Chapter 423: Chapter 423: For the Sake of Inheritance Rights
Then, the group took the elevator to the same floor.
They were all staying in VIP suites, just in different directions.
As they stepped out of the elevator, Lan Yan took the initiative to say to Yu Mu, “President Yu, good night, have a good rest.”
Yu Mu looked at her, smiled faintly, and replied, “Mm, you too. Good night.”
As he spoke, he glanced at Xiao Si, originally intending to say something, but seeing the hostile look in Xiao Si’s eyes, he decided against it.
Yu Mu turned and left first.
Immediately, a low male voice sounded by Lan Yan’s ear: “Why did you wish him good night?”
Before she could respond, she heard his displeased complaint: “You’ve never said those words to me!”
“…”
Was he seriously getting worked up over such a trivial issue?
This man was really…
“If I say it now, will it still count?” she asked.
Xiao Si replied, “It’s too late. I wasn’t the first.”
Lan Yan sighed helplessly, “You were never going to be the first, nor is President Yu.”
“Then, who was the first?” he asked.
Lan Yan started walking toward her room.
“I don’t know. Who even bothers to remember such things?”
She really didn’t have the time to keep track of these things.
The moment she opened the door, the man behind her suddenly shoved her forcefully against the wall in the entryway.
Before she could react, the heavy “bang” of the door slamming shut resonated behind her.
“You… mm…”
As soon as Lan Yan opened her mouth, the man silenced her words by pressing his thin lips against hers.
This time, he easily conquered this territory.
Their tongues tangled instantly, weaving a melody that belonged only to the two of them.
Lan Yan’s hands, originally resting against his shoulder blades, somehow ended up wrapping around his neck like vines.
Her response only emboldened him further.
The hand around her waist began wandering more freely.
She felt a burning hand slide under her clothes.
In the dimly lit space, the atmosphere turned increasingly intoxicating.
Their breath mingled, rapid and heated, enough to make one’s heart race and cheeks flush.
A small moan of pleasure escaped Lan Yan’s lips, catching even herself off guard.
This unconscious reaction only further provoked the man before her.
Lan Yan’s entire body felt weak and tingling, leaving her utterly powerless.
Meanwhile, a scorching breath brushed over her, almost numbing her nerves.
His blazing lips trailed down from the corner of her lips, igniting a scorching fire wherever they touched.
The strange sensation gripping her heart was almost overwhelming, yet she didn’t dislike it. Instead… there was even a hint of excitement.
It made her want to sink deeper, along with him.
Suddenly, thunder crackled from outside.
A flash of lightning pierced through the floor-to-ceiling window, illuminating the room.
The deafening sound jolted Lan Yan back to her senses.
“Wait!”
The man, whose head was buried against her neck, paused when he heard her voice.
The position of the two was still incredibly intimate.
And both their breathing was heavy—especially the man’s.
His labored breathing made Lan Yan’s face flush hot.
Xiao Si straightened up, his eyes blazing as he stared at her intensely.
“Sorry, I couldn’t hold back just now.”
His voice was low, with a hint of hoarseness and restraint.
Lan Yan blinked in surprise, not understanding why he was apologizing.
Just as she was about to speak, the man spoke again, “Don’t worry, I won’t touch you now.”
He released her slightly and helped straighten out her somewhat disheveled clothes.
Then, he pulled her into his arms once again.
Moments later, his hoarse voice resounded near her ear, “Since I can’t have you, let me just hold you for a bit… until I calm down.”
Lan Yan suddenly realized that he had been… activated!
“…”
But minutes later, she noticed his body temperature wasn’t dropping—instead, it kept rising.
“Are you sure you’re still calming down by hugging me?”
The man didn’t respond to her question.
Lan Yan suddenly found his state quite pitiful but also a bit funny.
She sighed and said helplessly, “Why don’t you…”
Before she could finish speaking, the man interrupted her, “You want to help me?”
Lan Yan immediately shook her head upon hearing this, “I was going to say, why don’t you go handle it yourself in the bathroom.”
Xiao Si: “…”
Then, she added, “If you feel embarrassed, I can leave first.”
One hour later.
Lan Yan finally saw the man emerge from the bathroom.
He had only a bath towel around his waist. His upper body revealed perfectly sculpted muscles. Though he looked lean, he had an incredibly enticing physique with undeniable allure.
Lan Yan had always known this about him.
