From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor-Chapter 399 - 373: Adjusting the Arrangement

Wang Jiancheng placed the stick of Goryeo ginseng on his father’s desk: "Dad, Qiao Rulong came by. This is a gift from Grandpa Qiao entrusted to him for you."

Wang Zhengdao glanced at it and said in a low voice, "I’m not feeling well today. Please let Rulong know."

Wang Jiancheng nodded. His father rarely meets guests these days, even when it comes to Qiao Rulong. Perhaps only Elder Qiao could get him to make an exception, but Elder Qiao wouldn’t come in person to visit a junior.

Wang Zhengdao was still pondering over the message relayed by his son on behalf of Qiao Rulong. Since Elder Qiao had entrusted his grandson to come and see him, it meant Qiao Rulong was here representing Elder Qiao. The New Year had just passed, and it was still some time until the Spring Festival. It didn’t seem like the best time for gift-giving. Why did Qiao Rulong come this time?

Could it be about the two families’ political marriage?

"Go and accompany Rulong."

Before Wang Jiancheng left, he couldn’t help but say, "Dad, about that traditional medicine doctor I mentioned, have you thought about it?"

Wang Zhengdao waved his hand, clearly uninterested. He had consulted almost every top traditional medicine master in the country, and yet there was still no improvement.

Qiao Rulong sat on the sofa. It wasn’t his first visit to the Wang Family house, but he more often visited Elder Wang’s home. This was where Wang Zhengdao lived. Since falling ill, Wang Zhengdao had kept a low profile, severing most ties with society. People knew he had a strange illness and tried not to disturb him.

Wang Zhengdao’s wife, Feng Yiping, worked in foreign affairs. After Wang Zhengdao fell ill, the couple encountered some friction. Although they hadn’t divorced, they were effectively separated. Feng Yiping was a career-oriented woman and couldn’t sacrifice her career to stay home and care for Wang Zhengdao. Perhaps this was the root of their discord.

Wang Jiancheng returned to Qiao Rulong and smiled at him: "Sorry, but my dad isn’t feeling well today, so he won’t be coming out."

Qiao Rulong understood. He had thought about it, too. His grandpa sent him to deliver the ginseng to Wang Zhengdao, but could just this stick of ginseng really test the attitude of the Wang Family?

Indeed, Wang Zhengdao’s strange illness could be a reason for his absence, which didn’t necessarily imply any disrespect towards the Qiao Family.

Since his grandpa hadn’t explained, Qiao Rulong was also trying to fathom his grandpa’s intentions, wanting to know the stance of the Qiao Family. Why not let him go directly to see Elder Wang? The two elders were good friends. In Qiao Rulong’s impression, before Wang Zhengdao fell ill, he visited his grandpa for New Year greetings every year.

He didn’t think there was any issue between the two families; in fact, the Wang Family was more enthusiastic about the political marriage.

Qiao Rulong said, "Was yesterday’s concert exciting?"

Wang Jiancheng hesitated for a moment but quickly responded. Qiao Rulong probably didn’t know about the concert incident, as Mei Ru Xue wouldn’t tell him the details. Ye Qingya, as his wife, hadn’t mentioned it either, indicating the marriage wasn’t particularly intimate, as was common in political marriages.

Wang Jiancheng said, "Exciting!" whether it was the concert itself or the events that transpired. What Mei Ru Xue did made him lose face somewhat, but he was still satisfied with his overall performance. This incident allowed him to reevaluate Xu Chunliang, and he wouldn’t voluntarily bring up the specifics with others.

Qiao Rulong took a sip of tea and said, "Xiaoxue can be quite stubborn. You should be patient with her."

Wang Jiancheng asked, "Brother Long, have you met Xu Chunliang?"

Qiao Rulong thought to himself that it was just a few days ago when he showed Xu Chunliang’s photo to Wang Jiancheng, so why ask this question now? Had they met already? Qiao Rulong shook his head: "Never had the chance." Meeting opportunities between different social strata are naturally scarce.

Wang Jiancheng said, "That kid is quite something."

Qiao Rulong offered a faint smile. Someone his sister admired certainly had his strengths, but so what? No matter how capable he was, it would be challenging to break through social barriers. Some things are sealed by birth, true across time and nations. He had no interest in Xu Chunliang. He was more intrigued by Wang Jiancheng’s attitude towards Xu Chunliang, which seemed even more pronounced than his interest in Mei Ru Xue. At least, he rarely heard Wang mention his sister in front of him.

Qiao Rulong said, "The tea has gotten a bit cold."

Wang Jiancheng apologized and quickly replaced it with new tea, wondering whether this comment from Qiao Rulong had a double meaning.

Qiao Rulong checked his watch: "I won’t disturb you any further. Please let Uncle Wang know that I have to leave for some other matters."

Wang Jiancheng said, "What’s the hurry? I still have things I’d like to learn from you."

Qiao Rulong said, "Grandpa instructed me to be quick. I don’t dare disobey." He stood up and patted Wang Jiancheng’s shoulder: "Let’s play tennis together sometime."

"Sure!"

Wang Jiancheng saw Qiao Rulong off at the door and watched his car leave before returning to find the freshly brewed tea for Qiao Rulong untouched.

