Chapter 133: The Beauty and the Sow

When Hong Chen descended halfway down the mountain, he made a phone call to Qiu. By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, a black Passat was already waiting there.

Hong Chen placed Mo Fei in the back seat of the Passat and exchanged a few words with Qiu, who had stepped out of the driver's seat. Qiu then left on his own, and Hong Chen took the driver's seat and drove away.

Half an hour later, back at the villa, Mo Fei mentioned she was hungry. Hong Chen made her a bowl of egg-fried rice. After she finished eating, he applied safflower oil to the bruises on her feet, legs, and arms.

After waiting on her like a grand dame, Hong Chen went upstairs to take a shower. He applied ointment to his own cuts and bruises, put on a bathrobe, and headed downstairs, only to find Mo Fei operating his spare laptop.

Mo Fei looked up. "I have something to tell you. I'm not leaving tonight. Tomorrow, you will be my personal assistant for the day."

Hong Chen paused, and Mo Fei continued, "As I said before, someone close to me betrayed me. I just emailed the company; most of the team will be replaced. It will take until at least the day after tomorrow morning for the new people to arrive. I have a set to go to tomorrow afternoon and a private appointment in the evening. You will accompany me. You don't need to do anything special; just be there like a piece of furniture."

Without giving Hong Chen a chance to refuse, Mo Fei returned her focus to the laptop and gave an order: "Bring me a bottle of red wine."

Hong Chen was left speechless and amused. Whose house was this, anyway? She really treated him like a servant.

Ultimately, Hong Chen fetched her a bottle of Lafite and a wine glass. Placing them on the coffee table, he said, "If you have any further requests, I will be charging by the price."

As he turned to head toward the study, a teasing laugh followed him: "Sure. I'm interested in keeping a 'little wolf dog'—you name your price."

Hong Chen stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet, and made a rather clumsy retreat into the study.

...

The next day at 10:00 AM, Jiang Yidong, the second son of the Jiang family—the top family in Qing City—held a press conference on behalf of the Jiang Group. He announced an investment of 200 million into the Baojiantang clinic, acquiring a twenty percent stake. He also declared that a joint charity auction gala would be held with Baojiantang next Monday, with the proceeds raised that night going toward building a public hospital in one of the impoverished counties under Qing City's jurisdiction.

At the same time, Qi Gang, the head of Baojiantang, accepted phone interviews from several media outlets, confirming the investment and stake acquisition by the Jiang Group. He also hinted at Baojiantang’s future development plans: within the next month, the number of branches would expand from five to over fifteen, with at least two branches in each of the eight counties and districts under Qing City.

Once the news broke, the odds for "Divine Doctor Hong" to win the Medical Saint Competition, which were already as low as 1.21, plummeted further to 1.13 due to the alliance between the Jiang family and Baojiantang. These odds were even lower than the betting odds for Brazil against China during the World Cup years ago.

That noon, Lu Ming, the second son of the Lu family, made calls to the provincial capital and Luo City, respectively. He then contacted Di Xiu to meet in a private room at a Chinese restaurant. Halfway through the meal, a phone call came to Di Xiu’s mobile. After answering, Di Xiu’s face turned extremely grim.

"It’s the head of the Zhongbaotang clinic in Nan City. They say that during the second round of the Medical Saint Competition, Doctor Wang’s public comments regarding Elder Luo’s condition were unacceptable. They want me to take Doctor Wang to Nan City immediately to answer to the Luo family. The head of the Luo family is getting involved personally."

...

Hearing this, Lu Ming’s expression darkened instantly. This was a counterattack from Baojiantang, and it also signaled the Luo family’s stance. With the Jiang family’s investment, Baojiantang now effectively had the support of two top-tier families.

The situation was even more dire than imagined!

After Di Xiu hurried away, Lu Ming returned to his company without delay. After a half-hour closed-door meeting with his eldest brother, Lu Kun, the latter personally called Wang Chenglong, the head of the Wang family. Wang Chenglong then called Liu Shengdong, the head of the Liu family. They finally agreed to a three-party meeting that night to discuss a plan of action.

This was the first time such a thing had happened since the fall of the He family four years ago, when the five top-tier families of Qing City were reduced to four!

...

Hua Yi Garden, designed in the style of Jiangnan gardens, was exquisite and pleasant, with pavilions, winding bridges, flowing water, fragrant flowers, and singing birds. It was not only a tourist attraction but also a filming location for many productions.

Shortly after 9:00 AM, Hong Chen drove Mo Fei to Hua Yi Garden. After more than two hours, they finally finished filming a set of shots. When it came time for lunch, other crew members and extras were eating bento boxes in the open air, while Mo Fei and Hong Chen went to a nearby farmhouse restaurant.

