Chapter 40

"Xiaoru, what's wrong?" Yang Min noticed that ever since this man, whom Da He called "Yuan Xiao Er," came in, Tao Ru's reaction had been strange. "Do you know this man?"

Tao Ru pulled her into a corner and whispered, "He's the second young master I mentioned to Da He, a wealthy heir."

"A wealthy heir?" Yang Min looked at Yuan Xiao Er, who had been bickering with Da He, and felt that this man didn't match her idea of a wealthy heir at all. "Isn't this type of heir a bit too grounded?"

Wouldn't a man of this status only drink 82-year-old Lafite wine, drive limited-edition luxury cars, wear fully custom-made watches and high-end clothing, and always have ten or more bodyguards with him? But this man, who takes off his suit jacket and rolls up his shirt sleeves to argue with a girl, really breaks the mysterious aura of a wealthy heir.

"Should we go over?" Yang Min asked, seeing the two of them still in the middle of their argument. "What's their relationship?"

Lovers?

It didn't seem like it. No boyfriend would dare be so cheeky in front of his girlfriend; he wouldn't last until dawn.

Friends?

Yang Min noticed that while Yuan Xiao Er was arguing with Da He, he had pulled over a small stool and sat by the bed, keeping eye level with Da He, not looking down on him, showing a bit of consideration.

"What should we go over for?" Tao Ru quickly stopped her. "Let them finish arguing first."

She saw that the second young master was clearly enjoying himself, and since Da He didn't really mind, she decided not to interfere.

"Good thing I don't like him," Yan Xi hummed. "Otherwise, I'd have to figure out how to reject you."

Yuan Yi suddenly paused for a moment, and then replied coldly, "I can't be bothered to argue with you. What do you want for dinner? I'll have someone prepare it."

"I want hot pot..."

"Say something realistic," Yuan Yi stood up from the stool and adjusted Yan Xi's blanket. "You can choose from lean meat porridge, vegetable porridge, corn porridge, sweet potato porridge, or mushroom porridge. Anything with strong flavors is off the table."

Yan Xi: Then what's left to choose from?

Not wanting to keep debating food, she turned to her two friends standing in the corner: "Let me introduce you."

"This is my friend, Yuan Yi."

"Yuan Yi, these are my friends Tao Ru and Yang Min. Tao Ru works for your company. Remember, when she gets a promotion, you should help her out."

"Hello, Mr. Yuan," Tao Ru felt a little intimidated seeing the young boss, but remembering that she was Da He's friend, she couldn't appear too timid, so she straightened her back and tried her best to act confident.

"Hello," Yuan Yi nodded at the two of them, looking quite serious, despite having just been bickering with Yan Xi a minute ago.

Both Tao Ru and Yang Min knew that when Mr. Song came earlier, Yan Xi didn't even introduce them to him, and her attitude toward him was so awkwardly polite. Compared to him, the treatment they received from Yuan Yi was much better.

After exchanging a few polite words with the two women, Yuan Yi turned to Yan Xi and said, "You two chat slowly, I'll go talk to the attending doctor."

Tao Ru and Yang Min stayed in the hospital room a little longer before leaving.

Once outside, waiting for the car, Yang Min casually checked her phone and her face immediately turned serious. "Xiaoru, new details about Da He getting hit by the light have just come out."

"What?" Tao Ru pulled out her phone too, and her face grew more and more grim.

Someone had leaked that the incident wasn't an accident but rather the work of the lighting intern from Channel 8, who had originally intended to assassinate the male host, Zhang Hao. However, since Yan Xi had swapped positions with Zhang Hao that day, it was Yan Xi who got injured instead.

There was also a video interview with the intern, whose face was blurred. He seemed unwilling to speak, and even when asked questions, he barely answered, until the reporter asked him how he felt. He then said that he hoped to meet Yan Xi in person to apologize.

"What's his deal? Is he trying to make this mess even bigger? Does he think Da He isn't famous enough?" Yang Min felt disgusted. If later on, some hidden or pitiful reason for the lighting intern's actions came to light, would Da He, under the scrutiny of the public, choose to forgive him or not?

As victims, if Da He chose to forgive the intern, the judiciary might be more lenient in sentencing.

For Tao Ru and Yang Min, no matter what enmity existed between the intern and Zhang Hao, it shouldn't have involved Da He. It was only by luck that Da He wasn't severely injured, but what if the light had hit Da He directly?

"Morally and publicly manipulated," Yang Min muttered, "They really have no shame."

This matter had blown up so much that it was now known nationwide, and they didn't know how it would be resolved in the end.

