Chapter 23: The CEO Who Can't Match the Empress's Frustration, Han Ziyue's First Encounter with Shangguan Linlang

Han Ziyue, seeing he couldn't pry any useful information from the distraught Li Mufan, simply stopped paying him any attention. With a long stride, he walked out of Third Young Master Li's sickroom, then pulled out his phone and dialed Xuanyuan Wuji's number.

"Hey, Wuji, it's Ziyue. I just visited Mu Fan. He seems to be in a really bad mood. Oh, and he was cursing you out in front of me, saying you are heartless when it comes to the opposite sex. What's the story there? Mu Fan said you didn't take care of the things he entrusted to you, and now Old Master Li is about to come over and kill him. Our Mu Fan is so pitiful, just got beaten by a beautiful girl and now he can hardly get out of bed. Soon he'll probably be dealt with even worse by the old man."

Though Han Ziyue's words carried a tone of sympathy for Li Mufan, anyone familiar with the second young master of the Han Family would know that he loved to watch the fire from the other side of the river, just standing by with his hands in his sleeves, particularly adept at adding fuel to the fire. Therefore, Han Ziyue wasn't actually intending to tip off Third Young Master Li, he just wanted to find the best spot to watch the drama for free.

"Ah, I've been kind of busy these past two days, and I forgot all about the things he asked me to do. How much longer until the old man gets here, do you know?" As soon as he received the call from Han Ziyue, the CEO in Shangguan Linlang's sickroom, who was busily peeling fruit, stopped what he was doing. The CEO's eyes went blank, only now realizing he had completely forgotten about the things Li Mufan had asked him to handle.

"What have you been so busy with these past days? I heard from your chief male secretary, Xiao Yu, that you haven't even been to Xuanyuan Corporation these days. That's not like our hardworking Wuji. Come on, spit it out, which beauty have you been accompanying? Introduce her to me, I'm quite curious to see who has managed to break the ice with our perennial monk. Quite impressive, quite impressive indeed," Han Ziyue continued to tease his friend.

Xuanyuan Wuji couldn't be bothered to continue the conversation and hung up right away. Hearing the beep-beep sound in his ear, Han Ziyue's smile froze at the edge of his lips, and then with a not-so-friendly gaze, he muttered to himself, "Good lad, you think I can't find out if you don't tell me? If you won't tell me, I'll just find out myself."

After finishing his words, Han Ziyue quickly headed towards the area in the hospital with the most nurses. Since the CEO of Xuanyuan was here, how could he possibly not be found? That would be a joke.

"Oh, and by the way, Wuji, if you're busy, go ahead and leave. You don't need to keep watch here all the time. Linda is fine now, and as for her memory confusion, I suspect that it's only temporary. She should be fine after a few days of rest. I've just checked her and all her indicators are normal," Nalan Fusui said to Xuanyuan Wuji after seeing him acting strangely following the phone call. Fusui thought there might be an urgent matter at Xuanyuan Corporation demanding Wuji's attention, and urged him to go back, assuring him that he didn't need to worry about Shangguan Linlang. After all, both he and Shangguan Zifeng were there, and Shangguan Linlang didn't need so many people to keep watch.

"Right, right, Xuanyuan Wuji, you'd better scram. You're a busy man, unlike us idle folks. Don't miss out on making money," Shangguan Zifeng seized the opportunity to provoke Xuanyuan Wuji. Who asked this CEO to compete with him for the attention of their family's precious ancestor? He had been longing to kick him out.

"I'm not a child who needs anyone to take care of me. I just need Brother by my side," Shangguan Linlang chimed in at the right moment and flashed a charming smile at Nalan Fusui. Her adorable expression made Fusui's heart melt, so he reached out and gently rubbed the little lady's head.

With Shangguan Linlang showing such preferential treatment, both Shangguan Zifeng and Xuanyuan Wuji were seething with anger. The CEO, in a fit of rage, squished the perfectly peeled apple into mush, a move that shocked both Shangguan Zifeng and Nalan Fusui.

The Empress, who was quite sensitive to danger by nature, saw Xuanyuan Wuji's cold expression and immediately became unhappy. She lazily stretched out two slender, jade-like fingers, picked up a thick stainless steel cup without much effort, and turned it into a pile of metal dust, then looked challengingly at Xuanyuan Wuji.

Xuanyuan Wuji glanced at Shangguan Linlang's hand and then reflexively at the apple in his own hand, showing a rather embarrassed expression on his face. Suddenly, he changed the subject, "There's nothing urgent at my company that needs my attention. I'm on vacation for this period, so I'll just stay with Nalan. Fusui, didn't you say earlier that there was something you needed my help with?"

"Ah, ah, right, I actually forgot about that. Yes, I need Wuji to stay with me, right, that's correct." Xuanyuan Wuji's eyes clearly conveyed a warning, so Nalan Fusui hastily backed him up and started to ad-lib.

"Brother, if there's anything you need Linda's help with, just ask. I wouldn't hesitate to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames for you," Shangguan Linlang declared righteously.

"Um, Linda, I'm just a doctor. My working environment isn't that dangerous; there's no need for climbing mountains of swords or plunging into seas of flames," Nalan Fusui said with an exasperated expression.

"Yes, that's true. Brother, you are now a legendary doctor who heals the world, I probably can't be much help. But if your friends suffer internal injuries, I can still lend a hand," Shangguan Linlang tilted her head, pondered a bit, then continued to volunteer herself.

"What are you all talking about? The atmosphere seems so pleasant. And did I hear that right just now? In this day and age, who still suffers from internal injuries?" While everyone was chatting leisurely, the door to Shangguan Linlang's sickroom was opened from the outside, and Han Ziyue, with a face of elegance and grace like a walking clothes hanger, stepped in with a smile. At the first sight of Han Ziyue, Shangguan Linlang's body began to tremble. The Empress's eyes turned bloodshot, and as Shangguan's boy saw this, his heart skipped a beat - not good, the little ancestor seemed about to unleash her power again.