Chapter 48 [Part 2] She was pulled into a hot, hard embrace…
Seven years later, Brahma
Amidst towering buildings, a skyscraper rises from the ground, the tallest building in the entire city of Brahma.
Inside the top-level conference room, the newly appointed department head held a page-turning pen. Although he stuttered a few times due to nervousness, he eventually managed to successfully present the project reports for the previous quarter.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. His back had been soaked with cold sweat. He glanced furtively at the person sitting in the main seat, waiting for the other person's judgment.
The man was dressed in a pure black suit, his upper body slightly leaning back but not against the back of the chair, his hands naturally folded at his lower abdomen—a posture very accustomed to listening to others' reports from above and showing respect.
Even though he knew that the private checks he had just reported had been done multiple times and there were definitely no problems, the supervisor still couldn't help but fidget with his fingers as he watched such a cold and emotionless gaze, trying to recall if there were any mistakes in his words.
Finally, he moved: "Okay."
As if he had survived a life-or-death ordeal, Hong Kai finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was only then that he belatedly realized that the air conditioning in the conference room was set too high, even though it was still early spring and the weather was still cold.
He couldn't help but steal another glance at the person sitting in the main seat, listening to the next report.
Ying Shixue was the only one who managed to escape unscathed during the upheaval that shook the entire city of Brahma seven years ago.
The previous head of the Song family, Song Qi, died in a car accident. The original heir, Song Mingli, was forced into exile. Only he, from a penniless and lowly adopted son, rose to the top position in SK.
At first, there were people who opposed or questioned him, but after he took office, he used swift and decisive measures to suppress all dissent in a very short time, and then used his actual achievements to firmly secure his position.
It was really hot, so Hong Kai couldn't help but unbutton two buttons on his shirt.
This Mr. Ying always sets the air conditioning to over 25 degrees Celsius wherever he goes, and even then, he still wears a thick black woolen overcoat, but...
Hong Kai paused, his face was too pale!
Ying Shixue suppressed a cough, trying to swallow the churning blood in her throat.
The next person to give a report thought he had said something wrong, and immediately fell silent, staring wide-eyed and afraid to move.
Ying Shixue waved her hand, signaling him to continue.
-
It was past noon when the morning meeting ended. Ying Shixue strode out of the conference room, Fang Zhi following closely behind: "President Ying, lunch has been delivered. You'll be meeting with Vice President Lan Xiang in an hour to discuss new cooperation proposals for the next quarter."
He listed the upcoming itinerary item by item: "...Also, there's a rumor that a wealthy tycoon from beyond the borders is coming to Fancheng to discuss a deal worth an astronomical sum. Many people are watching closely, inquiring about it both openly and secretly..."
He didn't know which two words suddenly touched him, but Ying Shixue paused almost imperceptibly as she stepped into the elevator, and then stepped in completely.
“You don’t need to come along,” he said calmly. “You can have your lunch. I’m going out for a bit.”
After receiving the instruction, Fang Zhi subconsciously stayed outside the elevator, but he hadn't actually realized what Ying Shixue meant. When his mind finally caught up, he couldn't help but utter "Wait" before the elevator doors closed.
...Well, Fang Zhi thought sullenly, at least he could eat five-star chef's food for free again. Speaking of which, it seems that President Ying disappears for a fixed period of time every month, and no one is allowed to follow him. When he reappears, his face is as pale as it is today.
It was chilly in early spring, and he inevitably coughed again when he went out. By the time he drove to a private hospital outside the city, it was almost one o'clock.
Before getting off the bus, he put on a mask, skillfully avoided the crowds, and arrived at the medical room at the end of the hospital floor.
Nurses were already waiting there. Ying Shixue took off her coat and mask and sat down in a chair.
In front of everyone in the company, his figure was so thin and frail that he needed this garment to cover his shoulders to give him an aura. Now that he had taken it off, his actual thinness was revealed.
The white shirt revealed the well-defined shoulder blades, and the exposed arm was a stark white, with a wrist so thin that it seemed as if it would break if bent.
The young nurse diligently wiped the alcohol, but couldn't insert the syringe several times.
“Excuse me,” the man’s voice was low but very pleasant and melodious, “my veins are a little thin.”
The young nurse quickly shook her head: "It's alright, it's alright, it's just part of our job as nurses..."
A few minutes later, she finally found the right spot and inserted the hard needle.
While waiting for the blood bags to fill, she tidied up her things and equipment, all the while thinking to herself.
The usual interval between blood donations is at least six months, and at least four or five months. But this is the third time this person has had their blood drawn in two months.
This man came to their hospital about six months ago. He was previously at another hospital. He was dressed so well, he didn't look like someone who was so desperate for money that he had to sell his blood. He also received treatment here for several other inexplicable illnesses.
The chair had a back, but Ying Shixue didn't lean against it. Her shoulders were very straight, giving her an indestructible and seemingly unyielding appearance.
Her butterfly-like eyelashes were closed, and bright red blood was being drawn from her arm by a syringe.
The blood bag was finally full, and the nurse quickly put it in the cold storage. Ying Shixue pressed a cotton ball against her arm to stop the bleeding, and swayed slightly when she stood up.
The nurse exclaimed and came to help him, but he had already steadied himself by holding onto the table.
He slowly but firmly refused her help, put his coat back on, and walked outside.
However, not long after he stepped out of the medical room, two new rows of men in black appeared in the corridor.
This is a private hospital under Sheng'an's name, with excellent privacy and confidentiality. This building is also far away from areas with many patients, making it an excellent place to disappear without a trace.
“Mr. Ying,” the leader of the men in black stepped forward, “please come over.”
They used respectful terms and adopted a suffocating and surrounding posture, but showed no respect whatsoever.
