Chapter 36 Making Things Difficult

No sooner had Ms. Qin left than the office door was violently pulled open.

Xiao Jun turned around at the sound and saw Chen Jiashu stumbling out, clutching his right eye. He barely managed to steady himself by bracing himself against the edge of the table, but his body was still trembling uncontrollably, clearly enduring intense physical pain. Even so, Chen Jiashu calmly issued commands:

"Go and follow her, and have Assistant Ye come over to take me to the hospital." His voice was terribly hoarse.

His face and neck were flushed red, and sweat poured down his face like a broken string. Because his limbs were so tense, the artery under his jaw throbbed vehemently, appearing unusually prominent and somewhat frightening.

"Chairman Chen..."

Xiao Jun hesitated, feeling that Chen Jiashu should be rushed to the hospital immediately.

Unexpectedly, his momentary hesitation angered Chen Jiashu. The man raised his hand and slapped his elbow, sternly ordering, "Go now!!"

Two hours ago.

The moment an employee carrying documents swiped his card to enter the turnstile, Chen Cheng quickly squeezed his hands and feet into the closing turnstile door.

"What are you doing?!"

"Grab him quickly!!"

Security guards and receptionists chased after him, shouting.

Based on past experience, Chen Cheng concluded that the president's office must be on the top floor. Amidst the bewildered gazes of the people in the elevator, he slipped into the stairwell.

He mustered all his strength and ran up the steps, spiraling around and around until he was dizzy and out of his mind. His breathing was heavy and labored, and beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, soaking his collar.

He ran up countless floors until the footsteps chasing him behind him completely faded away. Only then did Chen Cheng stagger to a stop, look up at the floor sign, and realize he had reached the thirtieth floor.

However, they hadn't reached the top floor yet. Since there were no more pursuers, Chen Cheng held onto the handrail and dragged his leaden legs upwards.

Finally, we've reached the thirty-sixth floor.

Surprisingly, there were no guards on this floor, so he entered the office area smoothly and walked straight down the corridor to the chairman's office at the far east end.

However, the moment his hand touched the handle, Chen Jiashu's gentle voice came from inside:

"Chen Cheng?"

His breathing was so loud that it startled the man inside. But judging from his tone, Chen Jiashu didn't seem surprised by his arrival.

Chen Cheng raised his voice and replied, "I am Chen Cheng from Hengyu Technology."

"Come in."

Chen Cheng pushed open the door and went in, just as Chen Jiashu, leaning on his cane, walked around the desk. He paused, raised his hand, and gestured for Chen Cheng to sit on the sofa over there.

Several hurried footsteps suddenly stopped at the door.

A gentle female voice instructed, "Chairman Chen's guests, please go downstairs."

Chen Cheng remembered that the voice belonged to the female secretary.

Inside the sun-drenched room, the shadows of the two people who sat down one after the other were reflected on the white wall.

"You think I'm deliberately making things difficult for you?"

After asking this question, Chen Jiashu turned around and leaned his white cane against the wall.

Chen Cheng was so exhausted that his throat was practically parched, and he couldn't make a sound for a while.

He went over Chen Jiashu's question in his mind. Indeed, during the three or four hours he wandered downstairs and the ten or so minutes he ran upstairs, he once thought that Chen Jiashu was deliberately making things difficult because of Sister Qiao.

After all, when Chairman Chen took Sister Qiao away with a dark face that night, it was obvious to everyone that Chairman Chen was very concerned about Sister Qiao having contact with other men.

However, upon meeting him in person, I had a strange feeling that this was not the case.

Chen Jiashu suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

Perhaps thinking of something, Chen Jiashu stood up by pushing off the sofa armrest with his palm. Without taking his white cane, he walked straight to the small refrigerator on the cabinet table inside the desk, grabbed the pull ring, opened the refrigerator door, took out a bottle of Evian mineral water, and walked back with it.

This series of actions was mechanically coordinated and perfectly synchronized, as if it were a pre-programmed sequence.

