Chapter 243 - Instead of Her, You Come Looking For Me?

The clothes Gu Xiqiao wore were all hand-made by either Tang Yanling or Jiang Shuxuan, which explained why there weren’t any brand tags on them.

Yu Silei squinted her eyes as she scanned the girl up and down but nothing in particular stood out in terms of her looks. Still, she was emanating a special type of aura, one that felt icy cool for some reason. Yu Silei was no fool, nor was she the ignorant type. This was why she lasted so long under her sugar daddy.

Li Yanmei’s sincere apology had already satisfied Yu Silei’s ego.

“Bad luck! Why am I so unfortunate today!” She walked away briskly with her heels clicking loudly against the floor.

Li Yanmei let out a sigh in relief. Gu Xiqiao watched intently as Yu Silei left.

In the private box next door, Ying Qi put down his phone and frowned.

“Third Young Master, today’s a day we should be cheering for. N City’s mobs were all sent straight to the police so why the long face?” asked Wang Jun who, after chatting with the mayor with a glass of liquor in hand, noticed the unsettled look on Ying Qi’s face when he turned around.

“My comrade who was injured during the skirmish, the hospital has just concluded that he’s paralyzed.” Ying Qi stared soullessly at his drink on the table. “I’ve just received news that a British doctor, renowned for his skill has appeared in N City’s airport.”

Although the chances were slim, he felt obligated to take a shot.

Wang Jun opened his mouth, as if he was going to say something but nothing came up in the end. He then switched to another question. “Is that man the soldier who saved our lives?”

Ying Qi nodded.

“I am terribly sorry to hear that.” A dejected expression surfaced on Wang Jun’s face.

“You have nothing to do with it,” said Ying Qi as he shook his head. “I guess it’s just sh*tty luck. Even if he did not save you, I do not doubt that he’d sustain the same injuries for another comrade.”

Gu Xiqiao already had her fill with these soldiers. When she left the room, she bumped into another large group of men, all of which seemed to be fairly distinguished people.

Ying Qi immediately spotted his third brother, which prompted him to hide from plain sight.

Ying Xu noticed Ying Qi and he stopped walking. He was prepared to head over and give his brother a few words of advice but before he could do that, the wealthy-looking mayor squeezed past him and called out excitedly, “Miss Gu!”

Right after that, the group of men behind him recognized instantly who he was referring to. There she was, the young girl whose figure was so delicate she seemed to have been carved out from jade.

Their tone sounded more congratulatory than the other. “Miss Gu, you came with your friends?”

Wang Jun with Yu Silei next to him came out last. They looked over when they noticed that the group had stopped walking. “Miss Gu?!” His voice sounded surprised.

The reaction of these men made Ying Xu unconsciously shift his gaze over to Miss Gu. His eyes were filled with curiosity. These men were all the figureheads of N City; why were they acting so courteously towards a young lady?

He then recalled what happened yesterday—his brother, Ying Qi, was saved by some mysterious hero with unknown origins. He looked down and went into deep thought.

Gu Xiqiao peered over at these men. She didn’t recognize who most of them were, with the exception of Wang Jun, whom she knew personally, and the mayor, whose face appears on local television from time to time. She waved her hand at Wang Jun as she greeted him. “I have plans with my friends. I’ll be leaving now.” Pretentiously, she walked away with Li Yanmei.

Before she left, she shot Yu Silei a quick look.

It was then that Wang Jun regained his senses. “You’re letting her off again!” God d*mn!

He yelled as he rushed towards her. Regardless of whether or not she could hear him, he shouted, “I’ll be meeting you in the afternoon! Remember to turn your phone on!”

“...”

Jiji remained silent.

‘You know, it’s not that Beauty Qiao’s phone was switched off. It’s that she has put you in her caller blacklist.’

“Third Young Master, I will head on home first. If Grandpa were to know that Miss Gu has returned and that I had not invited them to our home, I would definitely get beaten to death by them,” said Wang Jun jokingly. He seemed to be in a grumpy mood as he murmured under his breath, “The audacity of this girl! Every time I meet her she’d run away! Do I look that scary?!”

