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"I don't agree." Yang Xiao took a deep breath and answered firmly.

"Zhi Miao's success today is due to my personal efforts, but more importantly, it is due to the contributions of my colleagues. It's said to be a three-month cooperation, but I'm afraid it's more than just cooperation. When the three months are up, either you buy out my people at a high price, or copy the Zhi Miao system." After all, there is no such thing as a free lunch. The words "conditions are optional" are a blatant trap no matter where they are put.

"You have so little confidence in your people and the system?" Miao Yue was adept at provoking others.

"No matter how much you provoke me, it's useless. Mr. Miao should know better than me that human nature cannot stand the test." This deal, after all, is an exchange of personal interests between her and Miao Yue. Naturally, the conditions should be borne by each of them personally, rather than involving the whereabouts of others, let alone the future and destiny of Zhimiao.

"So you don't care about your adoptive father and Zhou Qi at all." Miao Yue quickly flipped through the pile of documents the assistant had placed on the table, and continued to pressure Yang Xiao, "Don't tell me they treat you badly? You're so cold-blooded."

"I care about them and I care about my career. These are not reasons or excuses for you to use to kidnap me and force me to choose one. I sacrificed my colleagues in pursuit of the truth I want. Don't you think this is cold-blooded and selfish?" Yang Xiao has heard similar moral kidnapping tactics countless times.

When she first started elementary school, the town's conditions were poor. The school was just a shed with a mud wall. Next to it was a yard with a short but sturdy fig tree. Beneath the tree was a thin iron slide. As she slid down, the cool metal felt through the fabric, reaching her thighs and buttocks. But she never tired of it.

Because I've never played it before.

There were no bells for classes to start or end, no speakers either, only a rattle that the principal's grandmother had to shake in her hand. Therefore, the range of sound transmission and hearing was very limited, and most of the time, it was up to the children to shout on their own.

She remembered it was the third day of school. The other kids in her class had already found playmates, but she wasn't. Because her family was poor and she had few clothes, Yang Guizi didn't wash them often enough, so she was always filthy, her face as black as if she'd just crawled out of a chimney. Sometimes, when she sneezed, a large slug would stick out of her nose, and she'd just wipe it off with a leaf from the ground. Naturally, the kids didn't want to play with her.

So, after the children had all gone into the shed in groups of three or four for class, she finally got to play on the slide. She ran up and down the iron staircase, the clattering sound echoing through the silent yard. Her bob-cut was damp with sweat, her bangs sticking tightly to her forehead, unmoved by the wind.

It's really fun.

I don’t know how long I played, but I felt like I hadn’t had enough. Just as I was about to climb up the stairs and slide down, the principal’s grandmother came over with a tape measure, frowned, and shouted at me, “Come down quickly!”

Fortunately, Yang Xiao was not beaten, but was scolded.

The dean's grandmother said, "Your family is so poor, so you must study hard when you come to school so that you can repay your father in the future. Your father works so hard, he didn't just let you come here to play."

Yang Xiao was terrified. She was afraid that Yang Quezi would beat her again if he found out. Whenever it came to academics, Yang Quezi was like a different person. If her handwriting in the notebook wasn't good, he'd tear it up and tell her to rewrite it. But when he saw her second copy, which was well-written, he'd smile and pat her head, "My girl, your handwriting is so beautiful. You'll definitely have a bright future."

But she really wants to play.

She likes going to school and learning new things, but she also wants to play on the slide and stand on a small stool to pick the extremely sweet melons.

But why, in the adult world, are play, study, and family so opposed and contradictory? If she plays, it means she won't learn well, and if she doesn't learn well, it means she's a failure, unable to repay her family and the kindness of their upbringing. Who wrote this equation, and how much experience supports it? It's as if her background has determined that she will never be able to experience pure happiness in her life.

Yang Xiao has not found the answer yet and is still tied up.

"To be honest, I envy you quite a bit." This time, it was not Yang Xiao who spoke up, but Miao Yue.

"It's hard not to let others sway your decision." After saying that, Miao Yue suddenly realized how hypocritical her words were. "Well, since Mr. Yang won't cooperate, then excuse me for disturbing you."

"Mr. Miao, you can refuse too." Yang Xiao didn't know what Miao Yue was trying to escape, her marriage or her unenthusiastic career, but she chimed in anyway. She had never imagined that one day someone she'd once envied would tell her, "I really envy you." This slightly absurd feeling, tangled with the frustration and anger at learning there might be a hidden reason behind Zhou Daye's death, made her breath suffocate.

Miao Yue didn't say anything and hung up the phone.

reject.

It seemed like no one had ever given her such an option in her life. So she always thought that choosing the best option from the options given by others was victory, but she didn't realize that sometimes the best option might be the one she gave herself.

