Chapter 32 "If you won't do it, then I'll do it..."
In the afternoon, the two went out to visit a home furnishing experience store.
At the same time, the Pei family held an accountability meeting at their old residence regarding the trending scandal of "Young Master Pei driving drunk and speeding".
All the uncles and elders from each branch of the family were present.
“My Pei family has always governed its household with humility and self-discipline. Now that this has happened, Wenxian, what will others and the general public think of us?”
“Xiao Heng is 21 this year, not young anymore. His second uncle, at that age, has already taken over several overseas companies. What is he doing now?”
"So tell me, how do you plan to resolve this situation?"
...
The scandal affected not only the group's stock price, but also the reputation that the Pei family had built up over a century.
Now some greenhorn has stepped on his foot.
Even if he is the grandson of the patriarch, it's not that simple.
"It is Wenxian's fault for not educating his son well. Wenxian here first apologizes to all the uncles and elders, and will definitely discipline him strictly in the future." Pei Wenxian faced the ancestral tablets and bowed his head deeply.
No one responded to his words, which also reflected their dissatisfaction.
Is it really that simple to just say "strict discipline" and move on?
“Now that this has happened,” Pei Wenxian said in a deep voice, “I will apologize to the public through the group later to salvage the Pei family’s reputation.”
"You apologize?" The old man finally spoke, his dark eyes fixed on him, and he roared, "Tell that unfilial son of yours to come along! He should take responsibility for his own mistakes. How long do you, his father, have to clean up his mess for him?!"
Pei Wenxian quickly bowed and replied, "Yes."
"Also, put aside the matter of Xiaoheng joining headquarters." The old man scolded without room for argument, "Go and cultivate your character first, and we'll talk about it again when you've changed."
“Father…” Pei Wenxian opened his mouth, but seeing that everyone was looking at him, he could only remain silent and agree.
They then left the ancestral hall, and not far away they heard several voices inside calling "Second Brother" and "Little Li".
"It was really the right thing to do to bring him good luck. He's been in good health lately, and Old Tang said there's a very high chance he'll be able to walk again."
"That's wonderful! It seems the Pei family will still have to rely on Xiao Li from now on..."
Several photos of Pei Yanli and her partner shopping at a home furnishing experience store were leaked, and then it was said that her health was gradually recovering, causing the previously sluggish stock price to slowly rise a little.
This was far more effective than Pei Wenxian holding a formal press conference to admit his mistakes.
Not long after, Luo Yunqing heard from You Jianan that Pei Hengzhi had quit the club and could not be seen except for attending classes.
“You haven’t been married to Brother Pei’s second uncle for long, so you didn’t know.” You Jianan sighed, resting her chin on her hand, and said, “Brother Pei’s goal when he joined the gang was to run for the next president, which was set by his father.”
They were just one step away from success, but then all sorts of things happened.
You Jianan looked around and muttered to him, "I also heard that Aunt Wang has been pressuring him to break up with his childhood sweetheart... You know about this, right?"
Only after he said it did he realize that Luo Yunqing should know more than he did.
"I really don't know."
Luo Yunqing has been busy ordering furniture these past two days. She only knows that Pei Hengzhi is not doing well, and that's enough for her.
I never expected them to break up so soon.
"And then what?" Luo Yunqing continued, "Did Song Xuechen agree?"
"How would I know what he's thinking? But Brother Pei definitely won't agree. Song Xuechen is a great benefactor who saved his life." You Jianan had heard Pei Hengzhi mention this before, I think it was during his freshman or sophomore year of college.
"Oh—" Luo Yunqing raised her chin, her expression meaningful: "Savior, my benefactor."
"Yeah." You Jianan didn't notice anything amiss, rested her chin on her hand for a moment, then waved her hand. "Alright, alright, let's not talk about him anymore. Cheng Xu has made plans to have dinner with the Yanxi Drama Club tonight, wanna go?"
"Tonight... never mind." Luo Yunqing shook her head, refusing decisively, "I have to go back."