He did not bring Yu Silei with him when he left. She was left standing there, her face turning paler by the second.

Ying Xu watched him leave as thoughts raced through his mind.

“Ying Qi, you mind telling me who this Miss Gu person is?” Ying Qi’s buddies were surprised by Gu Xiqiao’s interaction with these big shots.

Every single one of them had a beaming smile on their faces. Good god, even his big boss wouldn’t stir up such a reaction, right?

Ying Qi had barely just regained his composure. Taking in a deep breath, he shook his head. “I don’t know.” All he knew was that Li Yanmei was a commoner and that Gu Xiqiao was a good friend of hers. She appeared at first glance to be a regular girl but the turnout of events definitely shocked him.

The mayor’s secretary, who was standing behind his boss chuckled when he overheard these two talking. “Just one look and I could tell that they aren’t from N City.”

“But how?” Ying Qi watched as his third brother slowed down his pace for the secretary to catch up with him. It was a rare sight to see this guy being interested in another individual!

Seeing that his statement had piqued someone else’s interest, the mayor’s secretary started explaining. “Don’t you know Miss Gu, who stirred up quite the ruckus in N City back then? After that she was taken in by the Yin family as their adopted child, who they protected as if she was their own child Precisely because of this, no one could cross her and walk away unscathed.”

These matters however, were irrelevant.

“Do you surf Weibo? Have you heard of the internet celebrity of the User ID, ‘For A Millenium’? Do you guys not know that she was awarded the first prize in an international art exhibition? Have you heard of cell fusion? Do you know that a breakthrough in this field of medicine has resulted in countless foreign researchers flocking into China’s research laboratories? If you guys are still unaware of these things, you should have at least heard of the tech company, Nine Heavens?”

Gu Xiqiao first made her debut in N City, which explains why she had a countless number of fans here. The secretary was quite obviously one of them. From an illegitimate child of a celebrity to a national scholar, then to the founder of Nine Heavens. It didn’t just end there. She was also a leading member of China’s medical community, which sounded almost fantastical.

Ying Qi was hit by wave after wave of realizations.

His jaw almost dropped to the ground when the secretary finished talking.

The mayor cleared his throat and then turned to quietly ask his secretary, “Fascinated by Miss Gu, aren’t you?”

“Aren’t you?” asked the secretary.

“...”

The mayor pleaded in his heart, ‘Could you not expose me like this?’

Even Ying Xu was so taken aback that he was unaware of his phone ringing.

The one most affected however, was probably Yu Silei. She was already feeling a sense of unease when she realized that Gu Xiqiao was an acquaintance of Wang Jun. What the secretary said added more fuel to the fire, making her heart pound against her ribcage. Of course, as someone in showbiz, she recognized the name but she did not expect the seemingly harmless girl to be that Gu Xiqiao.

If she wanted Yu Silei dead, she wouldn’t even have to exert the slightest amount of effort.

Yi Silei clutched her bag and slid away from the group silently, trying to avoid being noticed by Wang Jun or Gu Xiqiao. Else, she’d definitely be signing her own death warrant!

“Third Brother, your phone’s ringing,” said Ying Qi.

Ying Xu snapped out of his reverie and picked up his phone. His facial expression changed right as the person on the other end of the line started speaking. “I’ll be there immediately!”

He left right after saying that. It was at this moment that the mayor started talking. “Third Young Master, I hear that one of your men has fallen ill? Might I suggest you look for Young Master Wang? His uncle’s leg was infected and there were even rumors purporting that amputation was inevitable. A mysterious healer then showed up and cured him of his ailment.”

“Is that so? Well thanks a lot!” Ying Xu bowed his head and walked off in large strides.

Ying Qi hastily caught up with his brother. “Third Brother, what’s the matter? Has something happened to our fifth brother?”

“No, but they have successfully located Mr. Emery.” A look of hope returned to Ying Xu’s eyes.

“Really?” Ying Qi could not suppress the look of surprise and excitement he had on his face. “Then our fifth brother can be saved!”

A heavy weight slid right off Ying Xu’s shoulders.

This group rushed all the way to the airport, where they met the supposed Emery. He was a middle-aged man with bright blue eyes. The man appeared to possess a peaceful temperament, which had the effect of calming Ying Xu and his men down.

