After finishing his meal, Evan Lin didn’t go back for more tutoring. Instead, he returned to Brightsea Garden Court.
It was already 7:30 in the evening when Evan got back, just in time to run into Charles Chen and Lucy Lu hurrying out the door.
"Evan, you're back! Why so late today? Have you eaten yet?"
Evan noticed that Charles Chen’s expression was especially grim, and Lucy Lu didn’t look much better.
When Lucy saw Evan come in, she managed a small smile. "There’s still food on the table, it’s hot. If you’re hungry, have some more."
"Enough, enough. Don’t say so much—I’ll go start the car."
Charles didn’t even glance at Evan and strode quickly toward the garage.
“What’s up with Uncle Chen?” Evan watched Charles’s back, sensing that his mood was anything but stable.
Lucy sighed. "It’s something about his boss at work. No one knows what illness he’s got, but right now he’s lying in the hospital, can’t get out of bed or even speak."
"They’ve called in all sorts of miracle doctors and nothing’s worked. If his boss really gets taken down, Uncle Chen’s career will be hit hard too."
Lucy shook her head with another sigh. "This time they’ve invited a famous miracle doctor from River City. We’ll see if he can help. If not..."
She didn’t finish her sentence. Lucy glanced at Evan, her eyes gentle. "This really doesn’t have much to do with you, Evan. Just focus on your studies."
Lucy looked troubled, so Evan guessed this boss was crucial to Charles Chen’s career. Even if Charles didn’t think much of him, Evan figured he owed Lucy enough to tag along for her sake.
Evan made up his mind, looked up at Lucy and grinned. "Auntie Lu, why not take me along? I finished all my homework at school today."
"Uh..."
Lucy hesitated. The situation really wasn’t ideal for bringing Evan, and she couldn’t figure out why he wanted to go to the hospital.
"I just need to change the bandages on my hand anyway, so I have to go to the hospital." Evan raised his left hand.
"Is your hand any better? Does it still hurt?" Lucy asked, concerned, looking at Evan’s left hand.
"Yeah, yeah, it’s fine." Evan smiled brightly.
Just then, Charles Chen drove the car out of the garage. Without waiting for permission, Evan opened the door and climbed in, so Lucy didn’t say anything more.
The car headed for Brightsea City General Hospital. Charles Chen saw Evan get in and frowned. "Why aren’t you at home studying? What are you doing in the car?"
"I need to go to the hospital to change my bandages."
Charles Chen grumbled under his breath but didn’t say anything else.
Evan sat in the back seat, Lucy Lu in the front. The mood inside the car was oppressively tense.
"Is that miracle doctor from River City really reliable?" Lucy glanced at Charles, who was driving.
"No idea. Supposedly he’s pretty famous over there, but I don’t know much more. I just hope he can actually cure Manager Sheng. But honestly, I’m not holding my breath—after all, we’ve already tried so many miracle doctors before." Charles sighed.
Evan sat quietly in the back, listening to Charles and Lucy’s conversation without a word.
Brightsea City General Hospital.
A few people stood outside the special-care ward.
A middle-aged woman wore an elegant gray-and-white cheongsam. She was curvy and, though already past forty, looked more like a woman in her early thirties. Her figure and skin were impeccably maintained, and she radiated a refined grace that made her especially captivating.
She looked a bit weary, sitting on a chair outside the ward, her eyes fixed on the door.
Next to her sat a cute, doll-like girl with a waterfall of jet-black hair. She clung to the woman’s arm, her own face pale and troubled.
Beside them stood three men.
The leader was in his thirties, short—barely 1.6 meters tall—and a bit round. The other two were less striking.
"Don’t worry, ma’am. Manager Sheng will definitely recover this time. Doctor Wu is famous in River City and even in the whole Jianghai region. Now that he’s here, he’s sure to cure everything."
Neil Ping stood in front of the chairs in the hallway, bowing slightly to the middle-aged woman. His gaze flickered, lingering on her chest with a hint of greed in his eyes.
"Thank you so much, Neil. We really owe you for inviting Doctor Wu."
Susan Pang finally tore her eyes away from the ward door and looked at Neil Ping, genuine gratitude in her gaze.
