Chapter 51: Believing, "I know you must have suffered a lot of injustices"...
51
All that had happened during this time reminded Meng Yao of her grandmother. Busy taking care of the sick Fang Huaixu and handling miscellaneous matters, she hadn't been to the hospital to visit her grandmother for several days.
As agreed with the Lin family, Professor Anderson's team had already begun working on a preliminary surgical plan, and my grandmother was still undergoing examinations and recuperation these past few days.
Meng Yao rushed to the hospital early in the morning. Meng Xiangque was sitting in a chair by the window, seemingly holding something in his hand.
Hearing the noise, she seemed to instinctively and hurriedly stuff the things into the drawer next to her.
Meng Yao didn't notice anything unusual and smiled easily: "I've come to see you, Grandma. How have you been these past few days? Is anything bothering you?"
Meng Xiangque smiled as usual: "I'm fine, I can eat and sleep well. The doctor said I'm in good condition. You came without saying a word. Stop running around all the time, you should focus on your own things."
Meng Yao leaned over to stick close to her, and the two chatted about everyday things. Meng Yao noticed that her grandmother's complexion was indeed rosier than before, which put her at ease.
When talking about Meng Yao's work, Grandma picked up her phone on the table, muttering about the recent public opinion, and opened a video app. However, the first video that automatically played was a smear article about Tianmu Group's special drug.
Meng Yao's heart sank.
The person in the video used a highly inflammatory tone to criticize the Tianmu Group's newly launched miracle drug for its high price, accusing it of profiting from patients' life-saving money.
Meng Xiangque was clearly also drawn in; instead of swiping away immediately, he frowned and continued reading.
Meng Yao watched the video with her grandmother. The content was very similar to the smear articles she had investigated before, with the core attack being the pricing.
This anti-cancer drug has demonstrated its efficacy in early clinical trials. It creates the optimal window for surgery by precisely inhibiting the activity of specific cancer cells.
Patients usually need to take medication for one to two months before surgery, and then continue to take medication for at least one year after surgery to suppress recurrence and achieve a clinically significant cure.
The key is long-term use.
The video showed a breakdown of costs: the average price of a single pill is around 230 yuan. Depending on the patient's weight and the severity of their condition, the dosage varies, and on average, a patient's family needs to spend between 9,000 and 20,000 yuan per month on this, not including other treatment costs.
This amount of money is undoubtedly a heavy burden for ordinary families.
"It will cost an extra 20,000 yuan a month..." Grandma murmured, looking at the numbers in the video.
Meng Yao's heart also tightened. Her grandmother was clearly the best example of an observer, and she wanted to know how an observer would react to such news.
But her grandmother's face didn't show the shock or dissatisfaction she had expected. Instead, she had a complex and understanding expression: "If it's just about cancer, then it's alright."
"Grandma..." Meng Yao didn't want to wait any longer, so she took the initiative to guide the conversation: "If it costs an extra 20,000 or 30,000 yuan every month, and you can stay with me all the time, I'm willing to do anything."
Meng Xiangque smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out: "That's what I think too, and as a patient, I actually feel it even more deeply."
As she spoke, she pointed to the medicine bag not far away: "And look, the cancer targeted drugs I'm using now range from seventy or eighty yuan for the cheap ones to one or two thousand yuan for the expensive ones. Not only do they have serious side effects, but often the effects are not obvious... It's like trying to fill a basket with water, losing both money and health. This medicine is much better."
With a hint of regret, she continued, "I had been following their medicine before, and I heard that the ingredients and technology used in it are top-notch internationally... Setting this price is probably already a big concession."
Grandma's words seemed to suddenly awaken Meng Yao.
She knew from the beginning that this drug was developed by Fang Huaixu, who continued his mother's research and development. It was the result of two generations investing immeasurable research and development costs and efforts. At this price, it was simply a pipe dream to recoup the previous research and development investment.
It's no wonder the board of directors had objections; this is essentially a battle between idealism and reality.
However, the outside world does not understand how cruel and limited the choices patients face, nor does it understand the risks hidden behind those cheap options, let alone the persistence and dedication of two generations behind this drug. This is why Fang Huaixu and his team are now facing attacks from both inside and outside, and are besieged on all sides.
Thinking about this, Meng Yao instantly understood why Fang Huaixu was so tired.
