Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

The ward was small, a standard single suite, with an adjustable bed by the window, and several bottles of medicine and a half-finished cup of warm water on the bedside table.

The curtains were half-drawn, and the afternoon sunlight slanted in through the other half of the window, casting a pale golden glow on the white sheets.

Xu Xiang leaned against the headboard, with two pillows under his back. His complexion was actually better than when they last met, with an unnatural blush on his cheekbones.

He was wearing a clean blue and white striped hospital gown, the collar of which was neatly tied, and his hair was combed, sparse but not messy.

Sitting in the only chair next to the hospital bed was Zhuge Qi.

He crossed his legs, leaned slightly against the back of the chair, his posture relaxed yet upright, one hand resting on his knee, the other holding a white disposable paper cup like those in hospitals, with more than half the water still inside.

He seemed to have been sitting in the ward for a long time, waiting for everyone to arrive.

Xu San paused for a moment at the doorway.

His gaze swept across his father's face and then landed on Zhuge Qi, a look that carried a scrutiny that a subordinate should not have when looking at a superior.

"Dad," Xu San said, his voice more steady than he had expected, "Section Chief Zhuge, you're here too?"

Zhuge Qi raised his eyelids and glanced at him, his smile neither strong nor weak, but he showed no intention of answering.

Xu Si followed him in, glanced at the scene in the ward, his gaze lingered on Zhuge Qi for two seconds, but he said nothing.

Next up is Feng Baobao.

Her gaze fell on the hospital bed the moment she entered the room, on Xu Xiang's face which was flushed with an abnormal redness. Then she simply walked quietly to the bedside and quietly lay down on the edge of the bed.

Zhang Chulan stood at the door, not in a hurry to go inside, like an outsider who shouldn't be there.

He really felt he shouldn't be there.

"You're all here." Xu Xiang's voice came from the bedside.

The voice was clearer than Xu San had expected, without the muddiness and weakness often seen in patients; instead, it exuded a strong sense of vitality.

But Xu San knew that the more things were like this, the less time he had left.

Xu Xiang's gaze moved from Xu San's face to Xu Si's face, lingered on Feng Baobao for a while, and finally landed on Zhang Chulan at the door.

He looked at Zhang Chulan for a few seconds, as if trying to identify a blurry outline in a faded old photograph, and only after confirming it did he nod slightly.

"Zhang Chulan?" he asked.

"It's...it's me, Uncle Xu." Zhang Chulan took half a step forward, but his foot remained not far inside the threshold, appearing somewhat reserved.

Xu Xiang smiled, a smile that brought out the wrinkles on his face and made his face look more lively.

"You look just like your grandfather," he said.

Zhang Chulan fell silent, feeling that he didn't resemble his grandfather at all.

But I also understand what the other party means.

"I was there when your grandfather passed away," Xu Xiang said. "He told me something: if you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, please tell him that he doesn't blame anyone over there."

Zhang Chulan felt as if something was blocking his throat. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

"You will stay in North China, with your third and fourth sons," Xu Xiang said. "I promised your grandfather I would keep you safe."

"Xu San," Xu Xiang called out.

Xu San immediately took a step forward, walked to the bedside, bent down slightly, and placed his hand on the edge of the bed. "Dad, I'm here. I know."

"You did a good job with the North China branch, and you handled Zhang Chulan's matter... better than I expected."

Xu San's lips moved as if he wanted to say, "That wasn't my doing," but he glanced at Zhuge Qi and swallowed his words.

"Xu Si," Xu Xiang called again.

Xu Si took the cigarette out of his mouth and stubbed it out. The ashtray was still on the windowsill. He casually stubbed the cigarette in it, then walked to the other side of the bed. His usual nonchalant attitude was gone, and his lips tightened into a straight line.

"dad."

"You have a quick temper and like to take shortcuts, but those aren't major flaws," Xu Xiang said, looking at him. "But you need to learn to judge people. I'm entrusting North China to you; I trust you..."

Some people you can trust, some you can't. And some people, once you trust them, you have to trust them for life, because you can't afford the price of going back on your word…

Xu Si's fingers trembled slightly.

He knew what his father was talking about, but he didn't respond.

After saying these words, Xu Xiang's breathing became a little rapid.

He paused for a moment, as if gathering his breath, before turning his gaze to Feng Baobao beside him.

Feng Baobao lay there, without changing her position from beginning to end.

She looked at Xu Xiang, her eyes not showing much emotion, but if you looked closely, you could see a faint red tinge around the whites of her eyes, as if something she had been holding back for a long time was finally about to burst out of her grasp.

Xu Xiang looked at her, and his eyes suddenly changed in a different way.

"Baby, I'm still worried about you, but I won't be able to take care of you anymore..."

Feng Baobao placed her hand on the back of Xu Xiang's hand. She did this without any hesitation, as naturally as if she had done it a thousand times.

"Doggy," she called out.

Feng Baobao nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but she held his hand tightly.

Xu Xiang paused for a while, closed his eyes to catch his breath, and when he opened them again, the red light in his eyes seemed to brighten a little, like a final wave of light before the tide recedes.

"Third son, fourth son, I'm entrusting you with one last thing: transfer the baby to the Department of Extraordinary People, and then hand him over to Zhuge Qi... for guardianship."

The ward was completely quiet.

That kind of silence wasn't ordinary silence; it was a silence where even the ticking of the monitor was amplified countless times, a deathly stillness like that of a vacuum after the air has been sucked out.

Xu San's expression went from astonishment to disbelief, and from disbelief to resistance, all in less than two seconds.

Then he suddenly sat up straight.

"No!"

When these two words came out of Xu San's mouth, they carried an intense emotion that he rarely showed in front of others.

He was always calm and measured in his actions, and even when faced with Quanxing causing trouble, he could remain composed. But at this moment, standing in front of his father's sickbed, his eyes were red and his cheeks were taut. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and he switched from the gentle older brother mode to a defensive posture that refused to yield an inch.

"Dad, what are you saying? Bao Bao has always been a person from North China. Over the years, from your care to hers to mine and Lao Si's, she has always been a person from North China."

Xu San's voice was low, but every word was like a steel ball hitting a table, making a loud thud, "Transfer to the Extraordinary Personnel Affairs Department? She's not a permanent staff member, so why transfer her to any department?"

Xu Si stood on the other side of the bed, this time without making any jokes.

His face wore a complex expression; he simply stood there, stunned, unsure of what to do.

Xu Xiang had anticipated their reactions, but he spoke with difficulty to them.

"Please, I'm begging you."