Chapter 148: Chapter 39: I Will Make You One of My Wings

In Zhang Yan’s heart at that time, Xia Xiqing was more like an NPC—the kind that would give out rewards once the affection level was high enough.

But with more and more interaction, he understood her better and became increasingly fascinated by her. He was captivated by the way she looked when running so seriously, her weird method of tying her shoelaces, her somewhat clumsy chatting skills, and her seemingly aloof but actually friendship-craving heart. The gentle expression she wore while petting a cat made it seem as if she were looking at another version of herself, showing hints of envy and longing.

Her figure dancing with Zhang Yan under the spotlight before the eyes of everyone was as dazzling as a goddess descending from the heavens. And when she overate slightly and burped, the embarrassment she tried hard to hide made it feel like that same goddess had walked down from the heavens to be by his side.

Everything eventually converged into a breathtakingly beautiful face, striking a critical blow to the heart of any man who laid eyes on her. Except for a certain area that wasn’t quite majestic enough, she was perfect.

Would a Xia Xiqing like this be willing to be just one of Zhang Yan’s wings? Ever since obtaining the system, out of an instinctive psychological backlash against that miserable future, Zhang Yan had begun indulging his inner desires and living recklessly. Now, he had too many things he couldn’t bear to part with, and he wouldn’t give up a single one of them.

"I’ll make you one of my wings. This isn’t a wish or an expectation; it’s a prophecy."

Zhang Yan brought one of Xia Xiqing’s hands to his lips and planted a gentle kiss on it.

Zhu Jian was very busy on his end. Word had it that he was working overtime through the night to interrogate Fang Hanyu and everyone else involved in every step of this incident. He was striving to solidify as many charges as possible before the powers within Fang Hanyu’s family discovered the matter. Truth be told, however, the networks of these old foxes were so intricate that they couldn’t be kept in the dark so easily. In less than an hour, Chairman Fang, having caught wind of the news from some unknown source, began mobilizing his connections to plead for leniency from all sides. Soon enough, Zhu Jian’s interrogation work had no choice but to grind to a halt.

"Considering humanitarian concerns, the interrogation won’t resume until after nine o’clock tomorrow morning. That’s the current situation."

"I understand. Sorry for the trouble this time, Zhu Jian."

"You don’t need to worry either, Zhang Yan. The most crucial details have already been confirmed. From here on out, it will be a process of wrangling at most."

"Yeah, I know what to expect."

Putting down the phone, Zhang Yan naturally wasn’t going to just let the matter rest. In fact, he was already on his way to the company. The moment he confirmed Xia Xiqing’s safety, he had made arrangements, having General Manager Mr. Kong of Renwofei Entertainment, who "just so happened" to still be at work, contact some friends in the traditional and independent media to meet at the company. Times had long since changed. It was no longer an era where one could pull the wool over the public’s eyes simply by controlling a few mouthpieces.

When he arrived at the company, it was brightly lit. The company was undergoing major restructuring and arrangements tonight, so personnel from various departments were continuously holding all sorts of meetings. Little did Zhang Yan know, he had inadvertently taken a step closer down the path of becoming a widely despised, unscrupulous boss.

Gathering all the top executives together, Zhang Yan handed out the photocopied materials to everyone.

"Tonight, just a moment ago, a malicious case of premeditated date rape occurred. The suspect is...

"I need you to come up with a plan within thirty minutes. Have our streamers take the lead and mobilize every possible resource to spread the influence of this incident.

"By tomorrow morning, I want to see it in the top ten trending searches."

The executives were perplexed. What did a criminal case have to do with their company’s interests? Was there really a need to act with such urgency? However, as they finished reading the materials in their hands, they suddenly understood everything—or rather, they thought they did.

"So we’re making a move against Xingmeng this quickly!"

"Yeah," Zhang Yan replied instinctively before realizing something was off. He thought, "Huh?" But he had developed a habit recently: whenever he didn’t understand something, he just had to act profound.

Sure enough, Kong Chen continued:

"Yikoo is Xingmeng’s closest strategic partner, and the relationship between them is intricate and complex.

"Rumor has it that many of their shareholders hold cross-shares in both companies. It can be said that they stand or fall together.

