Chapter 15: Fry your squid" (an idiomatic expression meaning "You are fired" or "I am going to fire you". The number "012" typically has no connection with the phrase and seems out of context.)
The nearest small town hospital to Jiangtian Village.
Kang Jinse parked her car and immediately rushed to the emergency room.
"Sister, sister, you’re finally back," a girl about ten cried as she threw herself into Kang Jinse’s arms.
The man sitting on the waiting chair stood up somewhat uneasily. He looked to be in his forties, was short in stature, with dark skin—an honest farmer used to facing the soil and the sky.
He glanced at Kang Jinse, then hurriedly looked away.
"Ah Xian, don’t be scared, your sister is back," Kang Jinse gently comforted her sister. Kang Jinxian had always been reliant on her from a young age, and gradually stopped crying upon hearing her elder sister’s voice.
Kang Jinse turned to the man, "Uncle Wang, I really troubled you this time."
Uncle Wang quickly waved his hands: "This is what I should do; Jinse, please don’t be so formal with Uncle Wang." His eyes darted to the woman standing opposite him. Changed after entering the city—just look at her clothes and dress sense, even more beautiful than the TV actresses.
Soon, the lights in the operating room went out, and a nurse wheeled out a woman lying on the bed who was pale and unconscious. Kang Jinse hurried over, "Mom, mom, how are you?" Kang Jinxian also cried and ran over.
"Please keep your voices down in the hospital," the nurse kindly reminded them.
The lead surgeon came out next, and Kang Jinse quickly approached him, "Doctor, what exactly is wrong with my mother?"
The doctor looked at Kang Jinse: "Are you the patient’s daughter?"
Kang Jinse nodded.
The doctor sighed: "What kind of daughter are you, to let this happen? The patient is already in the late stages of cancer, and only now being brought in. You need to prepare yourselves; she only has a little over a month left."
"What?" Kang Jinse incredulously stepped back, only to be swiftly supported by Uncle Wang, whose fingertips luxuriated in her smooth skin as his gaze inadvertently captured her curvaceous figure.
With a heavy "gulp," Uncle Wang swallowed hard.
Caught in shock, Kang Jinse didn’t notice the lewd gaze behind her; she was consumed with pain and regret. If she hadn’t been so stubborn, coming home more often, her mother’s cancer might have been discovered before it reached such a late stage.
It was all her fault, all her fault...
"Sob sob, sister, is mom about to die? I don’t want mom to die..." Kang Jinxian cried fearfully.
Kang Jinse suddenly grabbed the doctor’s hand, urgently saying, "Doctor, you must save my mother, no matter the cost. Please, you must save her."
The doctor said helplessly: "The cancer cells have spread throughout her body. If you had brought her in a few months earlier, chemotherapy might have given her a glimmer of hope. Now, it will only increase her suffering."
That meant they could only wait for death.
Kang Jinse turned deathly pale. Uncle Wang comforted her in a whisper: "Don’t worry, there will be a way. You must be exhausted after rushing back from Jiangzhou overnight. Go rest for now."
Kang Jinse shook her head: "Uncle Wang, thank you for your trouble tonight. You go on home, I’ll stay with my mom."
Uncle Wang’s gaze fell on Kang Jinxian, "Jinxian has school tomorrow. I’ll take her home first, she can stay at my place for the night."
Kang Jinxian hugged Kang Jinse: "I don’t want to, I want to stay here with mom."
In the end, Uncle Wang left alone. Before leaving, he cast another glance toward Kang Jinse, the fleeting warmth and softness of the touch lingering on his fingers.
This girl, flirtatious even as a child, has become even more so now. Her face and figure much more appealing than her mother’s withered frame.
I must seize an opportunity to sleep with her.
Uncle Wang left the hospital, squinting his eyes.
Before dawn, Ah Biao arrived at the hospital. Ah Biao was a bodyguard assigned to her by Yun Shen, over six feet tall with a powerful build, said to be a retired special forces soldier.
Seeing Ah Biao, Kang Jinse suddenly remembered the dinner engagement that evening. Her eyes turned to the unconscious Jiang Chun on the hospital bed, and she felt torn.
This evening would be her first public appearance with Yun Shen—an opportunity she couldn’t miss.
After hesitating for a long while, she finally made a decision.
She left Ah Biao at the hospital to look after her mother and hired two nurses to tend to Jiang Chun. At noon, she picked up Kang Jinxian from school and took her to the nearby McDonald’s for lunch.
"Sis, why aren’t you eating?" Kang Jinxian munched on her hamburger, her face smudged with cream, looking adorably silly.
"Sister isn’t hungry," Kang Jinse said, watching her sister and wondering what would become of her once their mother passed away.
Ah Xian was her only relative in this world apart from her mother. She wanted to bring her by her side and raise her herself, but she hadn’t yet established a secure footing in the Yun Family. What should she do?
