Can't Take My Eyes Off You

C 200-201

"Yes, of course! Master Lu, we, the Qi family, are businessmen. Honesty is the foundation of our empire."

Qi Xiang couldn't help but shudder as Lu Xingzhi stared at him. He had never met anyone as terrifying as Lu Xingzhi, whose glare alone was like a large boulder crushing him to the point that he couldn't move.

The Qi family did not dare execute any harmless pranks anymore. All he had done was have an evil thought about Jiang Yao plus a failed attempt at flirting with her, and just for that, the bloody price was a freaking hospital. If the Qi family dared to do anything to irritate the renowned Hades Lu again, he was worried that their business empire and family would be destroyed beyond repair.

However, Qi Xiang felt a little bitter about Lu Xingzhi's remarks. Lu Xingzhi had hinted that there should be no personnel changes after Jiang Yao got hold of the equity of the hospital. Even if there were doctors or staff who wanted to resign, whether or not their reasons were related to the new chairman, the Qi family would have to appease them to stay.

Lu Xingzhi spared Qi Xiang's life for the Huang family's sake. Qi Xiang also knew that Lu Xingzhi abhorred him for his vile desire at the man's wife—it was absolutely unacceptable for any man, hence, he didn't intend to overstay his welcome. After signing the agreement, Qi Xiang quickly left with his lawyer.

"It feels like a dream. In just the blink of an eye, I've become a rich person who owns a hospital," Jiang Yao giggled chicly while waving the agreement in her hand.

"A rich person?" Lu Xingzhi squinted at Jiang Yao in slight mockery. "You, as my woman, cannot have such a low standard. It's just a hospital, it's not even close to calling yourself a rich person."

Jiang Yao wasn't sure about the exact number of businesses in Lu Xingzhi's hands, however, one thing was for sure—his money was abundant. Thus, although Lu Xingzhi was quite obviously mocking her with a hint of contempt, she was convinced that he was not blowing his own horn. In his eyes, the value of the hospital was insignificant.

"From now on, the development of the hospital will be in your hands. If you have any ideas, just do anything you like with it. If you're lazy, either have someone to assist you with the management or just sell it. The money can be used as your pocket money."

Lu Xingzhi didn't expect Jiang Yao to earn money. He was good at generating a lucrative income himself, he wouldn't let his wife be short of money.

"Who would I sell it to?" Jiang Yao shook her head. "No, I want to keep it for myself, I don't want to sell it."

"You could sell it back to the Qi family. The hospital is theirs, to begin with. I'm sure they would be more than happy to buy it back." After pondering over the idea, Lu Xingzhi curled his lips into a mischievous smirk, as if finding out that his idea was sound. "Think about it, how fun would it be if we let them spend a lot of money to buy back something that was originally theirs? If you want to sell it, set a fixed price. I bet they wouldn't have the guts to negotiate with you."

"No, I don't want to sell it." Jiang Yao shook her head again. Although Lu Xingzhi's idea was great to vent her frustration, why did she need so much money? The hospital was a more exciting asset for her.

"Alright, just keep it if you don't want to sell it. If you find that the hospital management is troublesome and it affects your studies, let me know, I'll arrange for some people to help you manage it." Lu Xingzhi was just suggesting his idea in amusement. If his darling wife didn't want to sell, he wouldn't force her.

But...

"Since you want to keep it, I need your help," Lu Xingzhi said, "Hire two people to work in the hospital."

"Chen Zhibin?" That was the first thing that appeared in Jiang Yao's mind. Chen Zhibin had a high school diploma, which in this era, was neither low nor high. "What job do you want to assign to him?"

Chen Zhibin had given his absolute answer to Lu Xingzhi that he would not return to the army. Usually, in such a case, the military would not arrange a job for him after retirement.

It was hard to find a steady job in Nanjiang City with just a high school diploma and without any useful skillsets.

"Let him start with security first," Lu Xingzhi said after some thought. "Veterans are ideal for the security sector since their physical talent is incomparable to the commoner guards."

"The salary package of a security guard is not that high, not to mention, the Zhang family has compensated him, so he is quite loaded now. Do you think he would want to take the security job?"

Jiang Yao hadn't seen the bankbook that Lu Xingzhi had given to Chen Zhibin, but she knew that it contained a lot of money, otherwise, Chen Xuyao would not have suggested for Chen Zhibin to send his mother to Jindo for treatment and procure a better quality of life with that money.

If he hadn't gotten the compensation and was still struggling under the duress, Jiang Yao was certain that Chen Zhibin might have taken the job. But it was the other way around now, would he still be willing to be a security guard?

"He will," Lu Xingzhi said firmly. "Firstly, he is not an overreacher. Secondly, he cannot stay still. I bet he will start looking for a job when his mother's condition stabilizes. Moreover, he is not a businessman kind of person. He is more cautious about money and he will definitely not invest money into businesses, so, he will choose to make a living on a monthly salary basis."

Lu Xingzhi knew Chen Zhibin very well. Chen Zhibin was a conservative man who lacked the courage to challenge himself and just go for it. Besides, starting a business required a capital investment along with the risks that followed behind. He would rather keep the money for his mother's medical care and retirement rather than to do business.

"Don't mention anything to Chen Zhibin yet, we still don't know how is his mother's condition now. So, I hope you can go to the hospital to visit her more often on my behalf." Even though Chen Zhibin had retired, Lu Xingzhi still valued him as his honorable junior.

"They don't have many relatives in his family. If his mother undergoes any unfortunate calamities, please lend her a hand and keep an eye on her for me. My darling, I'm so sorry to trouble you, but Chen Zhibin is a man, he is not as attentive and considerate as a woman."

The calamity that Lu Xingzhi was referring to was the possibility of Chen Zhibin's mother succumbing to her injuries and passing away. It would be devastating to Chen Zhibin if it happened, therefore, he needed Jiang Yao to help arrange the funeral affairs and so on. He didn't say it out loud but he believed that his wife would understand his underlying meaning. As for Chen Zhibin, everything had to be put on hold until his mother's condition was confirmed.

"There's another person I would like you to meet tomorrow morning. We used to be on the same mission, but he was forced to retire due to his injury," Lu Xingzhi heaved a sigh of regret. "He happens to be in Nanjiang City too, but I haven't seen him in several years. I'm not sure if he still stays at the same place."

Lu Xingzhi couldn't meet him the other day when he sent Jiang Yao to college because of time constraints. This time, Chen Zhibin's matter had been resolved, so he still had half a day tomorrow for some private matters.

However, if he were to go see his former comrade tomorrow, he would have lesser time to spend with Jiang Yao alone, thus, he was bummed out. He took a peek at Jiang Yao's expression sheepishly and noticed that she didn't show any signs of agitation. Her lack of expressiveness made Lu Xingzhi stumble into a contradicting mess, not knowing whether he should be glad or helpless. He had hoped that Jiang Yao would be upset with him, on the other hand, he was afraid that Jiang Yao would be upset for real.