Tianye Pharmaceuticals was the Shen family's corporate enterprise, with its main products being skincare and cosmetics.
Due to her relationship with Gu Yan, Shen Wan'er inherited Tianye Pharmaceuticals Company as expected. Under her leadership, Tianye Pharmaceuticals achieved an impressive market value of 2 billion yuan.
However, now this company was rumored to be on the verge of bankruptcy.
In the CEO's office:
"Mom, I know, it's just a small problem. I'll resolve it quickly."
"Dad? What are you saying? How could I possibly go beg Gu Yan?"
"What... you say you already know about Little Tian's situation?"
Click.
Shen Wan'er hung up the phone, her eyes weary.
Her appearance was no longer as polished as before, and the office was in disarray. The floor was covered with scattered documents and fallen trash.
Because of the rumors circulating within the company about impending bankruptcy and inability to pay wages, even the cleaners had stopped working.
"Why has it come to this?"
Shen Wan'er covered her head with both hands, her breathing becoming slightly rapid.
Everything was just as Gu Yan had said - their company was about to go bankrupt.
The internal employees had likely caught wind of the situation, so they gathered at the bottom of the company building to protest and cause trouble.
But Shen Wan'er had no way to handle it!
She had no money to pay the employees' wages.
For some reason, Shen Wan'er felt a sense of defeat and the urge to give up for the first time.
Because in the past, Gu Yan had always been so obedient to her, so good to her.
All business resources had been piled onto her.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the first half of her life as smooth sailing.
Now, everything that was happening made her feel caught off guard and utterly powerless.
Buzz buzz~
Her phone kept receiving messages from her family members, blaming her for not accepting Gu Yan's proposal.
On one side was her family's lack of understanding, and on the other was Gu Yan's cold demeanor.
All at once, tears began to fall from Shen Wan'er's eyes.
When had she ever suffered such grievances before?
"Damn it... damn it! Damn it all!"
Shen Wan'er shouted in a low voice.
At this moment.
Knock knock~
"Ms. Shen, the protestors have all been driven away by the newly hired security guards. Are you alright?" Zhang Qing, Shen Wan'er's personal secretary, stood outside the door, knocking and asking with concern.
She had been by Shen Wan'er's side for a long time.
Having witnessed Shen Wan'er's moments of glory, she admired and respected her immensely.
Zhang Qing had heard the sobbing, dejected voices coming from inside the room earlier.
She stated that she had never seen the CEO in such a state before.
At once, a surge of resentment towards Gu Yan welled up in Zhang Qing's heart.
She more or less knew the reason now.
If it weren't for Gu Yan ordering other companies to backstab their Tianye Pharmaceuticals, the CEO wouldn't have encountered such a disaster.
All of this was because of that Gu Yan!
This made her, who already had no good feelings towards Gu Yan, feel even more disgusted with him.
Hearing the voice from outside,
Shen Wan'er wiped away her tears, then forced herself to say, "It's nothing... come in, Zhang Qing."
The next second, Zhang Qing walked in.
Seeing Shen Wan'er's weary eyes and slightly red rims, she couldn't help but feel heartache.
Shen Wan'er took a deep breath. She had just heard some good news, so she asked, "Zhang Qing, what did you say earlier?"
"The people gathered at the bottom of the company building have all been driven away? Who did that?"
Another reason for Shen Wan'er's headache and panic was those former employees who, knowing they couldn't be paid, had gathered to cause trouble.
This not only had a huge impact on their group but also made Shen Wan'er afraid that they might rush straight into her office.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Qing's eyes lit up, and she said, "Ms. Shen, it was a newly hired security guard. He seems to have had some training, and he took down all the troublemakers in no time!"
"Oh, right, his name is Xiao Lin. He just arrived in Jianghai City and was desperate to find a job, so he came to us."
Hearing this,
Shen Wan'er's heart eased a little, and curiosity about Xiao Lin appeared in her eyes.
Who was this person? How could he be so capable?
The troublemakers downstairs weren't just a few people, but dozens.
How could he drive them all away by himself?
This made Shen Wan'er instinctively ask, "Where is he?"
"Oh, he's in the security room."
"Good, bring him to see me."
"Oh, okay!"
Seeing Zhang Qing leave,
Shen Wan'er finally let out a sigh of relief.
When she meets this Xiao Lin later, if he's really that capable,
Then she won't need to worry about being stormed in her office by that mob anymore.
However, this wasn't a long-term solution.
Moreover...
The three-day deadline given by Gu Yan was almost up.
Shen Wan'er wasn't sure if he would really arrest her brother if she delayed and couldn't repay the money.
Sigh.
Shen Wan'er's eyes were full of pain and resistance.
Did this mean she really had to go beg Gu Yan?
......
.....
Jianghai Hospital.
A beautiful figure hurriedly ran to the inpatient department.
Wang Yulan ran to the front desk, slightly out of breath, and said to the nurse, "I... I'm here to visit the patient in room 302."
Wang Yulan felt a bit frustrated; her part-time job had delayed her a bit today.