"But Mr. Zhang, isn’t it a bit too hasty to make a move against Xingmeng right now?

"After all, it’s only your first day taking over the company. A lot of the business operations haven’t stabilized yet."

With Kong Chen helping to clarify this layer of connection, Zhang Yan understood everything.

"Opportunity knocks but once. The father of the suspect, Fang Hanyu, has already started pulling strings to smooth things over. We can’t give them a chance to sweep this under the rug.

"You don’t need to worry about the consequences of starting this war. All you need to consider is how to achieve the best possible results.

"Lastly, I’ll say it again: don’t be afraid to spend money, as long as you can bring back the results I want!"

With Zhang Yan’s final confirmation and promise, the top executives all felt invigorated. Peers in the same industry were natural enemies. There was only so much traffic to go around; more viewers for them meant fewer viewers for us. They had been suppressed by Xingmeng for a long time and had been holding their breath in frustration. Now, the tables had finally turned!

"Understood, Mr. Zhang. However, I’ve made a rough estimate. Taking into account the opponent’s PR countermeasures and other actions, implementing the entire plan might cost around one to two million.

"If this money isn’t secured upfront..."

"No problem. Draft a brief proposal for the record right now. Let’s set the amount at 2.5 million for starters. I’ll transfer the funds to the company immediately, and you can submit a report to me later if there’s any shortfall."

Seeing their new boss hand out money so readily, the morale of the executives, led by Kong Chen, surged even higher. Watching everyone about to leave in high spirits, looking ready to pull an all-nighter, Zhang Yan checked the time and felt slightly embarrassed.

"Hold on a moment, everyone. You’ve all worked hard tonight, so overtime pay will be calculated at triple the usual rate for everyone.

"For this incident, our internal employees will each receive a bonus ranging from 100 to 10,000 yuan after the fact, depending on the size of their contribution.

"Remember to announce this when assigning tasks. Consider it a way to motivate everyone."

"You’re very generous, Mr. Zhang!"

After the meeting adjourned, Zhang Yan quietly blended into the crowd. Upon hearing about the overtime and some inexplicable tasks, everyone had been groaning in despair and looking listless. A few employees in the corners had even muttered quietly about evil capitalists. But when they heard that not only was there overtime pay tonight, but it was also tripled, everyone’s mood visibly improved. It was as if their exhausted bodies were suddenly filled with energy. And when they heard that the bonus could be as high as ten thousand yuan, it was a complete reversal. Everyone was itching to throw themselves into work immediately and grind through the night!

"Long live the boss!"

The entire company was instantly filled with drive and vitality. Seeing the bright light in the eyes of his employees, Zhang Yan felt deeply moved—and then promptly decided to clock out and leave.

He didn’t go home, but instead returned to the hospital where Xia Xiqing was being treated. The special care ward had a bed for an accompanying companion. Zhang Yan naturally wasn’t foolish enough to go home and sleep. If he did, wouldn’t his entire day of hard work have been for nothing?

When a baby bird hatches, it always feels an unusual sense of closeness and reliance toward the first person it sees. A person in dire straits will deeply remember the one who hands them a lifeline. Therefore, if Xia Xiqing didn’t see him the first moment she opened her eyes, the final effect would be greatly diminished.

After admiring Xia Xiqing’s peerless beauty for a while longer, Zhang Yan contentedly went to the companion bed and drifted off to sleep. He had to wake up early tomorrow—at the very least, he needed to be up before Xia Xiqing.

The next morning, Zhang Yan deliberately skipped washing up and lay on his stomach on the bed, playing on his phone for a while. His parents seemed to be on a border tour in Manzhouli, admiring the Russian-style architecture. Zhang Yan "liked" each of the posts in his parents’ Friends Circle. The people over at Yuanmeng had been consistently sending him updates on his parents’ situation, including their health, emotional state, sightseeing activities, and so on. Overall, Zhang Yan felt very reassured about things on their end.

Calculating that the time was about right, Zhang Yan finally got up, moved a chair to Xia Xiqing’s bedside, and then leaned against the edge of her bed, squinting his eyes to rest.

About forty minutes later, Xia Xiqing’s eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes.

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