Wang Xiaodong sat behind his desk, lightly tapping his fingertips against the report the Shadow Guard had delivered on Lin Chen’s recent movements. A cold smile slowly curved across his lips.
‘Lin Chen wants to use that medical casebook to climb the social ladder? He’s far too naive.’
Wang Xiaodong said, “System, can you give me an old man skilled in medicine? He just needs to be better than Lin Chen’s master.”
[Detecting the host’s desire to help others. Rewarding the host with Daoist Master Xuanqing, who possesses Divine-level Medical Arts, Divine-level Alchemy, and more.]
Wang Xiaodong put down the report, rose to his feet, and headed toward the backyard. Under the moonlight stood an elderly Daoist dressed in a faded Daoist robe that had been washed nearly white. His hair was snowy, yet his face remained youthful. With his back to Wang Xiaodong, he slowly rolled a string of glossy Buddhist prayer beads between his fingers, exuding a serene air of detachment from worldly affairs.
‘What? A Daoist with Buddhist prayer beads? Is this Daoist even legitimate?’
The old Daoist turned around and greeted him, “Xuanqing greets Master.” His eyes were clear and tranquil, yet they seemed capable of seeing straight through the human heart.
Wang Xiaodong stood with his hands clasped behind his back and asked in an unquestionable tone, “You know what you’re supposed to do?”
Daoist Master Xuanqing gave a formal Daoist greeting and replied, “The wealthy businessman surnamed Zhao whom Lin Chen intends to approach suffers from a chronic illness caused by improper Qi cultivation in his younger years, resulting in blocked meridians. His condition requires the Seven-Star Life-Renewing Needles combined with medicinal pills. There is also General Li in the western part of the city. His persistent cough is actually caused by chronic poisoning…”
Wang Xiaodong interrupted him, “No need for the details. You only need to remember one thing. Every person listed in Lin Chen’s medical casebook can only be treated by you. Cure them.”
After a brief pause, Wang Xiaodong added, “And avoid all contact with Lin Chen.”
Daoist Master Xuanqing nodded. “I shall obey.”
‘Lin Chen wants to rise through the ranks using his medical skills? Then I’ll cut off every path available to him.’
As for personally taking action, only an idiot would do something like that. Wang Xiaodong merely needed to sit behind the scenes and set his pieces in motion.
He was the great villain, after all. Learning medicine just to treat other people was far too beneath him.
‘If I’m going to treat anyone, it should at least be a beautiful woman! Otherwise, what’s in it for me?’
Wang Xiaodong called out, “System, give me a medical skill! (?˙▽˙?)”
[Detecting the host’s benevolent heart as a healer. Rewarding the host with Divine-level Medical Arts.]
Wang Xiaodong had figured it out. This system basically gave him whatever he asked for. So he silently thought, ‘System, I want invincible strength!’
[The host does not possess enough Destiny. Please stop indulging in wishful thinking. Most of the host’s requests can still be fulfilled. Please seize more Destiny as soon as possible.]
Wang Xiaodong scoffed. ‘Tch. And here I thought the system was so powerful!’
[Host, don’t you understand the conservation of energy? I’m already a high-level system capable of independently absorbing energy, allowing you to obtain benefits for free.]
[Those trash systems force their hosts to complete missions and even impose punishments. I don’t.]
‘Not bad, I suppose. It’s just a shame this isn’t a cultivation world right now. Otherwise, it could’ve been like those fantasy novels where you get a Great Emperor’s cultivation at the very beginning and instantly become invincible.’
At that moment, Li Weiwei sent him a message with a photo attached. It showed Chen Xiaoxiao reading with the children at the orphanage, a faint trace of melancholy lingering between her brows.
Wang Xiaodong remembered the Shadow Guard mentioning that she had recently been suffering from insomnia and looked somewhat pale. His fingers tapped across the screen as he sent a message, [Prepare a medicinal meal that helps calm the mind and improve sleep. Have one of our people deliver it and mention my name.]
‘Doing a good deed without leaving your name behind, how is that any different from indulging in self-satisfaction?’
A simp who kept licking until the very end would ultimately be left with nothing. If you did something for someone, you should make it known.