Yan Xi had been in the hospital for a few days, and then Song Hai took her home. To take better care of her, Song Hai hired several professional nurses, hoping to ease his daughter's suffering.

Recently, due to Zhang Hao being involved in this attempted murder case and Yan Xi's injuries, Channel 8 temporarily replaced their regular hosts. Many viewers who were used to watching the two hosts called the station to ask when they'd return.

Some elderly viewers who didn't know the situation thought Yan Xi was on the brink of death and called the station to recommend doctors they knew. When the station receptionist assured them that Yan Xi's condition wasn't life-threatening, the elderly callers doubted the receptionist's honesty and refused to pay for her treatment.

After staying at home for two days, Yan Xi went to the hospital to remove her stitches. She hadn't even left the hospital when she received a call from the police saying that the suspect wanted to see her. The wound she had just stitched up was still covered with bandages, and she was careful not to lean against the seat while traveling. With the busy traffic in the capital, she didn't want to be jostled around, but as a good citizen who wanted to contribute, she hesitated for only three seconds before agreeing to cooperate with the police.

The police were concerned about leaks to the media and greeted her as soon as she arrived at the station. The reporters, who were waiting outside, only saw the back of the car as it entered.

"Ms. Yan, thank you for helping us with our work," a friendly female officer poured Yan Xi a cup of water. "How are you feeling after your injury?"

"Thank you," Yan Xi smiled as she took the cup. "I just had my stitches removed and received your call, so I came right over."

The officer's smile faltered slightly. It was awkward to call the victim over right after she had her stitches removed.

"Where is the suspect?" Yan Xi took a sip of water. "I know you're pressed for time, so to save you all time, I can cooperate with you right away."

"Thank you." The female officer sincerely thanked Yan Xi, and her smile seemed even more genuine. In their line of work, they encounter all kinds of people, so when she called Yan Xi earlier, she was prepared for the possibility of being criticized.

When one expects to be reprimanded, but instead encounters kindness, it naturally leads to a strong sense of goodwill toward the other person. In that moment, the female officer thought Yan Xi looked stunning, even more so than on TV.

Yan Xi, accompanied by the police officers, met the intern lighting technician Xiao Lin. In her impression, this intern was quiet and hardworking. Whenever there was free time, he would help other colleagues with miscellaneous tasks. She never imagined that this young man, just over twenty, could have orchestrated such a thing.

"Teacher Yan." Xiao Lin, seeing Yan Xi, looked uneasy. He sat on the interrogation chair, wearing the vest typically worn by prisoners, with his hands handcuffed and nervously clasped together, appearing quite scared.

Yan Xi sat facing Xiao Lin through the iron bars, her posture stiff due to a back injury.

"Teacher Yan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to involve you in this." Xiao Lin's emotions were unstable upon seeing Yan Xi. After entering the station, he felt the cold indifference from everyone, and only when Yan Xi treated the staff to food would she always remember to include him.

"But when I swapped seats with Teacher Zhang that day, you didn't stop me," Yan Xi looked at Xiao Lin calmly. "Why?"

"I wanted to stop you, but you switched seats with Zhang Hao so suddenly, and the live broadcast was about to start. I was scared," Xiao Lin lowered his head in guilt. "I thought if I didn't adjust the light angle, the light wouldn't fall."

But as an intern, he had no control over the senior staff adjusting the ceiling light during the live broadcast.

"So what's the point of you apologizing now?" Yan Xi played with her fingers. "Do you need me to forgive you?"

Xiao Lin lowered his head, his face red with embarrassment.

"I don't understand. What kind of conflict did you have with Teacher Zhang that made you take such a dangerous risk?" Yan Xi knew this was the question the police wanted to understand, so she asked directly. "You need to know, destroying him means destroying your own life as well."

Xiao Lin stared blankly at Yan Xi. Just as she thought he wouldn't answer, he spoke: "My sister was very beautiful and an excellent student at the Dance Academy."

Yan Xi had a vague feeling of what was coming. Rationality told her she shouldn't stay here to listen, but as she looked down at her hands, perhaps because of the injury on her back, she didn't want to move.

"Zhang Hao, that scoundrel, lied to my sister, saying he could introduce her to work at a TV station. She believed him," Xiao Lin's eyes reddened. "My sister is dead. The cause of death was suicide."

"From the 18th floor," Xiao Lin cried, his voice breaking. "How painful must that have been? My sister loved beauty, but she died looking so terrible."

Yan Xi was at a loss for words. She watched the young man, hoarse from crying, and felt a dryness in her throat.