The ten-year-old Kang Jinxian was already sensible enough to know that her mother wouldn’t be in the world for much longer, and when that time came, the only person she could rely on was her big sister. Her mother said that her sister lived in a big house in the city, drove a small car, and led a "person above others" lifestyle. She wanted to live like that too, so she had to win her sister’s heart, to get her to take her to the city.
"Big sister is going to leave soon, and I’ve asked someone to take care of you. You must be good, and I’ll come back to see you whenever I have a chance," she said.
Kang Jinxian’s action of biting into the hamburger paused, and the tears came immediately. "Sis, are you going to leave me and mom?" she asked.
"Big sister has some very important business to attend to, and it’s all about our future; that’s why I have to leave," she explained.
Kang Jinxian bit her lip, the little girl’s eyes red from crying, looking incredibly wronged. "Is it more important than mom and me?" she asked.
Kang Jinse furrowed her eyebrows. "Ah Xian, don’t blame your sister. There are things I simply cannot help. Rest assured, I’ll definitely come back. Here is a thousand yuan for you to keep, and this cell phone too, call me if there’s anything," Kang Jinse said as she took out a thousand yuan and a brand-new cell phone from her bag and pushed them in front of Kang Jinxian.
So, in her sister’s heart, she and her mother weren’t the most important after all.
Kang Jinxian bit her lip and lowered her eyes to hide the anger within.
When she looked up again, a smile was on her face. Kang Jinxian’s features were not particularly outstanding, but she had a pair of very distinctive eyes that, when she smiled, were exceptionally warm and easily endeared her to people. Just by appearance, the two of them didn’t look at all like sisters.
"Mm, don’t worry, sis. I will be very obedient," she said with a smile.
...
By four o’clock in the afternoon, Kang Jinse was back in Jiangzhou.
She had called Yun Shen, who was in a meeting room at that time. When she arrived back at the Ji Family Manor and had just parked her car, Yun Shen’s call came.
"What’s up?" Yun Shen’s voice was always calm.
"Brother Shen, where will the banquet be held tonight? Do I need to come find you beforehand?" she asked.
"Have you finished your business?" he inquired.
"Mm, it’s all taken care of," she replied.
Yun Shen had been ready to have his secretary take Kang Jinse’s place, but hearing her say this, he said indifferently, "Alright, where are you now? I’ll send someone to pick you up."
With a smile playing on her lips, Kang Jinse walked into the living room. "I’m at home," she said.
...
Before getting off work, Yan Yuzhen touched up her makeup in the mirror. The very thought of appearing arm in arm with the president, imagining the envious and jealous looks from others, made her hum a tune in delight.
"Xiao Wang, has the gown arrived? Make them hurry up or if they delay my plans, see what I’ll do to you," she barked.
"It’s on its way, there’s a bit of a traffic jam. Just be a bit more patient, Sister Yan," Xiao Wang reassured.
As Xiao Li from HR passed by, he smiled and said, "Sister Yan, you’re looking really gorgeous today. Truly, you’re Ji’s number one beauty. With that face and poise, you could outshine a bevy of movie stars. It’s a pity not to appear on screen."
As the president’s personal secretary, Yan Yuzhen was second only to one and above thousands in the company; many were eager to curry favor with her.
Yan Yuzhen glared at him coldly. "What Ji’s? The renaming proposal for the company has already been approved. It will be Yun’s from now on. Watch your words, or I’ll fire you if you keep spouting nonsense," she snapped.
"Ah... My mistake. Please don’t be angry, Sister Yan...," Xiao Li quickly apologized.
After walking a few steps, he rolled his eyes disdainfully, thinking to himself, she really thinks too highly of herself—as if President Yun would even give her the time of day, desperate as she is.
When Yan Yuzhen returned to her office, she saw Liang Yu coming out of the president’s office. Liang Yu was the president’s assistant, a returned elite dressed in a finely tailored suit, with a physique that outstripped even supermodels, particularly his handsome face. He was always smiling, a feature especially beloved by girls. With the president being perceived as distant and cold, and also married with children, Liang Yu had quickly become the darling of the company—single, handsome, and the president’s confidant. He was a magnet for adoring fans wherever he went.
Yan Yuzhen was just a secretary and couldn’t compare to the special assistant Liang Yu, so she usually tried to cozy up to him.
Seeing Liang Yu walking toward her, Yan Yuzhen donned a seductively charming smile and asked, "Assistant Liang, did the president have any instructions for me?"
Liang Yu, with his long strides, came over to her, his delicate face an impressive sight, especially with a warm smile making even someone as accustomed to him as Yan Yuzhen quicken her heartbeat.
Too bad, she mused, if he had the president’s wealth, she wouldn’t mind conquering this man.
"Secretary Yan," he said with a gentle voice that might make one feel cherished, "the president asked me to inform you that you needn’t attend the banquet tonight." His voice was soft, but his eyes were cold and clear. If one looked closely, they would see that there wasn’t a hint of emotion in them—just a cool mockery, looking down with a pity that beheld the sadness of the world.
Watching the disbelief and shock on the woman’s face, Liang Yu smiled slightly, shook his head, and walked away.