That's why she was a bit late.
"Oh, 302....."
The nurse heard this and opened the system to check, then looked up with a smile and said, "Are you a relative of Wang Lan?"
"Someone has already gone in to visit."
Wang Yulan nodded, "Yes, that's... Huh?"
She was stunned. Wait.
Someone had already gone in to visit?
Who could it be? But how was that possible?
For so long, apart from her, no one had come to visit her mother.
"Who is it? Do you know their name?"
Wang Yulan asked urgently.
The nurse was puzzled, thinking they were together.
So she replied, "I don't know the name, but it's a man. He claimed to be Wang Lan's student."
Student?
Wang Yulan was startled.
It's true, her mother used to be a high school teacher.
But her students had never come to visit her before.
How could it be now...
Wang Yulan suppressed her confusion and repeatedly thanked the nurse, "Okay, thank you."
After saying this, she ran towards the hospital room.
In front of Room 302.
As soon as Wang Yulan arrived, she heard a gentle and choked voice coming from inside.
"Teacher Wang, I've come to see you."
"I've been overseas all this time, and only just returned this year. I went back to our old school wanting to find you, only to learn that you had been in a car accident."
"It's really... unfair."
"Teacher, do you know? That naughtiest student in your class back then has returned. I still remember how you always held my hand back then."
"Smiling as you told me that studying wasn't the only path, but it was the easiest one. It was you who guided me step by step out of my aimless state."
"I came back to the country wanting to properly thank you, to repay you, but I never imagined... that such a thing would happen to you..."
"Teacher Wang... please wake up and look at your student. I really... want you to know that I've made something of myself now...."
As Gu Yan was speaking chokingly,
Click.
Wang Yulan, her eyes slightly red, gently bit her lip and pushed the door open.
At that moment.
Gu Yan, as if he had just noticed Wang Yulan's arrival, raised his head. Upon seeing Wang Yulan, his expression froze for a moment.
Then, as if coming to his senses, he hurriedly wiped away his tears with his arm.
He then stood up, took a deep breath, and looked at her with a forced smile, "Oh, hello, I didn't know someone else was coming to visit Teacher Wang today."
"Since you're here, I'll take my leave."
Gu Yan took one last look at Wang Lan, who lay on the hospital bed with her eyes closed, wearing a respirator, and with tubes all over her body.
Then, reluctantly and sadly, he prepared to leave.
However, just as he was about to pass by Wang Yulan on his way out,
Swoosh.
Wang Yulan reached out and grabbed Gu Yan: "Please wait."
Her voice was trembling.
"......"
Hehe, success.
The corners of Gu Yan's mouth curled up slightly, but he quickly concealed it.
He looked at Wang Yulan with a sorrowful expression and asked in a low voice, "What is it, miss?"
"Are you... really my mother's student?"
Wang Yulan raised her head, looking at Gu Yan with slightly reddened eyes. Her voice was trembling, and her arm was shaking too.
She hadn't expected this.
After all this time, one of her mother's former students had come to visit her.
If her mother were still awake, she would surely feel comforted, right?
Upon hearing this, Gu Yan's expression gradually changed from sorrow to shock.
He then closed his eyes again.
He seemed to be holding back something as he said in a hoarse voice, "Since Teacher Wang is your mother, you must be... Wang Yulan, right?"
With these words,
Wang Yulan's heart trembled. She asked shakily, "How... how do you know that?"
The next moment, Gu Yan opened his eyes. He looked at the unconscious Wang Lan, and his sorrowful voice rang out: "Back then, Teacher Wang always told us how excellent her daughter Wang Yulan was."
"How smart, kind and filial she was."
"She also said her daughter's dream was to get into Jing University."
"When she said these things, I could feel the joy radiating from Teacher Wang's face."
"Hah..."
"I'm sorry..."
Gu Yan took a deep breath. He looked at Wang Yulan with an apologetic expression, a tear sliding down his cheek: "For coming to visit Teacher Wang so late."
"I'm truly sorry."
With these words,
Wang Yulan's heart suddenly trembled.
It was as if all the emotions that had been pent up for so long suddenly burst forth.
As if she had always been alone, but now there was a second person who knew about her mother's condition.
Her mind seemed to recall her mother's smile when she was still conscious.
Her mother would often mention the students she had taught in the past at home.
Whenever she talked about her students, her face was always beaming with happiness, making others feel joyful too.
Wang Yulan couldn't hold back anymore.
"Wuu... waaaaaah..."
She burst into tears, her voice revealing both sorrow and joy.
Sorrow that her mother didn't know her student had come to visit her.
Joy that her mother's student still remembered her.
Gu Yan looked at the crying Wang Yulan, his expression also becoming very sorrowful.
He couldn't help but reach out and gently embrace Wang Yulan: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry."
Gu Yan's voice was full of apology and sincerity.
Wang Yulan felt this warm embrace and didn't struggle. Instead, she cried even more heartbrokenly in Gu Yan's arms.