Tomorrow is the day Pei Yanli goes to the hospital to have the steel plate removed. Although she doesn't say it, she must be feeling uneasy these next two days.
Spend more time with him.
“Alright then.” You Jianan didn’t press him, but, “Once the script is finished, we’ll have to start rehearsals.”
"Um."
Luo Yunqing nodded in agreement.
After tidying up, I strode away from the cultural activity center.
After two more laps at top speed, we returned to Four Seasons Cloud Top under the cover of night.
For the first time ever, Pei Yanli prepared a whole table of dishes, and each dish was quite large, which was far too much for the two of them to eat.
This is very unusual.
Luo Yunqing could only think of one possibility: he was worried about tomorrow's surgery.
After the meal, I packed up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator. I squatted down in front of him and took his hand. “Honey, are you scared? Are you scared of pain? Don’t worry, we’ll remove the metal plate with anesthesia. You won’t feel anything. Don’t be scared, don’t be scared.”
As Luo Yunqing spoke, she touched his head. "It's just removing the steel plate. Afterward, you'll need to heal the wound, and the recovery process will take a while."
"If I can't stand up..."
The hand that had been gently stroking his head fell down and patted his forehead. "How do you know he can't stand up before we've even started?"
Luo Yunqing kept a straight face, but then realized her tone was too harsh, so she quickly kissed the corner of his lowered eyes and coaxed him, "Don't worry, I will always, always be with you."
He spoke slowly, in a low voice, and even stuttered a little, but somehow, he calmed Pei Yanli's anxious heart.
He reached out and pulled the person into his arms, gently pursing his lips.
…………
At exactly 10 a.m. the next morning, after completing a series of preoperative examinations, I was wheeled into the operating room.
Ever since the red light outside the operating room came on, Chen Zhao has been acting like he has ADHD, pacing back and forth at the door dozens of times.
He wasn't dizzy, but Luo Yunqing was.
"Dr. Tang said it would take at least two hours. Are you trying to lose weight by just sitting there?"
"My boss's wife!" Chen Zhao quickly went over, sat on the chair for a while, then stood up again as if her bottom was burning hot. "How come you're not nervous at all?"
"Why are you so nervous about removing the steel plates?" Luo Yunqing put his hands in his pockets and smiled easily.
Chen Zhao couldn't be as composed as him; instead of circling around the operating room entrance, he just wandered aimlessly in the corridor.
Every now and then, Butler Zhang would call to ask a few questions.
"The boss has been inside for forty minutes, and it's expected to take another hour or so," Chen Zhao said into his phone, checking his watch.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a child with crutches hopping and skipping towards the vicinity of the operating room. The movement was so abrupt that a small notebook, no bigger than the palm of my hand, popped out of his pocket.
Luo Yunqing got up and helped him pick it up.
Even though they were some distance apart, Chen Zhao could clearly see that the hand that picked up the notebook and handed it out was trembling like someone with Parkinson's disease.
"Thank you, brother."
"You're welcome."
Luo Yunqing smiled and looked away, only to meet his gaze. She then very naturally put her hand back into her pocket.
Chen Zhao: ...
Hehe, I'm not nervous.
The next hour, which wasn't long—not even enough to watch a movie—saw the lights on the operating room door go out without warning.
Luo Yunqing had maintained one posture for too long, and the moment she lifted her leg, her foot went numb and she limped over.
The operating room door slowly opened, and the hospital bed was wheeled out along with Tang Yajun.
"Family member." Tang Yajun brought over several pages of paper, including postoperative care, preliminary rehabilitation plan, and medication list. "The steel plate has been successfully removed. In two or three days, you can try to let him use crutches, but don't put too much strain on his lower limbs. After that, he still needs to go to the hospital for regular check-ups to see if there are any abnormalities in the bone. After the stitches are removed, follow this rehabilitation plan step by step. Remember, take it slow and don't rush."
