moment.

Qi Yu glanced sideways and said, "Mr. Xu, see, this is a coincidence. I didn't mean to monitor you, but I just ran into you every time."

Xu Liang obviously didn't believe it.

"This is called fate in our place!"

Boss Lin's words slipped in, but were instantly denied by Xu Liang: "Boss Lin, don't listen to his nonsense. He did it on purpose."

Boss Lin smiled and said nothing more.

After confirming that the pocket watch could be repaired, Xu Liang also prepared to leave: "Boss Lin, I'm leaving first. I'll come back to pick it up in two days."

"good."

Before leaving, Xu Liang glared at Qi Yu fiercely.

When the wind chimes rang, Xu Liang heard a melodious bell ringing behind him. Boss Lin seemed to be saying something to Qi Yu.

"...This clock is an antique from many years ago. It has a very special name, 'Obsession'..."

Xu Liang didn’t hear the rest of the words.

She wasn't interested either.

She just hoped there was nothing wrong with the watch.

She planned to walk to the intersection to take a taxi. On the way home, she would pass by Yikan Nursing Home, and she could also go and check it out.

But just as she walked a short distance, the sky suddenly darkened, as if a drop of thick ink had fallen into the clouds. The sweltering air suddenly stagnated, and the wind abruptly died down.

Suddenly, there was a muffled thunder in the distance, as if something was falling from the clouds.

The next second, raindrops shot down like arrows, hitting the asphalt road with a clattering sound, splashing countless water in an instant.

Xu Liang quickly moved under the eaves and decided not to walk to the intersection, but to hail a car on the spot.

Three minutes later, she frowned at the dense rain.

The ride-hailing service she booked was cancelled.

Xu Liang had no choice but to pay more.

"Need a ride?"

A deep voice suddenly penetrated the rain curtain and reached Xu Liang's ears.

In the blurry and gloomy downpour, Qi Yu's car was parked there steadily, with the cold white headlights flashing in front and raindrops hitting the headlights clearly.

Xu Liang continued to add money, her cold face half hidden in the rain and fog. She turned sideways and simply refused: "No need, get in your car, I might as well go back in the rain."

"Your home is 23 kilometers away, and you're walking back in the rain wearing high heels. Is Mr. Xu trying to do me a favor and painlessly eliminate a competitor?"

The corners of Xu Liang's mouth twitched, and a surge of strength emerged from his heart.

She clicked cancel on the app. It was a free car, she would miss it if she didn't take it!

She was turning around when she suddenly met his smiling eyes.