Perhaps it was because of her profession, but she had seen many male bodies and didn’t feel particularly shy about it.
As he approached, she could feel the chill emanating from him.
“Did you shower with cold water?”
She had distinctly heard… that sound. Could it be that…
Then she heard him say pitifully, “If I didn’t, I couldn’t cool down.”
“…”
Lan Yan wanted to laugh but had to hold it in.
Seeing her trying to suppress her laughter, Xiao Si said, “Go ahead and laugh if you want to. Don’t hold back.”
Lan Yan glanced at him, smiled faintly, but wasn’t overly expressive.
The man pinched her cheek with his defined fingers, squinting slightly as he said, “I’ll be sure to get back at you for this… with interest.”
Lan Yan suddenly wanted to tease him. She raised her eyebrows and said, “Then Doctor Xiao, you better start training your body well. You might not be strong enough—remember, you can’t even beat me. How will you take revenge?”
As she spoke, she poked his abs with her finger.
Such words and actions were something the old Lan Yan would never have done.
But after spending so much time with Xiao Si, she found herself gradually changing.
Xiao Si: “…”
He didn’t argue because he knew she was right: he really couldn’t beat her.
He also knew she had been going easy on him all along. If it weren’t for his current **identity**, she could take him down in seconds.
The man smiled faintly and said warmly, “Then I’ll have to rely on you from now on. Others can’t bully me, but you, you can bully me all you want.”
He deliberately emphasized the words “bully me.”
——
Yue City.
In the blind spot of an alley camera opposite the detention center, two people stood.
“Mr. Xu, here’s what you requested.”
A woman handed him a vial of blood.
Xu Hai examined it briefly. “You’re sure there’s no mistake?”
The woman replied, “Don’t worry, there’s no mistake, and no one will find out.”
Then, Xu Hai pulled out a brick-sized object wrapped in kraft paper and threw it at her.
“Here’s the remaining thirty thousand.”
“Thank you, Mr. Xu.”
“Alright, now leave and remember to take today’s events to your grave.”
“Of course, I understand.”
Once the woman left, Xu Hai casually walked away.
He then got into a gray sedan parked by the roadside.
After getting in, Xu Hai dialed Dong Junhao’s phone number.
“Young Master, I’ve obtained the eldest miss’s blood.”
Upon hearing this, Dong Junhao said in a deep voice, “Hand it over to Qin Ba. He knows what to do.”
Xu Hai responded, “Understood.”
Just after Dong Junhao hung up, someone pushed open the door to the hospital room.
Hu Yunqin entered, carrying a thermal food container in her hand.
These past few days, she had been bringing him meals every day, worried he wasn’t used to the hospital food.
For Dong Junhao, it didn’t matter what he ate—he wasn’t picky.
“Haohao, how have you been feeling these past couple of days?”
While arranging the dishes, Hu Yunqin asked.
Dong Junhao replied flatly, “No different. Same as usual.”
Hu Yunqin asked, “Did your father come to see you yesterday?”
Without much emotion, he replied, “Yes, he did. Gave me a lecture and then left.”
Hu Yunqin sighed as she looked at him. Yesterday, Dong Jian had returned home, only to lose his temper.
“Don’t be upset with your father; he does this for your own good.”
“Mom, you’re overthinking it. I’m not mad at him. If he’s angry, that’s on him. What can I do about it?”
“You always talk so rudely to him. Can’t you just speak calmly to your father, without provoking him every time?”
“I don’t provoke him. I always speak calmly. If he doesn’t like what he hears, how is that my fault?”
“…”
Hu Yunqin didn’t know how to respond anymore.
Whenever father and son met, it was always like a clash of swords.
“Alright, alright, just eat your food.”
She gave up on lecturing him further. After so many arguments, nothing had changed anyway.
But thinking about the Dong Family, she couldn’t help but add, “Haohao, if you want to secure the inheritance rights to the Dong Family, you’ll have to endure all this.”
Dong Junhao, ever rebellious, replied, “I don’t want to endure.”
“You…”
Her anger boiled over. “Are you trying to drive me to my grave?”
“How could I? I’m just being honest. If you don’t like it, pretend I never said anything.”
He truly had no interest in the Dong Family business.
“Besides, I’ve already mentioned it before—I don’t care about the Dong Family’s assets. Whoever gets them is up to him.”
He reiterated his stance.
Hu Yunqin’s chest heaved in frustration at his words.
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You’re aiming to anger me to death!”