Upon hearing Ying Xu’s reason for approaching him, the smile on Emery’s face faded away as he shook his head. “I’m afraid you’ve made a mistake. It’s been over twenty years since I last conducted a surgical operation.”

Ying Qi and his men’s faces darkened when they heard his response.

Ying Xu peered back at Emery. “Sir, I have connections with the Baili family.”

Emery was momentarily taken aback by his statement before he let out a sigh. “I will give an assessment on how serious his condition is but do remember, I have sworn to never touch the scalpel again. I can, however, recommend a friend of mine to assist you. He’s far better than me in terms of skill anyways.”

“You have my gratitude,” said Ying Xu with a bow before he led the doctor onto a car.

Ying Xu sat in the backseat while his subordinates sat in front. He lit a cigarette and blew out a large, round puff of grey smoke. After a moment, he asked, “Miss Gu from earlier, is she the one who saved Ying Qi?”

His subordinates were steel-faced when they replied, “No idea sir!”

A sinister look appeared in Ying Xu’s eyes. “Do you really have no idea?”

“Sir, it’s the truth sir!” During their chitchat with Miss Gu, she had specifically ordered them not to let this secret loose! Their lips were sealed!

Ying Xu stubbed out his cigarette. He understood his men by heart. What he did not foresee however, was that it took only a single hour for Miss Gu to win them over. It was definitely startling but it was also funny. Should he still keep around these traitorous men?

***

Gu Xiqiao sent Li Yanmei back to her apartment block next to First City High. “Sister Mei, study hard! I’ll be waiting for you in the Imperial Capital.”

“I definitely will!” replied Li Yanmei while shaking her fist in the air. She had finally gotten her hands on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, why on earth would she give up so easily?

“Well, I’ll see you around then.” Gu Xiqiao waved Li Yanmei goodbye before turning around with her little robot following behind her. After a few steps forward though, she turned back and said, “I say, Ying Qi is a pretty good deal! You should definitely consider dating him!”

“...”

Li Yanmei was caught off-guard by Gu Xiqiao’s suggestion. Still, before she could react, her friend had already disappeared into the distance.

“Beauty Qiao, I wanna drink some milk tea!” exclaimed ‘Jiji’, the system when it saw Gu Xiqiao purchasing a cup for herself.

Gu Xiqiao took a sip and glanced down at it. “In broad daylight? Are you planning to scare the hell out of the people around us?”

Jiji: “... am I your run-of-the-mill robot?”

“No, but you’re the type that’ll scare the crap out of these people though,” said Gu Xiqiao with a smile. Be that as it may, she still bought a cup of milk tea for it.

Wang Jun, who had been searching high and low for her drove over. The first sight he was greeted with was this robot sipping on milk tea. “... my idol.”

“Thank you, bring me to Shanhe Manor.” Gu Xiqiao slid into the backseat as she flashed a smile at Wang Jun. Likewise, the robot too, clambered into the backseat of his car.

Wang Jun’s eyes widened. “Didn’t we agree that we’d head over to my place?” Since when had he turned into her personal driver?!

“We? When did we ever agree on such a thing?” Gu Xiqiao shook her head. “I’d like to go home and sleep.” She had to leave tomorrow.

Wang Jun was speechless. Her brutally honest excuse was commendable, that’s for sure!

Still, he couldn’t force her to do anything. Who knows? Maybe she’d abandon ship halfway through the process. Allowing his uncle to handle this matter himself was probably the most feasible approach. Just then, a call came for Wang Jun on his phone.

“Miss Gu, I need to drop by the hospital.” After the call ended, Wang Jun turned around and glanced at Gu Xiqiao. “Just one turn and we’ll reach the place. I’ll send you back immediately after I’m done there!”

Gu Xiqiao lazily nodded her head as she laid back into her seat.

***

In a VIP ward on the 56th level of City Hospital.

Ying Qi was holding onto a tablet. He turned on the webcam and aimed it at the patient lying on the hospital bed. A few minutes later, a person’s voice came from the computer speakers. “I have a rough idea of what’s happening. Pass it over to Uncle Emery.”

