Ch. 371..375: Mr CEO Ex-wife Escapes Again Chapter 371-375
Chapter 371: Chapter 371
Xiahou Jingmu also realized this problem.
In an instant, not only did he not escape before the heavy iron door closed,
he even grabbed Yin Hehe, who was trying to flee, and looked up intently.
"You wanted to know who’s behind me, didn’t you? Follow me up, and you’ll find out."
"Are you insane?" Yin Hehe immediately began to struggle violently.
"Do you realize this is a trap? If we go up, there’s only a dead end!"
She reminded the fool furiously and desperately.
But to her despair, after the incident occurred, he acted as if possessed, not only ignoring her words, but really dragging her forward.
"Xiahou Jingmu, let me go, let go!"
Yin Hehe could only struggle fiercely in his grip.
However, just as the two reached the elevator, suddenly, he turned his head sharply, his eyes rolling with crimson, fixating on her.
"He’s up there too, don’t you want to save him?"
"..."
Yin Hehe fell silent.
It was at that moment, the elevator doors opened, and she was forcefully dragged inside by him.
She didn’t have to go save him, because that man was not her husband at all.
Yet, she didn’t make another fuss either.
Because, his words suddenly reminded her that if this person behind it all wanted to get rid of even his pawn at the last minute,
could it be that the building was really at the point of the final wrap-up? Was its scheme already in its most perfect stage?
If so, would even Sheng Siyuan be helpless when he arrived?
Yin Hehe began to force herself to calm down.
"Why aren’t you speaking?"
Strangely enough, Xiahou Jingmu, who had been grabbing her arm, turned his head neurotically and questioned her as if she had stopped fussing.
Yin Hehe glared at him coldly, "I’m about to die with you, what else is there to say?"
"Heh heh..." The lunatic actually laughed.
"Don’t worry, as long as Xiahou Jingmu is not dead, you won’t die."
"..."
What an idiot!
The current situation was precisely aiming to kill him, and yet he said as long as he was alive!
Yin Hehe looked at the floor levels of the conference center coming closer, and her fingers gradually clenched inside her palm.
"Ding!"
The elevator doors finally opened.
Yin Hehe looked up, and at that moment, Xiahou Jingmu, who had been pulling her, pushed her down to the ground.
"Bang bang bang—"
Yin Hehe felt a severe pain in her knees that shot to her brain, as bullets rained in from above like a sieve.
But in a flash, Xiahou Jingmu, who was lying on the ground with her, opened fire with the gun in his hand.
"Ah!!"
Almost every shot was deadly.
Yin Hehe hugged her head, trembling violently as she lay on the ground, not daring to look up, nor to open her eyes.
Until finally, when the gunfire stopped, her arm hurt again, and he dragged her out.
"Ah—" This time, the scream came from her mouth.
Because she saw that the ground under her feet was covered with bodies, one after another, piling up like a mountain.
He was terrifying.
Were these people all just killed by him?
Yin Hehe, dragged stumbling out of the elevator, ended up in a corner of the corridor on this floor.
"I told you not to worry, I won’t let you die!"
The man, covered in bloodstains, tossed away the pistol that was now empty and quickly picked up the submachine gun he had just found.
Yin Hehe was trembling all over.
Though experienced, having braved great trials and tribulations, today’s scene was indeed her first time encountering such a situation.
"You... no matter how formidable you are, you will eventually be no match for the thousands of troops here, Xiahou Jingmu, you... listen to my advice, let’s figure out a way to get out of here first,"
It took her a great effort to calm herself down before she could stammer out her advice to the man.
Indeed, after the horrific scene just now, she too had begun to think about beating a retreat; she didn’t want to die here.
Even if Sheng Siyuan eventually arrived with backup, if they couldn’t break through,
it wouldn’t concern them.
After all, as a couple, they weren’t really part of this affair.
However, just as her words fell, she suddenly felt the scent of blood intensify in front of her, and with her heart pounding, she timidly raised her head to discover a red dot had appeared on her chest.
At this moment, Xiahou Jingmu had already moved to her side.
"Move!"
With a loud shout, he gave her a forceful shove just as the bullet was shot.
"Bang!" The power of the sniper rifle was immense.
Yin Hehe, pushed to the ground, came to her senses and turned back to look, only to see that where she had just been standing was now shattered.
Xiahou Jingmu had vanished without a trace.
Where had he gone?
