Seeing the company's steady development, with everything gradually falling into place as expected, Lin Xuan nodded in satisfaction.
He then gave Ma Yingzhe a few more PUA-style encouragements before preparing to leave.
Suddenly, he seemed to recall something…
"If I calculate the timing, my unfortunate cousin should be appearing soon, right?!"
Lin Xuan stopped in his tracks and turned to instruct Ma Yingzhe: "Old Ma, keep an eye on the hospital for me…"
"There might be a girl named Chu Ling transferring in soon—she has stomach cancer."
"If you happen to come across her, let me know immediately."
Chu Ling? Stomach cancer?
Ma Yingzhe was momentarily stunned and couldn't hold back his curiosity. He asked: "Boss, is this Chu Ling… your friend?"
"Her? You could say she's my cousin whom I've never met before!"
(???(??? ;) Huh???
The boss's cousin?
But her last name is… Chu?!
Ma Yingzhe clearly remembered that Lin Xuan's mother's surname was Tang. Shouldn't all his maternal relatives have the last name Tang?
In order to better understand his boss's preferences, Ma Yingzhe had privately researched Lin Xuan's family background.
He knew that the Tang family was Lin Xuan's maternal family and that their relationship had been strained for years. They hadn't contacted each other for a long time…
Although puzzled, Ma Yingzhe didn't dare to ask further since Lin Xuan didn't explain.
After all, a qualified employee simply follows the boss's orders.
Thus, under Ma Yingzhe's respectful farewell, Lin Xuan left the hospital room.
Hospital Corridor
Lin Xuan took out his phone and opened his contact list, only to find that most of his family and friends had been blocked by his previous self.
Among them was his mother's family—the Tang Corporation.
The Tang family was one of the top aristocratic families in the Magic Capital, with power rivaling that of the Huo family and perhaps even slightly surpassing it.
Back then, Tang Yuwei was the beloved young lady of the Tang family, showered with endless affection.
However, she had a rebellious personality and refused the marriage alliance arranged by her family. On the day of her engagement, she publicly fled from the wedding…
During her escape, she encountered a group of thugs who tried to harass her. Just when she felt helpless, a young Lin Jianjun came to her rescue, playing the classic "hero saving the beauty" role.
Of course…
The Tang family strongly opposed this romance, as it was a union between people of vastly different social standings.
However, Tang Yuwei, deeply in love, ignored all warnings and completely severed ties with her family, leaving the Tang household with nothing.
She then married Lin Jianjun, and as a result, Lin Xuan was born.
Later, Tang Yuwei used the knowledge and skills she had acquired from her family to establish the thriving Lin Group.
However, three years ago, while negotiating business in Europe, she was critically injured in a truck accident and did not survive.
By the time she returned to her homeland, all that was left of her was an urn of ashes…
Thinking about this mother he had never met, Lin Xuan couldn't help but feel how ridiculously dramatic this story was—so cliché that he had no words to mock it.
Then, he unblocked the Tang family members from the blacklist.
"This idiot of a past self… Over the years, he listened to Lin Jianjun and Lin Hao's mother's manipulation and blamed his mother's death on the Tang family."
"Combined with his [Manic Disorder], he repeatedly clashed with the Tang family, causing tensions to escalate, and eventually alienating everyone."
"In these past few years, he completely cut off contact with the Tang family. They, in turn, gave up on him, and Grandfather Tang ultimately chose to abandon his grandson."
"......"
Lin Xuan massaged his temples, contemplating how to break the deadlock.
The Tang family held considerable power. If he wanted to rise to the peak of Magic Capital, their support was indispensable.
Especially when it came to his plan to bankrupt the Huo family…
Lin Xuan already had a clear idea, and the Tang family was a key piece in his plan.
"They really left me with a mess to clean up!"
"But fortunately, the person who can break the deadlock is about to appear… Chu Ling, cousin, I'm counting on you."
"As the true heiress of the Tang family, who was mistakenly swapped at birth, I won't let you die of stomach cancer this time."
"......"
In the original plot, Chu Ling was the only one in the Tang family who showed him kindness.
As for the reason.....
Perhaps it was because they were both equally pitiful, both having suffered indifference and harm from their own family members....
After all, in cliché fake-and-real heiress stories, once the real heiress is found, the whole family is deceived by the schemes of the fake one.
In the end, they harm the real heiress, who shares their blood, while spoiling the fake one.
