Chapter 623 Refuse To Be Short
Ding Yuanchao was a doctor in his seventies, but despite his age and thin frame, he was alert and full of vitality. After checking Erbao’s pulse and tongue, he asked about her latest condition and finally made his diagnosis.
“This child was poisoned before, and even though the toxins are gone, her health has already been affected,” Dr. Ding explained. “If we don’t treat it in time, she might not grow beyond one hundred and thirty centimeters.”
Upon hearing that, Erbao burst into tears. “I don’t want to be short! I want to grow big and tall…”
“Oh, don’t cry! There will only be dire consequences if it’s left untreated. If we treat it now, everything will be fine. So long as you take your medicine regularly, you’ll be healthy and tall!” Ding Yuanchao explained before looking at Cheng Xiangyun with a sheepish smile. “Sorry to have frightened your daughter. I should’ve made myself clearer.”
“She’s not my daughter. I’m just a friend of her mother’s,” Cheng Xiangyun hastily explained.
“Oh, that must mean she’s your daughter,” Ding Yuanchao said as he turned to Lu Jingyuan. “I thought you only had two daughters, though. When did you have another? Then again, I must say I can see the resemblance.”
Lu Jingyuan, too, broke into a smile. “No, she’s not my child. The kid’s mother’s not here, so we’re just helping out. Is she all right?”
“Of course. She’ll be back to normal once she’s taken the first dose of my medicine, and after the second, she’ll be fully cured and healthier than ever!” Ding Yuanchao said confidently.
“Thank you, Dr. Ding!”
“Thank you Dr. Great-Grandpa!” Erbao chimed in happily.
Ding Yuanchao instantly burst out laughing. “Hahaha. Did you just call me Dr. Great-Grandpa? What an interesting title.”
“Yes, because you look a lot like my Great-Grandpa. That’s why you’re Dr. Great-Grandpa!”
“Hahaha. Good, I like the sound of that,” Ding Yuanchao remarked. “I’ll prescribe the medicine for you now. Once it’s brewed, you’ll have to drink it three times a day. It’s a little bitter, but I want you to finish it, okay? That way, you’ll grow into a tall and beautiful young lady. Are we clear?”
“Understood!” Erbao answered obediently. “I’ll be good and finish my medicine.”
With that, the doctor once again turned to Cheng Xiangyun. “She’s such an adorable kid. Where are her parents, though? Why haven’t they brought her here themselves when they know she’s feeling unwell?”
“Uh… They couldn’t come because they’re busy.”
“Parents these days are only focused on making money and often neglect their children. It’d be too late for regrets if the child’s condition worsens,” Ding Yuanchao muttered while writing the prescription.
Knowing she wasn’t in a position to comment about Nan Chen and Ning Ran, all Cheng Xiangyun could do was smile awkwardly in response.
Back in Flower City’s Orchid Club, Ouyang Duo was sipping his tea when one of his subordinates suddenly barged into the room. “Something’s happened in Lightspring!”
“Why are you in such a panic? Calm down! What on earth happened?”
“Nan Chen is dead!”
“What?” Ouyang Duo exclaimed as he sprang up from the couch. “Who killed him? Wasn’t it agreed that no one should lay a finger on him for the time being?”
“We were told a fire broke out in the house that Nan Chen and his woman were held captive in. It was burned so badly that he was reduced to ashes!”
“Idiots! How did that happen? Why couldn’t they have been more careful?”
“The people there said it might have been the strong winds that started and spread the fire. Another possibility is that Nan Chen had given up on escaping. He knew he’d die sooner or later, so he set the fire and went out on his own terms.”
“Impossible! Nan Chen isn’t the kind of person to end his own life. Something smells fishy! Wait a minute… Could he have escaped?” Ouyang Duo asked anxiously.
“That’s unlikely. The reservoir is very far from the shore, and no one can swim there. Nan Chen’s leg is still injured, which makes the escape even more impossible,” the subordinate replied. “Besides, we have people patrolling the shore around the clock. Even if he did escape, there’s no way they wouldn’t have spotted him.”