Seeing this, her fear intensified, and she didn’t care that her hands and feet were acting on their own.
She desperately crawled forward on the ground.
"Xiahou Jingmu, you son of a bitch, why drag me down with you~~" In her despair, she cried out.
Fortunately, just as the red dot targeted her again, a volley was heard.
"Thud!" The sniper was silenced.
Yin Hehe lay there stunned, watching the scene unfold, until Xiahou Jingmu came and dragged her up from the ground.
She was utterly unresponsive.
"Scared stupid?" Seeing her like this, the recently victorious Xiahou Jingmu even had the nerve to tease her.
Finally, Yin Hehe snapped back to reality.
In a flash, having just escaped death once again, she raised her hand and viciously slapped the son of a bitch’s face.
"Are you crazy?!"
"..."
Xiahou Jingmu’s face was twisted to the side, and he did not move for a long time.
Was he crazy?
Indeed, he now also felt like he was behaving like a madman.
Xiahou Jingmu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and the next second, he grabbed the woman again and dragged her forward.
"Let go of me, you lunatic! If you want to die, go by yourself, don’t drag me down with you!"
Yin Hehe, who had thought a slap might knock some sense into him, saw herself being dragged forward once more.
She felt she was really going mad.
And she became even more desperate.
But eerily, this time, as they both made it to the conference center, they encountered no further danger.
What was happening?
Had the people behind them let them go?
Yin Hehe stared at the empty conference center, not understanding what was happening.
"Where are they? Weren’t they supposed to be here?"
She looked around for a while before murmuring the question.
Xiahou Jingmu didn’t say a word until the lights suddenly flashed on with a loud "snap".
Only then did he look up, on guard, surveying the area above.
That’s right, this conference center had another floor above, a place usually reserved for the media during meetings, and it was not small.
Xiahou Jingmu watched intently until he finally saw fully armed people surging out, led by one individual, with all their guns pointed at him!
Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Courting Death?
"Xiahou Jingmu, you’ve really got some nerve, knowing full well that coming up here is a death sentence, and yet you still dare to drag this woman up with you."
The man was about fifty years old, roughly the same age as Xiahou Jingmu’s father.
However, his facial features were refined and scholarly. Although he wore the same uniform, his demeanor and gait lacked the murderous aura of a military man and instead resembled more that of a civilian employee.
Yin Hehe suddenly narrowed her eyes.
Wasn’t this the famous military strategist and Xiahou Yi’s most outstanding student, Deng Yuanqi? His rank was Junior Marshal.
"Of course, he said he wanted to see who was behind me. How could I not bring her up to take a look?"
When Xiahou Jingmu saw this man appear, he put down his gun, and casually sat down in the conference hall, trying to appear as relaxed as possible.
Yin Hehe immediately looked up at the man above her.
But in just the span of that sentence, the man named Deng Yuanqi’s complexion had already worsened.
Was he afraid?
Or was he ashamed that, after hiding for so long, he finally revealed his true colors?
Yin Hehe just quietly stared at the man. After a while, she heard herself ask, "What have you done with Xiahou Yi?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, the man’s gaze finally fell on her.
"Rest assured, he’s fine. I won’t harm him."
"Hehe..." Yin Hehe laughed coldly upon hearing his response.
"I thought you might be afraid to face him and would have killed him."
Her words made the man’s face turn exceedingly awkward.
She hadn’t misspoken. For many years, Xiahou Yi had always seen him as his most outstanding student, even the last incident of Xiahou Jingmu trying to take over Shengshi Group in Jiangbei was mediated by this student.
But who would have thought that this ultimate boss would turn out to be him.
Thus, it could be said that Xiahou Yi’s life was quite tragic indeed. The protege he had carefully trained from a young age betrayed him, and now his most valued student had also betrayed him.
Was it because his judgment was poor?
Or was it because he did not know how to teach?
Yin Hehe suddenly wanted to ask the old man...
"Why would I kill him? I am currently quelling a rebellion, Miss Yin. You must not misunderstand."
"..."
Yin Hehe was stunned to hear this!
Quelling a rebellion?
Could he be any more shameless? To label his own voracious ambitions as quelling a rebellion, throughout history, he could indeed be considered one of a kind.
That is to say, Xiahou Jingmu was actually his pawn from the start. He wanted to sit in the highest seat of power in the Pentagon Building, but did not want to bear the stigma of a coup or rebellion.
