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Suning pushed open the glass door of the restaurant, and the damp night wind, carrying the noise of the city, rushed in.

Wang Xue followed behind him; she was looking down at her phone, the blue light from the screen reflecting on her slightly furrowed brows.

“Su Ning, Professor Ding has become increasingly difficult to please lately. It feels like he’s completely changed since his divorce from his wife, Hu Manli.” Wang Xue looked up and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Hmph! Ding Zhiyuan is a selfish and self-serving man. He only cares about himself. In the end, he is just a man from a poor background who has achieved success."

"Su Ning, I didn't expect you to see things so clearly."

Suning nodded noncommittally, his gaze sweeping over the dim lighting and sparse customers in the restaurant.

This is the Cantonese restaurant where the four of them had their meal together today. The prices are reasonable and the environment is quiet.

He chose a seat by the window, where he could see the doorway.

Ten minutes later, Xue Xiaozhou hurriedly pushed open the door and entered, followed by the tall woman Wu Ya.

Su Ning noticed that Wu Ya had put on exquisite makeup today and was wearing a light blue dress that he had never seen before, which was completely different from her usual white coat image in the hospital.

"Sorry we're late." Xue Xiaozhou pulled out a chair, her forehead still covered in fine beads of sweat. "Wu Ya just got off work; we came directly from the hospital."

Su Ning smiled slightly and said nonchalantly, "It's okay! We just arrived too. This is my girlfriend, Wang Xue, a graduate student in the Philosophy Department of East China University."

"Hello Wang Xue! I'm Xue Xiaozhou, and this is my girlfriend, Wu Ya."

After everyone got to know each other, Wang Xue enthusiastically called the waiter to take their order, while Su Ning noticed Wu Ya glancing at her phone from time to time.

When Xue Xiaozhou tried to hold her hand, she cleverly used the action of picking up a water glass to pull her hand back.

"Xue Xiaozhou, what are your plans for the future?" Su Ning asked casually, trying to break the slightly awkward atmosphere.

"I don't know yet! I've been feeling quite lost lately."

Have you ever thought about continuing your studies?

"No! I gave up a long time ago. Now I'm just thinking about making more money."

"Then you should put down your airs. Since customers are resistant to us, we should try to become their friends. Only trust can get us to close a deal."

"Suning, is this your secret weapon?"

"That's right! But there are shortcuts to selling insurance. Girls can give up some precious things, and boys can give up their dignity, but those will not go far in the end."

“Suning, you’re absolutely right! I just want to provide professional insurance services to my clients.”

"Then how do you gain other people's trust? Why should others believe you?"

"This……"

"That's why insurance salespeople often try to persuade their friends and family."

"..."

Su Ning keenly noticed the unease that flashed in Xue Xiaozhou's eyes, as well as Wu Ya's evasive gaze towards Xue Xiaozhou.

The undercurrents beneath the dining table were almost about to surface.

After all the dishes were served, the conversation turned to Suning's work.

When the recently signed Ai Zhonghua insurance policy was mentioned, Xue Xiaozhou suddenly frowned.

"Wait, are you talking about Ai Zhonghua from Huaxia Art Gallery? Didn't his wife just pass away from a heart attack?"

"Yes! That case was still Hu Manli's. At the time, you refused to pay compensation because of a lack of information."

"I never imagined he would become your client."

"Hu Manli helped me make the connection! I'm now a business partner with Hu Manli?"

"No wonder... Hu Manli has excellent resources, and you have an insurance practitioner qualification."

At this moment, Wu Ya, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise, "Su Ning, Xue Xiaozhou, is the Ai Zhonghua you're talking about Ai Linjiang's father?"

"It's him! A playboy with a strong desire to conquer girls, but he's quite popular with them."

"..." Sure enough, Wu Ya's expression looked a little unnatural.

At this moment, Xue Xiaozhou also remembered something, "Wu Ya, is Ai Linjiang's mother your patient?"

"Yes! I never imagined the world was so small."

"..."

"Enjoy your meal! I'm going to the restroom." Wu Ya suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

Silence fell over the dining table.

Wang Xue glanced worriedly at Xue Xiaozhou, then at Su Ning, before finally choosing to lower her head and eat. She had already noticed Wu Ya's unease when she mentioned "Ai Linjiang".

As Wu Ya returned to her seat, her phone suddenly rang.

She glanced at the screen and quickly hung up, but Wang Xue still caught a glimpse of the character "艾" on the caller ID.

"Is something wrong at the hospital?" Xue Xiaozhou asked tentatively from the side.

