No one could have imagined that the headline dominating the news that day would be like this.
“Hou Mou kidnaps Ruiyi President, hiring low-quality bodyguards”
“Are they bodyguards or kidnappers? Unveiling the criminals’ true colors”
“Two years in prison flew by in the blink of an eye, and the bodyguard is back to lend a hand for another thirty years.”
“When discussing how to resolve the bitter struggle between the groups, the bodyguard said, ‘Get lost.’”
“…”
Qiao Jin closed the news article on his phone and sighed as he looked at the operating room in front of him.
Fu Linxiao sat beside him and pointed to the wound on his forehead: “Should we tend to it first?”
Qiao Jin looked grim and shook his head slightly.
Yin, the secretary, paced back and forth across the room. His usually meticulous hairstyle was in disarray, a button on his shirt was undone, and he was covered in dust, clearly agitated.
Qiao Jin glanced at him and couldn’t help but say, “Sit down and calm down.”
Qiao Jin waved his hand, not wanting to speak.
“Hey, hey,” Fu Linxiao stopped him, “Speak properly. You can’t just take advantage of the situation. Once President Lu wakes up, you’ll have even more trouble explaining yourself.”
Secretary Yin thought about it and realized he was panicking so much his brain was short-circuiting.
“Then I…”
Qiao Jin was also a bit impatient, but he was already overworked today, so his voice sounded weak: “If there’s official business at the company, handle it. If there’s no official business, find something else to do.”
Secretary Yin didn’t immediately understand what “find something else to do” meant.
Qiao Jin said, “Keep a close eye on Hou Wude and make sure he spends the rest of his life inside. Use connections, gifts, money—whatever it takes.”
The light in the hospital was too harsh. Sitting there, the shadows behind him blurred into a vague shape, resembling that of a frail, sickly patient.
Qiao Jin kept his eyes closed, maintaining his lowered posture, and rubbed his nose firmly.
Secretary Yin looked at him.
Qiao Jin opened his eyes and scrutinized him: “I legally hold the same shares as Lu Pingzhang. It is only natural for me to attend the meeting. Is there a problem?”
Secretary Yin had never before seen Qiao Jin’s gaze so firm and unwavering. He was usually gentle and accommodating, rarely showing aggression.
Cold sweat broke out all over his body again: “No, no problem.”
After an unknown amount of time, the operating room door finally opened.
Qiao Jin stood up abruptly, then slowed down before approaching: “How is he?”
The director and several chief physicians followed him out, quickly approaching him.
Qiao Jin held his breath, knowing that the next words were the most important.
Qiao Jin’s face was half in shadow from the hospital ceiling lights. He asked in a dry, hoarse voice, “Can I… stand up again?”
The director also smiled and nodded at him, “Leave it to us, Mr. Lu. Don’t worry.”
Qiao Jin exhaled sharply, and for a moment, he felt dizzy and almost lost his balance.
Fu Linxiao supported him, and he managed to smile slightly, “Thank you, everyone. You’ve been so kind.”
Fu Linshao whispered, “We have a meeting coming up. Go get your wound treated, then eat something.”
Qiao Jin finally allowed the doctor to take him away to treat the wound on his forehead caused by the glass.
Since there was a meeting, Qiao Jin treated the wound on his forehead, washed his face, and tidied himself up.
He ate a few bites of food and went to the ward to see Lu Pingzhang.
Lu Pingzhang was in a deep sleep, lying defenselessly on the bed. His usual domineering aura had diminished by half, but one could still glimpse his strong desire for control from the slight droop of his lips.
Qiao Jin logged into Lu Pingzhang’s office backend, retrieved the information of all the shareholders, and matched each person with their ID photos, memorizing them. He entered the video conference five minutes early.
There were already people waiting inside. Upon seeing Lu Pingzhang’s account log in, they sat up straight and appeared solemnly on the screen.
Qiao Jin and the others only turned on their cameras once everyone was present.
The twelve major shareholders were startled to see an overly young person appear on the screen.
This young man had sharp eyebrows and eyes, with slightly elongated eye corners. The line drawn by his superior nose bridge reached its peak at the tip of his nose, then sharply turned downward, passing over his smooth lips, and finally came to an abrupt halt at his clean-cut jawline.
Seeing such a face suddenly appear on the video, magnified with no flaws, was quite impactful.
For a full minute, no one spoke.
Qiao Jin moved the camera back slightly, allowing Lu Pingzhang to appear behind him.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I am Qiao Jin. Due to Mr. Lu’s health condition, I am attending this shareholders’ meeting on his behalf.” He briefly allowed Lu Pingzhang to appear on camera for a moment before refocusing the camera on himself. “I believe everyone has already seen the news coverage of the incident. Mr. Lu’s condition is currently quite optimistic, so please do not worry.”
The others in the meeting remained silent, unsure whether they were stunned by the sudden turn of events or because they were unprepared to meet Qiao Jin.
After all, ‘Qiao Jin’ had suddenly become the largest shareholder overnight.
Everyone had long speculated about his background, but no one dared to investigate further—with Lu Pingzhang standing in the way, no one could uncover his true identity.