So he had Xiahou Jingmu initiate the rebellion.
Then, when the time was ripe, he would present himself as the cleanser of corruption, raising the banner of the righteous, and take the entire Pentagon Building into his own hands.
Brilliant!
True to his reputation as a great strategist, this entire game was beautifully executed.
"Fine then, you release them both first. Once you do that, I will naturally believe you," Yin Hehe joined in the act, playing her part since he loved to perform so much—let’s all perform together.
Sure enough, as soon as her words finished, the man up there lost his smile.
"Why the hurry? Once Xiahou Jingmu is dealt with, I will naturally release the two of them."
He gestured with his hand, and those fully armed people immediately raised their guns again, pointing them once more at Xiahou Jingmu.
Yin Hehe’s face instantly turned pale again.
She turned her head to look at this man, even though he was so foolish that he was good for nothing, he had also pushed her disgust to the extreme.
But at this moment, she still didn’t want him to die.
He was going to die!
And she would probably be the next one.
"If that’s the case, just capture him, there is no need to kill him, right? In the Imperial Capital, there is the People’s Court, his crimes will be judged by the court!"
She forced herself to calm down again, then turned her head to look at the man above her.
Xiahou Jingmu had actually started to unbutton his shirt, but when he suddenly heard this woman stand up for him, he raised his head, his expression stunned.
She didn’t want him to die?
He stopped what he was doing.
Similarly, upon hearing these words, Deng Yuanqi above also showed a surge of anger on his clear face.
"Miss Yin, you needn’t trouble yourself over these matters. You’d better look after yourself. If it weren’t for the old general’s sake, I wouldn’t spare even you!"
He said with a sinister undertone.
So, this was his true face.
Yin Hehe, seeing this, didn’t say anything further. She immediately took out a mini recorder from her person.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Deng, but I’ve already transmitted all the movements here to my law firm. I believe they are watching your live broadcast right now. If you don’t have a reasonable explanation, this material will be released very soon and the whole world will know about your glorious deeds!"
She raised the recorder high and aimed it at the man’s face for a clear close-up, speaking word by word.
In an instant, as these words fell, the entire conference hall heard a collective gasp of shock.
The man named Deng Yuanqi’s face changed drastically in a flash!
He looked at the mini recorder with a mixture of shock and rage, and within just a few seconds, a strong murderous intent welled up in his eyes.
He had forgotten about this woman’s identity.
He thought that by capturing that father and son, today’s act of cleaning the imperial side would be almost perfectly concluded. But he had overlooked that this woman was also a formidable character.
"Yin Hehe, there is a path to Heaven that you refuse to take, and there is no door to Hell, yet you insist on finding one, you are truly courting death!"
He personally drew a gun and, aiming at Yin Hehe, pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
"Get down!" At the critical moment, Xiahou Jingmu, who had just saved Yin Hehe’s life, leapt up from his chair and dragged the woman to the side.
"Clang!"
Right where Yin Hehe had just been standing, a chair was instantly shattered.
Yin Hehe was so shocked that she could no longer speak.
It was at this time that Deng Yuanqi, in a fit of embarrassed rage, directly ordered them: "Kill them!"
"I’d like to see who dares to shoot!"
At the crucial moment, Xiahou Jingmu, who had just saved Yin Hehe’s life, forcefully tore open his own shirt, and all of a sudden, everyone saw a timed bomb strapped to his body.
!!!!!
My God!
Now no one in the entire conference hall dared to shoot, not even Deng Yuanqi dared to make a move.
Yin Hehe stared blankly.
When did he prepare for this? When he came, wasn’t he aiming for the highest position of power in the Pentagon Building?
Why would he have a bomb strapped to him?
Could it be that he didn’t trust this man that much after all, and he came prepared today?
Chapter 373: Chapter 373 Descending from the Sky
"Xiahou Jingmu, you actually do have a brain!"
After a long while, Deng Yuanqi, who had been grasped tightly, snarled from above.
Xiahou Jingmu smiled.
"Did you think that Xiahou Yi had no vision at all? When he chose me back then, it proved that there was something about me he appreciated."
He spread his hands and slowly walked towards Deng Yuanqi’s position.
However, as he passed by Yin Hehe, he deliberately glanced at her. That look contained relief, liberation... and also a touch of gratitude towards her.
Yes, ever since he began his rebellion, everyone around him wished for his death, including every member of the Xiahou Family.