Luo Yunqing nodded, trying hard to remember her words, while constantly glancing at the person still unconscious on the hospital bed.
"The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet." Tang Yajun handed him various forms and then instructed, "Give him light food these few days, and don't let the wound get wet."
Luo Yunqing: "Understood."
The surgery was successfully completed, and Chen Zhao immediately told Uncle Zhang about it, who then relayed the news to the old man.
Before long, the news was carried by the wind into the courtyard of the main house.
“Didn’t they say he wouldn’t live long?” Wang Manshu paced anxiously around the room. “If he fully recovers, then the entire Pei family and the company will belong to him alone!”
Pei Wenxian lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
"Wenxian! Are you really willing to accept this?" Wang Manshu hurriedly walked to the desk and asked again, "Are you willing to let him take control of the Pei family?"
Pei Wenxian's hand, which was resting on the table, twitched slightly before he finally spoke: "What happened with Xiao Heng last time has already angered Father. What else do you want?"
A ruthless glint flashed in Wang Manshu's eyes, and she suddenly clenched her fingers, lowering her voice: "A car accident, once it happens, it will happen again."
"Nonsense!" Pei Wenxian slammed his fist on the table and scolded, "Father already had suspicions about what happened last time. Do you really think Father is senile and easy to fool?!"
“As long as we succeed this time, Pei Yanli will be dead. What can he do even if he finds out? He only has you as his son to rely on anyway!” Wang Manshu spoke urgently and quickly, panting heavily. “You’ve already been suppressed by him for over twenty years. How many more twenty years does he want to suppress you?”
"But……"
Pei Wenxian clenched his fist tightly.
On one hand, there were the words spoken by the uncles and elders in the ancestral hall a few days ago; on the other hand, there was the five- or six-year-old Pei Yanli, who received an award certificate and excitedly brought it back to share with him.
He used to dote on his younger brother.
Seeing that he was softening again, Wang Manshu immediately said, "If you won't do it, then I'll do it."
She married into the Pei family to become the future matriarch's wife, not to be controlled by others like she is now.
…………
After the anesthesia wore off, I stayed in the hospital for another night to ensure there were no signs of inflammation after the surgery.
Tang Yajun approved the discharge application with a wave of her hand.
Not long after returning to Four Seasons Resort, an unexpected person arrived.
"It's wonderful that my second brother's surgery went smoothly." Wang Manshu glanced up and down and smiled lightly. "Your eldest brother had some work to attend to, so he asked me to come and check on him first."
The stitched wound was still throbbing painfully, and Pei Yanli had no energy to attend to her.
"The doctor said that Ali still needs to rest more." Luo Yunqing stepped in front of him, blocking the uncomfortable gaze, and turned to call out, "Chen Zhao, hurry up and take Ali back to his room."
“Yes, boss lady.” Chen Zhao echoed him, pushing the wheelchair upstairs in the elevator.
Even after the person had walked away, Wang Manshu still craned her neck to look.
"Sister-in-law," Luo Yunqing spoke again, without any politeness, "You've come at a really bad time. How about another day?"
Wang Manshu was abruptly called back by him, and stared at him for a long time. "You must have had a hard time taking care of your second brother during this time."
“He’s my husband, what’s the big deal? It’s not like he’s tired or not.” Luo Yunqing pointed directly towards the door, “Do you need me to take you home?”
"No need." Wang Manshu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stood up. "Seeing that my second brother is in good health, we, as his elder brother and sister-in-law, are relieved."
*
After the person left, Chen Zhao came downstairs. "What exactly did the First Madam come here for?"
Offering unsolicited favors.
My phone vibrated; it was a message from Zhang Shuyan: it's time to go to the base for a run.
Luo Yunqing then grabbed her coat. "I have some things to do with the club. I'll be back before dinner. You can take care of Ali for now."
Chen Zhao nodded and saw him to the door.
Just as she was about to leave, Luo Yunqing turned back and held out her hand: "Give me the car keys, so you don't have to make another trip."
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