Wang Jiancheng returned to his father’s study, finding his father still examining the ginseng.

"Dad!"

Wang Zhengdao frowned slightly: "The guest has left?"

Wang Jiancheng nodded: "He said Grandpa Qiao wanted him to hurry back for other matters."

Wang Zhengdao calculated the time: "What were his exact words?"

Wang Jiancheng recalled and said, "He said Grandpa Qiao told him to be quick, and he didn’t dare not comply!"

The Goryeo ginseng in Wang Zhengdao’s hand suddenly felt heavier. Elder Qiao calling Qiao Rulong over was definitely not just for a visit. The quick go and return proved that not seeing Qiao Rulong was long within Elder Qiao’s expectations. The implication of not daring to refuse was that whatever Elder Qiao wanted Qiao Rulong to do, he would do it.

At Elder Qiao’s level, he wouldn’t do anything meaningless.

Wang Jiancheng felt that his father seemed a bit strange at the moment: "Dad, is something wrong?"

"What else did he say?"

"Nothing much."

Wang Zhengdao felt increasingly uneasy, waving his hand, "You step out first."

Wang Jiancheng didn’t leave immediately: "Dad, there’s something I want to discuss with you."

With his father’s permission, Wang Jiancheng said, "About Mei Ru Xue and I, she actually already has someone in her heart."

Wang Zhengdao calmly looked at his son. How could he not know about Mei Ru Xue? With a strategic mind, he understood everything without even stepping outside.

Wang Jiancheng said, "I feel that even if the marriage alliance succeeds, it won’t bring much benefit to our Wang family."

"Do you think I arranged this to sacrifice our Wang family’s interests and your personal happiness?"

"Dad, that’s not what I mean. I just want to know why Grandpa insists on fulfilling the promise from back then?"

"Sometimes, marriage alliances aren’t about the benefits the other party can bring you, but about preventing them from becoming your enemy!"

Wang Jiancheng didn’t understand his father’s words. Even if the two families didn’t form an alliance, Grandpa and Elder Qiao were still the best of friends, business partners for decades, and couldn’t possibly turn against each other just because the alliance failed, right? Qiao Rulong recounted the situation of this trip to Grandpa, and Elder Qiao nodded as he listened.

Qiao Rulong said, "I came and went in a hurry this time. Would Uncle Wang have any thoughts?"

Elder Qiao smiled, "He always has a lot of thoughts, but unfortunately, his body doesn’t allow it." The two most capable younger members of the Qiao family and the Wang family had their paths thwarted, Qiao Yuanshan by emotions and Wang Zhengdao by health. It’s truly the whims of fate.

However, the Wang family was flourishing, and Elder Wang’s other sons held important positions. Over the past decade, the rise and fall had seen the Wang family’s overall strength seemingly surpassing that of the Qiao family.

Qiao Rulong said, "You want me to test Uncle Wang’s attitude."

Elder Qiao said, "I’ve always known the Wang family’s attitude."

Qiao Rulong said, "They were the ones who suggested the marriage alliance."

Elder Qiao said, "Now that I think about it, I should respect Xiaoxue’s opinion."

Qiao Rulong’s heart trembled. What did Grandpa mean? He was having second thoughts? No longer considering the marriage alliance? Was it merely because of Wang Zhengdao’s indifference? Impossible. Grandpa must have considered that this alliance wouldn’t bring the desired benefits to their family, so there was no need to sacrifice his sister’s happiness.

Qiao Rulong said, "Didn’t you already promise Grandpa Wang?"

Elder Qiao said calmly, "It’s not the old society anymore, where love is valued, and if Xiaoxue doesn’t like him, why make things difficult for our child?"

Qiao Rulong said, "If she knew you agreed to her and Xu Chunliang, she would be overjoyed."

"I only said I’m no longer insisting on the alliance with the Wang family. Don’t misinterpret my words."

Qiao Rulong looked at his grandfather in shock, realizing that his grandfather had adjusted his plans.

##

Xu Chunliang sent the materials Mo Han had investigated to Gao Xiaobai but didn’t receive a reply.

Xu Chunliang felt like a villain for nothing. Most likely, Gao Xiaobai felt it was a bit underhanded to investigate people behind their back. However, Xu Chunliang had done his utmost, and his concern for Gao Xiaobai was also because of Gao Xinhua.

That afternoon, he skipped a class, intending to have Chen Qianfan sign in for him, but Chen Qianfan opted to skip class too, though he arranged for a secretary to come. In reality, whether signed in or not, one could still graduate, but everyone still wanted to show a bit of respect for the classroom.

The two left together, came outside, and Chen Qianfan took a long breath, "I dread attending classes. I’ll tell you honestly, I had nightmares about it last night."

Xu Chunliang couldn’t help but laugh, "That bad?"

Chen Qianfan nodded earnestly, "Dreamt I was back taking a junior high exam, not knowing a single question, and it worried me to death." Almost everyone with schooling experience has had such a dream.

Xu Chunliang pointed to the sidewalk, indicating for him to go up. There were many students cycling back and forth on the road. Compared to these young scholars in the Ivory Tower, their lives lacked an evolutionary process, so they could only use money to rapidly accelerate, achieving a curve overtaking. In terms of wealth, many had long surpassed them.