They still had to find him

Qin Xiuying was already nursing a headache when she heard a commotion outside. Fury surged through her. She opened the door and stepped out to find three women arguing with the bodyguards.

"What do you think you're doing?" Qin Xiuying demanded angrily. "Don't you know Mr. Chang needs rest?"

Looking smug, Pei Cuiyun said, "Don't be angry, Secretary Qin. We're here to treat Mr. Chang. This is a master from Japan."

Qin Xiuying glanced at Hoshino Aki. There was a starlike brilliance in the woman's eyes, and she certainly seemed no ordinary person. Qin Xiuying nodded and motioned them inside.

Shan Meirong slipped in with them amid the confusion, and the bodyguards did not stop her.

Pei Cuiyun surveyed the people in the hospital room and said haughtily, "Allow me to introduce my business partner, Hoshino Aki. She is also an expert in mystical arts and will certainly be able to cure Mr. Chang."

Yuan Yan frowned. "She's Japanese. I'm afraid this might not be appropriate."

Hoshino Aki feigned humility. "I have heard of your reputation, Professor Yuan. When it comes to treating genuine illnesses, I'm no match for you. But in Mr. Chang's case, your abilities fall short."

Yuan Yan hesitated, then stopped objecting. Meng Huai had already warned him not to meddle. He was better off keeping quiet rather than inviting unnecessary trouble.

Desperate enough to grasp at any cure, Chang Yanping threw caution aside and agreed.

Hoshino Aki did have some skill. A white talisman appeared in her hand, and she murmured an incantation. The talisman ignited without a flame, creating an eerie sight.

She pointed at Chang Yanping, and a beam of white light fell over him as she shouted, "Evil, be banished!"

Agonizing pain shot through Chang Yanping's body. He screamed, his eyes rolled back, and he passed out. His body kept convulsing, and white foam seeped from the corners of his mouth.

Hoshino Aki was horrified. She had never expected the spell afflicting him to be so powerful. Not only had her attempt failed, it had made his condition worse.

Qin Xiuying's brows shot up as she roared furiously, "You women have some nerve! How dare you harm Mr. Chang! You'll pay for this!"

Pei Cuiyun lost all her earlier arrogance and said frantically, "How did this happen? Don't accuse us unfairly, Secretary Qin. I wouldn't dare do that, even if I had ten times the courage!"

Shan Meirong remained remarkably composed. "I'm not with those two," she said steadily. "I came to tell Secretary Qin that if you want to save Mr. Chang, you have to find Meng Huai."

Lin Dayin chimed in from the side, "That's exactly what I said earlier. I was just thinking about going to find him when these two women arrived, and now look what's happened."

Yuan Yan administered a large dose of sedatives to Chang Yanping, barely managing to calm him down.

He shook his head. "I've only met Meng Huai twice, but I know he's a good man, eager to help others and do what's right. For him to explicitly refuse to get involved, you must have gone pretty far!"

Cold sweat covered Qin Xiuying's forehead. "Since you're friends with him, Professor Yuan, please put in a good word for us," she said anxiously. "The problem is, I don't know what we did, so I can't address it."

"I know what happened," Shan Meirong said calmly. "At the last reception, Mr. Chang made his dislike of Meng Huai clear. Your most loyal dogs have been running wild these past two days.

"Yun Zimo's Foundation was shut down. The money she got from selling her company was supposedly frozen, but those families have actually pocketed it. Anyone in her position would be furious."

Lin Dayin chimed in again. "Yes, exactly! My daughter is close friends with Yun Zimo and just got off the phone with her. Yun Zimo said she was in a bad mood and was going on a trip with her fiancé. She also said..."

When Lin Dayin fell silent, Qin Xiuying asked, "What else did she say?"

Lin Dayin gritted his teeth. "Yun Zimo said she would definitely come back for Mr. Chang's memorial service. The implication was that unless her fiancé intervenes, Mr. Chang is certain to die."

Qin Xiuying had not reached her position without some ability. Her face hardened. "I refuse to believe there isn't a single other capable person in all of Southern Yunnan."

"Finding someone else won't help," Hoshino Aki said hurriedly. "As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. These people are all connected. Meng Huai must have already made his position known. No one will make an enemy of him for money."

"Once you offend an expert like him, the trouble never ends. Money is all well and good, but you have to stay alive to spend it. If I'd known you had this feud with him, I wouldn't have come even under threat of death."

Qin Xiuying knew Hoshino Aki was right. There was a saying in business that the rich only helped the rich. She believed the same held true in that circle.

Shan Meirong spoke with quiet confidence. "The fact that Yun Zimo said that to Lin Jinsu means they don't intend to abandon him. They simply can't swallow this insult. They're capable people, after all. You trampled their dignity into the dirt. Of course they need to vent their anger."

Her words brought Qin Xiuying to a sudden realization. That was exactly it. Even when striking someone, you spared their face. They had slapped him in the face, and now that they needed his help, they would have to offer their own faces for him to slap until he was satisfied.

Qin Xiuying took out her phone and dialed several numbers. Her message was the same each time: they had to make amends for what they had done to Yun Zimo's Foundation before that evening.

Regardless of how much each of them had pocketed, they would each have to pay back ten times the total sum. In addition, every family had to hand over someone of sufficient standing to serve at least ten years in prison.

If they failed to comply within the allotted time, their families would be uprooted entirely. Every last one of them would be sent to prison and would never get out again.

Those dogs panicked at once. They knew they had kicked an iron plate this time—and one made of titanium alloy, at that. Their feet were beyond saving. What mattered now was keeping their lives.

Yun Zimo nestled in Meng Huai's arms. For a while now, the calls had been coming one after another, all from people admitting their mistakes and begging for mercy.

Almost everyone with even the slightest connection to Yun Zimo called to plead on their behalf, appealing to both her feelings and her reason.

"I never knew a Foundation that had been shut down could be reopened so quickly," Yun Zimo said with a delighted smile. "It took so much effort when I first applied."

"And now there's so much money in my Foundation that I'm almost reluctant to spend it. Just think how many children this could help. It's wonderful!"

With her soft, lovely body in his arms, Meng Huai felt utterly content. He smiled and said, "You're my precious darling. As long as you're happy, that's all that matters. Are you over your anger now? If you are, it's time to get to work. I expect they'll be here soon."

Yun Zimo wrinkled her nose. "Did you plan all this? You really are an amazing husband. Give me a kiss."

A smile appeared on Meng Huai's face. He had indeed intended to attract Chang Yanping's attention and then investigate what was going on. He simply had not expected things to go against his wishes and cause so much trouble.