His eyes, reflecting the sunlight, shone brightly like stars; looking at them alone, he didn't seem blind at all. But he wasn't like a normal person either; his head was slightly bowed, and his expression was focused. If an unexpected event were to intrude, it could very well cause the program to malfunction.

Thinking of this, Chen Cheng held his breath, his chest heaving violently, afraid of disrupting his rhythm.

Chen Jiashu walked between the two sofas, pressed his arm down, and handed him the bottle of mineral water: "Have a drink of water first."

Thank you.

Chen Cheng took the bottle of water with both hands. He was extremely thirsty. He unscrewed the cap and gulped down half of the bottle.

The burning sensation in my throat subsided somewhat.

Chen Jiashu was already sitting opposite him. He must have heard the sound of the bottle being put down before he spoke: "Twelve years ago, a business partner signed a letter of intent, but suddenly backed out on the day of payment. We barged into his company around the same time as you, stopped him at the office door, and asked him to listen to our explanation."

"After hearing our 'explanation,' that person cursed and told the finance department to make the payment. After the payment was made, he told us to 'get lost.'" He paused, then smiled: "That 'get lost' was heavenly news to us. My partner and I went out to celebrate that night."

As expected, Chen Jiashu knew he would come, which meant he was deliberately making things difficult. Chen Cheng humbly inquired, "Chairman Chen, did the due diligence find any problems?"

Chen Jiashu crossed his legs, nodded slightly, and casually placed his hands on his lap: "It's about your company's equity structure."

Chen Cheng held his breath, remained silent, and pretended to listen attentively.

Chen Jiashu continued, "The shareholding is relatively dispersed. How many people are in your partnership?"

"Four people."

“As the founder, you own 50% of the equity, while Qin Qiao, as the angel investor, owns 30%, and the other two each own 10%. In other words, Qin Qiao only needs to convince any one of the partners to veto your major decisions.” Chen Jiashu added, “Investors don’t want a CEO who can be sidelined at any time.”

The man spoke in a calm tone, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, without any condescending attitude. He seemed more like a friend or senior patiently offering advice.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Sister Qiao helped us when we were in trouble. If it weren't for her... the company might not exist anymore."

Chen Jiashu asked, "Are you two boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Chen Cheng asked, puzzled, "Does this have anything to do with equity?"

“She owns 30% of the shares. If you two are a couple, and the shares are merged after you get married, it’s very likely that she’ll have complete control.” Chen Jiashu’s eyes darkened slightly, and he continued, “If she divorces, the company might be divided. Do you think that’s a problem?”

"We're just good friends."

Chen Jiashu asked again, "Ms. Qin was unaware that she held shares?"

Chen Cheng's response to the question was awkward.

"Do you know what it means if a financial journalist holds more than 10% of the shares in a startup?"

Sister Qiao only knew that he held 10% of the shares because he had done so without her knowledge.

Chen Cheng clenched his fists and could not answer.

Chen Jiashu's deep voice took on a cold tinge: "First, she violated the 'Code of Conduct for Journalists,' which could lead to the revocation of her press card; second, if the company is involved in litigation, she, as a shareholder, will bear joint liability."

The agency didn't tell him about the risks of a reporter holding more than 10% of the shares in a startup. Chen Cheng's expression changed drastically: "I hadn't thought about that... The agency told me I only needed an ID card..."

But when he saw Chen Jiashu's unfathomable eyes, he stiffened and realized the seriousness of the situation.

"It seems Ms. Qin is unaware, Mr. Chen, that if this is investigated, not only will you face criminal charges, but she will also be implicated..."

His palms were sweaty. Chen Cheng rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I... I just wanted to repay her..."

True gratitude is not about dragging others down with you.

Chen Jiashu's expression softened. "Within three days, have Ms. Qin sign the equity transfer agreement. Also, have her sign a standard loan agreement."