"Brother Fang Qiu, after Uncle Zhou passed away, will the hospital still have his file?" Yang Xiao hung up the phone, her heart palpitating uncontrollably for a moment. She slowly and immediately called Fang Qiu again. The call was answered quickly as usual. The sound of cutlery clattering could be heard from time to time amidst the indistinct voices. "If the store is busy right now, I'll call back later."

"Oh, I'm not busy. The handsome new receptionist I just hired can't figure out how to use the standalone game, so I'm still teaching him. He's finally gotten the hang of it, so I'm going upstairs to the office to get some peace and quiet." Fang Qiu raised his phone, gestured to the receptionist, and turned to go upstairs. "I'll give you a sneak peek. Zhou Qi is also investigating this."

"But I don't know where exactly they found it."

"This guy, what he does is just like the FBI, he's really good at keeping secrets..." Fang Qiu walked around the corner and leaned on the handrail to rest, walking up the stairs while talking on the phone, he was really tired. "He probably has a USB drive with him, and everything is on it. But Yang Xiao, listen to your brother Fang Qiu's advice, his trip to Wuhan probably won't be that simple, so don't get involved in this mess."

"Okay. Thank you, Brother Fang Qiu. I actually have some idea of ​​what Zhou Qi is doing." Yang Xiao had a rough idea of ​​what he was doing, based on his injuries and his confession of doing something dangerous. She then checked the official website for some publicly available financial data and bidding instructions. While nothing serious seemed to be amiss, the low-value consumables, the repair costs, and the winning bidder all seemed a bit odd. Low-value consumables were consumed in significant quantities, and repair costs were constantly rising. The medical supplies company that won the bid for the huge Third Municipal Hospital was surprisingly a small, unknown company.

The annual audit report is always issued with no opinion.

Yang Xiao thought, if Zhou Qi could just tell her that he was investigating the Third Municipal Hospital and that there might be more to it than meets the eye, she would definitely help him without hesitation, whether it was looking at financial reports or audit reports. Regardless, she would definitely help him and tell him she wasn't afraid at all.

But he didn't tell anyone and took it all on himself. What a fool.

If someone really wanted to take revenge on him, would he let Yang Xiao go just because she was only his sister in name?

Their fates had been tied together as early as the day Uncle Zhou took her home, at dusk in Lu Town. From then on, whether they rose or fell, they would share the burden.

Besides, she had been working on projects for so many years and had seen companies of all sizes, and these ant-moving tricks were endless. A passing goose always leaves a trace, so how could such a large hospital not reveal any clues?

"It's okay, Brother Fang Qiu. Can you help me contact the nurse who was in charge of Uncle Zhou's ward at the time?" Miao Yue had handed her a clue, so she had to use it. She was determined not to make a choice, so she had to save Zhi Miao and investigate the hidden secrets behind Uncle Zhou. "If we can find the files from that year, that would be even better."

"Hey, it's been five years already, almost. It's hard to say." Fang Qiu took a breath and slumped down on the sofa. "I'll try my best."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Fang Qiu. Zhimiao is profitable this year, so I'll buy some shares." Yang Xiao was actually quite embarrassed. She knew her words were just empty promises, but she said it anyway. She wasn't sure how close Zhou Qi and Fang Qiu's relationship was, but no matter how close it was, it was Zhou Qi's connection, not hers.

The world is bustling with people, all seeking profit. Fang Qiu wasn't one to do this for profit, but she couldn't just send someone on a errand for nothing.

"Then I'm eagerly awaiting Mr. Yang's good news." Upon hearing that little Yang Xiao wanted to invest, Fang Qiu sat up with a jerk from the sofa and began to consider the restaurant's interior design and menu. He never believed Yang Xiao's company would lose money. This little girl hadn't been to the restaurant often since high school, but in his heart, Yang Xiao had long been like his own sister. Moreover, even before she reached adulthood, she had already shown signs of business acumen.

"no problem."

Before Zhou Qi could contact her, Yang Xiao sent him a message. The gist of it was that Miao Yue had come to see her about a potential partnership and asked for his opinion. The situation was already settled; this was simply Yang Xiao's way of testing whether Zhou Qi would take this opportunity to tell her everything. She wanted to help, but he had to be sincere in his cooperation.

But Zhou Qi didn't see the news until three days later. He'd been so busy these past few days that his lips had cracked. He couldn't touch them, but he had to wear a thick mask. Every time he breathed in, they would itch and ache. He sat down on the ground to rest for a while, and fell asleep.

But before he could rest for a while, his colleague woke him up and took over his shift. That's when he saw Yang Xiao's message.

He was somewhat surprised. Yang Xiao rarely asked for his opinion on work matters. She used to share her joys and sorrows with him, but never asked him what to do next. She was always very opinionated. Miao Yue's discussion with her was probably about more than just collaboration.

His fingers tapped rapidly on the keyboard, pausing from time to time to check his tone. After deleting and cutting, he simply turned off the phone screen. What should he say to support his belief that this deal was not worth her risk?

Do I need to tell her everything I did and then tell her, Yang Xiao, not to believe them?