DASFAM_94

"Xiao Guo, go print out the attendance list for Monday's shareholder meeting next week. I..."

Shang Queyan stood up from his chair, and suddenly a wave of dizziness hit him. His steps faltered backward.

Shang Yanxiao, who was beside him, was quick to steady him, "Queyan, are you alright?"

Shang Queyan waved his hand, "I'm fine, just sat too long and got up too fast. My head's a bit dizzy."

After Shang Yanxiao confirmed he was standing steady, he let go, his brow furrowed with concern, "I see you've been working around the clock these past few days. If you're too tired, rest first. I can handle things on the group's side."

Shang Queyan gestured to his assistant to go print the list. After he left, he turned to Shang Yanxiao and said, "Brother, I'm not who I was a year ago. There's no reason to let you take the front every time something comes up."

He reached over and patted his older brother's shoulder, "Don't worry, I can do this."

Besides, ever since Old Master Shang passed away, Shang Yanxiao had plenty to deal with, and Bai Xu was equally swamped with the Zhongdi project.

Shang Yanxiao saw all the changes in Shang Queyan over the past year, and let out a light laugh, "Alright."

Shang Queyan asked, "For Monday's shareholder meeting, Brother, do you have any thoughts?"

Shang Yanxiao raised an eyebrow slightly, "You mean about the position of chairman?"

Shang Queyan said nothing, acknowledging the question.

Shang Yanxiao didn't hide his true thoughts from his younger brother, "I've thought about it before, but not anymore."

"Why?"

"There are many reasons."

Shang Yanxiao was straightforward with his younger brother, "Before, the first branch was always competing with us, and my competitive nature got the better of me. Naturally, I wanted to fight for the best."

The two brothers were exactly alike in this regard. When Shang Queyan entered the racing team back then, he was also thinking about winning the championship.

"First our parents died, then grandfather's unexpected death. I suddenly lost all interest and desire for this position."

After all, the path to this position had been stained with the blood of three loved ones, and had even cost his own younger brother's physical wholeness.

"......"

Shang Queyan understood Shang Yanxiao's thoughts, and his expression dimmed somewhat.

Shang Yanxiao realized he had made the conversation too heavy, and turned to pat Shang Queyan's shoulder, "Queyan, I actually wanted to find a chance to talk to you about this."

"Last year our family went through serious trouble. In order to thoroughly investigate the truth behind the car accident, I had to pretend to hide away, so I could only let you enter the group to withstand the pressure and stand firm in my place. Times are different now—"

Now that the first branch has collapsed and the second branch has lost its competitive drive, the position of chairman falling to the third branch seems to have no more suspense.

"If you feel the group is a cage binding you, and the chairman's position brings you pressure, then your older brother supports you putting all of this down."

"Just like when our parents were still alive, you don't have to worry about family or the company. Go back and do what you like."

"Bai Xu and I have looked into it. Abroad there are examples of disabled racing drivers returning to compete in racing competitions. With your ability and determination, as long as you want to, you'll do just as well."

Shang Queyan's eyes grew moist, "Brother."

Shang Yanxiao caught a glimpse of his former self in his expression and smiled, "You just need to think it through yourself."

Shang Queyan suppressed the wavering in his heart, "Brother, if there's a chance and time in the future, I'll find a way to go back to racing and satisfy that itch. But my goals have changed now."

"Hm?"

"I only discovered after entering the group that I like the feeling of strategizing through one business project after another, that I like the thrill of signing my name under each formal business contract."

That exhilaration was the same as the feeling he once had galloping on the racetrack.

"So you don't need to carry too much pressure either."

"If you trust me, the group can be completely handed over to me. You and Bai Xu can go do whatever you two like. Whenever you get tired of it, the two of us brothers can switch roles."

Shang Yanxiao looked into Shang Queyan's eyes, and only after confirming he wasn't just putting on a brave face did he smile back at him.

"Alright, whatever works."

What did it matter who managed the group? The two brothers would never scheme against each other, just like their parents had taught them—

No matter what happens, they would only support each other as they went forward.

The office door opened again, and Guo Wangquan returned with the printed list.