But this woman, just now, she actually didn’t want him to die.
"Leave immediately!" he whispered hurriedly to her.
Yin Hehe’s eyes widened instantly.
She tried to seek confirmation, but saw that he had already continued his march forward, his target being Deng Yuanqi!
Yin Hehe: "..."
With a bite of her teeth, she finally decided to leave.
But just at that moment, as Xiahou Jingmu was closing in on him, Deng Yuanqi suddenly raised his gun and pulled the trigger aiming at Yin Hehe.
"Ah——" Yin Hehe let out a painful scream as she fell to the ground, clutching her blood-gushing thigh.
"Yin Hehe!"
Xiahou Jingmu saw it and in that instant, turned back to see Yin Hehe screaming on the ground and rushed toward her.
By the time Yin Hehe realized this was Deng Yuanqi’s treacherous scheme, a bullet had already shot through the man’s back.
"Bang!"
The sniper bullet entered his chest, skillfully avoiding the bomb strapped to his body, and he collapsed in front of her, eyes wide open.
"Xiahou... Jingmu..." As she witnessed the scene, she could not hold back the tears that began to fall from her eyes.
Was it from fright?
Or was it the tragedy of this man that affected her...
But Xiahou Jingmu did not see her tears; as he fell, his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
"I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dragged you into this. You were right, I can’t protect you," he said with sadness and guilt.
Yin Hehe looked up at the scum above, knowing that they were both past the point of struggle and that the scum would not attack them anymore.
So, pushing herself hard, step by step, she moved to his side.
"It’s okay, I don’t blame you!"
She pressed her hand against his wound, gushing with blood, and uttered hoarsely to him.
Upon hearing her words, Xiahou Jingmu, whose gaze was already fading, seemed to have received redemption as he showed her one last smile.
"I know he will come to rescue you. Tell him, the debt I owed him back then, I consider it repaid now," he said. He slowly opened his hand, revealing a master switch that controlled all the gates of the Pentagon Building lying within.
Yin Hehe: "..."
Only after the man under her hand had breathed his last did she come to her senses, and forcefully patted his face.
"Xiahou Jingmu, you wake up! I forbid you to die, wake up!"
Her emotions completely collapsed as she began to cry out loud in the conference hall.
It turned out, he knew everything.
He knew the person he had taken from the mental hospital was not the real Sheng Siyuan.
He also knew that coming here today was more likely to bring trouble than fortune.
Yet, he came anyway, and the purpose of his arrival was less to expose Yin Hehe to the forces behind him, and more to open the tightly sealed doors of the Pentagon Building for Sheng Siyuan, who was leading the support troops.
Had he finally come to a realization?
Or was it that from the very beginning, he was merely a pawn, with perhaps a hint of resentment and injustice in his heart, but had there been the right person to guide him at that time...
Maybe he wouldn’t have ended up like this.
Therefore, his father, Xiahou Maoqing, actually bore a great deal of responsibility.
Yin Hehe was crying so hard that she couldn’t catch her breath.
Upstairs, Deng Yuanqi, who was tired of this game, raised his gun again, preparing to finish off this woman too.
"Buzz..."
But just at that moment, it suddenly sounded as though there were warplanes outside the building.
Warplanes?
He doubted his own ears, because he, Deng Yuanqi, had control over all those weapons.
Except for Chongzhou, but with Xiahou Yi and his son in his grasp, practically no one there would come over.
He decided not to pay any attention.
But just then, the windows of the originally sealed conference hall suddenly "snap," all the anti-theft windows were flung open.
Instantly, the bright light from outside flooded in, making the entire hall as bright as if a skylight had been opened, exposing the image of Deng Yuanqi and his men, all aiming their weapons at the severely injured, defenseless woman in the center of the hall.
"My God, what are they doing? Isn’t today New Year’s Eve? Why are they killing a woman in there?"
"Yeah, who’s that leading them? Looks like the famous Junior Marshal Deng!"
"My heavens, what is he doing?"
The entire city was in an uproar. The crowd that had seen this scene from the high-rise buildings ran down and gathered in the plaza of the Pentagon Building.
Before long, a rhythmic and uniform march sounded from behind, and people in the square turned their heads to see an armed troop marching in a mighty procession from a street adorned with red lanterns.
In front of them were tanks, armored vehicles, and they even saw a huge green D bomb being towed, approaching the square with an ominous presence.