The two then discussed the equity structure in detail for an hour. Chen Jiashu gave him several suggestions from a business perspective, and Chen Cheng listened attentively and benefited greatly.

During the discussion, Chen Cheng's tense mood gradually relaxed.

He gradually realized that Chen Jiashu's "difficulties" were merely making him climb thirty-six flights of stairs. If Chen Jiashu really wanted to make things difficult for him, he wouldn't have bothered to point out the risks and give directions for rectification; he could have simply given up on the grounds that the due diligence failed.

Chen Jiashu was undoubtedly still helping him.

“Okay, let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll have Assistant Ye take you out,” Chen Jiashu said, picking up his white cane. “Assistant Ye will be in charge of coordinating the follow-up procedures. Once you have the materials ready, just contact him directly.”

*

In the middle of the night, due to a sharp increase in intraocular pressure in both eyes, Chen Jiashu was rushed into the operating room and underwent two emergency glaucoma surgeries.

When he was wheeled out, the anesthesia had just worn off, and he was still in a semi-comatose state.

Tian Jiayue went to the office of Director Feng, who was in charge of the surgery.

Pointing the pen tip at the eyepiece on the light board, Director Feng frowned: "An acute increase in intraocular pressure is a serious injury to a healthy optic nerve, and for a nerve that is already extremely fragile, it is a devastating blow."

He paused, then continued, “You’ve all fallen into a misconception: blindness in the left eye doesn’t mean a cure. Mr. Chen has been using medication to control his eye pressure, not to restore his vision, but to control it… to prevent complications caused by high intraocular pressure.”

With tears streaming down her face, Tian Jiayue asked, "But it's only been a little over half a month since the last attack... Doctor, is there any other way? My brother... is in so much pain."

All she could see was Chen Jiashu during the day, his face flushed red, sweat pouring down his face, his teeth chattering, and him barely able to walk. He was usually such a resilient person, but every time his glaucoma flared up, he was in excruciating pain.

"We performed two surgeries on him this time: 'Ciliary body photocoagulation' on his left eye to save the eyeball and maintain its appearance; and 'Iriotomy' on his right eye to clear the drainage channels of aqueous humor. The core purpose of both surgeries was to relieve his pain. Mr. Chen's condition in both eyes is complex, and this is currently the most reliable and fundamental solution to the problem. However, the surgery is not the end. He will still need to monitor his intraocular pressure regularly for the rest of his life... He should pay strict attention to his daily life and avoid fatigue and emotional fluctuations."

"Did your right eye's vision get affected this time?" This was Tian Jiayue's biggest concern.

Director Feng pushed the OCT images on the table towards us: "Yes, this time the high intraocular pressure inevitably caused additional damage to the optic nerve in the right eye. Look here, compared to the last follow-up examination, the thickness of the optic nerve fiber layer has become visible and localized..."

Tian Jiayue walked out of the office in a daze. At the end of the corridor, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps approached. She looked up, and through her teary eyes, she saw Zhu Ao suddenly stop in front of her.

Director Feng pushed the OCT scanner on the table towards him, pointing to the images: "Yes, this sudden increase in intraocular pressure inevitably caused additional damage to the optic nerve in the right eye. Look here, compared to the last follow-up examination, the thickness of the optic nerve fiber layer has visibly and locally thinned..."

Tian Jiayue walked out of the office in a daze. A series of hurried and heavy footsteps approached in the corridor. She looked up with tearful eyes and saw Zhu Ao standing in front of her.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Chen Jiashu woke up with a dull, stinging pain. He subconsciously reached out to touch his eyes, but a male voice stopped him, saying, "Jiashu, don't touch them. You just had surgery at two in the morning."

The next instant, his wrist was gripped by a warm, large hand.

Consciousness quickly returned, and Chen Jiashu recognized Zhu Ao's voice. He turned his head towards the source of the sound, remained silent for a moment, and then, as always when he crawled back from the abyss of anesthesia, asked the first question:

What time is it?