Shang Yanxiao noticed it was almost time to leave, "All these documents have been confirmed. You can take them directly to the meeting next Monday. I'm going to pick up Bai Xu from work, so I'll head out first."

Shang Queyan didn't stop him, "Alright, I'll take the list to the hospital to find grandmother later."

Shang Yanxiao nodded, emphasizing, "Yes, still need to be careful about safety. Contact me anytime if anything comes up."

"I know."

...

The office door closed again.

Shang Queyan sat back down in his office chair and rubbed his throbbing temples, "Xiao Guo, go get me a painkiller. My head is killing me."

Guo Wangquan immediately complied, searching through the first aid kit for the painkillers they kept on hand, "Fourth Young Master, you didn't fully recover from that fever last time you got caught in the rain. You've been working around the clock all week and draining yourself. Your body is overloaded."

Shang Queyan swallowed the pill with warm water, "I know. I'll rest well at home the next couple of days and build my strength back up."

After all, Monday's shareholder meeting was the main event. There couldn't be any mistakes.

In what felt like a moment, it was time to leave work. The painkiller was working slowly.

Shang Queyan endured his headache and drowsiness, walking straight into the elevator, "Did you contact the driver? Go to the hospital first."

Guo Wangquan followed behind him, "Yes, they're already waiting at the elevator entrance on the negative first floor."

The numbers on the display gradually descended, finally stopping at the basement level. The elevator doors opened, and a black business car was parked right at the elevator lobby entrance.

Guo Wangquan, as usual, opened the back door for his boss, then reached for the front door.

Because they were in the basement, the light inside the car was somewhat dim, but Shang Queyan immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly stepped back, "Xiao Guo, don't get in!"

Guo Wangquan caught sight of the completely unfamiliar face in the driver's seat at the same time, "Fourth Young Master!"

Unfortunately, it was a step too late.

The 'driver' pulled out an electric baton that had been prepared beforehand and struck Guo Wangquan unconscious.

And from the spacious back seat, two figures suddenly emerged. One grabbed Shang Queyan's wrist to keep him from leaving, while the other seized the opportunity and deliberately kicked at the connection point of his prosthetic leg.

The sudden dull pain made Shang Queyan's face turn pale in an instant. No matter how quick his reflexes were or how fast he retreated, he couldn't match the three people who had already orchestrated this.

After knocking Guo Wangquan out with the electric baton, the 'driver' in the front seat turned and struck Shang Queyan, who was still struggling in pain, with the baton.

Shang Queyan only felt his head suddenly 'explode,' and in a moment he plunged into endless darkness.

...

Night fell.

Bai Xu looked at the warm light spilling through the villa windows, feeling relieved, "I've been confirming materials all day and my head is spinning from it."

Shang Yanxiao unbuckled his seatbelt for him and took the opportunity to caress the side of his neck, "Young Master Bai, you've worked hard."

Bai Xu turned his head to avoid it, "That tickles. Let's go home and eat."

"Alright."

The two of them got out of the car and walked back. Bai Xu casually asked, "Did Queyan go keep grandmother company again?"

Shang Yanxiao nodded, "Yes, probably stayed to have dinner with the old lady before coming back."

Bai Xu sighed without a trace, "Yanxiao, I've actually been feeling unsettled lately, especially after the day before yesterday."

Even though he knew the police had restricted Shang Qishun's movements and had already begun narrowing their suspicion to him, he always felt an inexplicable unease.

It was like a book that hadn't been turned to the last page, never knowing what its ending would be.

Shang Yanxiao caught on to Bai Xu's true thoughts and proactively took his lover's hand, "A' Xu..."

He had barely started speaking when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

Shang Yanxiao picked up his phone and looked at it, answering with some surprise, "Hello, Assistant Guo?"

"Third Young Master! Something's... something's happened!"

Guo Wangquan on the other end of the line was breathing heavily, his weak voice tinged with an urgency that made one's heart race.

Shang Yanxiao unconsciously tightened his grip on the hand he was holding. Bai Xu, sensing the problem keenly, his gaze sharpened.

"What happened?"

