Chapter 35: After Modification - 24 【Another Price】
Chen Yan took a car to the hospital and entered President Fang's ward.
As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw President Fang sitting on the hospital bed, looking very serious.
Seeing Chen Yan come in, President Fang immediately sat up straight and said in a deep voice: "Teacher Chen, please have a seat. I'm not feeling well, so I won't get up to greet you."
Chen Yan nodded, turned around and closed the door, then slowly walked to the chair beside President Fang's bed and sat down.
He took a good look at President Fang, noticing that his complexion was not too bad, which indicated that he had recovered quite a bit during his stay in the hospital over the past few days.
"How has President Fang been these past few days?" Chen Yan asked with a smile, "Your eating and sleeping should be fine, right?"
President Fang sighed, "It's been okay. Staying here has given me some peace of mind. I used to wake up in fright every night, but I have slept better these past few days. However, I'm still very anxious every day. Until this matter is resolved, I can't rest easy."
After a moment's pause, President Fang asked tentatively, "I heard from Assistant Yan that you went to the company a few days ago to take a look. But you haven't visited my home yet. These past few days, you haven't had any magical artifacts, so..."
Before President Fang could finish, Chen Yan interrupted, "President Fang, there's no need to go to your home."
President Fang, being a clever man, immediately understood the implication: "Does this mean Teacher Chen has already found the source of the problem?"
"Yes." Chen Yan nodded.
He straightened his posture and slowly said, "I told you before that your issue does not stem from that villa."
President Fang was partially convinced by this. The words of Uncle Qing from Luoyun House were different from what this young man said.
Nevertheless, President Fang, having undergone this ordeal, believed the present person more.
He thought for a moment and asked, "If the rituals at the villa were useless, I naturally believe in your words. So, where exactly is the problem?"
"President Fang, first promise me one thing; otherwise, I can't help you with your issue."
Upon hearing Chen Yan's request, President Fang immediately responded, "No problem! As long as Teacher Chen is willing to help, I will cooperate with any requirements you have!
When it comes to payment..."
Chen Yan shook his head, "Let's not talk about money yet. Listen to what I say first; if you can do it, then we'll discuss it."
President Fang felt even more curious but kept nodding: "Please, go ahead."
"The matter I'm discussing with you today is just between you and me; I don't want a third person to know.
Even if it's Assistant Yan.
To be frank, President Fang, I have identified the root cause of your issue, and I am capable of resolving it for you.
However, you must keep this matter confidential; you must not let anyone know it was me who helped you, and it must not be associated with me.
Assistant Yan doesn't know much about what happened previously, so just tell him I couldn't find anything and I won't be getting involved any further—just say that."
In addition, caution Assistant Yan to keep his mouth shut. It would be best if you both didn't tell anyone that you consulted with me.
Furthermore, President Fang, I'm sure you know some industry rules and understand not to speak too much."
President Fang felt uneasy upon hearing this, but being a seasoned businessman, he quickly understood that the matter was complicated: "Alright! No matter what, anything involving you, Teacher Chen, I will keep to myself!
I'll also instruct Xiaoyan to keep quiet—Xiaoyan has been with me for many years and is very discreet, he won't talk unnecessarily."
Chen Yan nodded: "Alright then, I'll tell you." He deliberately paused for a moment, then slowly said: "President Fang, the recent string of bad luck you've encountered is due to you coming into contact with something you shouldn't have."
"Affected by some object?" President Fang immediately grasped the idea.
After a moment of thought, he blurted out, "Is the object in my company?"
This wasn't difficult to deduce, as Chen Yan had accompanied Assistant Yan to the company but hadn't been to President Fang's home thereafter.
Following this logical reasoning, and considering that Chen Yan mentioned having found the root cause—didn't that indicate the problem originated in the company?
But as for the specific item that wasn't supposed to be touched, President Fang couldn't guess.
He had asked Assistant Yan about the inspection process when Chen Yan visited the company, but Assistant Yan had said that Teacher Chen had looked at many items without pointing out any issues.
In response to President Fang's inquiry, Chen Yan simply said, "Have everything in your office thrown away—I believe President Fang is not short of money, so discarding some ordinary belongings shouldn't be too painful, right?"
President Fang immediately agreed, "It's not a problem! I'll have my office cleared out completely, not even leaving a single piece of paper behind, replacing everything!"
Chen Yan nodded and slowly reached into his jacket pocket to take out something, gently placing it on President Fang's covers without letting go, just lightly pressing on it with his hand.
President Fang took a look; it was a stack of Paper Talismans.
"Here are four Paper Talismans. You place them in the four corners of your office: southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. You can put them in the ceiling or press them inside books—however you choose, as long as they're in the designated corners."