The guttural sounds were dry and indistinct.

In this endless darkness before him, time was the only coordinate he could grasp. Having lost his sight, he couldn't afford to lose control of time as well, or he would be completely lost.

Zhu Ao glanced at his watch and gave a time accurate to the minute: "8:01."

"I announced to the public that I was abroad for a week-long inspection." Chen Jiashu propped himself up with his arms and sat up with difficulty, leaning against the headboard.

"Understood." Zhu Ao turned to look at the porridge on the bedside table. "The doctor said I can eat something when I wake up to avoid low blood sugar. There's porridge on the table. Would you like some now?"

"I'm not hungry." Chen Jiashu looked at him and said, "Go ahead and do your work, don't worry about me."

He was wearing a blue and white striped hospital gown, his eyes wrapped in gauze, the yellow stains of medicine seeping through the bandages looking rather glaring, making him appear quite disheveled. However, even in this undignified state, the authority honed by more than a decade in the business world remained unquestionable.

"Then I'll go to the company." Zhu Ao replied, getting up from the stool. After sitting for a while, there were two deep creases at the knees of his expensive suit trousers. He smoothed them out, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the door.

Hearing the door close, Chen Jiashu reached out and groped on the bedside table. His fingertips touched a warm bowl of porridge, then he moved around it and searched the entire table but couldn't find his phone.

He exhaled and leaned back. Just then, someone came in through the door, and he recognized Old Song from the footsteps.

"Could you help me find my phone?"

Old Song stepped forward, opened the drawer, took out the phone that Chen Jiashu often used, and asked, "Chairman Chen, would you like to turn on the assist mode?"

Chen Jiashu nodded, and Lao Song immediately bent down to operate the device. After setting it up, he placed it in his outstretched palm.

Chen Jiashu gripped his phone and asked, "Was Jiayue here last night?"

He had a splitting headache, but he kept hearing a suppressed sob.

Old Song stood there with his hands folded: "Secretary Tian came to bring you a midnight snack at one o'clock in the morning, and just then she saw you being wheeled into the operating room. She was crying anxiously outside."

"Zhu Ao, yesterday at 6:47 PM, no call answered."

"Auntie, I didn't answer the phone at 7:10 pm yesterday."

"Unknown number, hung up at 10:15 PM yesterday."

A mechanical female voice reads out the call log line by line.

"WeChat is now active."

Chen Jiashu entered the WeChat interface, his private mobile phone number, and saw more than twenty message notifications in the pinned family group.

His finger slid across the screen, and a female voice read out each line of dialogue.

"Qiaoqiao, unread messages. Last message: I misunderstood you, I'm sorry." A cold, mechanical female voice sounded, devoid of any emotion.

My fingertips trembled, and I entered the chat interface.

A bitter smile appeared on Chen Jiashu's lips as the tense scene from yesterday flashed before his eyes. She was angry at his despicable and vile behavior, but now that she knew the truth, she wanted to apologize to him.

Qin Qiao despised bullying and abuse of power. Wasn't her apology exactly what he had expected? Chen Jiashu listened to these words over and over again, and his heart was comforted.

"How are you feeling?" The head doctor came to check on the patients, followed by seven or eight young doctors.

Old Song left the ward, and Chen Jiashu put down his phone and looked in the direction of the sound.

The head doctor stood by the bed, leaned over, and lightly touched the gauze in front of his eyes with his finger, examining the surrounding skin: "It's alright, the surgery was very successful. You'll need to stay in the hospital for another three to five days. Mr. Chen, let me briefly explain your condition..."

Major eye surgeries like this are usually performed at large hospitals. Private hospitals like Dongxin are only suitable for recuperation. The doctors here have a professional and authoritative aura when they speak.

After the doctor finished speaking, Chen Jiashu felt his arm go weak. He put down his phone, and as he frowned, his eyes started to hurt again. He said in a hoarse voice, "I understand, thank you, doctor."