Qiao Jin sat relaxed across from them, the wound on his forehead adding a touch of intimidating aura. He appeared both composed and ruthless.
“Since no one is taking the initiative, I’ll boldly take the lead in the meeting.” Though young, he exuded the composure of someone who had been through countless battles, and a single glance was enough to make one forget his age and his striking appearance.
After an hour, Qiao Jin ended the meeting, relieved.
He stared out the window for a moment, then stood up and placed the tablet on the table below the windowsill.
Qiao Jin turned around suddenly and saw Lu Pingzhang lying on the bed, his eyes wide open, staring at him.
Qiao Jin took two steps back to the bedside, reaching out to touch him or hug him, but didn’t know how to proceed. Until Lu Pingzhang blinked and said in his hoarse voice, “You’re really impressive. You can handle the shareholders’ meeting on your own now.”
Qiao Jin didn’t know when he had started listening, nor did he pay attention to the teasing tone in his praise. He brought a cup of warm water from the table, inserted a straw, and held it to his lips for him to drink.
Qiao Jin put down the water cup, fidgeted with his fingers, and asked, “Where can I touch you?”
Lu Pingzhang couldn’t help but laugh, “Where do you want to touch?”
“…”, Qiao Jin ignored his deliberate provocation, reached out and touched his forehead to check his temperature.
Lu Pingzhang didn’t get a response, but his interest remained undiminished.
Qiao Jin withdrew his hand, and Lu Pingzhang followed his every move with his eyes, asking, “Is there any part of me you haven’t touched?”
He might have been feeling a bit uncomfortable, as he furrowed his brows after speaking.
Qiao Jin hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?” “
“Nothing,” Lu Pingzhang relaxed his brows and made a request to Qiao Jin, who was now completely obedient: “Peel an apple for the patient to eat.”
Qiao Jin looked at him to make sure he was serious, then turned to fetch a fruit knife and selected a visually appealing apple from the fruit basket.
He stood by the table, wearing the clothes he had worn that morning, with specks of blood on his collar and dust on his pant legs. But as he rolled up his sleeves and focused on peeling the apple, he seemed untouched by the world around him.
The ring he had picked up at some point was still on his index finger, the round band reflecting the light from the ceiling. Though they had only been apart for a few hours, Lu Pingzhang felt he had grown much thinner, far less healthy and lively than he had been that morning.
Lu Pingzhang watched as he slowly and smoothly peeled the apple skin with a fruit knife, then suddenly called out, “Qiao Jin.”
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Jin paused his movements and turned to ask.
Lu Pingzhang stared at him for a long time without blinking, until Qiao Jin gave him a puzzled look, then he said softly, “I’m a little sore.”
Qiao Jin grew tense, set down the apple, and leaned over to examine his arm. He furrowed his brow and tried to lift the blanket to inspect the wound on his body: “Has the anesthetic worn off? I’ll go find a doctor to give you a painkiller injection.”
Lu Pingzhang had just come out of the operating room and was lying under the blanket with nothing on. He immediately stopped him: “Don’t lift it. I was just teasing you. It doesn’t hurt.”
Qiao Jin looked at him.
Lu Pingzhang lay on the pillow and smiled, “You’re so worried about me.”
Qiao Jin continued to look at him, his eyes silently reddening.
This time, Lu Pingzhang panicked and reached out with his uninjured hand to pull his hand, but as soon as he moved, his back throbbed with dull pain.
He pulled Qiao Jin to the chair, took a few breaths, and said, “Don’t cry. If you cry, won’t my suffering be in vain?”
Lu Pingzhang held his hand, rubbing his long, smooth fingers: “Do you know what I was thinking during the surgery?”
Qiao Jin stared at him without saying a word.
Lu Pingzhang, after performing the surgery, seemed to have mellowed; every word he spoke now carried a gentle tone: “If I really become paralyzed, I won’t hold you back anymore. You can go wherever you want, be with whoever you choose—as long as they truly love you and treat you well, I’ll be satisfied.”
Qiao Jin’s eyes welled up again. Lu Pingzhang sighed, trying to make his voice sound cheerful, but failed.
“But just now, when I looked at you, I couldn’t bear to imagine you peeling apples for someone else, holding their hand, eating with them, chatting with them, even kissing them, sleeping with them, doing all the things we’ve done together. I couldn’t accept it for even a second. “
“I can’t even bear to think about it. I’m afraid I’ll never be able to close my eyes in peace.” He fell silent for a moment, then looked at him with a serious expression: “I will never let go. This lifetime, I must hold onto you.”
Qiao Jin felt a little pain from being rubbed, but he didn’t pull his hand back.
Lu Pingzhang was annoyed but had no remorse: “I can change everything else, but not this.”
The hospital walls were stark white, and Qiao Jin was also pale. His eyelashes were thick and long, casting a shadow like a mist.
Lu Pingzhang could only see half of his rugged profile and his clean, delicate ears.
He was afraid that Qiao Jin would get angry and accuse him of breaking his promise, but he was also afraid that he would accuse him of not being free.
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