IJLHTW - 78

Three people make a tiger, and in this case, it was a well-prepared media onslaught. In just a few days, rumors swirled online, and even Yi Zechen’s family background was progressively dug up, with Yi Huaize’s position being exposed.

Netizens, on one hand, marveled at his privileged background, while on the other hand, they questioned it.

No one believed that someone with such a background would join a global non-profit organization purely for humanitarian reasons, with no ulterior motives.

Therefore, many were more inclined to believe that he was using his Doctors Without Borders identity to gain benefits for Mingsheng Group.

The words of the whistleblower seemed to be confirmed overnight, and everyone began to believe this narrative.

But no one saw the whistleblower produce any so-called evidence. The only news source was a foreign report that simply mentioned a significant disturbance at a Doctors Without Borders outpost in Africa.

Online trolls continuously drove the narrative, strenuously discrediting Yi Zechen and Mingsheng Group.

As a result, when Mingsheng Group announced its intention to acquire Baichuntang, there was a public outcry and widespread discussion online. After all, Baichuntang was an old Hong Kong pharmaceutical company, and its brand had been around for a century. Baichuntang used to be a leader throughout Southeast Asia, but times had changed, and the former leader was now facing acquisition.

It truly made people sigh with emotion.

However, before Mingsheng Group could make its move, Mingsheng was instead summoned by the Securities Regulatory Commission for an interview.

The content of the interview concerned a batch of medicines that Mingsheng Group had previously donated to MSF. Someone had reported that Yi Zechen was abusing his position and power for personal gain, by selling medicines at a low price under the guise of donation, and then selling them at a high price in Africa.

This claim was undoubtedly a baseless rumor.

Yet, at this critical moment, the Securities Regulatory Commission interviewed Mingsheng Group, demanding an explanation for the previous medicine donation. After all, Mingsheng Group was a listed company, and shareholders had the right to know about such a significant donation of medicines.

When this matter was disclosed by financial media, it was further sensationalized, with rumors even spreading that Yi Zechen was in trouble. This wave of online trolls was clearly orchestrated.

While Mingsheng Group was under immense public pressure, Baichuntang was also actively trying to save itself, announcing a partnership with an American investment bank to counter Mingsheng’s aggressive acquisition.

Huo Ci was not clear about these business matters, but she knew that there were many opinions online regarding Yi Zechen.

Especially that he had once saved a racist.

“Shall I peel an apple for you?” Huo Ci said softly. Huo Mingzhou was recovering well and could already eat.

Huo Ci hadn’t been to her studio these past few days, spending every day at the hospital with him. Huo Mingzhou had also told her not to delay her work, but she just smiled and said she wanted to rest for a while recently.

Huo Mingzhou watched her holding an apple and chuckled, “Let’s not eat it. You might cut your hand again and then cry.”

Huo Ci was stunned, then smiled helplessly, “How long ago was that? You still remember?”

She had been pampered by Huo Mingzhou and Liu Ruhan since she was a child; it was not an exaggeration to say she was spoiled. The incident Huo Mingzhou referred to was when she was in high school and, on a whim, insisted on peeling fruit for them, only to cut her hand.

Huo Mingzhou was so scared that he wanted to call 999 immediately, but Liu Ruhan scolded him severely.

She hadn’t expected him to bring it up today.

“Dad, there’s something I want to tell you,” Huo Ci hesitated a little.

Huo Mingzhou reached out and pulled the quilt over himself, looking at her with a smile, and softly asked, “Do you have good news for me?”

Huo Ci was stunned, not expecting him to ask that. Until Huo Mingzhou reached out and stroked her long hair, softly asking, “No matter what it is, Dad will support you.”

“Including marriage?” Huo Ci asked cautiously.

Considering Huo Mingzhou’s health had not fully recovered, Huo Ci hadn’t told him about her pregnancy.

Huo Mingzhou looked at her, expectant and cautious. His daughter was grown, and she would eventually marry. But Huo Mingzhou felt a pang of sadness. After his divorce from Liu Ruhan, he never thought about remarrying. In his eyes, he and Huo Ci were family, but now his daughter had a man she loved and wanted to marry.

Honestly, Huo Mingzhou wasn’t feeling well inside.

Seeing his silent reaction, Huo Ci felt uneasy. Although marriage was inevitable, Huo Mingzhou only had her now. If she got married...

“Marriage is a good thing, why are you so hesitant?” Huo Mingzhou chuckled slightly, seeming to wait for her words.

