The entrance of the Song family's private hospital was already shut, and the building was surrounded layer upon layer.
The security team, fiercely loyal to Song Shixiong, stood guard in the hallways, stairwells, and elevators, their sunglasses on, their faces impassive. They had rushed over, all on the hurried command of the old Chairman Song. Many of them were iron-blooded brothers who had weathered storms with Song Shixiong during his rise. Their loyalty and strength made them the core elite of the Song family.
Outside the ward, the four wives, along with their relatives, Lawyer Huang, Zhao Qingnang, and others, were all pale and trembling. Only now did they recall the true nature of Song Shixiong. In his youth, he had arrived in Chaoge with two hundred yuan, building the Songjing conglomerate from scratch, a ruthless overlord who navigated both the underworld and the legitimate world. When Song Shixiong was ill, he appeared to be a dying old man. But when he stood here, full of vigor, he was a demon king who killed without blinking.
"Lawyer Huang!" Song Shixiong's voice was the first to call out the name of the lawyer hiding behind, afraid to look up. Hearing his name, Lawyer Huang felt his legs go weak. The second wife and the others glared at the lawyer, their eyes filled with panic. Lawyer Huang finally stepped forward, his face full of humility. "Chairman, your recovery is our fortune, the fortune of Chaoge's business world, and the luck of the company."
Song Shixiong stared at him, saying nothing. Lawyer Huang's mouth felt bitter, his mind a blank. After a long pause, Song Shixiong said softly, "Your ear, choose one, left or right?"
Lawyer Huang was stunned. "Chairman, Chairman, no, please don't."
Song Shixiong maintained his composed expression. "When I was close to death, because I trusted you, I entrusted my will to you. It seems the words went in one ear and out the other. You forgot all my instructions as soon as they were out. In that case, you have no need for ears." He then flicked his finger. "Since he won't choose, you help him choose."
Two black-clad men with scarred faces stepped forward. One grabbed Lawyer Huang's arms, pinning him forward with a knee, while the other took out an old-fashioned razor, wiped it on his sleeve, and with a swift motion, a scream echoed through the corridor. The hospital staff, having received prior instructions, rushed forward with medicine and injections.
"Lawyer Huang has been with me for a long time. Someone pressured him to betray me, so I'm only taking one of his ears," Song Shixiong said, his hands clasped behind his back. "As for the person behind this, I know who it is. Considering we were husband and wife, and the children are grown, I'll let it slide this time." He then took a cup of tea from Secretary Zhang and drank it. He turned to Zhao Qingnang. "Old Zhao, you're different. The medicine you secretly gave me was meant to kill me."
Zhao Qingnang's face was ashen, but he stood ramrod straight. "Chairman, you must be mistaken. I..."
*Bang!* The scarred man behind him delivered a flying kick, knocking him to the ground. Song Shixiong's face contorted with rage. "I said you wanted to kill me, don't you understand what that means? Everyone who has ever wanted to kill me is now in hell. You'll be next." He pointed upwards. "Use my helicopter to take Zhao Qingnang up into the sky, then send him down to the underworld!"
Zhao Qingnang didn't even get a chance to speak. His mouth was gagged, and he was dragged to the rooftop helipad. Soon after, the helicopter took off, heading straight for Lingmeng Mountain.
Back in the hospital, Secretary Zhang spoke into the intercom. Moments later, a report came from the helicopter. "Mr. Song, two thousand meters above ground. Shall we throw him down now?"
Song Shixiong's eyelids drooped. "Higher!"
After a few more minutes, Zhao Qingnang's screams were heard, faintly amidst the roar of the propellers. Everyone heard: "It was Song Wenlong… Song Wenlong told me to… Ah!" The screams quickly faded.
The eldest son, Song Wenlong, fell to his knees with a thud. "Dad, it wasn't me, I would never be such a beast!" His voice trembled. Song Shixiong stared at his son, his mind flashing back to decades ago. This was his firstborn, held in his arms, carried on his back, cherished like a treasure. *Sigh...* Song Shixiong sighed and said sternly to Secretary Zhang, "Announce to the public that I have severed all father-son ties with Song Wenlong, and all his assets are confiscated. The Song family will not be responsible for any of his debts."
Song Wenlong cried out and fainted. Without the Song family's support and with all his assets seized, he could never repay his debts. The consequences of not being able to repay? Worse than death.
The first wife shrieked and lunged forward. "Song Shixiong, you bastard, I'll fight you!" Song Shixiong swiftly raised his hand and grabbed his wife as if she were a chicken. He gritted his teeth. "If it weren't for your good daughter, Afen, and how filial and sensible Afen is, never greedy for my assets, I would have dealt with you both long ago!"
Song Qingya began to cry. "Dad, Afen sister is still teaching in the mountains and hasn't returned. Auntie only has this one son."
Song Shixiong turned and roared, "If you speak another word of nonsense, I'll punish you too! Song Wenlong asked someone to poison me, to harm his own father. Such a beast, abhorrent to gods and men. Not killing him is already giving him a chance!" Song Shixiong's roar made everyone lower their heads. Song Qingya wiped away her tears, but as she lowered her head, a cold sneer flashed across her face. All of this, these tears, were merely her performance. She just wanted Song Shixiong to say more harsh words, leaving the idiot Song Wenlong with no chance of ever recovering.
Song Shixiong continued to roar, "I am still in charge of the Song family. I am not dead, so stop vying. Anyone who fights over this little bit of money again will force me to disown them." He then sneered, "All of you, leave. I don't need you here to put on a show."
Secretary Zhang served him, "Chairman, which apartment will you be going to later?" The four wives each had dedicated villas, much like an emperor choosing concubines. Song Shixiong said without hesitation, "To the fourth wife's." The fourth wife remained silent, but a smile already played on her lips, and Song Qingya was ecstatic.
At this moment, Song Shixiong spoke again. "Secretary Zhang, immediately prepare a generous gift. Remember, a generous gift, for Mr. Qin. You must handle this personally. I will personally pay my respects to Mr. Qin when I return." Secretary Zhang whispered, "I don't think Mr. Qin is an ordinary person. I'm afraid he wouldn't care about any gift." Song Shixiong nodded. As someone healed from a state of near death by Qin Yexuan's puppet technique, he regarded Qin Yexuan as his master in the depths of his consciousness. Thus, he would not hesitate to offer everything. "How about this, give Mr. Qin the string of prayer beads that has been passed down in our Song family. It's a Buddhist treasure from my great-great-grandfather. Only such a rare treasure would be somewhat fitting."
Everyone present was stunned. Their eyes widened in disbelief. That string of prayer beads was something even the most favored fourth wife had never had the chance to touch. Even Song Shixiong himself only took it out for careful maintenance during ancestral worship. Now, it was to be given away? Was that young Mr. Qin that noble?