She cried while choking out, "It's okay... thank you... it's really okay."
Gu Yan quietly held Wang Yulan, silently allowing her to release all the grievances she had accumulated for so long.
However...
What Wang Yulan didn't notice was that,
At some point,
Gu Yan's sorrowful expression... gradually disappeared.
Instead, it was replaced by a calm and cold demeanor.
He used his peripheral vision to coldly gaze at Wang Yulan, the original novel's female supporting character, who was crying in his arms.
Because of her mother's death, coupled with Xiao Lin's care and comfort,
She would fall completely in love with Xiao Lin and become his great strength.
In the final moments of the original novel, it was because she used her ability to sacrifice herself that the original Xiao Lin was able to break through his bottleneck and reach the peak of Grand Master.
That's why...
Leng Qingqiu had no choice but to perish together with Xiao Lin.
It could be said that this Wang Yulan was also a very crucial character.
The conclusion is—
It's absolutely impossible to let her fall in love with the original protagonist Xiao Lin again and provide those critical helps.
To achieve this goal, I will... stop at nothing.
.......
.......
After Wang Yulan finished crying and venting, her mood seemed to have improved considerably.
Her eyes were still red as she brought a chair for Gu Yan, pulling him to sit together by her mother's hospital bed.
Because she had just cried in Gu Yan's arms, Wang Yulan felt a bit embarrassed and didn't dare to look at him.
It was Gu Yan who started the conversation first.
He reached out to hold the hand of Wang Lan, who was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, then looked at Wang Yulan and sighed lightly: "When did this happen?"
Hearing this,
Wang Yulan's eyes dimmed. Her tone revealed anger and despair about what had happened back then: "It was six months ago."
"My mother was riding her bicycle home normally, and when she was crossing the road, she was suddenly hit by a car that ran a red light."
"My mother lost consciousness on the spot."
"Fortunately, the rescue was timely, and her life was saved."
"But... the doctor said..."
When Wang Yulan got to this point, her voice began to choke up again.
She looked at Wang Lan and said chokingly, "They said my mom might never wake up again."
"And every day, we need to keep treating her to keep her alive."
"Two months ago, the doctor advised me to give up, saying that continuing like this would be futile."
"But... but I can't give up. This is my mom. As long as there's even a glimmer of hope, I must keep going!"
At this point, Wang Yulan couldn't help but cry again.
She didn't mention that the daily treatment and hospitalization costs were very expensive, so expensive that even working four jobs a day couldn't cover it.
Even though Wang Yulan sensed that Gu Yan seemed to be very wealthy, she didn't say anything.
After all, she had already borrowed all the money she could, and her relatives and friends had long since started avoiding her like the plague.
She didn't want the only person who still remembered her mother to stop visiting as well.
If that happened,
Her mother probably wouldn't approve even if she woke up.
No matter what, she couldn't do that!
Then,
Gu Yan continued to comfort Wang Yulan, listening to her pain and hardships of recent years.
It turned out that the person who hit Wang Lan was the young master of a second-tier family in Jianghai City.
Even though he was found fully responsible, he only paid 100,000 yuan in compensation.
But this 100,000 had long been used up, and the subsequent medical expenses had already amounted to several hundreds of thousands.
Wang Yulan had tried to find them, but it was futile.
She was desperate. Because she didn't want her mother to die just like that, Wang Yulan started working four jobs a day.
The purpose was to keep her mother alive until she woke up.
Before leaving,
Wang Yulan's emotions had stabilized.
She stood at the door of the hospital room, her expression gentle, and thanked Gu Yan: "Thank you for still remembering my mom, thank you, Gu Yan."
Gu Yan waved his hand, smiling slightly, his body seemingly radiating a warm glow: "It's nothing, Sister Yulan. You can call me for help with anything because I've always greatly respected Teacher Wang since my school days."
Wang Yulan naturally wouldn't trouble Gu Yan, after all, he was her mother's student. No matter what, she couldn't let this rare friendship be ruined by her repeated requests for help.
So she shook her head and smiled, "It's... it's okay, I can handle it on my own."
Hearing this, Gu Yan nodded. He raised his wrist to check the time on his watch, then said, "Alright, if that's the case, I'll be going now. Sister Yulan, hang in there. I believe Teacher Wang will definitely get better!"
"Mm, thank you."
Wang Yulan felt warmth in her heart as she nodded and said.
......
.......
Arriving downstairs,
Gu Yan looked up at the inpatient department, then took out his phone and made a call.
"Hello, is this President Pu? We have a patient named Wang Lan in room 302 of our hospital. Waive all her medical fees for me."
"Oh, and remember to write that someone has paid for it."
After hanging up the phone,
The corners of Gu Yan's mouth curved up slightly.
His eyes revealed a mysterious meaning.
In fact, this Jianghai Hospital was a tertiary hospital owned by his Gu family. As the young master of the Gu family,
It was very easy for him to waive someone's medical fees.
Alright, the plan has officially begun.
Xiao Lin... I'm really looking forward to officially meeting you.