Ying Shixue looked at him, the late winter sunlight reflecting a cold light in his eyes: "Did Xi Zongbo send you?"
He recognized this person as a high-ranking official in Sheng'an, and one of Xi Zongbo's confidants, whose position was not low.
The man's expression changed upon hearing this, and his tone became impolite: "Mr. Ying, please watch your words."
“After all,” he said coldly, looking at Ying Shixue, “don’t forget, you got to where you are today entirely because of who you relied on.”
"Oh?" Ying Shixue felt a slight pain in the blood-drawing site: "Haven't you gotten enough benefits from me over the years?"
Xi Wei: "In the past six months, you have become increasingly two-faced and opposed to Sheng'an. Last month, for such a big project in the east of the city, Sheng'an was clearly more suitable, but you actually gave the final cooperation spot to an unknown small company!"
A hint of sarcasm flashed in Ying Shixue's eyes, her tone lazy and somewhat nonchalant: "Xi Bojian couldn't win him over himself, so he blamed me."
"You!" Xi Wei's face contorted with rage. He gritted his teeth, panting, and snorted, gesturing for his men to come forward: "Take him away!"
The vehicle moved silently across the highway like a snake slithering in the shadows, finally stopping in front of an unassuming house.
Ying Shixue was half-forced and half-pushed out of the car. After her fingerprints and iris scans were checked, the building finally revealed its true nature.
He was pushed to a table and sat down, his wrists were handcuffed, and a row of various medicines were placed in front of him. There was also an experimenter with a notebook, ready to start recording early in the morning.
His long eyelashes drooped down, concealing the expression in his eyes. Starting a year ago, the number of times he had his blood drawn and tested for drugs gradually increased. Although Xi Zongbo had noticed his little tricks and it was partly a disciplinary warning, the frequency had reached an extremely high level in the past three months.
Under the cold light of the incandescent bulb on the roof, the medicine gleamed with an eerie and sinister color, and Ying Shixue's lips suddenly curled into a very subtle and strange arc.
Even if Xi Zongbo didn't want to face it, he couldn't hide the fact that his body was becoming increasingly frail under the relentless passage of time.
Judging from this number of times, the other party's health condition must have deteriorated significantly recently.
"Do you want to drink it yourself, or should we force it down your throat?"
Ying wiped the snow from her back and pressed it against the cold chair back: "What if I don't choose either?"
Xi Wei stopped wasting words with him and gestured for the person next to him to take action.
With his hands and legs bound, his chin was forcibly lifted and pinched, leaving him no choice but to grit his teeth and turn his head to struggle. With a snap, the test tube shattered on the ground, splashing medicine all over him.
Enraged, Xi Wei slapped him hard across the face. The loud sound made Ying Shixue feel a buzzing in his eyes and ears, and a sensation of cold and heat on his lips. He knew that his hand had been broken.
His chin was pried open again, and the spilled liquid splattered all over his collar. Xi Wei grinned maliciously, when suddenly a loud noise came from outside the door.
He was stunned: "What happened?!"
The iron gate was forcibly pried open, and a group of well-trained men rushed in, all dressed uniformly and masked. Before Xi Wei could react, he was punched hard in the face and knocked to the ground.
Blood gushed from his nose and teeth, and before he could even get up, he was stomped heavily on the ground again, chest down.
"beat."
The male voice was hoarse and cold. Xi Wei clearly didn't realize what those words meant, and then countless punches and kicks rained down.
He screamed and rolled around in excruciating pain, but he couldn't escape no matter what he did.
Ying Shixue was still handcuffed to the chair, her clothes, soaked with medicine, clung to her body, and she was breathing heavily as her chest heaved.
The man who came in was also masked, limiting his view. Ying Shixue could only recognize that he was extremely tall, and the muscles under his clothes bulged when he moved, which was enough to show the terrifying power contained within.
"You..." Ying Shixue's lips moved slightly, her voice weak.
The man walked up to him, and for some reason, when his gaze fell on the handprint on the man's cheek, his aura became several degrees more imposing.
One of his men got the key and half-squatted down to untie the chair for him.
The moment his arms were released from their restraints, they slid down softly, and then he felt a lightness in his body as he was pulled into a hot, hard embrace.
His body was adjusted to the most comfortable position, and the effects of the drug made him drowsy. His vigilance and self-control, which were far beyond those of ordinary people, were of no use in this embrace. He couldn't even stay awake.
Before she completely lost consciousness, Ying Shixue heard the cold and stern voice of the person holding her:
"Take all these people away."
-
Fleeting images flashed before her eyes in her dream, and countless old stories from years past appeared in a time-space distortion. The air was so thick that she could hardly breathe, and just before she was about to drown, Ying Shixue suddenly woke up.
His chest heaved violently, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on the back of his neck during the nightmare. As he gradually calmed down, the first thing that caught his eye was the extremely understated yet luxurious roof.
Where am I?
He tilted his head, hissing softly as he touched the wound on his lip.
The huge, heavy curtains were pulled up tightly, leaving only a gap for outside light to pass through. It was clear that the owner was a very meticulous person, ensuring that the room was not too dark while also preventing the light from affecting his sleep.
He looked at his right arm and tried to move it.
A fluffy, soft quilt covered me, providing a perfectly comfortable and warm temperature. Even the minor scrapes I got from the floor were taken care of.
Perhaps it wasn't someone who harbored ill intentions towards him... Ying Shixue thought to herself, tilting her head to the left, then looking on in astonishment—
A black steel chain was clearly visible on his left wrist.
The inside was padded with soft cloth to prevent the wrists from getting cold or injured, and the other end of the iron chain was connected to the bedpost, which was also made of fine iron.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
