Chapter 6
Lang Xin spent nearly an entire day in a conference room, feigning deceit with representatives from a major merger and acquisition company. While it was a merger and acquisition, his gaming technology company already held several popular IPs, and both sides were very strong, unwilling to give up even a fraction of their respective interests.
Ultimately, he went from holding the majority of his original company's shares to owning 3% of the entire company. His nominal position is deputy general manager of a branch office, earning a six-figure salary without doing anything, but the real power lies with the general manager sent by the head office. To advance further, he must continue to launch new projects, which is time-consuming and laborious, and may not yield the desired returns.
Lang Xin currently has no plans to spend any more time in the company. After the handover, he made sure that the company's original group of core programmers and old employees were well treated, and then he directly sent a message to the new general manager to take a month's vacation.
The first month was the perfect time for the new boss to establish his authority, so the absence of the previous boss was a welcome relief, and he readily approved the leave. Lang Xin treated the company's employees to a large dinner that evening. He felt a little disappointed that he might never see them again, but the overall atmosphere was positive.
The company that acquired them is a leading player in the gaming industry. It's always difficult for a small company to go it alone, but having a strong backer makes things much smoother, and even if they switch jobs, they can use the reputation of being from a large company to negotiate a higher salary.
Declining everyone's toasts, Lang Xin drove straight to his apartment. After a busy day without a single message from his "lovely wife," he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He hadn't drunk, but the lingering aroma of alcohol had caused his brain to fabricate nonexistent relationships.
After entering the password to open the door, Lang Xin was utterly stunned by the darkness in the room. It was only 9:30 in the evening. Chao Youqian was a typical night owl and it was impossible for him to go to bed so early. Could it be that he hadn't come back yet?
There was a pair of slippers missing from the entrance, so he was home. After knocking twice on the bedroom door with no response, Lang Xin pushed it open. Chao Youqian was buried in a fluffy blanket in the moonlight outside the window, his face looking particularly pale against the backdrop of the moon.
Lang Xin immediately turned on the nightlight and covered Chao Youqian's eyes. With his free hand, he felt his forehead, finding the temperature abnormal. His mind went blank. He wrapped Chao Youqian in a blanket, picked him up, and headed straight for the basement garage.
The good location of the apartment is a mixed blessing. The largest private international hospital in City B is not far from home, but on weekend nights, the busy streets are crowded with people, and a journey that originally took 10 minutes takes half an hour.
On the way, Lang Xin kept reminding himself to stay calm, but he couldn't help but wonder: Was it because Chao Youqian had told him about the apocalypse that he was retaliated against? He was also afraid that the virus they had mentioned had found him ahead of time.
Lang Xin couldn't stop his wild thoughts so he had to punch himself hard before he could drive steadily, stop the car, and go to the emergency room.
A familiar doctor arrived quickly. After a simple temperature measurement, he found that Chao Youqian, who had been unresponsive throughout the bumpy journey, had a high fever of 39 degrees. He was directly taken to a single VIP ward for an IV drip.
The corners of Lang Xin's mouth were blue, and he felt as tense as a string about to snap. After examining him, the doctor said it was just a cold caused by catching a cold. He gave him an IV and some medicine to take home. He said he would recover quickly with rest.
He finally loosened his clenched fists, his knuckles tinging blue and red from the force. This doctor was the older brother of a friend he'd met after starting his own business. After getting the IV, they walked outside the ward. Seeing him relax, he chatted, "So nervous? Is this the one you've always liked?"
Lang Xin nodded. He wanted to smoke a cigarette but was afraid it would stink when he went in. He rubbed his fingers and said, "Yes, but don't say it in front of him. He can only stay in this ward for a few days. I want him to be fully recovered before he is discharged."
The doctor laughed and said, "You're just too worried. I told you it's just a cold and you can just take medicine. Once the fever goes down after the IV drip, you can be discharged tomorrow morning. Just go home and take your medicine on time and avoid being exposed to the wind. Our hospital wards are very busy right now."
"The temperature this year is very abnormal. It's almost July and still so cold. Many patients with bronchitis, pneumonia, and other chronic diseases are in the hospital. You should keep more medicine at home and come to the hospital less often."
Lang Xin bowed his head, said thank you and entered the ward.
In the room, Chao Youqian's small face lay sunken in the white pillow, his picturesque features and pale lips framing his features. A bottle of medication took an hour and a half to administer, and Lang Xin dared not sleep during that time. He scrolled through his social media feed and saw a photo of them at the ski resort that afternoon. He breathed a sigh of relief, figuring out the cause of his illness.
He kept a close eye on the remaining fluid in the IV drip. Just before midnight, when only a tiny amount remained, he called the nurse to remove the needle. He quickly washed up in the private room's bathroom. It had been nearly 18 hours since he opened his eyes at 6:30 in the morning. Lang Xin lay on the folding bed next to the hospital bed, closed his eyes, and waited for Chao Youqian to wake up.
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When Chao Youqian awoke, he felt light, none of the heaviness and drowsiness he'd felt during his low-grade fever. He looked around and realized he was in the hospital. Lang Xin was asleep on a folding bed, his dark brows furrowed slightly.