Meng Xiangque was still scrolling through related topics with a sense of wonder, wanting to see more discussions, when suddenly, she exclaimed in confusion, her finger pausing on a newly popped-up news alert: "Yaoyao, look, isn't this Lin Tianhai...?"
Meng Yao leaned closer, her pupils suddenly contracting.
The screen prominently displayed that Lin Tianhai's group had suddenly announced that another anti-cancer drug developed by his team for the same indication had entered the approval process and was expected to be launched soon.
She realized almost immediately that Lin Tianhai must be behind this public opinion storm.
Thinking of Lin Tianhai's phone call earlier, she was so annoyed she wanted to scratch her head. She had clearly sensed that something was wrong with Lin Tianhai before, so why didn't she warn Fang Huaixu sooner?
It's also because she's been too busy lately that she forgot about this matter, and now she can only feel confused and anxious.
After all, her relationship with Fang Huaixu was a marriage arranged through cooperation between Fang Huaixu and the Lin family. Now that things have come to light, and she herself has half of the Lin family's blood flowing through her veins, she can't imagine how heartbroken Fang Huaixu will be when he learns all this while he's in such a troubled state.
She was feeling conflicted. After spending the day with her grandmother, she headed straight home without stopping.
When I rushed back to the apartment, Fang Huaixu had just finished a video conference. He was sitting on the sofa rubbing his temples, his face showing undisguised fatigue.
Meng Yao paused for a moment, then cut to the chase: "I saw the news this morning about Lin Tianhai, I..."
All the things she had anticipated were instantly forgotten after seeing Fang Huaixu. She was actually quite unsure of herself, even though Fang Huaixu had been so overwhelmed lately, and she had had the opportunity to remind him before.
Fang Huaixu's eyes flickered with a complex expression when he saw her, but he ultimately smiled and said, "It's okay, I know what you want to say. I believe you. Did you visit Grandma today? How was it?"
"She's doing well..." His trust put Meng Yao at ease, but she still couldn't calm down and didn't know how to speak.
The two remained awkwardly silent for a long time. Fang Huaixu probably realized that his attempt to change the subject had been too abrupt, so he simply returned to the main point: "There's no need to explain anything. I know that what happened with the Lin family wasn't your fault, and you must be very confused right now. But please believe me, I will handle it. However, this matter involves too many things, and I don't want you to get involved. So, I will be very busy for the next period of time, and I might... not have much time to spend with you. But if you encounter any problems, you can tell me."
She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that his tone had become much more distant, as if he was drawing a line between them.
Her feelings were complicated, and her words "I believe you" sounded somewhat unreliable.
She wasn't sure if he suspected her or harbored resentment because of her identity.
"I am absolutely not with him." After thinking for a long time, Meng Yao could only solemnly reiterate her attitude.
"Of course I know."
Fang Huaixu walked over and gently patted her head: "It's okay, take a good rest for a while... Let me handle this myself, okay?"
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Meng Yao couldn't bring herself to ask any more questions.
She could only try to think positively, telling herself that he was doing it to protect her. But the sense of loss and helplessness in her heart was still hard to suppress.
In the following days, Fang Huaixu became unusually busy, leaving early and returning late, and the two communicated much less.
Even when we meet occasionally, he is mostly silent or on work calls.
Looking at his increasingly thin back, Meng Yao felt both heartache and helplessness.
The online controversy intensified after Lin Tianhai announced the new drug, putting Tianmu Group and Fang Huaixu under constant public scrutiny.
Meng Yao did not slack off and worked even harder to use her connections to continue investigating the source.
However, a week later, she received a call from Lin Tianhai.
Lin Tianhai, on the other end of the phone, said smugly, "Yaoyao, have you seen the news?"
Meng Yao gritted her teeth, unable to speak. Lin Tianhai said sarcastically, "Fang Huaixu is probably unreliable this time... Don't you want to come and talk to me? I've said it before, we're family."
Meng Yao took a deep breath. Although she didn't understand Lin Tianhai's purpose in calling, as long as he still believed that she was on his side, there was still a chance to get information from him.
So she took a deep breath, suppressed her disgust, and softened her voice: "I don't know what you did... I'm very annoyed right now. Fang Huaixu has been very cold to me lately, and he doesn't tell me anything about company matters..."
