Chapter 578: Yang Tao Arrives

After comforting Shi Yong,

I left the hospital. With Ya Ling taking care of Shi Yong, I felt much more at ease.

Don't look at Shi Yong and Ya Ling bickering, but their feelings are deep; they just don't like to express them in the ordinary way people do.

Shi Yong's health used to be good; it's just that he usually didn't pay attention to maintenance, leading to this situation.

In middle age, health is more important than anything else.

Truly, all wealth and power, compared to health, are worlds apart.

Over the past year, my physical condition has also been declining,

I suffer from insomnia and frequent dreams, and sometimes feel completely exhausted.

Actually, I'm even more afraid of undergoing a check-up than Shi Yong; I'm afraid they'll find something wrong.

Then it would be troublesome.

I want to go back to Niushiling to have a look,

How is Shi Jinhe's house construction coming along?

It's been a long time since I last saw Qian Niang.

Go back to keep Qian Niang company and chat a while.

I had just gotten into the car,

when my phone rang,

I looked and saw it wasn't a familiar number,

Who could it be? It probably isn't a sales call from the mobile company.

Nowadays, the mobile company makes the most advertising sales calls, always pushing various data giveaway promotions,

as soon as you agree, damn, your phone bill shoots up—it's all a trick.

I didn't want to answer, wasting time.

I never expected that after the number called once, it called again.

The mobile company's sales calls wouldn't repeat; they have plenty of numbers and wouldn't waste time on one person.

It looks like it's not a sales call,

so I answered,

a woman's voice came from the other end,

"Jianqiang, can you tell who I am?"

"No, who are you?" I asked directly.

"You can't even recognize my voice—are you Zhao Jianqiang?" the woman on the phone asked.

My mind began searching for this voice,

and quickly thought of a woman,

it was Yang Tao's voice.

It couldn't be Yang Tao, could it?

I listened more carefully, and sure enough, it was Yang Tao.

I pretended not to have recognized her,

"Who are you exactly? If you're selling stocks, I don't trade; if you're a friendship scam for money, I have none; if you're selling data plans, I don't need them. Anyway, I'm busy, nothing else—I'm hanging up."

"What? You think I'm a salesperson? You really can't tell? I'm Yang Tao—are you pretending not to know, Zhao Jianqiang?" Yang Tao said, somewhat angry on the phone.

"Yang Tao, is it really you?" I asked.

"How could it be fake? Where are you?" Yang Tao asked.

"Your voice has changed too, become so alluring that hearing it makes one's mind wander." I laughed.

"Alright, Zhao Jianqiang, stop joking—I'm being serious with you, dare you?" Yang Tao said directly on the phone.

"I really don't dare." I said, laughing.

"Hurry up, tell me where you are."

"I'm at the hospital entrance."

"What are you doing at the hospital? Are you visiting your wife?" Yang Tao asked.

"Yeah, I'm checking on Zhou Wei. How are you using this number? Aren't you in the United Kingdom?" I said.

"I've returned from the United Kingdom.

"I'm now at the Zaocheng Grand Hotel. I missed you, so I came back to see you. Hurry back, I'm waiting for you." Yang Tao said, coquettishly on the phone.

Hearing Yang Tao's coquettish tone, I felt a bit uneasy—she's practically a middle-aged woman, yet she's acting like a young girl.

I said on the phone, "Yang Tao, if you really came for me, that would be great. You came for money."

Yang Tao heard me say that,

"Zhao Jianqiang, you, why do you speak so bluntly—is that interesting?"

"Heh, interesting. You're staying in that room at the Zaocheng Grand Hotel—I'll come find you. Let's meet and talk." I said.

"Alright, let's meet and talk. I'm in room 1706." Yang Tao said.

After I hung up the phone,

I immediately drove toward the Zaocheng Grand Hotel.

I quickly arrived at Zaocheng's room 1706.

Yang Tao was waiting for me, having opened the door to the room.

I walked into the room,

At that moment, Yang Tao stood in the room watching me enter.

Upon seeing me,

"Zhao Jianqiang, you didn't expect that, we meet again."

Yang Tao's voice was high and lofty when she spoke.

I looked at Yang Tao,

Yang Tao showed no signs of aging, and her attire was even more fashionable.

Wearing branded clothing, she elegantly extended her hand.

I looked at Yang Tao's fair, tender hand,

"Yang Tao, this hand is well maintained, like a noble's hand."

"Alright, Zhao Jianqiang, stop the sarcasm. How come you've aged so terribly? Your hair's turned white—why not dye it?"

Your face is much fatter than before. Zhao Jianqiang, your image in my mind has really changed a lot. Yang Tao scolded me.

"Yeah, time makes people old. I'm doing well just to stay alive." I said, then took out a cigarette.

"Zhao Jianqiang, I know everything about you, and Lao Qi has also pulled strings for you."

"If Lao Qi weren't backing you from behind, I believe you couldn't possibly defeat them." Yang Tao said, looking at me.

Here comes another attempt to claim credit. Damn it, when I was suffering, where were you? And Lao Qi supposedly backing you from behind—pure nonsense.

I just smiled,

"Yang Tao, you've come—why didn't Director Qi come back with you?"

"He stayed in Sijiucheng; he has some matters to attend to."

"I thought he'd come back with you; this time I could win—well, there are many reasons, Director Qi's help is just one aspect. Of course, thanks should still be given."

"Thank you, Yang Tao, thank you, Director Qi." I took a puff of my cigarette.

"It seems your thanks aren't sufficient, nor heartfelt." Yang Tao said then.

"How isn't it heartfelt thanks? Yang Tao, don't see it that way—I'll close the door, you don't mind, do you?" I said.

"No problem, what do I have to mind? In front of you, what privacy is there?" Yang Tao glanced at me frivolously.

"Saying that, there is privacy between us, many secrets we can't speak of." I said and then shut the room's door.

"Alright, the door's shut, we can speak openly now. What exactly are you doing these days? How come you're no longer the chairman of Da Heng Group?" Yang Tao asked directly.

"Finally you're getting to the point. Yeah, I'm no longer chairman; I feel exhausted, damn it, meaningless."

Running around everywhere is just busy work for those brats, so I'm done playing.

I've withdrawn. Da Heng Group has nothing to do with me anymore.

Now I'm just an ordinary commoner.

Yang Tao, I plan to go live in Niushiling next.

"They're building a house there; if you have time, come with me to take a look." I said with a smile.

"You never speak a straight sentence. I know you're not chairman anymore, but your brother Zhao Xiaohua is the chairman of Da Heng Group—everyone sees through your little scheme."

"Acting as chairman behind the scenes, you still command Da Heng Group."

Zhao Jianqiang, don't try to play tricks on me.

"You think that by quitting Da Heng Group and no longer being chairman, our matters are over,"

you're being far too naive.

"Our matters must exist,"

"and they truly exist."

"Haha, you're absolutely right—truly existent. Yeah, everything that's happened between us isn't fake at all. Yang Tao, from the day I met you,"

"you've been deceiving me,"

"pretending to be a college student with family troubles, in great pain, with no choice but to go down that path."

"But you, in reality, relied on Bai Lang to deceive me."

"In front of you, I'm just really stupid and naive."