"What’s happening? Is this a military parade for the New Year? Why such a big show?"
For many years under Xiahou Yi’s rule, people living in a world of peace watched this scene, thinking it was a military parade performance to add to the festivity of New Year’s Eve.
But they had no idea that, to Deng Yuanqi at the top of the building at that moment, the sight was like a massive storm!
"Who gave this order? Who let them do this!" he exclaimed in shock and anger, questioning the people behind him sharply.
As a result, not a single person did anything but shake their heads.
"Junior Marshal, this...this doesn’t look like our equipment, look, we don’t have that," someone boldly pointed out the heavy weapon being towed below.
Deng Yuanqi finally staggered.
If it wasn’t theirs, then it could only come from one place: Chongzhou!
"Click!"
Right at that moment, a huge noise came from the top of the building.
Everyone looked up in alarm only to find that the top of the building, which had not been opened for many years, was slowly parting before their shocked eyes, revealing the latest model combat aircraft hovering above them.
Too terrifying!
Who could this be? With Xiahou Yi and his son in their hands, who else could help them, and who dared to play such a big game?
Chapter 374: Chapter 374: The King’s Return
Deng Yuanqi had to crane his neck upwards for more than ten seconds, and his normally strategic mind couldn’t make sense of the situation.
It was not until the battle plane, circling above, landed right on the rooftop of the Pentagon Building, and the aircraft’s hatch opened, that a tall man in a black trench coat walked down slowly, like a god descending from the heavens.
"Sheng Siyuan?"
He finally recognized the man.
In an instant, his pupils dilated, and his expression froze in shock as he stared at the man.
The others were just as stunned as he was.
Indeed, how could they not be shocked? This man was clearly in their hands, and he was half-dead; how could he suddenly appear in the sky above their heads?
Everyone was terrified!
Only Yin Hehe remained, dragging her bloody leg, sitting next to the already deceased Xiahou Jingmu, and upon seeing this man finally appear,
she could no longer control herself and collapsed backward, swaying.
"Wife!"
Seeing this, Sheng Siyuan, who had just disembarked from the fighter jet, immediately turned pale, and with a leap from above, he rushed toward the woman.
Deng Yuanqi finally came back to his senses.
Seizing the opportunity, he raised the gun in his hand and prepared to pull the trigger at the man’s back.
But in the blink of an eye and a gunshot from above,
with a scream, his gun-wielding arm was pierced by a bullet, and in agony, he stumbled and fell against the wall behind him.
This turn of events was very unfavorable for him.
The people around him, seeing this, immediately hesitated. They looked up, only to find that in just a few seconds, the roof was full of heavily armed special forces personnel.
At that moment, their guns were pointed at them.
They had lost!
In that instant, these people lowered their raised arms and all took a step back.
"What are you doing? Attack! Kill him for me!"
Deng Yuanqi, upon witnessing this, immediately started yelling hysterically like a madman.
However, just as the words left his mouth, another bullet flew from below.
"Bang!"
This was even worse.
His thigh was shot through, and he let out a howl like a ghost or a wolf, and with a thud, he collapsed to his knees.
Both legs were bleeding profusely, rapidly staining the ground beneath him red.
"President, is the madam alright?"
Xu Guannan had also descended by this time, and upon seeing the woman who had fainted and was being held by his president, he immediately asked with concern.
Sheng Siyuan quickly picked up the woman in his arms and handed her to him!
"Take her away!" he ordered.
Then, those bloodshot eyes, full of murderous intent, turned and glared fiercely up at Deng Yuanqi.
From this moment on, he would make sure Deng Yuanqi wished for death yet could not die!
Sheng Siyuan advanced.
Deng Yuanqi, who was struggling on the ground trying to get up, became even more desperate upon seeing this.
However, it was no use; at this moment, he was like a dog whose spine had been broken, crawling and dragging himself on the ground, but utterly unable to rise again.
Sheng Siyuan finally reached him.
"You dared to hurt her?" Standing over him, the first words he said were these.
Deng Yuanqi shivered on the ground.
"I... I didn’t do it on purpose, she actually sneaked a surveillance device in, I was blinded by anger, that’s why this happened."
He actually started making excuses, although just moments before, he had felt not the slightest bit wrong, extremely arrogant and presumptuous.
Sheng Siyuan didn’t listen.
Seeing that he was still trying to justify himself, Sheng Siyuan lifted the gun in his hand and took another shot at his other leg.