There were still needle holes on his hands. Chao Youqian's lips were dry because he hadn't drunk any water all night. He found a thermos on the bedside table, poured out some water, and it was still hot. He drank two full cups before he quenched his thirst.
Chao Youqian got out of bed quietly, not wanting to wake Lang Xin. He was already very tired from discussing the contract yesterday, and it was another rush to come back and take him to the hospital, so it would be good for him to rest for a while.
Contrary to his expectations, Lang Xin was already sitting by the bed when he returned from washing up. Chao Youqian hurriedly sat down beside him and explained, "I caught a cold. I slept without a blanket this morning, and then I worked up a sweat playing on the ski slopes with them this afternoon..."
Lang Xin hugged him tightly in his arms, his voice filled with fear, "When I got home and saw you unconscious and feverish, I was almost scared to death!"
Chao Youqian let him hug him, patted Lang Xin's back to comfort him, and after a while, he let go and said, "Why are the corners of your mouth blue?"
"It's okay. I was too agitated at the time. Calm yourself down," Lang Xin replied. "Let's go through the discharge procedures, pick up the medicine the doctor prescribed, and leave."
She whispered close to his ear, "The doctor said the number of hospitalizations has surged recently. I wonder if the virus you dreamed of might already be lurking? You should be especially careful with your low immunity right now. We'll go to H City as soon as we're discharged today."
Chao Youqian nodded, and the two of them, donning medical masks, went to pay by credit card. It was only seven in the morning, and the spacious reception area on the first floor was bustling with people, many with flushed faces and coughing. Lang Xin protected Chao Youqian as they made their way through the crowd. The VIP channel wasn't crowded, so the process was completed quickly.
When I took a packet of medicine and walked out the door, the noise in the middle of the hall suddenly became louder. Looking back, I saw a child who had been coughing and coughed up blood. His parents were shouting for a doctor, and soon a mobile bed took the child away.
Lang Xin put his arm around his shoulders and walked out of the hospital quickly, driving home before the morning rush hour.
The lights were still on in the apartment, and one could vaguely see the owner's anxiety as he left. Having agreed to move to H City today, Lang Xin had already begun the process. All his clothes, aside from the underwear, had already been bought and piled up in the H City warehouse. The boxes were mostly filled with souvenirs from their travels together over the years, certificates and medals they'd won, and documents from the safe.
I've streamlined and streamlined, leaving all the kitchenware and furniture here, and I still managed to pack out two large boxes. I'll have the cleaning staff come and tidy it up and put a dust cover on it after I leave. I hope I can come back one day.
He ordered raw pork ribs congee and dim sum from a private Cantonese restaurant for breakfast. Chao Youqian, who hadn't eaten dinner yesterday, had a big appetite and ate a small bowl of congee, three red rice sausages and a serving of purple gold chicken feet. He almost couldn't finish his food even after drinking water or taking medicine.
After getting in the car, he told Lang Xin that the two houses in H City were being cleaned. Chao Youqian had booked a double suite in Park Hyatt first, so he could live there first and move in after the house was completely clean.
The supplies in the warehouse also need to be sorted out. What should I do if there are too many things? Find a dedicated team to store and process them in the warehouse, and give them enough budget to adopt the best solution.
What has he learned from growing up as a rich man in this life? Chao Youqian would say that professionals should do professional things, and some money must be spent to maximize efficiency.
Of course, in the apocalypse, they'd have to become multifaceted, mastering a bit of everything. I'd already bought several 512GB USB flash drives, storing them categorized with survival e-books covering everything from vegetable farming to repairs and construction. I'd also stocked them with the top 200 movies, world classics, novels, books, games, and so on.
When purchased items arrive at the warehouse, they are separated by category. After being disinfected and dusted in an air shower, a dedicated team of workers in dust-proof clothing wipes down the storage boxes with disinfectant wipes. The supplies are then placed in large, opaque boxes and labeled above the lids.
Then I booked a dry cleaner and sent all my clothes there for cleaning and ironing. I consulted with the owner about any items that couldn't be washed, and then wiped the surface of any items that could be wiped clean. Finally, everything was placed in a large disinfection room for a day. The same process was applied to the quilts. Finally, I had the dry cleaners compress the thick blankets and quilts together in vacuum bags for storage.
After checking into the hotel, the two tired and dusty people went to take a hot bath first. Chao Youqian originally wanted to soak in the bathtub for a while, but thinking of the doctor's advice and Lang Xin's words, he reluctantly left the bathtub to prevent catching a cold again.
He came out to dry his hair. Yesterday was a chaotic day and he must not have slept well on the folding bed in the hospital. Chao Youqian pushed Lang Xin onto the bed and let him sleep for a while.
He couldn't match Lang Xin's strength, so he was dragged to the bed as well. Lang Xin held down half of his body and said lazily, "Don't worry. We're not moving in today anyway, and someone's already sorting and packing the supplies. It's most important that you recover first. You need more sleep with a cold. Let's sleep together for a while."
Perhaps it was the cold medicine that put him to sleep. Covered in a soft quilt and resting his head on the Simmons pillow and mattress, Lang Xin's hands rhythmically patted him gently, and Chao Youqian slowly fell into a deep sleep.
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