Women looked at actions and attitude, not merely sweet words.
Li Weiwei also seemed to be one of the female leads. Wang Xiaodong had not seen her in quite some time. If he remembered correctly, her mother had been hospitalized.
This kind of melodramatic plot was obviously prepared for Lin Chen.
‘A gambling-addicted father, a sick mother, a useless younger brother, and a broken woman.’
Treating those old fellows was merely a way to draw their forces to his side. As for the minor ailments of beautiful women, occasionally showing them a little “concern” was hardly a waste of resources.
After all, compared with treating a bunch of rough old men, improving a beautiful woman’s complexion was far more suited to his “leisurely interests.”
Wang Xiaodong closed the file and glanced at the time before instructing Tuzi, who was near the door, “Follow me.”
Tuzi had been sprawled across the sofa counting lollipops. The moment she heard him, she sprang to her feet, grabbed her pink backpack, and hurried after him. “Master, are we going to the company? Do you want me to disguise myself as a secretary?”
Wang Xiaodong pressed the elevator button, his gaze falling on the bits of grass stuck to her combat boots. “No. And next time, don’t roll around on the lawn.”
Tuzi pouted. “Hehe, I know!”
When they arrived downstairs at Wang Group, the receptionist noticed the young girl with twin ponytails following Wang Xiaodong. A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes, but she did not dare ask any questions. She simply nodded respectfully and greeted him, “Good morning, CEO Wang.”
Li Weiwei was checking financial statements in her office when she heard a knock on the door. She raised her head and saw Wang Xiaodong walking in with a document in his hand, so she quickly stood up. “CEO Wang.”
Wang Xiaodong placed the document on her desk. “There are several incorrect figures in the budget for the project in the western part of the city.”
His gaze briefly swept over the faint dark circles beneath her eyes before he asked, “How is your mother’s condition lately?”
Li Weiwei froze. Her fingers tightened slightly around the document as she replied, “It’s still the same. The doctor said… she’ll need long-term treatment.”
Wang Xiaodong spoke casually, as though it were merely something he had mentioned in passing. “If you don’t have anything important this afternoon, come with me to the hospital. It’s on the way.”
Li Weiwei abruptly raised her head, her eyes filled with surprise. “CEO Wang, this…”
Wang Xiaodong interrupted her, “Enough. Fix this first.” His gaze settled on the report in her hands.
He turned and walked out, with Tuzi following closely behind him. As Tuzi passed Li Weiwei’s desk, she secretly made a funny face at her.
‘This sister always looks so tense. She seems even more serious than Master.’
Inside the office, Li Weiwei stared at Wang Xiaodong’s retreating figure. Her fingers trembled slightly as she held the document.
She had worked for him for many years and knew that her boss had always been cold and uncompromising. He rarely concerned himself with the private affairs of his subordinates.
Yet what he had done today stirred an indescribable feeling in her heart.
By the time Li Weiwei finished correcting the report and went downstairs, Wang Xiaodong’s car was already waiting at the entrance.
Tuzi was sitting inside. The moment she saw Li Weiwei approaching, she immediately scooted aside and called out, “Sister, hurry up and get in! Master said we’re going to buy some fruit!”
Li Weiwei opened the rear door. Wang Xiaodong was resting with his eyes closed. The lines of his profile remained cold and sharp, and he made no mention of what had happened earlier.
As the streets outside the window slowly receded into the distance, Li Weiwei suddenly remembered something from when she had been reporting her work the previous week.
She had casually mentioned that her mother kept talking about wanting to eat candied oranges from an old, famous shop in the southern part of the city.
Wang Xiaodong appeared to have his eyes closed, but he was actually watching the rearview mirror from the corner of his eye. Seeing the corners of Li Weiwei’s eyes gradually redden, he lightly tapped his fingers against his knee.
After a moment, Wang Xiaodong suddenly said, “By the way, Daoist Master Xuanqing is an elderly Divine Doctor. I’ll have him examine your mother. His medical skills are more reliable than those hospital specialists.”
Li Weiwei abruptly looked up, even more astonished than before. “CEO Wang, that would be far too much trouble…”
Wang Xiaodong opened his eyes, his expression revealing little emotion. “It’s no trouble. Just consider it… an employee benefit.”