"Ah!!"
Instantly, the man’s scream of agony was beyond what could be described as human.
Does it hurt?
What about the pain he had inflicted on others before?
He had used Xiahou Jingmu to poison Xiahou Yi, orchestrated a car accident, and nearly beat Cheng Chi to death at the psychiatric hospital through Xiahou Jingmu’s hand!
Did he remember none of these?
Moreover, Sheng Siyuan now suspected that it was this man who had instigated Xiahou Maolin’s decision to go to Chongzhou for a fight to the death.
Sheng Siyuan lifted a leg and stepped down hard on the man’s bleeding wound.
"Ah!"
Loud cries of intense pain!
Finally, Deng Yuanqi passed out.
The onlookers, seeing what happened, dared not make another move. They threw down their weapons one after another and obediently squatted down, holding their heads in anticipation of being taken away by the people outside.
Thus, in just a few minutes, the commotion was subdued.
The commander of Chongzhou came in, saw that the battle was over, and approached.
"Young Master, just now I’ve sent someone to find the old general and the others, thankfully they’re alright, and I’ve sent them to the hospital."
"Hmm." Hearing this, the man who was still toying with the gun in his hand, nodded without indicating any intention to leave.
Commander: "Then, Young Master...?"
Sheng Siyuan: "Commander Zhang, you can go down first. Today is New Year’s Eve, remember to comfort the public outside well, and ensure that when the troops withdraw, they do not disturb them."
"Yes!"
The commander agreed promptly.
He was actually very happy with this cooperation, as having followed the old general in Chongzhou for many years, it was his first time witnessing a truly outstanding descendant of the Xiahou family.
The commander quickly left.
Before long, in the now completely silent conference hall, Sheng Siyuan found a chair to sit in, and saw Deng Yuanqi slowly regaining consciousness on the floor.
He casually handed over his dagger to Xu Guannan who was standing behind him.
"You’ve always wanted to research what methods work for torture. Here, play with it slowly."
"Yes!"
Xu Guannan took the dagger without hesitation.
He still had scores to settle regarding Cheng Chi.
The moment he drove the dagger down, Deng Yuanqi, who had just awakened, arched his head back sharply as the sharp blade pierced into his back, seemingly flaying flesh from bone.
His pain was so severe that his whole body convulsed.
But he couldn’t die, nor could he faint.
Because the man before him was the true master of torture, who could amplify your physical agony manyfold while keeping you excruciatingly alert.
This was the true Lingchi.
Eventually, Deng Yuanqi lost control of his bladder and bowels. Looking at the unemotional man seated before him, he finally understood what a real demon was.
"I... I was wrong, please, give me a quick death!"
All he wanted now was to die!
Chapter 375: Chapter 375: Return
But that day, Deng Yuanqi still did not die.
When Xiahou Yi saw Sheng Siyuan in the hospital, the man whose face was splattered with blood looked so intimidating that it was almost fearsome.
"Is he hurt?"
"No," the old butler by his bedside immediately offered reassurance.
Xiahou Yi then felt relieved.
Watching Siyuan completely ignore his own ward and go straight to Yin Hehe’s side, all he could do was lie on his hospital bed and sigh.
"Old Zhong, if it weren’t for him this time, my life would have been over."
"Indeed, how else could we say that the young master is capable?"
The old butler immediately chimed in with a smile, his tone full of affection for the young master.
Xiahou Yi muttered at the corner of his mouth, wanting to ask more, but in the end, he closed his mouth.
This New Year’s Eve, the Xiahou Family had experienced the darkest day in their history.
The next day.
New Year’s Day.
When the intermittent sounds of firecrackers reached the hospital room, Xiahou Yi woke up and saw his old friend, the hospital director, come in carrying a large New Year’s gift box.
"How about that? I’m the first to wish you well this year, that should be quite the honor, right?"
The director actually hadn’t put on his white coat that day, but had specially worn a festive Chinese red Tang suit.
Xiahou Yi saw it and felt a touch of warmth.
"Aren’t you supposed to be with your wife today?"
"Of course, I should be, but I came here first. Look, my wife made longevity noodles and dumplings for you, eat up," he said.
The director unveiled the gift box he brought and served up the noodles and dumplings inside.
The noodles were still hot.
Xiahou Yi finally felt his old eyes getting tearful, and he had to blink several times to prevent his old friend from seeing him in such a state.
