Chapter 241: Chapter 241: Inviting the Wolf into the House
When Jin Ling called her assistant, he was sitting in a western restaurant, cutting into a medium-rare steak. The pink juices and tender meat made him show a fascinated expression. When he saw the caller ID, the assistant’s expression froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected the Jin family to contact him after what had happened before.
But before he could react, his conditioned reflexes built over the years made him immediately put down what he was doing and answer the call.
"Where are you now? Come to the hospital quickly, I need to talk to you."
As soon as the call connected, Jin Ling’s impatient voice came through the receiver, and the assistant’s previously stunned expression was replaced by disgust.
"May I ask what the young lady needs me for?" The assistant’s voice had a tinge of hidden impatience that he covered well.
"Grandfather had a stroke and is now unconscious in the hospital. You’d better get over here to help me steady the Jin family." Jin Ling’s tone carried an obvious command, but the assistant was entirely uninterested. His attention was captured by Jin Ling’s first sentence.
"What did you say? Chairman Jin had a stroke? How could this be?" The assistant’s eyes lit up momentarily, and his lack of emotional control in the first half of the sentence revealed some joy. Fortunately, his years of regular training allowed him to quickly adjust his state, inflecting his voice with a bit of sympathy as if he was concerned about Jin Zhengxiong’s health.
"The doctor said that after waking up, my grandfather will experience some action and speech impediments." Jin Ling’s mind was entirely preoccupied with matters concerning the Jin family and didn’t notice the assistant’s abnormal reaction. Her voice was somewhat low as she relayed the doctor’s words to the assistant.
In her heart, the assistant had been loyal to their grandfather for decades, always obliging her and her brother, as faithful as a dog in front of their grandfather. She never associated him with the current crisis the Jin family was facing and regarded him as a trustworthy existence; thus, she had no qualms about telling him what the doctor said.
The assistant struggled to keep his expression in check, as the grin on his face widened to nearly split his face in half. "Alright, I’ll head to the hospital immediately. Don’t worry, wait for me there." With that, the assistant hurriedly ended the call.
He feared that if he delayed hanging up for another second, he might burst into laughter. After hanging up abruptly, he covered his mouth with his hand, biting into the skin and flesh of his fingers, forcing himself to swallow back the glee that almost rose to his throat’s edge.
The assistant’s shoulders shook, quickly drawing the attention of the restaurant staff.
"Sir, is there something making you uncomfortable? Would you like me to call an ambulance for you?" a staff member bent down and whispered in the assistant’s ear.
The assistant raised his head, a hint of fresh blood on his lips, and a finger he had bitten wounded. His eyes were slightly red, with glistening tears, creating the appearance of someone who had encountered a great sorrow.
"No need, I’m fine." The assistant’s voice was very hoarse. Under the worried gaze of the staff, he settled the bill and hurriedly left the restaurant.
"Heaven has eyes after all. Heavenly Lord, you finally opened your eyes to see this world. I never thought even the heavens would help me, hehe." The assistant let out a few evil low laughs, and drove as quickly as possible towards the hospital.
Before the news of the Jin family’s assistant rising to power could spread, Xu Ke had already received a call from Xu Jie. Somehow, Xu Jie had obtained this information through unknown means. When she mentioned on the phone that Jin Ling called the assistant back to help her take control of the Jin family, Xu Ke raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, I understand. Keep an eye on things over there at the Jin family." Xu Ke’s voice showed little surprise, as if everything was under his control. Xu Jie on the other line grew increasingly satisfied with Xu Ke, calmly acknowledged, and hung up the phone.
Just after hanging up, Xu Ke saw Lin Mengyao looking at him with slightly curious big eyes. "What were you just talking about?" Lin Mengyao bit on her chopsticks with her sharp teeth, curiously asking.
"Xu Jie said that Jin Ling called the assistant back to help manage the company." Xu Ke said, looking at Lin Mengyao.
"Oh." Lin Mengyao nodded, unsurprised, but the next second, she lifted her head with some doubt and said, "Wait a minute, why would he help Jin Ling manage the company, did something happen to Jin Zhengxiong?"
"Yes, the doctor said he had a stroke." Xu Ke nodded, and offered Lin Mengyao a dumpling filled with three-flavor stuffing.
"No wonder. But that assistant is really loyal. The Jin family’s company is caught in such a huge scandal now, others are running away, yet he still goes to assist the young mistress." Lin Mengyao remarked with some admiration.
"That’s not a good thing. The Jin family ended up being shouted at by everyone, and that assistant certainly contributed to it significantly." Watching Lin Mengyao shake her head in admiration, Xu Ke laughed and said.
"Hmm?"
As he looked at Lin Mengyao’s big, puzzled eyes, Xu Ke’s hand itched suddenly, wanting to reach out and rub her fuzzy head or pinch her cheeks. Though Lin Mengyao’s appearance wasn’t lacking in the cute and adorable spectrum, Xu Ke simply felt that at this moment, Lin Mengyao was truly the cutest creature in this world.
"That assistant had a deep-seated grudge against Jin Zhengxiong for killing his parents. For years, he has been secretly gathering evidence of the Jin family’s illegal activities to bring them down, but the Jin family’s power was too strong for him to succeed. Now, he finally sees an opportunity, and he’s determined to see it through. By calling him back, Jin Ling and Jin Long are not only failing to stabilize the company but hastening its demise. This is letting the wolf into the house. If Jin Zhengxiong knew what this pair of treasure children did, he would probably die of anger." Xu Ke calmly said.
Lin Mengyao, caught off-guard by the sudden gossip, was a bit choked and couldn’t help but hiccup.
Her silly and dazed look made Xu Ke laugh uncontrollably.
"Then... the Jin family," Lin Mengyao murmured with her mouth slightly open.
"The Jin family doesn’t need anyone to act against it; it’s already done for." Xu Ke, unable to restrain the itch inside his heart, reached out to touch Lin Mengyao’s cheek and smiled as he said.
"Fate is really playing a trick." Lin Mengyao took a bite of her favorite dumpling and sighed.
The Jin family’s brother and sister, being deceived by the assistant, were extraordinarily exhilarated, almost treating the assistant as their most trusted person. The assistant bowed his head and accepted the trust of both, his eyes shimmering with almost tangible malice and derision.
"Jin Ling, Jin Long, the patient, Mr. Jin Zhengxiong, in the next ward has woken up." The nurse knocked on the door and came in to inform the siblings that Jin Zhengxiong had regained consciousness.