The Army Hospital, special ward.
“Mister Tang, the conditions of your sister are stable. It’s just that her white blood cell levels are low. There’s no need to worry, she’ll recover within two days of rest.”
“Thank you, doctor,” said Tang Bochuan.
“Oh, right. Mister Tang, there’s something weird that I’d like to ask you about.”
“What is it?”
“When Miss Tang was admitted, she came in with a lot of blood in her intestine. It’s also all over her body. We collected it and ran some tests. Turns out, there’s a type of superstrong antibody inside it and those were coincidentally the antibodies that saved Miss Tang’s life.”
Tang Bochuan’s mind fleeted onto the image of Xia Lei and his bloodied wrist. Yet, he maintained his calm facade. “I have no idea what could lead to that. Doctor, let’s just cast this aside. Is it alright if you pass me all the test results and samples to me and pretend that none of this transpired?”
The doctor was visibly taken aback but he nodded his head anyway. “Sure, I’ll get it done now.”
The doctor excused himself. Tang Bochuan came to the bed and trained his burning stares on Tang Yuyan. “Yuyan, did you hear that? A poison that could kill within minutes and Xia Lei’s blood had antibodies that countered it! He really is an advanced human!”
Tang Yuyan, on the other hand, was exceptionally calm. “Is that something worth being shocked over? On the snow mountain in Dawang, he gave me every last shred of his clothing. All he had was his boxers and that was the night he successfully wiped out more than one hundred enemies.”
Tang Bochuan said nothing in return, seemingly deep in thought.
At this moment, Tang Tianlong and Zhang Yumei entered the ward. Tang Yunhai trailed behind them.
“Yuyan, how are you feeling? Is everything alright?” Zhang Yumei barged in with knitted brows.
“I’m alright, Mother,” assured Tang Yuyan.
Zhang Yumei held her daughter’s palm. “I’m so glad you’re alright. How am I supposed to live without you if something were to happen?”
“Yumei quit muttering useless nothings.” Tang Yunhai cleared his throat. “Yuyan, I heard that you got hurt because you rescued Xia Lei’s women. Is that true?”
Tang Yuyan nodded. “Yes.”
Tang Yunhai drove his elaborately decorated cane to the ground. “Why are you so stupid? If his women die, wouldn’t you stand a chance?”
Tang Yuyan froze, not daring to retaliate. This was wrong on so many levels. They were Xia Lei’s four wives and they were pregnant! This was a total of eight lives! If she had let them die for the sake of getting together with Xia Lei, Tang Yuyan could never live with the guilt.
“Stupid girl, that assassin was obviously after Xia Lei’s women. You protected them and if you lost your life as a result, would they mourn you? I’m sure they’d be delighted to eliminate a love rival.”
“That’s enough.” Tang Yuyan clenched her jaw. “I was there and I was one of his targets. How could I not do anything in that situation? Plus, if Xia Lei’s women and children had perished, he would lock his heart away from anyone else.”
Sigh! Tang Tianlong heaved a hefty sigh. “This is fate. You and Xia Lei were destined to be together and yet Fan Fan had to intervene. Look at them now. Fan Fan is not the only one. Xia Lei houses four pregnant lovers in the Peace Mansion. What a messy private life!”
“Yuyan, I’m warning you!” Tang Yunhai pointed a finger sternly. “If Xia Lei is not divorced, don’t you dare get together with him!”
Tang Yuyan huffed dryly. “You talk as if he wishes to be with me. He’s the kind of man who can get whatever woman he wants. What am I, a mere plain Tang Yuyan, to him?”
“Bullshit! You’re just depreciating yourself!” Tang Yunhai screamed, “Every woman of our Tang family is elegant and smart! If you keep up with that, you’re embarrassing the Tang family!”
Tang Yuyan stopped herself from biting back, quickly avoiding Tang Yunhai’s eyes. She understood what her grandfather meant. Women who bore the Tang surname were fit for anyone, even if he were a king. However, she could not disrupt the Tang family’s order just because she was in love with Xia Lei. Xia Lei’s excellence was not an exception either.
Something sour pinched at her heart, almost as if a great helping of salt was dumped into her heart. The biggest obstacle between her potential relationship with Xia Lei was not his four pregnant wives but the dignity and ego of the ancient Tang clan!
“Hey, that’s enough.” Tang Bochuan gently dissolved the tension. “Father, grandpa, Yuyan just survived the ordeal closely. She was given a second chance at life by Xia Lei and I’m sure she’s feeling terrible.”
“Xia Lei rescued you?” Tang Tianlong asked Tang Yuyan.
To which she nodded dutifully and offered nothing else.
“It’s a given for him to save you. After all, without you, his women would be done for. You do not owe him anything. As a matter of fact, he is in debt to you,” concluded Tang Tianlong.
Xia Lei had saved her once. One life. Tang Yuyan had saved four of his pregnant lovers. Four women, eight lives. If they were to weigh their debt with quantity, Xia Lei would have owed her seven lives. That would mean that he was truly indebted to her.
“Father, you can’t weigh it like that,” mumbled Tang Yuyan. She was not on board with that thought.
Tang Tianlong roared at her, “Shut up!”
Tang Yuyan could only clamp her jaw shut. To the outside eye, she was a proud daughter of the Tang clan. But at home, in front of the elders, she was nothing. She was only a youngling susceptible to their instructions. She was just a pawn for the family!