Because he had woken up early and only had three steamed buns for breakfast, Hong Chen was starving by 11:00 AM. He ordered six dishes and one soup and polished off most of them himself, while Mo Fei only took a bite or two of each dish before setting down her chopsticks.

Feeling ninety percent full, Hong Chen lit a post-meal cigarette. Seeing Mo Fei across from him frown slightly and wave her hand in front of her nose, he just gave an apologetic smile but did not put out the cigarette.

Mo Fei couldn't help but say, "Don't you know it's very ungentlemanly to smoke in front of a lady?"

Hong Chen casually tossed a cigarette to Mo Fei: "You have one too, then you won't think I'm ungentlemanly anymore."

Mo Fei rolled her eyes in silence. Hong Chen took the initiative to change the subject: "Filming is actually quite boring. You spend all morning on one set of shots, repeating it a dozen times. I’m getting sleepy just watching."

Mo Fei laughed, "A set of shots involves over twenty people; getting it done in a dozen takes is actually not bad. I think the others are in good spirits."

Hong Chen stretched, "That's because you, a big star and a super beauty, are here."

This was the truth. For the temporary extras, being able to film with Mo Fei was like a local basketball player getting a chance to train with Yao Ming; even if it were just monotonous stationary shooting, they would be incredibly excited. Furthermore, most men tend to perk up and try to make a good impression in front of a beautiful woman, especially one with such high status.

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Mo Fei's mouth. At her level of stardom, she was almost immune to praise, but hearing it from Hong Chen, especially the "super beauty" comment, still put her in a good mood.

However, Hong Chen’s next sentence turned her mood from sunny to overcast, and the smile vanished from her lips.

"But to me, there's no difference between you and a hundred-pound sow. You were pressing on my back for nearly an hour last night; my waist and back still ache."

Hong Chen was just teasing her out of familiarity, enjoying the way her face fell and the murderous look appeared in her eyes. He gave a dry laugh, stubbed out his cigarette, and added, "Well, there is a difference. No sow in the whole country is as slim as you, as pretty as you, or as famous as you."

Being compared to a sow was something no woman could easily accept, let alone a beauty like Mo Fei, and this was the second time.

Mo Fei nearly went ballistic. She raised her water glass high above her head, scaring Hong Chen so much that he leaped up like a nimble monkey, instantly putting five meters of distance between them.

That glass had just been refilled; getting splashed in the face was no joke.

In the end, Mo Fei suppressed her anger. Hong Chen was the only one who could get away with such jokes without punishment. If it were anyone else, being splashed in the face would be considered polite; having their legs broken wouldn't be out of the question. Mo Fei’s temper was no better than those spoiled girls with "princess syndrome"—in fact, it was even worse. She was, after all, a princess from a family of nobility and power.

"If you're bored, just walk around the garden this afternoon. Be back to report by four. You're my personal assistant; it looks bad if you're nowhere to be found when we wrap up." After resting for a while, Mo Fei checked the time, said this casually, put on her sunglasses and sun hat, and walked out of the private room.

"No problem. I'll hang out for half an hour, then go explore, and report back half an hour early." Hong Chen nodded with a smile. He didn't know anyone on set and didn't plan to. Standing there like a wooden stake for hours was truly boring.

Back at the set, everyone was in their places. Mo Fei was a big star, so it was only natural for her to be the last to appear; even the director wouldn't say anything.

Hong Chen stood on the periphery. After filming had been underway for nearly forty minutes, he quietly slipped away. Aside from being picturesque, there wasn't much to do in Hua Yi Garden. Hong Chen got bored after half an hour of walking, so he rented a rowboat and drifted on the artificial lake.

The lake wasn't very large but was interconnected. Hong Chen didn't have a specific destination; he just drifted along. After passing under two stone bridges and taking a turn, he saw a very elegant ancient pavilion on the shore. Many people were gathered there. A camera crew was rolling a device along a track, and a crane was swaying in mid-air—it was clearly another film set.

He glanced over casually. Just as he was about to look away, a line of women walked toward the pavilion with light steps. They were dressed in ancient-style gowns. After stopping in front of the pavilion, they bowed gracefully to a man in brocade robes sitting inside. Lowering their heads and eyes, they said in unison, "Greetings, Milord."

They then straightened up, and as the sunlight spilled onto their young faces, Hong Chen's gaze suddenly froze on the woman on the far left. A look of shock appeared on his face, and a moment later, his expression slowly grew cold!