Ji Wangyuan frowned slightly. He looked Bai Yan up and down and could tell from her demeanor that she came from a distinguished background.
"What's your name, miss?" Ji Wangyuan asked. "My son said he's invested in you. May I ask what your business is?"
He was a businessman and habitually took out his business card.
Bai Yan did not reach out to take it. In the past few days, besides being busy with experiments, she had also thoroughly understood Ji Bei's family background.
His birth mother died early, and less than half a year later, Ji Wangyuan arranged for him to marry Zhu Lingling, his stepmother.
With a stepmother comes a stepfather. After learning that Ji Bei had also inherited the same disease as his birth mother and could die at any time, Ji Wangyuan was reluctant to spend so much money on a son who was destined to die.
Especially after Zhu Lingling gave birth to another healthy child for him, he was even less willing to pay exorbitant medical fees and let Ji Bei fend for himself.
Later, even living expenses were only given intermittently, occasionally when someone remembered.
Ji Bei had no choice but to drop out of school, but fortunately he was quite talented in games. After dropping out, he supported himself by boosting his account. Later, he was spotted by a well-known domestic esports team. With his godlike skills on the field and his handsome appearance, he gained countless fans who admired his skills and looks.
Because he won the highest honor award while representing the country, he became a semi-public figure.
When Ji Bei's face appeared on the trending topics list for a long time, Ji Wangyuan thought of his son again. This was free traffic, so he might as well make the most of it.
Thanks to the title of father of a world champion, the Ji family's medical equipment business became a booming success.
Ji Bei retired partly due to health reasons, and partly because he no longer wanted the Ji family to bleed him dry.
Whenever Bai Yan thought about Ji Bei, who was still a child, dropping out of school and pitifully working as a gamer in an internet cafe to earn a living while constantly suffering from illness, she felt an urge to strangle Ji Wangyuan's entire family.
“My name is Bai Yan, and I am the head of the Huazhong Research Institute. I have already invested all of Ji Bei’s funds.” Bai Yan looked at Ji Wangyuan: “I am now in charge of the research on new targeted drugs with specific effects.”
"What?" Ji Wangyuan frowned immediately upon hearing that it was about pharmaceutical research.
She turned to Ji Bei and said, "Ji Bei, you must immediately stop cooperating with her and get your investment back."
Without even thinking, Ji Bei refused outright: "I don't want it."
Ji Wangyuan flew into a rage, "You unfilial son, do you think I'm trying to harm you? Do you know how much money it takes to research new drugs?"
The launch of a new drug for human use, not to mention the hundreds of millions spent during the research and development phase, and the subsequent sample experiments, are also extremely expensive. What can he do with tens of millions?
Based on his years of experience, Ji Wangyuan judged that the young woman in front of him was a complete fraud!
"Let a young woman be in charge of new drug research? Are you kidding me?"
"The Huazhong Research Institute is nothing but a shoddy research institute, isn't it?" Ji Yuanwang's gaze was mocking towards Bai Yan. "I, Ji, am also in this industry. I know all the research labs, big and small, in the country, and I know all the famous professors, but I've never heard of your Huazhong Research Institute, nor have I heard of Miss Bai herself."
“My son is young and inexperienced. He was fooled by a pretty girl. That's understandable. But Miss Bai, you can't fool an old hand like me!”
In Ji Wangyuan's view, Bai Yan should look embarrassed and ashamed after he exposed her deception.
To his surprise, she simply looked at him calmly and said, "It's normal that you don't know about a research lab that's only been established for three days." Then she chuckled and added, "An old hand?"
"Being old is not an asset; there are plenty of geniuses in this world who achieve fame at a young age."
Bai Yan said, "My research will definitely succeed, and Ji Bei's investment will not fail."
"Pah, you fraudster, you're shameless!" Zhu Lingling spat from the side. "Give us our money back, or don't blame us for being impolite!"
Ji Bei immediately stepped in front of Bai Yan: "Who's the fraudster? Say it again!"
The hot-blooded young man was filled with rage; who knew what he might do...
Zhu Lingling took two steps back.
“I’ve already invested the money. Whether I make a profit or a loss is none of your business.” Ji Bei then looked at Ji Wangyuan: “If you dare to come to my door again and say she’s a fraudster, or if you dare to make things difficult for her and ask her for money again, I’ll go to your house and become a murderer.”
Ji Bei's eyes were icy cold. He smiled and said, "You all know my situation, right?"
"You bastard! How dare you talk to your father like that?" Ji Wangyuan roared in fury. "Who do you want to kill? Do you think I'm someone you can't be intimidated?"
Zhu Lingling suddenly realized something was amiss, remembering her beloved son who was still in high school. Ji Bei had a terminal illness; if it really came down to mutual destruction, he was, of course, fearless and unscrupulous.
She pulled her furious husband back and whispered quickly in his ear, "It's no use getting angry now. He's already given the money. If we don't get it back, with all his illnesses, if you argue with him and he gets critically ill, who will pay for his surgery?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Wangyuan immediately calmed down and looked at Ji Bei as calmly as possible.
“Ji Bei, if you get the money back from this swindler, you will still be my son. If your illness is truly incurable in the future, we are blood relatives, and as your father, I will do everything I can to see you off on your final journey.”
Ji Bei scoffed: "More than 50 million for funeral expenses, your paperwork is really expensive."
"Get out of here. I don't need you to collect my body when I die."
Ji Wangyuan's face darkened when he couldn't get the money: "Fine! You said it yourself! It's you who are unfilial as a son, making money and giving it to a strange woman instead of your father. Don't ever come begging to me for help, even if you die!"
Bai Yan couldn't bear to hear the word "death." She said coldly, "Even if you die, Xiao Bei will live to be a hundred. Since you're here, let's get this straight."
“You’re unwilling to take responsibility for Xiao Bei’s illness, but I will take care of him in the future,” Bai Yan said. “However, there’s one condition: once he becomes successful and recovers, you are absolutely not allowed to cling to him or profit from his name.”
Ji Yuanwang scoffed: "You took his fifty million, if you don't take care of him, who will?"
He pointed at Ji Bei and said, "You heartless little beast, wait until you're about to die and see if this woman will still take care of you. Ha, don't even think about me, I won't even burn incense for you."
"Let's go."
Zhu Lingling snorted, and seeing that she could no longer get any blood from Ji Bei, she quickly followed Ji Yuanwang in her high heels.
Ji Bei's originally straight back hunched over after the two left. He felt inferior because of his family and his money-grubbing father who lacked affection and morality.
"Xiao Bei," Bai Yan said gently, then cupped his face in her hands.
The boy, who used to be sunny and cheerful and always smiled foolishly at her, now looked so aggrieved that he seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment. Bai Yan felt extremely sorry for him. "Don't be sad. You still have me. I will always be with you. I will cure your illness."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