Lin Xuan recalled the plot while making notes on each member of the Tang family.
When he came across the name "Tang Rou," he paused for a moment, then smiled and added a note:
[Green Tea Fake Heiress].
At that moment, he happened to arrive in front of Su Shengtian's hospital ward.
He pushed open the door.
Su Qingge's figure was standing vigil beside her grandfather's bed.
"I'm back~~"
Lin Xuan greeted them and went straight to squat beside the wheelchair.
"Don't worry, Auntie is in surgery. The bodyguards will come and inform us once it's over....."
After saying that.
Lin Xuan then turned his gaze toward the hospital bed, where... Su Fan was using the massage technique he had taught him to help his grandfather with physical therapy.
The scene.... was a little bit hard to watch.....
But after witnessing Ma Yingzhe's gratitude dance, Lin Xuan felt that this was nothing—he had long since become immune to such sights.
"Brother Su Fan, shouldn't you be waiting outside the operating room for the boss lady?"
Upon hearing this.
Su Fan shook his head and explained:
"No need, waiting outside the operating room would just be a waste of time."
"The old man's condition can't be delayed, I need to complete this massage session for him first, and the timing doesn't conflict."
After speaking, Su Fan glanced at the girl in the wheelchair. Seeing that she seemed fine on the surface, he felt a little relieved.
Actually, there was another reason he had rushed over, one he hadn't mentioned.....
He was worried about his sister, afraid that she would be too saddened by their aunt's situation.
Fortunately, Su Qingge was even stronger than he had expected and wasn't easily overwhelmed.
As for Mu Xiaowan....
Originally, he had many ways to help her undergo an abortion without harm.
However, due to their past relationship, he instinctively didn't want to handle it himself and chose to leave it to the hospital instead.....
[What boss lady? What surgery?]
Since Su Fan revealed his overwhelming strength last night, Su Qingge's attitude toward him had changed dramatically, and a hint of wariness appeared in her eyes.
Luckily, their relationship was still good for now, so she didn't have to worry about him being a threat to the Su family.
But she was still very curious about Su Fan's background. If there were no issues, she would even consider recruiting him.
After all, having one more friend means having one more path, not to mention he was a powerful martial artist.
At this moment, upon hearing the conversation between Lin Xuan and Su Fan, Su Qingge couldn't help but ask.
"Oh, the boss lady who was selling pancakes in front of the hospital earlier. I've had her pancakes before, they were pretty good!"
Su Qingge: "(???(??? ;) Huh???"
"Uh (⊙o⊙)... That boss lady is the woman who was with Huo Qichen last night, you should remember her, right?"
Last night? The woman by Huo Qichen's side?
With Lin Xuan's hint, Su Qingge immediately recalled Mu Xiaowan's face.....
…..
'So, it was her? I remember now, she was forcibly taken away by Su Fan last night.'
'I wonder what her relationship with Su Fan is?'
'But their relationship must be deep. That's the only reason Su Fan would be willing to completely fall out with Huo Qichen just to take her away.'
'But what is she doing at the hospital today? A surgery?'
…..
While Su Qingge was filled with doubts, Lin Xuan didn't keep her in suspense and explained the situation briefly.
Cliché!
After hearing everything, Su Qingge had the same initial reaction as Lin Xuan—she thought it was incredibly melodramatic.
Huo Qichen, a guy like him, actually fell in love with an ordinary pancake-selling woman?
And he even wants her to bear his child?
Is this not straight out of a drama? The domineering CEO falls for the Cinderella-type girl???
And from the looks of it, Su Fan seems to have fallen for that woman too, which is why he's going head-to-head with the domineering CEO!
Two men fighting over one woman?
Alright....
This is getting more and more like a classic first-male-lead vs. second-male-lead drama plot.....
'But this might actually be a good thing for me. Maybe I can use this to make Su Fan and the Huo family become enemies.'
'If planned well, I might even be able to use this to have Huo Qichen eliminated while keeping myself out of the whole mess....'
"......"
Su Qingge lowered her gaze, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
She was now fairly certain that the reason she ended up in a vegetative state....
The Wang family alone likely couldn't have orchestrated it. The biggest mastermind was most likely someone she had past grievances with..... Huo Qichen.
No, actually, the entire Huo family was suspicious....
Such a large family.