Lin Tianhai, as expected, did not notice anything amiss and readily arranged to meet her at the restaurant that evening.
When Lin Tianhai saw her that evening, he immediately put on a warm smile and stood up to greet her, "Was the road congested? Have some snacks to tide you over."
Meng Yao sat down, her face expressionless: "You didn't just invite me here for snacks, did you?"
Lin Tianhai's smile remained unchanged: "Look at what you're saying. Isn't it only natural for a father to care about his daughter? You don't look too good. Did Fang Huaixu upset you?"
Meng Yao raised her eyes, a slightly mocking smile curving her lips: "Angry? What right do I have to be angry now? Didn't you sell me out long ago? I'm living a good life now, and I'd be even better off without you interfering."
"Don't put it so harshly, what's with all this talk about selling or not selling?" Lin Tianhai said calmly, "Isn't Fang Huaixu a good person? He's handsome, talented, and promising. I'm doing this for your own good."
"For my own good?"
Meng Yao sneered and leaned forward slightly: "And now? Tell me, do you think all those ups and downs outside have nothing to do with you? Tianmu Group is in a mess right now. Forget about supporting me, they can't even protect themselves. You pushed me into that situation back then, so you can't just watch me sink with you, can you?"
She tried to sound urgent, hoping to at least find out Lin Tianhai's next move.
Lin Tianhai narrowed his eyes, sized her up, and after a moment of contemplation, put on a sincere expression: "Yaoyao, the business world is like a battlefield. Fang Huaixu is too stubborn. His methods won't work. Our Lin family needs to develop, so we must seize the opportunity."
"So, all that media hype and the sudden announcement of the new drug were your doing?" Meng Yao pressed.
Lin Tianhai neither confirmed nor denied it, but just smiled meaningfully: "Yaoyao, knowing too much about some things is not good for you. You just need to know that everything your father has done is for the Lin family."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Meng Yao feigned exasperation. "I've done so much for the Lin family, you can't just abandon me like this."
Lin Tianhai seemed to have heard some good news, and an uncontrollable smile appeared on his face. He suddenly stood up, leaned closer, and lowered his voice: "Of course I won't just leave you like this... Thank you, my precious daughter."
As soon as he finished speaking, he got up and pushed open the other door of the private room.
Fang Huaixu appeared behind the door, his face ashen, his gaze coldly fixed on the two of them.
Fang Huaixu... Why is it here?
Meng Yao immediately panicked, realizing that Fang Huaixu must have overheard everything she said. As Lin Tianhai's daughter, she was already in an awkward position because Lin Tianhai had betrayed Tianmu Group.
Now that he overheard those words, what will Fang Huaixu think?
Lin Tianhai smiled sinisterly: "President Fang, I've brought you the person behind this. I sent you a recording before saying she was my person, but you didn't believe me. Now you've heard it with your own ears. Isn't that sincere enough?"
Meng Yao's mind went blank for a moment, and she finally realized that Lin Tianhai didn't have a research and development team of the scale of Tianmu Group. However, Tianmu Group would never allow them to interfere in its research and development.
Therefore, his real purpose must be to acquire as much of the results behind the scenes as possible. That's why he created this public opinion to push Fang Huaixu to the forefront of the board of directors' controversy. That's why he guided her to say those words of surrender in the previous phone call... all for now, to attract Fang Huaixu to agree to the cooperation between the two companies and quell this public opinion by offering to hand over the person behind the scenes.
Her vision blurred, and she clutched her forehead in disbelief. She couldn't believe Lin Tianhai was so cunning, and she didn't know how to explain it to Fang Huaixu. She could only try her best to find the right words: "Fang Huaixu, I know it's hard for you to believe me right now, but..."
"No need to explain." Fang Huaixu shook his head, his unthinking answer almost killing her heart.
She was so angry and resentful that her hands trembled. She stepped forward and confronted him, saying, "Why! Why don't I have to explain? I have to make this clear today..."
"Because I believe in you."
Fang Huaixu spoke firmly, and as soon as he finished speaking, he ignored Lin Tianhai and brought the stunned Meng Yao in front of him. He raised his hand and gently touched her red cheek with the back of his hand: "I know you must have suffered a lot of grievances, so I want to go home and listen to you tell me slowly."
Author's Note: There should be more updates; I'll make some minor revisions.
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