Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

  Jing Yichen was travelling on a business trip and was abroad all these days. After Mu Qing drove Shangguan Ning home, he himself called Jing Yichen and updated him aout what had transpired since the morning.

  After hearing that Shangguan Ning’s face had been burnt with hot coffee, Jing Yichen flew back to A City immediately, postponing all his work commitments.

  At home in A city, Shangguan Ning was home alone and just about to sit down for dinner. Her husband, who was supposed to be in Australia, was standing in front of her.

  Jing Yichen was tired and jet lagged. Even then he was thrilled to see Shangguan Ning. Shangguan Ning was so concerned about him.

  She asked him softly, “Weren’t you on a business trip abroad? What are you doing here?”

  Jing Yichen’s heart ached when he saw his wife’s perfect face, full of red patches and burn marks.

  He had only been away for a couple of days and she had been injured again. He was so furious that he wanted to tear apart the person who hurt her. He was about to touch her face, when he suddenly decided not to,out of fear that he may hurt her.

  “Ning, I promised you that I would never let anyone hurt you ever again. I will not spare anyone who dares to harm you in any way. Don’t be soft-hearted and let them get away scot-free. Listen to me, please!” Jing Yichen’s voice was hoarse because of the long journey, but he was still gentle with Shangguan Ning.

  Shangguan Ning nodded after being silent for sometime. “Okay, I will do as you say. I am not soft-hearted. I just don’t want to waste my time and energy on my past. I don’t care about all those people. I just want to live a stable and peaceful life but they just don’t want to let me get on with it. They may be my dearest friends and my family, but I will definitely not allow them to create chaos in my life, whenever they please. I know how to protect myself.”

  Jing Yichen held her in his own arms, taking care to not hurt her. He felt better knowing that Shangguan Ning was capable of taking care of herself.

  What he was worried about was that she would tolerate and forgive those who wronged her, because they happened to be her blood relatives.

  “Also.” Jing Yichen thought for a moment and said, “I think someone should accompany you everywhere, from now on. Don’t get me wrong. I’m only suggesting this for your security otherwise my mind will not be at peace. If someone had been around with you today, then maybe nothing of this sort would have happened.”

  Shangguan Ning didn’t like the idea of being followed around by someone. Besides, she thought that there was no need for any extra protection. After learning that Lee Duo and his team were tailing her on the sly, some months ago, she had managed to convince Jing Yichen that she didn’t need protection.

  Jing Yichen had agreed with her, on the face of it but he still had instructed Lee Duo to continue with following Shangguan Ning so as to ensure her safety at all times. They had to be slightly more careful now and hide around in the shadows, so that Shangguan Ning would never notice them.

  The downside of that was, Lee Duo and his team could never arrive in time to protect her because they had to maintain a safe distance from her, at all times.

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  Jing Yichen didn’t feel good about leaving Shangguan Ning alone again.

  “They won’t be in close proximity, I promise. If anything happens to you, atleast I’ll be in the loop and can come to your rescue.”

  Shangguan Ning felt that Jing Yichen was overly anxious. She had been living a normal life for more than two decades. All these things had never happened to her.

  But during the past few days, too many things were going wrong, for it to be called a coincidence. Some or the other incident was threatening Shangguan Ning’s well being.

  However, she wasn’t worried about anyone, except for Jing Yiran. He was a psychopath, who would turn up anywhere, anytime, without prior warning.

  She heard learnt from Jing Yichen that at the engagement party, Jing Yiran had plotted with Shangguan Zheng and Shangguan Rouxue, to drug Shangguan Ning. If Jing Yichen hadn’t arrived in time, the consequences would have been brutal.

  He hadn’t succeeded in his plan, so he would come at her again, sooner or later.

  Shangguan Ning nodded in agreement. “Okay, let Lee Duo follow me, but let me warn you.The way things are going lately, they may have to work very hard.”

  Jing Yichen let out a sigh of relief. He was happy that she agreed with him on his proposal. “It is their duty. No trouble at all.”

  The people were being paid high remunerations every month. These weren’t given to them for recreational activities. It was their job to provide security and now it was time for them to do what they had been employed to do

  Feeling satisfied with the result of this discussion, Jing Yichen sat down to dinner with Shangguan Ning.

  The couple hadn’t eaten dinner together, at home, for a long time, so this meal felt special.

  After dinner, Jing Yichen and Shangguan Ning went to bed. He enveloped her tender body in his arms.