The four talismans were drawn by Chen Yan at home just the day before; they were very simple ones meant for driving away evil and bringing good fortune, with rather average effectiveness.
However, so long as President Fang doesn't burn that adulterated sandalwood anymore, these talismans might not even be needed; it's merely to provide President Fang with some peace of mind.
If you're going to do something, you should do it thoroughly.
Although President Fang couldn't decipher what was drawn on the talismans, he could recognize their significance and nodded immediately: "Great, great! Thank you for the talismans, Teacher Chen!"
As he spoke, President Fang reached out to take the talismans, but Chen Yan only smiled slightly, not moving his hand away.
President Fang hesitated but quickly realized and laughed, "I didn't grasp the protocol!"
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Teacher Chen, although we didn't get to talk much when we met last time, I have gotten an idea of your demeanor.
Let's get to the point.
I've looked at our rental contract; it was signed for two years.
You've already paid half a year's rent, leaving a year and a half, which is 18 months."
As he spoke, President Fang struggled to turn around and took an envelope from the drawer in his bedside table.
"Here's the original rental contract," President Fang continued, "I've also paid another year and a half's worth of property fees. The receipts are inside.
You can keep all these documents.
As for that house, you can live there without worry. I, Mr. Fang, will not charge you a penny; consider it as my additional compensation for your efforts.
What do you think?"
Chen Yan's heart skipped a beat as he understood President Fang's intention.
Well, Boss Fang seemed quite generous, but... he wasn't foolishly generous either.
Though it wasn't explicitly stated, the underlying meaning was clear.
The house would be free to live in—no rent would be charged.
But no mention of living there indefinitely.
The hint was clear: free for two years.
Calculating the costs, apart from the half-year rent already paid,
The remaining year and a half's rent would be about 270,000. Additionally, another year and a half's property fees, equivalent to 54,000.
President Fang had thus contributed over 300,000.
On top of the 100,000 for buying Chen Yan's Compass earlier.
Altogether, it exceeded 400,000.
Not stingy, but certainly shrewd.
Chen Yan nodded, released the talismans, and took the envelope, tucking it into his pocket.
"Teacher Chen," President Fang, seeing Chen Yan accept the items, heaved a sigh of relief, took the stack of talisman papers, and asked again: "I have one more question that I hope you can clarify for me. You mentioned that something in my company was causing me problems... Do you know what that item is?
So I can clean up properly when I have my office cleared."
Chen Yan responded calmly, "It doesn't matter; just clear out your office and replace everything, and everything will be fine."
Seeing that Chen Yan was not forthcoming, President Fang was momentarily stunned.
But he was a smart man, and after a brief reflection, his expression changed dramatically!
He had figured out Chen Yan's implication!
The somewhat portly Boss Fang suddenly narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice: "Are you suggesting... it's inconvenient to say?"
Chen Yan sighed and pointed at the door of the ward.
"President Fang, you are a businessman and should understand the rules.
This matter... it's like you being brought to the hospital with a broken leg.
The hospital is only responsible for treating your broken leg, and that's within their scope of work.
If you want the hospital to catch the person who broke your leg...
That would be beyond their duty; you understand, don't you?"
Boss Fang's narrowed eyes flashed with a hint of violence.
His voice went hoarse and his tone turned sharp: "From what you're saying, Teacher Chen, it wasn't a matter of bad luck that led me to touch something I shouldn't have.
But rather... it was human malice?"
Chen Yan remained silent.
Boss Fang, pondering over Chen Yan's earlier statements, suddenly understood.
He got it! This young man had clearly discerned something.
The reluctance to speak outright was precisely as he explained.
He was asked to change fortunes; that's all he would do.
Anything beyond that...
Involved additional costs.
And... the confidentiality was probably to avoid making enemies.
Realizing this, President Fang picked himself up.
"Teacher Chen, if it's indeed human malice, there's no perpetual defense against a constant thief.
Unless I find out who the culprit is, I won't be able to sleep in peace. Should the first plan fail, they could come up with another to harm me.
Rest assured, I understand the rules!
I'll add another 200,000; will this amount be sufficient?
Just give me some guidance, not requiring you to intervene yourself; I'm just buying your words, an answer.
And of course, the matter stays between us; I will not let a third person know you were the one to give me the hint."
Chen Yan thought for a moment: "Okay. But remember, I wasn't here today."
"Right, we didn't meet today," President Fang readily agreed.
Chen Yan said, then stood up and took out his phone to open an app...
President Fang, without hesitation, took out his own phone as well.
Within two minutes, Chen Yan received a bank message confirming the receipt of 200,000.
Chen Yan nodded, leaned closer to President Fang's ear, and quickly whispered two words:
"Sandalwood."
After speaking, Chen Yan coldly added, "Remember your words, President Fang; we did not meet today."
Then, he turned and left.
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