"My dad died early. My mom passed away a few months ago from grief. All of this is Zhang Hao's fault!" Xiao Lin's emotions suddenly became agitated. "My sister couldn't have committed suicide. You rich people and the police are lying!"

As Xiao Lin continued to angrily rant, Yan Xi felt a sense of meaninglessness. She asked the staff to take her out, and as she left the oppressive room, she sighed in relief.

"Ms. Yan, are you alright?" The female officer who escorted Yan Xi noticed her pale face and couldn't help but defend the police. "We've sent several experts to investigate the case of the suspect's sister, and it was indeed a suicide. We wouldn't joke about the victim's life."

Yan Xi exchanged a few polite words with the female officer, then walked outside and saw a black Bentley parked in the yard. Yuan Yi, in the passenger seat, was waving at her.

"What are you still standing there for? There's a bunch of reporters outside. Get your driver to move the car and draw their attention. I'll take you home," Yuan Yi got out of the car and opened the door for her. "Your back injury can't handle them crowding around. Time is money, and you can't waste it."

Yan Xi got into the car, and her original car was already driven out. Just as it seemed to be a normal departure, a dozen reporters suddenly rushed out of the gate, blocking the car completely.

The Bentley seized the opportunity to drive out, leaving only a trail of exhaust fumes.

Yan Xi recounted what Xiao Lin had said to Yuan Yi: "To be honest, I don't think Teacher Zhang is the kind of person who would do something like this."

"Regardless of who is right or wrong, the police will handle it. You're just a host. Do you want to moonlight as a detective?" Yuan Yi patted his suit jacket. "But even if Zhang Hao is innocent, after this incident, he'll never be a host again."

Yan Xi fell silent. She knew that for those who appear on TV, the truth doesn't matter as much as their personal image.

"So, are you regretting being a host?" Yuan Yi noticed her bad mood and casually added, "If you like hosting, we can cooperate. I'll invest in a variety show, and you can host it. Then we can sell the show to the TV stations. The audience will definitely be bigger than now."

"Are you out of your mind? You'd hire me as a host? The TV station would be blind to buy your program rights," Yan Xi was very aware of her own fame and the current TV program market. "If I didn't know you really have no interest in me, your behavior would make you seem like a rich sponsor keeping a small host."

"I'm not that bored, and I don't keep female celebrities," Yuan Yi immediately retorted. "Why is your mind so dirty? Can't you think of something clean and pure?"

"So you're hiring me to host because you're silly?"

"I have money. Money is just a number to me," Yuan Yi clicked his tongue, looking out the window. "Some men are willing to spend a lot on women they keep, so what's wrong with spending money on a friend? Friends are more important than kept women, right?"

That didn't seem wrong...

Yan Xi was taken aback, but the truth was, many men were willing to spend vast sums on their kept women while meticulously calculating costs with friends. So the saying "friends are like brothers, women are like clothes" was the biggest lie between men, even less believable than when they said "I love you" in bed.

"Forget it," Yan Xi shook her head. "Rather than have you waste all that money, you'd be better off just handing it to me in cash, so others don't benefit."

"Yan Xi, do you really need money?"

"No," she replied.

"Then why are you so materialistic?"

"Who doesn't want more money?" Yan Xi smiled mischievously. "I need to save up for my children to become rich second-generation heirs."

Yuan Yi looked at the smiling woman beside him and couldn't help but think, if... if he and Yan Xi had a daughter, she would be so cute.

Wait, why was he thinking such a frightening thing? Those noisy, energetic little kids, what's so fun about them?

When a man feels good about himself, as long as a woman smiles at him, he's already imagining their children's names. This problem didn't depend on height, weight, or wealth—only on how good his imagination was.

"What are you staring at me for?" Yan Xi noticed Yuan Yi staring at her in a daze. "Are you amazed by my generous personality?"

"No," Yuan Yi shook his head. "I was just thinking, if you want your kids to be wealthy second-generation heirs, first... you need a boyfriend."

That was a direct hit, and it hurt. Yan Xi touched her face. "Yuan Yi, life is hard. Why bother..."

Before she could finish her sentence, the driver suddenly made an emergency turn and slammed on the brakes. Her back was violently jolted twice, and the pain was intense.

At that moment, Yan Xi truly understood what it felt like to go black before her eyes and be overwhelmed with thoughts of money. It hurt so much she almost shed a few tears for herself.

"Yan Xi, are you okay?" Yuan Yi reached out to steady her shoulder, his fingers lightly resting on her, not daring to hold her firmly.