Chapter 269: Chapter 268: Challenging

A little after three in the afternoon, the briefing on the Guoxin case and the subsequent creditors’ coordination meeting, held in the sixth-floor conference room of the Binhai First Intermediate Court, finally ended after a heated argument.

As the conference room doors opened, dozens of middle-aged and elderly men and women filed out. Their faces were a mixture of indignation and sullen gloom.

Yue Wangdao, his expression grave, walked slowly at the back of the crowd, accompanying Pan Lirong, who was leaning on a cane.

“Damn it,” Yue Wangdao said resentfully. “I thought it was a surefire, high-return investment, but it turned out to be a trap. I took a huge hit.”

“Years of hard work down the drain. I’m almost back to square one.”

Pan Lirong offered some quiet comfort. “It could have been worse.”

“When I first got the official news, I thought the investment would be a total loss. The fact that we can get back nearly a quarter of it is a pleasant surprise, all things considered.”

Yue Wangdao said, vexed, “I blame myself for being too greedy. I saw it was a project with strong government backing and let my guard down. I threw in 120 million all at once.”

“You were more cautious, Mr. Pan. You only put in twenty million. Even if you lost it all, it wouldn’t have crippled you.”

“I’m the one in deep trouble. I’m going to have to sell off assets just to get by.”

At a time like this, Pan Lirong knew that any words of comfort would be futile.

After they walked in silence for a moment, Pan Lirong heard the other man speak again. “We have the first right of purchase and disposal for the properties and assets that swindler Xue bought overseas.”

“Any thoughts, Mr. Pan?”

“If we pick one or two, we could flip them and maybe recoup some of our losses.”

Pan Lirong shook his head. “Those overseas properties… I’m on unfamiliar ground there, and the process is complicated. It’s too much hassle for me.”

As they spoke, the two reached the elevator bank. They stood behind a group of people, waiting for an elevator going down.

Just then, a middle-aged man with a square face and a bristly crew cut, who had arrived a few moments earlier and was waiting off to the side, turned and approached them.

“Mr. Pan, hello!”

“A while back, I heard a rumor that your condition had worsened and you were in a wheelchair.”

“Looks like you’ve recovered?”

Pan Lirong chuckled. “Mr. We, that wasn’t a rumor. For a while there, I really did have trouble walking and had to use a wheelchair.”

“But my luck turned. I found an excellent doctor and had a successful surgery. Now, I’m recovering quite well.”

He gestured toward the man with his cane and added with a hint of pride, “Give it a little more time, and I won’t even need this thing.”

“Congratulations, congratulations!”

Mr. We said, then sighed. “Hospital fees just keep getting higher, but truly good doctors are becoming more and more rare.”

“Still, it’s a good thing there are still some out there.”

Mr. We leaned closer to Yue Wangdao and Pan Lirong, lowering his voice. “Let me tell you something I heard from a reliable source.”

“You all probably know that bastard Xue Jisheng had plastic surgery to completely change his face, then fled the country on a passport from some small Southeast Asian nation.”

“But do you know…?”

Mr. We paused for effect before continuing slowly, “The real reason he was caught so quickly—before he could escape to one of those countries that doesn’t have good relations with us—is because the police brought in a brilliant doctor. This doctor went through the customs surveillance footage and identified Xue Jisheng at a glance.”

“That’s how our police were able to follow his trail and nab him so quickly and efficiently.”

Yue Wangdao said in surprise, “I saw a picture of what Xue looks like now. He’s practically unrecognizable from his old self.”

“For a doctor to be able to pick him out from surveillance footage, among all those people… that’s an incredible level of skill.”

Mr. We hummed in agreement. “Some of those veteran, expert-level doctors have truly astounding abilities. They’re not like these so-called ’famous doctors’ nowadays who are all just advertising hype.”

He turned back to Pan Lirong. “Mr. Pan, that excellent doctor you found… could you give me an introduction?”

Mr. We sighed. “Mr. Ren’s son is back from overseas. The trip was a disappointment.”

“Perhaps this doctor of yours might have a way to help.”

Pan Lirong explained, “Mr. We, I had a tumor in my spinal canal, which is neurosurgery. Mr. Ren’s son has a brain tumor, which falls under craniofacial surgery.”

“Neurosurgery and craniofacial surgery are two different fields…”

He trailed off, then stopped himself.

He couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle. ’Actually, that young man isn’t a neurosurgeon at all. He’s a plastic surgeon.’

Pan Lirong then said with dead seriousness, “Mr. We, he is a true medical genius.”

“If Mr. Ren could get him to take a look, he might actually be able to figure out a way to help…”

「Affiliated Hospital, Emergency Department.」

Yan Feifan was busy in a treatment cubicle in the ER when he found himself completely surrounded by three gorgeous young women.

He recognized two of them: Zhao Xiaoting, and Chen Lingxin, for whom he had performed a dimpleplasty.

The third was their upperclassman who had already graduated, Yang Susu.

“Mr. Yan, I have great news! A few days ago, Chen Lingxin had an audition, and the director picked her on the spot.”

“She’s going to play the third female lead in a modern drama series this summer.”

Zhao Xiaoting chattered on, “The director said flat-out that he chose her because of her dimples.”

“Her look is a perfect match for the director’s vision of the second female lead.”

Yan Feifan didn’t look up from suturing a wound on a patient’s thigh. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” he said, trying to shoo them away.

“Aren’t you scared by all this blood and gore?”

“Besides, you’re distracting the patient…”

Before he could finish, the patient, a man in his twenties, cut him off with a lecherous grin. “Not distracting at all.”

“Doctor, with three gorgeous women here, I can’t even feel the pain from my wound anymore.”

Yan Feifan couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Zhao Xiaoting threw the patient a cute wink before turning back to Yan Feifan. “We’ve seen far bloodier and more terrifying things in makeup rooms. This little wound is nothing.”

After her little boast, she added in a wheedling tone, “Mr. Yan, my upperclassman, Yang Susu, came all this way just to see you. She’s heard so much about your skills.”

“Please, just take a look.”

Yan Feifan’s voice was cold. “Look at what?”

“She’s already had work done and she’s gorgeous. What more could she possibly want?”

“Isn’t she worried about overdoing it and ruining what she has?”

Yang Susu, to her credit, knew the proper etiquette. She had come without any makeup, having at most applied some moisturizing toner or serum to her face.

The moment he first saw Yang Susu, Yan Feifan could tell she had undergone plastic surgery.

Furthermore, the work was exceptionally well done, and Yang Susu had excellent natural features to begin with.

As a result, she was stunningly beautiful.

Each of her features was as delicate as a porcelain doll’s, and they came together in perfect harmony.

Of course, that wasn’t to say her features had reached a state of absolute perfection. There was no such thing as having no room for improvement.

It was just that any further alteration would require immense control and skill. The slightest misstep could easily backfire and destroy her existing beauty.

“Mr. Yan…”

A sweet voice sounded beside Yan Feifan’s ear. “If you look at me now, you’ll understand why I’m here.”

Yan Feifan looked up at the sound of her voice and froze.

It was still Yang Susu, but now she was smiling broadly.

But her smile…

No matter how one looked at it, it was a smile that didn’t reach her eyes—a cold, sinister sneer that was deeply unsettling.

’Difficult. Challenging.’ Yan Feifan’s interest was piqued…

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