The car came to a steady stop outside a fruit shop. Tuzi happily bounded inside and soon returned carrying a bag of oranges. She presented it to Li Weiwei as though she were showing off a treasure. “Sister, look! They’re big and sweet!”
‘Perhaps this boss of mine isn’t completely coldhearted after all.’
The sharp scent of disinfectant permeated the hospital corridor. Li Weiwei stood outside the ward, nervously clutching the corner of her clothes. There was a trace of hesitation in her voice as she said, “CEO Wang, maybe… we should just forget about it. My mother’s illness…”
Wang Xiaodong interrupted her in an unquestionable tone, “Go inside. Xuanqing is waiting for you.”
However, he did not enter himself.
Li Weiwei bit her lip. In the end, she pushed open the door and walked inside.
Daoist Master Xuanqing was sitting beside the hospital bed with his fingers resting on Mother Li’s wrist. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his expression was grave.
Tuzi stood behind Wang Xiaodong and pressed herself against the glass in the door to peer inside. She whispered, “Master, that grandma looks so weak.”
Wang Xiaodong said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the other side of the glass.
Mother Li lay on the hospital bed, her complexion sallow. Needle marks from dialysis were still visible on her arm.
Li Weiwei stood beside the bed with her back toward the door. Her shoulders trembled faintly as she quietly said something to her mother.
Inside the ward, Daoist Master Xuanqing released Mother Li’s wrist and let out a long breath. He shook his head at Li Weiwei and said, “Late-stage uremia. Her meridians are severely blocked, and dialysis can only prolong her life…”
Tears instantly welled up in Li Weiwei’s eyes. “Daoist Master, please think of something. I’m willing to pay any amount…”
Daoist Master Xuanqing sighed. “Money isn’t the problem.”
He reached into his cloth bag, took out a small porcelain bottle, and poured three black medicinal pills into his palm. “These are Blood-Replacement Pills. They can clear blockages and expel toxins, but they are extremely difficult to refine and require an enormous amount of resources. Your boss agreed to 3 of my conditions just to persuade me to treat her.”
Daoist Master Xuanqing continued, “One of those conditions was giving me the thousand-year-old Snow Lotus from his personal collection. That is a priceless treasure capable of saving a person’s life.”
As he spoke, he gestured for Li Weiwei to help her mother sit up and feed her the pills.
Within moments, Mother Li’s previously sallow complexion gradually regained a healthy flush. Her breathing became steady and strong, and soon, she slowly opened her eyes.
Mother Li murmured, “Weiwei… I feel like… it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Li Weiwei was overwhelmed with shock and joy. She rushed to the bedside and tightly grasped her mother’s hand. “Mom! How do you feel?”
Mother Li smiled and gently patted her hand. “Much better. My whole body feels so much lighter.”
Her gaze then shifted toward Xuanqing. “This Daoist Master is…?”
Li Weiwei replied, “CEO Wang invited him here to treat you.”
As she spoke, tears once again rolled down her cheeks. This time, however, they were warm tears of relief and gratitude.
Li Weiwei turned toward Daoist Master Xuanqing and bowed deeply. “Thank you! And please thank CEO Wang for me!”
Daoist Master Xuanqing waved his hand and deliberately allowed a hint of exhaustion to show on his face. “I’ve expended quite a bit of Inner Force, so I need to return and regulate my breathing. Remember, your boss spared no expense for this. You must remember what he’s done for you.”
Li Weiwei nodded heavily, the gratitude in her eyes nearly overflowing.
[Li Weiwei’s favorability continues to increase. Current favorability: 75.]
Outside the ward, Wang Xiaodong saw Mother Li sit up and begin talking with Li Weiwei. Knowing that Xuanqing had succeeded, he turned and headed toward the elevator.
Tuzi hurried after him and exclaimed, “Master, that Daoist Master is amazing! He cured that grandma so quickly!”
Wang Xiaodong merely replied, “Mm.” There was hardly a ripple of emotion in his eyes.
Just as the elevator doors slid shut, he seemed to catch sight of Li Weiwei looking toward the doorway from inside the ward.
Her eyes were filled with profound gratitude.