Huo Ci suddenly looked up at him and softly said, “Dad, congratulations, you’re going to be a grandfather.”

At this moment, several bird calls came from outside the window, melodious and moving, as if truly congratulating him. But Huo Mingzhou was truly stunned, looking at Huo Ci in a daze.

The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Huo Ci tried to force a smile, “Surprise?”

Okay, judging by Huo Mingzhou’s expression, it wasn’t that much of a surprise.

Until Huo Mingzhou gritted his teeth and muttered, “This scoundrel.” He just abducted his precious daughter like that.

The usually gentle and magnanimous Teacher Huo was truly angry this time.

Huo Ci lowered her head, looking like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting to be scolded. How could Huo Mingzhou bear to actually scold her? He whispered, “I should have guessed it earlier. You’re not going to work, and you wear flat shoes every day when you come over.”

When he finished speaking, Huo Ci gasped, not expecting him to notice such fine details.

________________________________________

Huo Ci went out to get a medical report. When she returned to the ward, she unexpectedly found someone there whom she hadn’t anticipated.

Lu Linzheng was sitting by Huo Mingzhou’s hospital bed, and the two were chatting and laughing. Huo Mingzhou saw her return and said with a smile, “Xiao Ci, your friend has been here for a while. It’s good you’re back.”

“I heard that Uncle Huo regained consciousness, so I specially came to visit. Huo Ci, you don’t mind my uninvited visit, do you?” Lu Linzheng smiled slightly as he looked at her.

At this moment, there wasn’t a trace of malice on his face; he wore a faint smile and appeared exceptionally gentlemanly and polite.

Huo Ci looked at him coldly. It was Huo Mingzhou who said, “If you two have something to talk about, you can go outside. Don’t worry about me.”

Once outside, Huo Ci immediately turned to him: “I imagine your visit wasn’t just to see my dad?”

“What if I said it was?” Lu Linzheng smiled, and Huo Ci naturally wouldn’t believe him. But then she also smiled, saying faintly, “I am indeed here for Yi Zechen.”

Huo Ci looked steadily at him, slowly asking, “Was his hand injury related to you?”

Lu Linzheng froze, then suddenly chuckled. The gentle smile vanished from his face, and he said with some regret, “I truly regret that I wasn’t the one who met you first.”

“There’s nothing to regret,” Huo Ci looked at him calmly, stating firmly, “No matter who I met first, the person I ultimately choose will only be one person.”

No matter how many people I’ve met, the person I choose will always be Yi Zechen.

Because he is the one who truly moved her and saved her.

Lu Linzheng didn’t expect to hear such words. Even he, who was always so unrestrained, began to envy Yi Zechen. After all, finding someone to spend a lifetime with is a very difficult thing.

“That person arrived at the Doctors Without Borders hospital in my company’s car. Yi Zechen didn’t know his identity, and neither did I, of course. It’s just that there were internal issues within the company at that time, and the locally hired employees had intricate connections with the opposition. At a critical moment, they disguised him as a company employee.”

Since he was a company employee, he was a civilian, so it was only right for Doctors Without Borders to treat him.

Who knew that because of an armed conflict in the area, many people appealed to Doctors Without Borders for help?

As a result, that person was recognized. Many local residents’ family members had died at his hands, so the local residents, armed with weapons, surrounded the Doctors Without Borders outpost.

However, Yi Zechen, as the attending physician, refused to hand that person over.

“Afterward, Yi Zechen indeed learned his identity and knew he had massacred civilians, but he still insisted on performing surgery on him,” Lu Linzheng sneered. He said, “This infuriated the local residents, and that’s why his hand was injured during that conflict. After that, he also withdrew from Doctors Without Borders.”

Huo Ci listened to him, her eyes slightly lowered.

Even after he knew that person was a butcher, he still chose to save him. His actions were indeed very much like Yi Zechen.

“Yi Zechen always believed my company profited from war, that the money earned was tainted with local blood. Yet he chose to save a butcher whose hands were stained with blood. Do you think what he did was more right than what I do?”

In fact, Lu Linzheng and Yi Zechen had known each other for a long time. He was the president of the Cambridge Chinese Students and Scholars Association and had even helped Yi Zechen before. The only Christmas ball Yi Zechen ever attended was because of his invitation.

It was clear that their relationship back then was indeed good.

Huo Ci now looked up at him, saying firmly, “He did absolutely the right thing, because he is a doctor, not a judge.”

Lu Linzheng was not surprised by her answer.