  He let out a sigh of satisfaction, kissed her injured forehead, closed his eyes and fell asleep.

  Without Shangguan Ning beside him, his heart felt hollow and insecure. Even work couldn’t distract him. His heart was full and happy, being able to hold her in his arms, at home. He slept better that night.

  He didn’t return to Australia the following day. Instead, he took Shangguan Ning to Mu Qing’s for a change of dressing.

  Shangguan Ning’s swelling on the face had reduced tremendously, with the help of Mu Qing’s magical medication. It only hurt a little bit now and even the redness had reduced considerably.

  Shangguan Ning’s face would be cured completely after two days.

  She had been worried that her face would be full of scars, but she was relieved to notice that no scars remained.

  Family Mu’s Hospital really lived up to their reputation for curing all kinds of medical issues.

  “I will be fine. You’d better get back to work. Don’t delay your commitments any further.” Seated in the car, Shangguan Ning tried to persuade Jing Yichen to take a flight to Australia and finish with his work there. She was aware that there were numerous issues at Jingsheng Enterprise, that needed his attention. A delay of even a day, might cost the company tens of millions of yuan.

  She didn’t feel good about that.

  Jing Yichen understood what Shangguan Ning was worried about. Important as Jingsheng Enterprise was to him, yet Shangguan Ning was more important. Money could be made again, if it were lost, but there was only one Shangguan Ning in the world, and she was most special to him.

  He held Shangguan Ning’s delicate hands as he comforted her, “Everything else can wait. Nothing is more important than you. I want to be around you,since you are hurt. You mustn’t deprive a husband of his right to take care of his wife.”

  Shangguan Ning smiled and her heart was aglow with warmth and affection.

  She stepped out of the car with Jing Yichen, and walked towards the Intensive Care Unit, hand in hand, with Jing Yichen. The nurses at the hospital were all envious.

  Mu Qing had already received Jing Yichen’s message, informing him of their arrival. He had kept the medication ready and was waiting for them in the ward.

  He had witnessed a whole new side to Jing Yichen’s personality. He had never expected that Jing Yichen, who was generally so aloof and distant, would care so much for a woman. Mu Qing was surprised that Jing Yichen, known to be a workaholic, had even kept his work aside for this lady. He had come to realise how important Shangguan Ning was to Jing Yichen.

  The moment Jing Yichen had received Mu Qing’s message, he decided to take the next flight home. He had let go of a deal worth millions of yuan, without hesitation.

  Luckily for Mu Qing, Shangguan Ning’s face showed remarkable improvement. His grandpa’s medicine for burns worked like a charm. It was an expensive medicine but at the same time, it was very effective.

  He was relieved by the result. He was also aware that if Shangguan Ning’s condition hadn’t improved, Jing Yichen was capable of demolishing the entire hospital.

  As for the person who hurt Shangguan Ning, Mu Qing was sure that the person would not die a quick death, because Jing Yichen would make them suffer.

  Mu Qing was aware that on the same day that Shangguan Ning had checked into his hospital, Yang Wenshu had also seen a doctor at another hospital, for burns. Mu Qing had already predicted that no hospital in all of A City would want to be in charge of Yang Wenshu’s treatment. He was proved right.

  Over the last two days, parts of her body that were scalded by hot water, had started to get infected. She was no longer the gentle beauty that she was known to be.

  Shangguan Rouxue was distraught. She kept crying all day. She had expected that Xie Zhuojun would be by her side at this difficult time, but he had some business commitments and needed to meet a few clients over dinner. These clients were about to sign a contract which could prove to be very profitable for Xie Enterprise.

  “Daddy, what are we going to do? No hospital is willing to take Mommy. What will happen to her. She will definitely have to live with……”

  Shangguan Rouxue couldn’t bring herself to finish that sentence with the words – “an ugly face”.

  Yang Wenshu couldn’t bear to look at herself in the mirror. The beauty that she had been so proud of, had vanished. In its place, were a face and body that were scarred beyond belief.

  Chapter 101: The Deputy-Mayor Who Could Bend and Rise at Will

  Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

  Shangguan Zheng was appalled, seeing his wife’s condition.

  By now, he was completely certain that their inability to check into the resort at N City must have been the doing of the man who was with Shangguan Ning. How dare he offend Shangguan Zheng’s family again?

  None of the hospitals at A City were willing to begin treatment for Yang Wenshu’s burns.

  Who on earth was this man? How powerful was he, to have such a hold over all of A City!