"Yes, there's a situation in the department." Wu Ya put away her phone and forced a smile. "I have to go back now; I have a consultation early tomorrow morning."

Xue Xiaozhou immediately stood up: "I'll see you off."

"No need!" Wu Ya's voice was sharper than expected. She adjusted her tone and said, "You guys continue eating. I'll call a car."

Watching Wu Ya's hurried departure, Xue Xiaozhou slumped down, her eyes filled with disappointment.

Su Ning wanted to say something, but in the end, she just patted him on the shoulder.

“Sigh! She’s been like this lately…” Xue Xiaozhou smiled wryly, “She says she’s busy with work and applied for hospital accommodation, so I don’t see her even once a week.”

Wang Xue asked softly, "Are you... all alright?"

Xue Xiaozhou shook his head and did not answer.

The restaurant lights suddenly seemed to become glaring, revealing every expression on everyone's face.

……

At the same moment, in a bar on the other side of the city, Ma Xiaowei was raising his glass and loudly showing off to his friends.

"Three million! My own dad bought it for me without even blinking!" He slammed his hand on the table, drunkenly, spilling wine from his glass. "Do you know the China Art Gallery? That's ours!"

His friends, who were sitting around him, exclaimed in amazement and offered compliments.

A young man with dyed blond hair approached: "Xiaowei, since your dad is so rich, why did you only ask for three million? Your family fortune must be at least several hundred million, right?"

Ma Xiaowei's smile froze on his face.

“That’s right!” another friend chimed in. “You’re the eldest son, so according to the law you should split the inheritance equally with your younger brother!”

The wine glass trembled slightly in Ma Xiaowei's hand. The alcohol mixed with his long-accumulated resentment, and a flame ignited in his eyes.

"Let's go!" He suddenly stood up. "We're going to find my dad right now and explain things to him!"

"Okay! We'll go with you."

Half an hour later, Ma Xiaowei, along with four or five friends, barged into the office building of Huaxia Art Gallery.

The security guard tried to stop him, but he pushed him away.

"Open your dog eyes and look! I am Ai Zhonghua's son!"

The elevator went straight to the top floor, and Ma Xiaowei kicked open the door to the chairman's office.

Ai Zhonghua and Ai Linjiang were discussing something when they were startled to their feet by the sudden loud noise.

"Xiaowei? What are you doing?" Ai Zhonghua looked at his son and the group of ill-intentioned young men behind him in shock. "What am I doing?" Ma Xiaowei sneered, "I've come to take back what belongs to me!"

Ai Linjiang frowned: "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

"Who am I?" Ma Xiaowei spread his hands exaggeratedly. "Good question! Little brother, I am your half-brother, the fruit of your father's and my mother's love!"

"what?"

The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.

Ai Linjiang's face changed from red to white, then from white to green, and finally settled on a terrifying pale white.

"Dad...is what he said true?" Ai Linjiang's voice trembled.

Ai Zhonghua opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He looked at Ma Xiaowei, his eyes full of pleading: "Xiaowei, can we talk about this privately?"

"There's nothing to talk about!" Ma Xiaowei interrupted loudly. "I'm here today to get an explanation! Why should he have lived a life of luxury since childhood, while my mother raised me with great difficulty all by herself?"

Ai Linjiang suddenly grabbed the folder on the table and smashed it against the wall, scattering the papers like snowflakes.

"Dad, so you've been keeping an illegitimate child all these years?" He approached his father, his voice distorted with anger. "Mom has only been sick and hospitalized for three months, and you can't wait to divide the family property among outsiders?"

"Linjiang, things aren't as you think..." Ai Zhonghua reached out to grab his son, but Ai Linjiang shoved him away forcefully.

"I've had enough of your lies!" Ai Linjiang turned and rushed towards the door, taking one last look at his father before leaving. "You and Mom are both liars!"

The door slammed shut with a deafening sound.

Ai Zhonghua staggered back a few steps, clutching his chest with his right hand, his face suddenly turning ashen.

"Dad? Don't pretend!" Ma Xiaowei's voice suddenly lost its confidence. "I haven't finished speaking yet..."

Ai Zhonghua's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed.

The secretary rushed in screaming, someone dialed 120, while Ma Xiaowei stood aside, his face a mixture of fear and calculation.

……

Hu Manli had just finished showering when her phone suddenly rang.

She dried her hair and picked up her phone; Su Ning's name was flashing on the screen.

"Hey?"

"Sister Manli, something's happened!" Su Ning's voice was mixed with the sound of rain and hurried footsteps. "Ai Zhonghua has been taken to the hospital. It seems to be a heart attack!"

