Chapter 186 Life Hangs by a Thread
Old Master Chen's pupils suddenly contracted, and his chest felt as if he had been hit hard, causing his heart to race.
He stared intently at the man's figure, his lips trembling slightly, his fingers clenching tightly on the armrest.
Chen Yun's face turned pale, and she almost couldn't stand up.
She instinctively took a half step back, her fingertips icy cold, and her palms constantly sweating.
How could this be...?
Why did it have to happen at this time?
Ignoring the surprised and uncertain gazes around him, Sheng Tingzhou continued to hold Song Zhiwei's hand and walked straight to the center of the main stage.
A gentle yet meaningful smile appeared on his lips as he bowed slightly to Grandpa Chen: "Grandpa Chen, I've brought my girlfriend to wish you a happy birthday."
The entire room fell silent.
Immediately afterwards, Song Zhiwei took a small half-step forward, a faint but sincere smile appearing on her face.
She took out an exquisitely packaged gift box from her handbag—made of dark blue velvet, tied with a gold ribbon, and with extremely fine silver lace trim at the corners.
She held the box in both hands and gently and respectfully handed it to him: "Grandpa Chen, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."
Old Master Chen frowned deeply, his gaze shifting back and forth between Sheng Tingzhou and Song Zhiwei.
In front of so many wealthy and influential people, relatives and friends, if he refused to accept the gift, it would undoubtedly be a falling out; if he accepted it readily, it would be tantamount to acknowledging the relationship.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, he could only give a subtle, sharp, and urgent wink to the butler behind him.
The butler immediately understood, quickly jogged a few steps forward, bowed his head to accept the gift box, held it with both hands, and turned and retreated without a word, his steps hurried but not lacking in manners.
Sheng Tingzhou remained calm and said in a peaceful tone, "Then we won't disturb you any longer, please continue."
After saying that, he gently tugged at Song Zhiwei's hand and turned to walk towards a sofa at the very front of the VIP section.
Their movements were as natural as if they were attending an ordinary family dinner, rather than a turbulent gathering of powerful figures.
Sheng Tingzhou even smoothed the edge of the sofa for Song Zhiwei, gesturing for her to sit down, before settling in himself.
He crossed his legs, looking relaxed, as if he were a distinguished guest who had come to enjoy tea and music.
The entire room fell silent for a full three seconds, so quiet that the faint sound of the ceiling fan turning could be heard.
Then, someone broke the silence—
"Who is that woman? She looks familiar... Have we seen her somewhere before?"
"You mean Song Zhiwei? The Zhou family's stepdaughter, I heard she just returned from studying in England six months ago."
"No way? She just got back to the country and already hooked up with President Sheng? Sheng Tingzhou is a notorious cold-faced devil; most people can't even get close to him..."
Her luck is just too bizarre!
"Shh—keep your voice down, don't provoke President Sheng. Didn't you see the look in his eyes just now? It was practically a show of force!"
The murmurs spread like a tide, from one corner to the entire room, surging in layer upon layer, mixed with shock, jealousy, doubt and fear.
Song Zhiwei sat there quietly, her fingers resting lightly on her knees, her face expressionless.
She heard all the whispers and the glances, whether overt or covert.
In the past, she would often toss and turn at night because of gossip, fearing being pointed at and talked about.
But now, looking at the determined and upright man beside her, she felt more at ease than ever before.
She suddenly realized something—as long as she could stand side by side with the person she liked, those rumors and gossip were nothing but a passing breeze, gone as soon as they were blown away, and didn't matter at all.
On the stage, Mr. Chen remained standing in the same spot, holding the broken microphone in his hand, his expression complex and unreadable.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, someone in the audience mustered up their courage and shouted with a smile, "Mr. Chen, what were you going to announce? Everyone's been waiting to hear it!"
This question silenced the entire room once again.
Chen Zhengqing was originally prepared to speak, intending to take the opportunity to announce the news of his marriage to Chen Yun in order to save face and consolidate the interests of his family.
But at this moment, he opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked by something, and the words were stuck on his lips.
He tried to brush it off and was about to make up an excuse when suddenly—
With a "zzzt" sound, the huge LED screen behind me lit up without warning.
The screen flashed, revealing a clear surveillance video: a hospital corridor under dim yellow lights, empty in the dead of night.
The camera slowly zooms in, and a woman wearing a white coat and a medical mask walks quickly out from around the corner.
Although half of his face was covered, the familiar silhouette, the way he walked, and especially those slightly anxious yet stubborn eyes—
Everyone could recognize that it was Chen Yun.
"Jiang Yan, if you don't help me, your brother can forget about getting into the operating room."
Chen Yun stood at the end of the corridor, her fingers gripping her phone tightly, her voice as cold as if she had been pulled out of an ice cellar.
Her eyes remained unmoved, as if she were stating something utterly ordinary.
The light shone on the shoulders of her white coat, revealing a sharp and cold profile, as well as her resolute and stubborn nature at that moment.
"Dr. Chen, I can't let President Sheng down. As a doctor, how can you use a patient's life to blackmail someone?"
Jiang Yan's voice trembled, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
His fingers dug so hard into his palms that they almost drew blood.
He stared at the red light shining at the entrance to the operating room, feeling as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing down on his heart.
He knew that if he said "no," his brother might never be able to get out again.
Chen Yun sneered: "Your brother had a brain hemorrhage. If you delay for another ten minutes, he'll be dead. Think it over carefully, are you going to help or not?"
Her voice was extremely low, yet it was like a sharp knife, each word piercing Jiang Yan's eardrums.
She glanced at her watch; the second hand ticked away, each tick sounding like a death knell.
Her gaze was cold and resolute, as if she had already calculated the other party's weakness and that a single touch would cause them to crumble.
Jiang Yan remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slightly.
His shoulders slumped slightly, as if all his strength had been drained away.
In that instant, he was no longer President Sheng's confidant, nor his decisive assistant, but just an ordinary person who could only watch helplessly as the lives of his loved ones hung by a thread.
He closed his eyes, nodding so slightly it was almost imperceptible, but that one nod seemed to shatter the last line of defense in his heart.
After the video finished playing, Chen Yun's face turned pale instantly.
On the big screen, the scene of her personally threatening Jiang Yan was played in its entirety, with clear sound and continuous visuals.
Her expression, tone of voice, and actions were all exposed to the public eye.
She froze on the spot, her fingertips icy cold, her breath seemingly stopped.
My mind went blank, and all I could hear was the roar of blood in my ears.
It's over, it's all over.
These three words struck her heart like a hammer blow.
She suddenly realized that this was not just a birthday banquet, but a carefully orchestrated scheme—and she was the sacrificial lamb to be sacrificed.
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