Ch 24: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Shen Yunrui found an excuse to avoid returning home with the Shen family and instead dialed Huo Siming’s number.

Huo Siming sounded puzzled. “Mrs. Lin? Why are you calling me? Is something the matter?”

Logically, given the Shen family’s support for Shen Yunxuan, they were in competition with him, and it seemed odd for them to contact him now.

Shen Yunrui, afraid Shen Yunxuan might use the land to secure her position, got straight to the point. “Shen Yunxuan has severed ties with the Shen family, and we won’t help her. But she’s already found a foolproof way to immediately resolve the issue with the business partners. I can tell you her plan so you can act first, but in exchange, I want 50 million.”

Huo Siming cleared his throat and chuckled. “Mrs. Lin, I think you’ve misunderstood. My sister-in-law and I are family. If she successfully solves this problem, it only proves she’s better suited to be acting president. Why would I pay for your information? I should probably tell her to be cautious of her own sister.”

His tone was tinged with mockery, as though he were rebuking her for betraying her own family. Shen Yunrui, who had once admired him, felt deeply hurt by his words, though she understood his upright nature.

She didn’t argue, but before he could hang up, she quickly added, “Shen Yunxuan knows nothing about business! Her past investment success was sheer luck. I grew up with her—I know her better than anyone. She’s greedy and only wants to take over Huo Group for her own gain. Are you just going to watch Huo Group fall into her hands and be destroyed?”

Huo Siming remained silent for a long moment, seemingly swayed. After all, the Shen family would know Shen Yunxuan best, and as a member of the Huo family, he couldn’t allow Huo Group to fall into the hands of someone incompetent.

Time was of the essence, and they quickly struck a deal. Huo Siming readily transferred the money, and Shen Yunrui divulged everything she knew.

Initially, Huo Siming hadn’t taken the information too seriously, agreeing to the deal mainly as a precaution. His family had been planning this for years, and he wouldn’t risk failure at such a critical juncture.

But upon hearing the specifics, he nearly broke into a cold sweat, regretting that they had pushed for an acting CEO vote. If Shen Yunxuan offered the land to the business partners, even his best-prepared efforts might not be enough. That land, adjacent to the future city government site, was worth at least ten billion yuan!

With his scalp tingling, Huo Siming immediately called his father overseas. They both agreed to mobilize all their resources without hesitation and resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Soon, every contact they had cultivated within Huo Group was activated, the two supportive shareholders worked to sway others, and Huo Siming personally met with the business partners. Long after nightfall, they were still hard at work.

Meanwhile, Shen Yunxuan had just escorted Madam Huo back to her room to rest. Madam Huo had been at the hospital for two days and nights, always stationed outside Huo Siheng’s ICU room. Only when coaxed repeatedly by Shen Yunxuan did she reluctantly agree to get some sleep.

Madam Huo, still uneasy, mentioned to Aunt Lan, who was acting under Huo Siming’s instructions, “Look after my son. I don’t trust anyone else.”

Aunt Lan seized the opportunity to probe. “Madam, please rest assured. The mistress is here too. Everything will be fine.”

Madam Huo, however, was preoccupied. “Yunxuan, don’t worry about me. Go handle the business matters.”

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “It’s too late to meet the business partners now. I’ll focus on Siheng—his first days are critical. My business matters are simple. Tomorrow, I’ll meet them early, and the land transfer will be resolved.”

Her relaxed demeanor eased Madam Huo’s mind slightly, though she still felt heavy-hearted. “The land… there’s no need to give it away. If worst comes to worst, Kevin can manage things. The shares are still in Siheng’s name.”

Shen Yunxuan patted her hand gently. “Mom, I trust Kevin, but the company is Siheng’s. I don’t want outsiders stepping in. Kevin wouldn’t want to fight with me either. Everyone just wants what’s best for Huo Group. Leave this to me. I’ll resolve it tomorrow.”

Satisfied, Madam Huo nodded and retired for the night. Aunt Lan slipped away to report to Huo Siming.

Shu Yue, noticing Aunt Lan, whispered, “Is she a problem?”

“She is,” Shen Yunxuan replied softly. “But there’s no concrete evidence yet. Just keep an eye on my mother-in-law to ensure nothing happens to her.”

With everything settled, Shen Yunxuan headed to the rooftop to make a phone call—to Huo Siheng.

That’s right—the man lying in the hospital room was not Huo Siheng.

At first, Huo Siheng had the hospital director administer a small dose of sedative to make him appear completely motionless, like a vegetative patient, preventing Madam Huo from becoming overly emotional or Huo Siming from discovering the deception. Shortly after being transferred from the emergency room to the ward, he regained consciousness and began pretending to be comatose.