Ning Jing was in such a position back then. But compared to Tang Yuyan, Ning Jing had it better. She was at least able to leave home but where could Tang Yuyan escape to? Her skull was literally imprinted with the mark of the Tang family!
“Father, grandpa…” Tang Bochuan tried to shift the focus. “I have something to tell you.”
Effectively, the two elders of the Tang family spared him their attention. Tang Tianlong urged, “What is it? Come on, spit it out straight.”
“Xia Lei used his blood to neutralize the poison inside her body.” Tang Bochuan studied their reactions. “This was what the doctor told me earlier. There’s some super strong antibody dwelling in Xia Lei’s blood. If it wasn’t for it, Tang Yuyan would’ve been dead long ago.”
“Huh? How is that possible?” Tang Tianlong was surprised.
Tang Bochuan explained, “There were also a few reporters that died at the footsteps of the Peace Mansion. Our experts had concluded their autopsy. The poison is a bioweapon that targets the heart and nerve system. Any contact would result in death in a matter of minutes. If an antidote is available and the poisoning had not exceeded three minutes, the victim could still be rescued. But after three minutes, not even god can save them. I was thinking, Xia Lei really might be the advanced human we were speculating him as. He is strong now but who knows how much more advanced he will become in the future? Everything will probably be beyond our imagination.”
Tang Bochuan’s revelation could be summarized simply. Xia Lei would only become stronger, his potential was limitless!
“Grandpa.” Tang Bochuan stared at Tang Yunhai. “I think…”
Tang Yunhai seemed to have understood what Tang Bochuan was hinting at. The older man quickly interjected, “Bochuan, come out. I’ll like to talk to you.”
“Alright.” Tang Bochuan followed him out of the ward.
Tang Yunhai went past the corridor, only stopping as they reached the stairway. He watched the bottom then checked the top. Following that, he checked the situation out at the end of the corridor.
“Grandpa, what’s the matter?” asked Tang Bochuan.
Tang Yunhai made sure they were alone before answering, “I have nothing to talk about, it’s more of what were you trying to say back then. There’s no one here, you can finish your sentence with ease.”
Tang Bochuan huffed a sound of laughter. “Grandpa, aren’t you a little too cautious? Yuyan is your granddaughter. Is she not allowed to hear our conversation?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Hmph!” Tang Yunhai grumbled angrily, “She’s deeply intoxicated by a poison named Xia Lei. She has thrown away all regards to the Tang family’s interest in the back of her mind. From now on, it’s better that she remains blissfully unaware of some of the family’s bigger decisions. I’ll consider this decision again when she shows signs of remorse and awakening.”
“It’s not that bad?” Tang Bochuan couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
Tang Yunhai replied, “You, my child, are too linear-minded. You do not understand the complexity of a woman’s mind. We’ve used many connections and logistics for years on end just so she could become the leader of Bureau 101. She is equivalent to our biggest asset. But she was willing to die for the sake of protecting Xia Lei’s women! If Xia Lei had come to her aid ten seconds later, she would be done for! What else can you say about that other than her abandoning our familial interest?”
Tang Bochuan had no better argument.
Tang Yunhai pressed on, “Yuyan succeeded Shi Boren’s position and you’re bound to succeed mine someday. You are on track but not her.”
Tang Bochuan still did not know what to say.
“Speak!” Tang Yunhai urged harshly.
It was only then that Tang Bochuan responded, “I wanted to to say that the rumour about the AE capsules is real. Xia Lei was able to advance because of those capsules. Everything he owned was built on the fundamentals of his ability. If we can’t get him into our family, we can get…”
He left his sentence hanging.
Tang Yunhai shot him a dangerous glare. “Go on.”
“We can get his children. We can cultivate his child into a successor to the Tang family. While we can’t guarantee that the child we obtain would inherit one hundred per cent of Xia Lei’s excellent genetics and ability, as long as they have half of that, the Tang family will become the superior clan of China!” Tang Bochuan finally told the full story.
“You’re saying to have Yuyan…” Tang Yunhai found it difficult to spit it out. As the master of the clan, the implications had him flustered.
“Actually, there’s no need for them to get together.” Tang Bochuan inched closer and whispered into his ears. “I can have the doctors numb Yuyan and extract her ovum. Then…”
“What approach are you planning to extract Xia Lei’s sperm?”
“There’s no need for us to do that. The authorities have never once ceased their research on Xia Lei. The researchers have the legal rights to obtain their bodily fluids. From that, we can cultivate our very own Tang family super child,” answered Tang Bochuan.
Tang Yunhai let the words settle in his mind, finally breaking into a grin. “Hehehe, your idea is not bad. If we succeed, it would be great. But children grow fast, what do you plan to do?”
“Me? For the sake of our future, I’m willing to give up my shot at becoming the clan’s master,” assured Tang Bochuan.
“Then the child shall be under your wing. When the right time comes, you’ll let them succeed you,” decided the older man.
That elicited a pleased smile from his grandson. “Sure, then I’ll bring this to the doctor.”
They left the stairway to the doctor’s office.
Coincidentally, the lift doors opened to allow a group of people to emerge. One man and four women got out of the little space. The man was handsome and bright. The women that surrounded him were each uniquely gorgeous and with great body proportion. Despite their pregnant bellies, they looked far from swollen. They radiated the soft beauty of an expecting mother.
Xia Lei had brought his family to visit the patient.