"What's going on? Where's Queyan?"

The two of them spoke almost simultaneously.

Guo Wangquan immediately got to the point, "The driver was swapped out! The car was full of people I didn't recognize. We noticed something was wrong before Fourth Young Master and I even got in, but we were still too late!"

"I got knocked out by an electric baton first. When I woke up just now, I found myself abandoned on a rural roadside."

"Fourth, Fourth Young Master's location is unknown now! His phone is off! I could only contact you first!"

Shang Yanxiao pulled Bai Xu toward the house while asking pointedly, "How much time has passed from when you lost consciousness to when you woke up?"

Guo Wangquan answered, "Almost fifty minutes, Third Young Master. Should I call the police right away?"

Shang Yanxiao's brows furrowed tightly, and he immediately had a rough idea, "Wait, find a nearby police station and stay in the area. Don't alert the police for now. Keep your phone on. I'll have Xie Qi coordinate with you at any time."

"Alright."

The call was hung up.

Bai Xu had heard most of it, "Queyan was taken away? Did Shang Qishun do it?"

Shang Yanxiao's expression turned completely cold, "At this point in time, who else could it be? Shang Qishun is already at the end of his rope, but given his character, he won't give up until he reaches the Yellow River."

The other party was someone who had been driven to a dead end, likely harboring a mind to drag everyone down with him. The more desperate the situation, the more they couldn't act recklessly.

Bai Xu's expression was equally grim, "I thought he would go after grandmother. I didn't expect him to target Queyan instead."

Shang Yanxiao understood this rival he had been competing with openly and in secret for nearly twenty years, "Grandmother has Chen Yufei and the others watching over her, and she's in the hospital. It's not easy for ordinary people to get close."

Rather, Shang Queyan, because of his physical condition, even with a prosthetic leg, his movements weren't as agile as a normal person's.

"And Shang Qishun probably hates the two of us brothers intensely. Acting against us would satisfy his hatred more."

"......"

Bai Xu remained silent, not responding. His heart was pulled tight like it was being squeezed in a large fist.

Before he could catch his breath, Shang Yanxiao's phone vibrated again.

But this time, the caller ID showed a virtual short number. The two of them simultaneously grew wary, their eyes sharpening.

Shang Yanxiao held his breath and answered, immediately pressing, "Hello, what do you want?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line, followed by a cold laugh, "Shang Yanxiao, you're quick to respond."

"Shang Qishun!" Shang Yanxiao ground out this name through gritted teeth, one he wished he could reduce to ash, while forcing himself to suppress his rage, "Where's my brother? What do you want?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep him alive until you come with the money."

As soon as he finished speaking, sounds of punching and kicking erupted from the other end, along with Shang Queyan's muffled cries of pain that he could no longer suppress.

"I'll send five bank accounts to your phone. Starting from midnight, you deposit twenty million into each account every hour."

"Once I've collected all five payments, I'll send you an address. At five in the morning, you come to that address alone with one million in US dollars and find me."

"......"

"Shang Yanxiao, I know you have the ability to get this much money. Don't haggle with me, and don't try any tricks! If I find out midway that you've called the police, I don't mind trading one life for one when the police arrive."

The voice on the other end was sinister and terrifying.

"You know, if I can't live, I'll definitely take you two brothers with me to the grave!"

Shang Qishun hung up immediately after finishing.

The dial tone crashed heavily onto Shang Yanxiao and Bai Xu's hearts, stirring up panic that was difficult to suppress.

"......"

Even though they had been trying their best to prevent this, the gears of fate still turned methodically.

Like Schrödinger's cat, always interfering with the outcome by pure chance, they had ultimately arrived at this step similar to the original story.

Shang Yanxiao met Bai Xu's gaze, which was wavering with words left unsaid, and spoke with difficulty, "A' Xu..."

"That's enough! Don't say anything!"

Bai Xu seemed to have guessed what his lover was about to say, and for the first time in his life lost his supposed calm rationality, "Call the police. We call the police right now."

His eyes were red, and he cut in seeming coldly and ruthlessly, "Shang Yanxiao, I'm not allowing you to go!"

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