Once Huo Siming became anxious and left the hospital to handle matters, Shen Yunxuan, during the time Madam Huo went for a meal, discreetly assisted Huo Siheng in leaving the hospital.

The person currently lying in the hospital bed was an actor hired by Huo Siheng, someone who bore a slight resemblance to him and was often cast as corpses in films. With the cooperation of Shen Yunxuan, the hospital director, and the nurses, the actor would subtly move when no one was around and perfectly act the part of a vegetative patient when there were people present. His performance was flawless, aided by the bandages and breathing apparatus covering his face, leaving no room for suspicion.

Meanwhile, Huo Siheng stayed at Yang An’s home with his team, closely monitoring every development. When he received Shen Yunxuan’s call, he immediately knew everything on her end was proceeding smoothly.

Shen Yunxuan chuckled. “I just added fuel to the fire, making him believe I’m determined to offer the land. He’s convinced he’ll secure the position by tomorrow, so he’ll push to finalize everything tonight.”

Huo Siheng replied, “We’ve already uncovered three of my uncle’s people within the company, including a senior manager who’s been with us for over a decade. They’ve truly laid the groundwork over the years.”

Then, lowering his voice, he added, “You’ve worked hard, having to act in front of so many people. It must’ve been a lot of pressure. Are you exhausted?”

“It’s manageable,” Shen Yunxuan said calmly. “Keeping cool lets me overlook the pressure, and thinking about the immense benefits of success makes the exhaustion worth it.” While the pressure was indeed present, perhaps having lived through everything once before had tempered her. To her, no matter how big the stakes, it was nothing she couldn’t handle. Worst case, she’d rebuild bit by bit, just like in her previous life.

Gazing at the neon lights in the distance, she continued, “We’ve come this far, so we must remember never to take unnecessary risks. The safety of our family is what matters most. No matter what happens to Huo Group, we have the ability to start anew.”

Having grown up under the expectation of perfection and the responsibility of inheriting and expanding Huo Group, Huo Siheng had always been told the company was paramount, worth any sacrifice, including his own well-being. This was the first time someone told him that family safety mattered most.

Huo Siheng smiled silently, pressing the phone closer to his ear. “Yunxuan, your safety is just as important to me. Be careful. And thank you.”

At the start, it had always been Shen Yunxuan thanking him. But somewhere along the way, it was he who said those two words more often. He truly felt grateful—not just for her efforts in this ordeal but for everything. Her presence in the Huo family had brought color and vitality to his once-mechanical life.

The two continued exchanging updates, with Shen Yunxuan overtly advancing their plan and creating a sense of urgency for Huo Siming. Meanwhile, Huo Siheng covertly gathered evidence of all the illegal activities.

That night, Huo Siming successfully closed a deal with the business partners, offering them other company projects as compensation. Their contract would surely appear impeccable, showcasing his competence in handling the matter.

The partnership dispute had originally been stirred by one of the shareholders on Huo Siming’s side, who created issues within the company to provoke dissatisfaction. This led the partners to demand a meeting and to inadvertently leak rumors of Huo Siheng’s condition. While it was initially a straightforward matter to resolve, Shen Yunxuan’s plan to offer the land significantly increased the stakes for Huo Siming, forcing him to mobilize every resource at his disposal to secure the deal before her.

Relieved, he made a point of visiting the hospital to check on Huo Siheng and Madam Huo, expressing his concern before heading back to the family estate to rest.

Shen Yunxuan suggested, “Why not have Aunt Lan accompany you back? I’ll stay here with Shu Yue, and there are also hospital aides to look after Mom. Aunt Lan can organize Mom’s regular medications and medical records and bring them with breakfast in the morning.”

Aunt Lan, following instructions from Huo Siming, left with him. On the way, Huo Siming hesitated before asking, “Do you think Shen Yunxuan suspects you? It seems like she’s being cautious around you.”

Aunt Lan scoffed. “She’s wary of everyone. She’s guarding Mr. Huo herself and has her friend watching Madam Huo, practically treating the Huo family as her own. She’s not giving anyone a chance to sway Madam Huo’s support.”

Huo Siming pondered but found nothing overly suspicious. Though events had been hectic, everything was proceeding according to their plan. Feeling a surge of confidence, he returned to the estate, retrieved a fine bottle of wine, and settled on the balcony with his phone to video call his father.

“Dad, let’s toast to an early celebration. By tomorrow, I’ll be Huo Group’s acting president. Soon, the entire Huo Group will be ours, and even this estate will belong to us!”

Second uncle Huo laughed. “Well done! Remember, you’re stepping in under pressing circumstances, forced to take charge. Tomorrow, don’t let anything slip.”

Huo Siming exuded confidence. “Don’t worry, Dad. Phase two of our plan will succeed soon!”

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