"It’s the least I can do. We’re all Wansheng employees, and Manager Sheng and I go way back. But please don’t worry too much—take care of yourself." Neil Ping grinned.
"Ma’am, you have no idea how hard it is to get Doctor Wu. Neil specially asked his friends in River City to investigate Doctor Wu’s tastes. He found out Doctor Wu likes tobacco pipes, so Neil went to the antique market and bought a rare Eight-Scale Swallowtail pipe from the late Qing dynasty. He spent a fortune just to get Doctor Wu to come!" said a short, skinny man next to Neil.
"That’s right. Neil’s been worrying himself sick over Manager Sheng. Every minute at work, he’s been thinking about where to find a top miracle doctor. Even at meals he’s on the phone, asking around for help—just so Manager Sheng can recover." Another man chimed in, "Even though Manager Sheng and Neil haven’t always agreed at work, Neil’s always cared about him. Unlike certain people—Manager Sheng promoted them for years, but when something actually happens, they don’t even say a word."
(Irrelevant webnovel system line—skip translation.)
The man looked indignant. "Manager Sheng really deserves better."
Susan Pang frowned and glanced around. "Charles still isn’t here. Maybe something came up."
"Yeah, Charles probably ran into something—work is hectic, after all. Old Shen, you shouldn’t talk like that." Neil Ping shot Henry Shen a look, his tone vaguely critical but his eyes full of approval.
"Alright, alright, I’ll drop it." Henry Shen chuckled.
Henry Shen was deputy manager of the engineering department, always under Charles Chen’s thumb.
If not for Manager Sheng, Charles’s position would’ve gone to him years ago. He’s been at odds with Charles, but since Manager Sheng always sided with Charles, Henry’s been stuck, simmering with resentment.
Neil Ping sneaked a glance at Susan Pang, who was sitting quietly, and couldn’t help but admire how well the general manager’s wife had kept herself up—her figure, her skin, her aura could rival any TV hostess in the city.
Manager Sheng really hit the jackpot. But if he ends up bedridden, practically a vegetable, wouldn’t this gorgeous wife end up in someone else’s hands?
Thinking that, Neil Ping’s lips curled into a sly smile. He could barely contain his excitement.
Doctor Wu had already checked the patient. He was a miracle doctor, sure, but he’d only made things worse.
"Everything is going exactly according to my plan. In a few days, if Manager Sheng’s condition doesn’t improve, head office will send someone down to remove him. Then I’ll take his place as general manager of the Brightsea branch. I’ll even fire Charles Chen, that troublemaker. Once the whole company is mine, I can have anything I want!" Neil Ping gloated inwardly, his eyes growing hotter as he looked at Susan Pang, then at the silent girl beside her.
The girl was about fifteen, and Neil could already imagine what a beauty she’d be in three years. Not that he cared much for girls that young.
He much preferred women like Susan Pang—ripe and mature, the kind that really got his nerves tingling.
Just then, Charles Chen and Lucy Lu hurried down the corridor.
"Well, Charles, you’re early—barely forty minutes and you’re here!" Neil Ping said, his eyes openly raking over Lucy Lu.
Compared to the way he looked at Susan Pang, Neil Ping’s stare at Lucy Lu was even more blatant.
Charles Chen was lucky too—his wife’s figure and skin were just as well-kept as Susan Pang’s. If he was smart enough to let me play with her, maybe I’d let him keep his job.
Thinking that, Neil Ping’s smile grew even brighter.
Lucy Lu ignored Neil Ping; she disliked him, especially the way he looked at her. She walked straight over to Susan Pang, sat down beside her, and offered quiet comfort.
"Sorry, Neil. Traffic was bad. So, uh, where’s Doctor Wu?" Charles Chen tried to keep his temper in check. Neil was clearly looking for trouble, but Charles had no room to argue right now.
"Doctor Wu? He went in ages ago. What, you think he should wait for you before seeing the patient?" sneered Leo Liu, Neil’s loyal henchman.
"Yeah, if we’d waited for you, Charles, Manager Sheng might never get treated!" Henry Shen added sarcastically.
Charles Chen’s face turned pale, but he couldn’t say a word in protest.
(End of chapter. No translation needed.)