Su Qingge didn't believe that none of the Huo family's elders had noticed Huo Qichen's secretive actions.
Perhaps they turned a blind eye because they wanted to use the opportunity to swallow up the Su Group and divide the benefits among themselves....
With the Huo family's influence, the Wang family probably wouldn't dare expose them, and even if they did, it wouldn't make a difference......
Huo Qichen was now the heir of the Huo family. Of course, they would use every means possible to absolve him of any blame.
The best course of action now was to use Su Fan's strength to ignite conflict between him and Huo Qichen, letting them fight while she remained in the shadows to reap the rewards.
…..
'That Mu Xiaowan might just be a good breakthrough point.'
'The land of tenderness is the grave of heroes.'
'Throughout history, countless men have fought over women and ended up destroying each other.'
'Looks like I need to plan carefully and make use of Su Fan's strength for my own benefit.'
'Even though he doesn't have the power to completely wipe out the Huo family, if played well, he could at least severely weaken them with ease.'
'Even if both sides don't destroy each other completely.....'
'As long as the Huo family is left half-crippled, she can be the mantis stalking the cicada, with herself as the oriole waiting behind.'
'As for Su Fan's ultimate fate, it doesn't matter.....'
…..
While Su Qingge was lost in thought, she was unaware that Su Fan had already decided to destroy the Huo family.
If he hadn't happened to encounter Mu Xiaowan, he might have stormed the Huo family last night, starting down a path that would pit him against the authorities.....
To prevent his brother-in-law from repeating past mistakes and to keep his own plan on track, Lin Xuan decided to speak up.
"Qingge, about the reason you ended up in a vegetative state....."
"I think that whether it was your aunt or the Wang family, they might have just been pawns in someone else's game!"
?????
Upon hearing this.
The Su siblings looked up in shock, staring at Lin Xuan with disbelief in their eyes.
"What... do you mean by that?! Could it be that Miss Su Yan isn't the real culprit?"
Su Fan's voice trembled, his expression became agitated, and he momentarily forgot to maintain his usual composure.
He had thought that his aunt being accused of poisoning was a setup and that she was actually innocent.
Unfortunately, Lin Xuan's words quickly extinguished the last of his hope.
…..
"No! The poison was indeed administered by Aunt Su Yan. But the source of this drug—there's no way the Wang family could have obtained it on their own."
"I had people secretly investigate it. This drug is extremely rare and was only accidentally developed last year in a certain powerful country."
"It was a product of an experimental mishap, and the supply is very limited. Ordinary factions wouldn't even have access to it, let alone acquire it......"
"So how did a small family like the Wangs manage to get their hands on it?"
"The only explanation is that there's a powerful unknown force operating behind the scenes......"
"And according to my investigation, the Huo family is the only one that has had any dealings with them recently. Plus, last night....."
"With Huo Qichen's personality, why would he suddenly step up for the Wang family without reason? It's completely out of character!"
"Plus, I checked the travel records. Shortly before Qingge's accident, Huo Qichen personally flew to that country...."
"......."
Lin Xuan laid out his analysis, practically spelling it out— the mastermind behind Su Qingge's vegetative state was the Huo family.
The reason he was revealing all of this was mainly for the Su siblings to hear.
This way, he could use avenging his wife as a justification....
On one hand, he could justifiably strike against the Huo family and seize their power.
On the other hand, he could get the siblings to cooperate with his plans against the Huo family, preventing any reckless actions that might cause unnecessary complications.
Especially Su Fan—his personality was too arrogant, and he was accustomed to solving problems with brute force.
In the original plot, after discovering that Su Qingge's coma was connected to Huo Qichen…
He stormed into the Huo family's estate alone and wiped out the entire clan.
A major first-tier power was annihilated just like that, without a sound.
This instantly caused widespread panic, and countless factions became deeply wary of powerful martial artists.
To restore order, the authorities had no choice but to send forces to suppress Su Fan with an iron hand.
But as the so-called "Son of Destiny," Su Fan always believed that the heavens were supreme, the earth was second, and he was third—he never backed down from force.
No matter who came at him—if they provoked him, he killed them!!!
This led to an ever-escalating conflict, and in the end, Su Fan was pushed onto a path where he became the enemy of the entire world.....
To prevent this from happening.
Lin Xuan took the initiative to declare that the Huo family was his prey, in order to stop his brother-in-law from heading toward a future of complete isolation and betrayal.....