"Thank you," he said softly, bowing his head and taking a few bites with his chopsticks.
The director stood by the bed and watched.
As a friend for many decades, he of course understood the pain in the old man’s heart.
To be betrayed so suddenly by the two people he trusted the most, and to have nearly died at their hands, would make anyone feel terrible.
"Xiahou, perk up after you finish eating. Today’s the first day of the New Year, and there’s a big mess outside for you to clean up," the director paused, then suddenly turned his head towards the door of the ward, where Sheng Siyuan had just passed by.
And by morning, he was still wearing yesterday’s bloodstained coat.
"Also, you need to properly take care of those two. If you still want the Xiahou family to maintain its former status in the capital, you’ll have to rely on him," he added.
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Yi also looked outside.
However, by now, the man was no longer visible in the corridor.
"Old Zhong, go check on their situation."
"Alright," the old butler immediately went out.
Before long, he saw Yin Hehe in the adjacent ward, lying on the hospital bed but now awake.
"Xiaoyin, are you alright? Does your leg still hurt?" he asked as he approached her pale face, feeling a pang of distress.
Seeing it was him, Yin Hehe’s expression softened.
"It’s fine, Uncle Zhong," she said slowly, then asked, "How is the old general doing?"
"He’s fine too," Uncle Zhong smiled.
"However, he’s really worried about you, so he asked me to come and see if you needed anything..."
"Uncle Zhong, we’re going back to Jiangbei."
Before the old butler could finish his words, the woman suddenly propped herself up in the hospital bed and cut him off.
The old butler’s eyes immediately widened in shock.
"Back to Jiangbei? Now?"
"Yes," Yin Hehe said with a look of helplessness.
"Ayuan has decided. He just went to find Captain Xu and is arranging a private plane for me."
"..."
My God!
The old butler could no longer stay put; he was so startled that he ran out and returned to Xiahou Yi’s sickroom.
Meanwhile, Yin Hehe in the sickroom saw that it took less than two minutes for the old man next door, supported by another elderly man, to shakily make his way to her ward.
"General, you..."
"Hehe, I just heard that he’s taking you back to Jiangbei?" Xiahou Yi immediately asked as soon as he opened his mouth.
And with that question, even he did not notice that he, who had never blinked before the fiercest storms in his younger years, was now struggling to keep his voice steady.
Yin Hehe looked at him and after a long pause, she finally nodded her head: "He doesn’t want to stay here for another second."
"Why?" Xiahou Yi immediately asked. "Is it because you were injured?"
The old man was still quite sharp, hitting on the point right away.
Yin Hehe confirmed his guess.
But soon, she added another point: "However, besides that, there’s also the fact that he detests your power struggles. Do you know that he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since he entered the psychiatric hospital?"
"..."
"He’s been forced to plot for these matters every day, and he had to risk his life to fetch help for you, leaving me here. General, he’s just a businessman, and he doesn’t like doing any of this."
Yin Hehe spoke plainly about the torture the man had suffered during that time.
Xiahou Yi fell silent.
Indeed, how could he not understand?
This son, educated by Sheng Huang since childhood, was taught to be a businessman, not to engage in killing and violence, treating human lives as playthings.
It was natural that he couldn’t bear it.
In the end, Xiahou Yi still dragged his heavy legs with Uncle Zhong’s help to be taken back.
Before long, Sheng Siyuan returned.
Yin Hehe looked at him, finally wearing a beige coat, and a faint smile appeared on her pale lips.
"Then let’s go home, husband."
"Mm."
The man, who had completely washed away the bloodstains, bent down to lift the woman from the hospital bed, and turned to leave.
Even as he passed by Xiahou Yi’s sickroom, he didn’t glance at it once.
Twenty minutes later, a private plane flew overhead from the hospital. Xiahou Yi watched from the window as the murky eyes of the old man slowly calmed down.
A month later, the capital had completely returned to calm.
Pentagon Building was still under Chu Fengcheng’s control, and after Deng Yuanqi was brought to a military court, it was found that the sectors and official project assets controlled by the Xiaho Family were beginning to be handed back to the management of the Pentagon Building.
This also meant that the era of the Xiahou in the capital had come to an end.
In the same month, the People’s Court also announced the verdict for the head of the Shen Family, Shen Weihuai: life imprisonment.
The Shen Family also withdrew from the political stage.
In other words, in the capital, of the once four great families, only the Duan Family and Bai Family remained.