Hu Manli's towel fell to the ground: "Which hospital?"

"The cardiology department of the municipal hospital is the same hospital where Ai Zhonghua's wife passed away."

"Okay! I got it. I'll be there soon."

Twenty minutes later, Hu Manli rushed into the hospital gate with an umbrella.

The rain was pouring down, and her trouser legs and shoes were soaked through.

Since the elevator was taking a long time to arrive, she simply ran up the stairs and found Su Ning, who was soaking wet, in the intensive care unit on the fifth floor.

"Suning, how is it?" she asked breathlessly.

Su Ning shook his head: "It's not good! He's in the ICU and still in critical condition."

He lowered his voice, "Ma Xiaowei and a group of people are guarding the door, not letting anyone get close, even the secretary has been driven away."

Hu Manli frowned and looked over, and sure enough, she saw Ma Xiaowei and several young people occupying the benches outside the ICU, talking and laughing loudly, which was out of place with the solemn atmosphere of the hospital.

Where is Ai Linjiang?

“I haven’t seen him.” Su Ning shrugged. “I heard he disappeared after running out of the office.”

Hu Manli took out her phone: "I need to contact Ai Zhonghua's secretary and ask Ai Linjiang where he frequents."

Just as she was dialing, a doctor came out of the ICU with documents in his hand: "Are Ai Zhonghua's family members here? We need to sign a critical condition notice."

Ma Xiaowei stood up lazily: "I am his son."

The doctor handed over the documents and pen: "Please sign here! We need to resuscitate the patient immediately."

Ma Xiaowei's friend suddenly grabbed him: "Don't sign! If the old man doesn't wake up, you can get half of the property."

“That’s right! I can’t sign this.” Ma Xiaowei’s hand paused.

Upon seeing this, Hu Manli quickly stepped forward: "Mr. Ma, your father's condition is critical, and the doctor needs the family's cooperation in the treatment."

“What’s it to you?” Ma Xiaowei glared at her. “This is our family’s private matter. You’re just insurance salespeople.”

Hu Manli took a deep breath: "I am your father's insurance advisor and a friend. He needs you now."

Ma Xiaowei sneered: "Need me? Why didn't he say so earlier? Did he only remember he had a son like me after my mother died?"

The doctor glanced anxiously at his watch: "Sir, please make a decision as soon as possible; the patient cannot wait."

Su Ning suddenly spoke up: "Ma Xiaowei, do you know what will happen legally if President Ai dies despite all efforts to save him?"

Ma Xiaowei turned to him: "What can happen? I'm his son, I have the right to inherit his property!"

“The premise is that you can prove you are his son,” Su Ning said calmly. “Without Ai Linjiang’s consent, you can’t even do a paternity test. The court will freeze all assets, and it’s common for it to drag on for several years.”

Ma Xiaowei's expression changed.

“On the contrary,” Su Ning continued, “if President Ai wakes up, out of guilt towards your mother, he will likely give you a portion of his assets. By obstructing treatment now, you will only end up with nothing.”

Raindrops pattered against the window, and the corridor outside the ICU fell into a brief silence.

Finally, Ma Xiaowei grabbed the pen from the doctor and hastily signed his name on the critical condition notice.

"Is that enough?" He tossed the file back to the doctor, then turned to his friends. "Let's go! This is pointless."

Watching Ma Xiaowei and his group leave, Hu Manli breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned to Su Ning: "Su Ning, I didn't expect you to know about inheritance law."

Suning smiled and said, "Insurance and estate planning are inherently interconnected."

His smile quickly vanished. "The question is, where exactly did Ai Linjiang go?"

Hu Manli looked out the window at the dark night sky and the torrential rain, and an ominous premonition welled up in her heart.

She took out her phone and dialed Ai Zhonghua's secretary's number.

"Secretary Li, I need to know all the places Ai Linjiang might have gone... Yes! Now."

After hanging up the phone, she and Su Ning exchanged a glance.

Both of them understood that the storm sparked by the family secret was far from over.

At this moment, Ai Zhonghua, in the intensive care unit, is alone, teetering on the edge of life and death.

Suning wouldn't bother searching for Ai Linjiang; he felt Ai Linjiang was just a good-for-nothing playboy.

Ma Xiaowei is just a fool blinded by greed, and Suning can easily manipulate him.

Su Ning and Hu Manli then waited at the hospital all night until Ai Zhonghua was out of danger the next day.

Suddenly I realize that selling insurance is really not easy...

...(End of chapter)