Dong Junhao glanced at her and changed the subject, “You’ve been pretty free lately, haven’t you? Weren’t you saying you had a movie shoot?”
If possible, he really wished Hu Yunqin would just stay busy with her own affairs and stop meddling in his.
Hu Yunqin did have a filming project coming up, but due to recent events, it had been delayed, and her agent had even declined the script.
“Your condition has worsened recently. How could I feel at ease going to a set?”
“I’ve told you before not to interfere with this matter. Besides, look at you now. Not only have you failed to handle things, but you’ve also managed to offend Lan Yan.”
“…”
In truth, Dong Junhao hadn’t intended for things to get so complicated.
But now, the situation was indeed a mess, and it was becoming increasingly tricky to handle.
“Mom, I hope you’ll stay out of the Lan Yan situation moving forward.”
“Haohao, what do you mean by that? What are you planning to do?”
Dong Junhao: “Just what it sounds like. If there’s nothing else, you should head back.”
Seeing his unwillingness to elaborate any further, Hu Yunqin opened her mouth slightly but said nothing in the end.
She knew that even if she asked, he wouldn’t tell her the truth.
“Fine. At least eat your meal before I go.”
One hour later, Hu Yunqin left his room.
Xu Hai returned shortly after.
“Young Master, you had me investigate Miss Lan’s early life. I’ve just picked up the findings from Qin Jiu.”
He handed the envelope to the man in front of him.
“I skimmed through it on the way back. I must say, it’s remarkable Miss Lan made it this far.”
Still, he thought a good portion of her survival was due to her resilience and refusal to give in.
At least, that was Xu Hai’s impression after reviewing the report.
Abandoned as a child, faced with bullying and isolation in kindergarten due to her exceptional talents. Even her education had been a rocky road, with Miss Lan essentially working her way through school to pay for tuition.
While the orphanage director was kind to her, with so many children to look after, there wasn’t much help to go around.
So most of the time, she had to depend on herself.
“Young Master, how careless must Madam have been to lose Miss Lan back then? If she hadn’t been lost, raised and nurtured well, Miss Lan could have rivaled any heiress from a wealthy family.”
“Miss Lan is beautiful, no doubt about that. She has a sharp mind too. Honestly, Young Master, I think some of her habits are quite similar to yours. Both of you are incredibly intelligent, with comparable temperaments. And there’s another thing: you both share an allergy to peanuts. On the contrary, you and the eldest miss don’t seem to have much in common.”
Xu Hai prattled on, nonstop.
Dong Junhao replied indifferently, “Who told you she was lost by accident?”
Xu Hai looked confused. “Huh? Wasn’t it accidental? What do you mean? Madam herself even said so online.”
A cryptic smile played on the man’s pale lips. “Who’s to say it wasn’t deliberate? Who really knows the truth? People only hear one side of the story.”
Xu Hai was momentarily stunned.
“Young Master, you can’t say such things lightly. Besides, Madam wouldn’t lie about this, would she?”
Dong Junhao cast a sideways glance his way. “Do you know my mother better than I do?”
Xu Hai choked back his words. “…”
“If Madam were to hear such remarks, she’d be heartbroken.”
Dong Junhao chuckled lightly. “Then keep that big mouth of yours shut.”
Xu Hai mimed zipping his lips, signaling that he would speak no more.
Of course, he wouldn’t dare leak such words. That would be a death wish—and goodbye to his job.
But he couldn’t help asking, “Young Master, if Madam was as you claimed, wouldn’t that mean Miss Lan might refuse to help us upon learning the truth?”
Dong Junhao gazed at a photo of Lan Yan. “Perhaps she already knows.”
Xu Hai gasped. “What? What do we do then?”
The man shot him a cold glare.
“What else? We wait. Besides, maybe you should prepare a coffin in advance—for me.”
“Wait… Young Master, are you serious?”
…
“Son, how are things between you and Yanyan lately?”
Mrs. Xiao, bored at home, called Xiao Si to ask about the two of them.
Upon hearing her question, Xiao Si let out a sarcastic laugh.
“Ms. Liang, I sometimes doubt whether you’re really my mom.”
“You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? Cut the sarcasm!”
Xiao Si: “Ms. Liang, next time you feel like playing matchmaker, please check the weather forecast and make sure no irrelevant third parties will interfere.”
Xiao Si said this while standing next to Lan Yan and Yu Mu.
Both of them overheard his remarks.