He chuckled softly, reminding Huo Ci, “Very few people know about this matter. You’d best remind him to be careful of those around him.”

________________________________________

After Lu Linzheng left, Huo Ci called Yi Zechen.

The call connected, and before Yi Zechen could speak, she spoke first.

“I confessed to Dad today and told him I’m pregnant,” Huo Ci said softly.

There was silence on the other end. Huo Ci leaned against the wall, waiting for him to speak. Until Yi Zechen said, “Huo Ci, where is your household registration at now?”

She was momentarily stunned. Yi Zechen had already spoken again: “Huo Ci, let’s get our marriage certificate, let’s get married.”

He didn’t want to wait even a single day. In fact, from the day he found out she was pregnant, he had wanted to marry her. Not a proposal, not putting a ring on her finger, but going to the civil affairs bureau, with their household registration books, to get their marriage certificate stamped, so that even legally, they would be recognized as a family.

That sense of ritual, solemn and formal.

That’s what he wanted to give her.

What Lu Linzheng had just told her only made Huo Ci more firmly believe that the man she loved was someone worth exchanging everything for.

Huo Ci looked down and smiled sweetly, “Okay.”

At this moment, the many executives in the conference room witnessed their boss’s proposal firsthand. Although there was probably no one in the company who hadn’t seen Yi Zechen’s public proposal video, no one expected to actually hear the news that the boss was going to get his marriage certificate.

After all, a proposal and getting married are different; many engaged couples part ways halfway through.

“Gentlemen,” Yi Zechen looked up, scanning everyone present. To acquire Baichuntang, Mingsheng had also formed a special team, and these people were now the core members of this acquisition. He slowly looked at them and softly said, “I’ll be getting married very soon, so shouldn’t you all give me a big wedding gift package?”

No one expected the usually serious and aloof Mr. Yi to be so happy.

The conference room erupted in laughter, and the previously serious and tense atmosphere was significantly lightened.

“This acquisition is the largest M&A case I have led since becoming CEO of Mingsheng Group, so...” Yi Zechen surveyed the crowd, a slight curve to his lips: “Only success, no failure.”

Although Mingsheng Group had only recently announced its intention to acquire Baichuntang, the swiftness of its actions caught the market off guard. Mingsheng Group had fully acquired a listed subsidiary of Baichuntang and held 100% controlling interest in one of its subsidiaries, thereby indirectly holding an 18.6% stake in Baichuntang.

Since Baichuntang was a family business, the Lu family currently held a total of 37.4% of Baichuntang’s shares, and the position of the largest shareholder seemed unbreakable.

This was a merger and acquisition case worth tens of billions, involving two companies with a combined market capitalization exceeding 150 billion, so all sectors of the financial world were closely watching it.

Moreover, as soon as the acquisition began, both sides became embroiled in a public opinion war.

At such a time, old stories about Yi Zechen were exposed. Overnight, he went from a national heartthrob to an accomplice of a murderer. While various financial sectors thought he was racking his brains over the acquisition case, Mr. Yi took the time to go home.

“Household registration book, right? I already prepared it for you,” Xu Di handed him the items, exceptionally happy.

Xu Siyang, standing nearby, was practically blinded. He exclaimed, “You’re getting married?”

“Of course! Chengcheng is going to be a dad soon,” Xu Di was so happy.

Xu Siyang was dumbfounded, shouting, “Huo Ci is pregnant? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Xu Di froze, blinked, and asked confusedly, “Didn’t I tell you?”

Xu Siyang became even angrier, saying exasperatedly, “Big sis, you’ve never been like this before! Am I that unimportant now?”

As soon as she thought of having a precious grandchild, Xu Di realized he really wasn’t that important.

Seeing Xu Di’s guilty look, Xu Siyang was practically despairing.

The wedding arrangements had already been discussed with Huo Mingzhou and Liu Ruhan. Yesterday, Yi Huaize and his wife visited Huo Mingzhou at the hospital again. Since he hadn’t recovered, the meeting could only take place at the hospital.

So, that’s why, having just met yesterday, Yi Zechen came home today to get the household registration book.

Tomorrow would be Monday, and the civil affairs bureau would be open.

At 10 AM the next morning, Yi Zechen’s rarely updated WeChat Moments suddenly uploaded a picture.

The photo showed two red marriage certificates placed side-by-side, open. The two people, wearing matching white shirts, had their heads leaning against each other, looking intimate yet solemn.

The caption was a few simple words.

“My Mrs. Yi.”