“Are you sure they’ve been guarding the area the entire day?”
“Yes. We have people on guard duty from day to night. With such tight security, Nan Chen couldn’t have escaped our grasp.”
Upon hearing that, Ouyang Duo finally sat back down on the couch. “So he’s really dead, huh? Have they gone to the island to investigate? Have they found his body or bones?”
“No, they haven’t been on the island. They were worried about arousing suspicion, so they’ve only been secretly investigating the area nearby. In any case, they’re pretty sure Nan Chen had perished in the fire because they couldn’t find any traces of him.”
Ouyang Duo fell silent.
Is that really the end of Nan Chen? I’ve been told that if something untoward ever happens to him, a fight to the death will break out. Once Nan Zhengde finds out about Nan Chen’s demise, I have no doubt he will mobilize all his forces and come after my family. Argh! That’s not the outcome I want, though. All I want is to take down Nanshi Corporation without any bloodshed. I don’t want to have to fight them and suffer losses.
At the thought of that, Ouyang Duo promptly reached for his phone and called his lawyer.
Within seconds, the latter answered the phone, “Chairman, how can I assist you?”
“Have you settled the share transfer agreement?”
“I’m on it. We’d need at least three working days to finalize the paperwork, but there won’t be any problems.”
“Good. Thank you. By the way, is Nan Xing acting weird by any chance?” Ouyang Duo added.
“Weird? No, not at all. Everything looks normal,” the lawyer replied.
“Okay. That will be all.”
As soon as he hung up the phone, Ouyang Duo pondered for a moment, only to realize there was still a lingering feeling of unease.
“You may leave now,” he said to his subordinate. “Get my wife and daughter here.”
“Yes, Mr. Ouyang.”
“By the way, keep Nan Chen’s death a secret. If I find out someone has leaked the news, I’ll kill them and their entire family!” Ouyang Duo ordered coldly.
“Got it, Mr. Ouyang.”
A while later, Ouyang Qing and Feng Jialing entered the room.
“We’ve received news that Nan Chen is dead,” Ouyang Duo announced.
Almost immediately, both women let out an audible gasp.
“You’ve been with Nan Xing for the past two days, haven’t you? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” Ouyang Duo asked as he gazed at his daughter.
After giving it some thought, Ouyang Qing replied, “No. He’s just been ignoring me as though I disgust him. Then again, he has always been like that, so it’s nothing unusual.”
“Has he agreed to transfer the shares to you? Have you two even talked about it?”
“We have, and of course, he wasn’t happy about it. However, it’s not like he can disobey Nan Zhengde. His only wish is for the Ouyang family to continue treating the Nan family with respect even after taking over Nanshi Corporation.”
After hearing that, Ouyang Duo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Everything does seem normal with Nan Xing.
“Didn’t you send some people to monitor the Nan family? Is there anything unusual about them?” Feng Jialing suddenly asked.
“No, not at the moment. There haven’t been a lot of people going in and out of the Nan residence. It’s all very dull,” Ouyang Duo remarked. “That, of course, is normal. After all, Nan Zhengde has too much on his mind right now to entertain guests. Besides, we have Nan Chen in our hands, and he can’t do anything but worry in silence.”
“In that case, if Nan Zhengde finds out that Nan Chen’s dead, will he come after us?”
“He will. That’s why I want complete control of Nanshi Corporation before the news reaches the Nan family. I’ve instructed our lawyer to expedite the share transfer procedure, but I want you guys to prepare yourselves too. If they decide to launch a counterattack, I plan to fight and win!”
“How should we prepare ourselves, though?” Feng Jialing muttered anxiously. “Flower City is the Nan family’s territory. If Nan Zhengde goes all out, I don’t think we can hold him back!”
“It won’t be that bad. I’m sure the Nan family won’t do anything rash in this lawful society. Anyway, I’m making a trip to the Nan residence now. Let’s see if there’s anything unusual with Nan Zhengde.”