Emery took over the device. Looking at the young man on the screen who was donning a crisp white lab coat, he asked, “How are his injuries?”

Everyone in the room held their breath, awaiting the doctor’s answer.

“Uncle.” The man on the screen was Zhu Yuan. “It’s a little complicated, mainly due to the data you sent to me being insufficient. These doctors should be retrained in our laboratory. That, or get lectured by Beauty Gu!” How terrible at efficiency could these folks be?!

Ying Xu’s heart sank when he finally heard his answer. These people knew who Zhu Yuan was, and how he was Divine Doctor Rong’s disciple. Hearing such a response from a prodigy doctor made the situation seem all the more grave.

“Can you drop by to treat him?” asked Emery anxiously.

“I will try.” Zhu Yuan made a pained expression. “I still have experiments here that I cannot let go of at the moment. Forget it, tell me his situation right now.”

Emery went through the compiled medical documents for the patient and started discussing with Zhu Yuan about it. The latter spoke slowly, so that Emery could understand every single word he was saying. After a long while, a smile broke across his face. “Zhu Yuan, you’ve learned a lot over the past couple of years, haven’t you? Looks like Divine Doctor Rong has done a good job educating you.” Even he couldn’t understand a handful of advanced terms Zhu Yuan was using.

“No, it’s not my master who taught me this.” Zhu Yuan shook his head. He continued imparting new medical knowledge to Emery, who, by now, was captivated by his informational lecture.

Everyone else in the room found what he was saying to be incomprehensible. There was simply too much medical jargon that they couldn’t wrap their heads around the matter.

To be honest, even Emery discovered many novel concepts that were embedded in this lecture. Diligently, he tried to digest whatever they were saying. In the end, he was left surprised. “Zhu Yuan, how do you manage to know so many new things?”

Much of what Zhu Yuan had just said was unheard of before in the medical community. If this was publicized, he had no doubt that this would change the course of medical history one more time.

“Why if it isn’t because of that girl!” Zhu Yuan gritted his teeth whenever he was reminded of Gu Xiqiao. “We’ll leave this talk for another day. I want you to assess the patient’s overall condition. The information you guys sent me was way too shallow. I cannot get a good grasp on what’s actually going on with the patient.”

“Won’t there be a problem with telling me these pieces of information?” Emery was lagging slightly behind. Zhu Yuan could totally patent his theories.

Instead, he casually waved his hand before fixing his phone onto a stand. Then, he took out a piece of paper and a pen. “What problem can there be? Everyone in our laboratory already knows about this so relax will you?”

Everyone in the laboratory? Emery was stunned.

“Why else would so many foreign practitioners and researchers offer to work here in my laboratory?” Zhu Yuan smiled gleefully at the camera.

Emery took in a deep breath. “Who is managing this laboratory of yours?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking this question.

“I’ll tell you about it when you reach the Imperial Capital.” Zhu Yuan continued talking about the patient after that.

The door of the ward was pushed open and in marched Wang Jun.

Behind him was Gu Xiqiao and her robot, who remained at the doorway. They didn’t enter the room; she planned to wait out the entire process of Wang Jun examining his patient.

Emery did not focus on the person who had just entered the room. He turned in another direction. “I have already detected the symptoms that you’ve described. What’s next?”

The person on the other side of the video call remained silent.

Emery found it odd, so he repeated his question. Still, Zhu Yuan did not respond.

“Zhu Yuan, you...” Emery was not even halfway through his sentence when Zhu Yuan bellowed over the video call.

“You piece of crap! This person’s here and instead of her, you come looking for me?!” Zhu Yuan jumped onto his feet instantly. “She could solve this issue in a matter of minutes and you dare call me up?! Whatever for?!”

F*ck, this familiar voice!

Gu Xiqiao’s eyelids twitched. In a split second, she grabbed Jiji and turned around.

“Gu Xiqiao, if you have the balls to walk off, I’ll command my entire lab team to harass you tomorrow!” The corner of Zhu Yuan’s mouth twitched when he issued his ultimatum.

Gu Xiqiao stopped. “... just you wait, Zhu Yuan!”