  Shangguan Zheng was the Deputy-Mayor of the city, and he still had no idea who this man was.

  He decided to call Shangguan Ning over. Yang Wenshu was like her mother, if not her real mother. She had taken care of Shangguan Ning since Ning was ten years old. But Shangguan Ning was so ungrateful. How could she make her suffer in this way? How did she have the heart to scald her with boiling hot water?

  The man in question was extremely fond of Shangguan Ning. Surely, he’d be more than willing to give in to Ning, if she were to request him to ensure that Yang Wenshu’s treatment was taken care of. The man would see to it that a good hospital treated her burns.

  Any further delay in this regard,would ruin his wife’s face forever. Even if a hospital were to start with her treatment immediately, she would have to live with a scarred face and body, all her life.

  Shangguan Zheng and Shangguan Rouxue tried in vain to call Ning a number of times but she rejected all their calls.

  Shangguan Zheng was so furious that he almost smashed his phone.

  This girl had gotten too big for her boots. How dare she reject his call. Back in the day, she wouldn’t dare to disobey anything he said. She even agreed to live a compromised life by getting engaged with Xie Zhuojun, even though he was in a coma. The same girl, today, didn’t care about her father.

  Shangguan Zheng forced himself to calm down and think rationally. He could do anything to salvage his political career. What he needed to do was to make an unconditional apology to his daughter, so as to win her back. It cost nothing.

  He couldn’t tolerate the loneliness and disappointment that came with loss of power. If he lost the position of Deputy-Mayor, then the same people who hailed him as a hero, would not think twice before treating him like trash.

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  He was aware that once he became the Mayor, it was only the beginning. It would provide him with a chance to even more power and glory. He would not have to answer to anyone in the city and his days of reporting to someone else would be over.

  He was eager to become the Mayor, because only by becoming the Mayor will he get even bigger power and glory.

  He had been the scapegoat for Mayor Ji Minyu too many times. He had had enough.

  Shangguan Zheng got into his car and drove to Compound Landscape, following the directions and address given to him by Shangguan Rouxue.

  The security guard of the Compound stopped him at the gate itself, refusing to let him in.

  The guard rolled his eyes when Shangguan Zheng introduced himself as the deputy mayor of the city.

  He said “Those who live at our compound are high profile individuals. Even if the Mayor were to visit, he would need a permit to enter the compound. If there’s someone who has invited you here, you could ask them to call our property management or to come and fetch you, in person. That should solve the problem.”

  The previous security guard at Landscape Compound had made the mistake of letting Shangguan Ning’s aunt in, the last time, so this one was well aware of the chain of events that followed. Jing Yichen had complained to the property management and had the whole team sacked. No strangers were allowed to enter the premises without a permit. The security guard did not want to risk losing his job.

  Shangguan Zheng was livid. He had no choice but to wait at the gate, like a commoner.

  No one would come and pick him up at the gate if Shangguan Ning refused to answer his calls.

  Luckily, he was fortunate enough to bump into Shangguan Ning soon.

  Shangguan Ning, who was seated on the passenger’s seat of Jing Yichen’s car, had already noticed Shangguan Zheng’s car from a distance.

  In order to show the world that he lived a life well within his means, Shangguan Zheng always made sure to use the black Audi A6, which was given to him by the government, as a perk of his job. The car wasn’t new and had an ordinary number plate. Even then, Shangguan Ning recognized it immediately.

  As their car approached, Shangguan Zheng had already noticed Shangguan Ning, so he stepped out of his car.

  Jing Yichen fumed at the sight of him.

  He had always thought that his own father, Jing Zhongxiu, was not a good father. What he didn’t expect was that Shangguan Ning’s father would turn out to be a hundred times worse than Jing Zhongxiu.

  At least Jing Zhongxiu lived by certain principles. If Jingsheng Enterprise were to go bankrupt the following day, he would never sell out his two sons.

  Shangguan Zheng, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate for a minute before using Shangguan Ning as bait, for the sake of furthering his political ambitions. Not once but twice.

  He had no idea how Shangguan Ning managed to get live her life with such a family, for the past two decades.

  Shangguan Zheng was always used to receiving attention and adulation wherever he went. He simmered with anger, when Shangguan Ning and Jing Yichen looked at him with indifference.

  It didn’t matter how they behaved with him as long as he got what he wanted. He had been in the political circles for too long now and had become thick skinned.

  He went up to Shangguan Ning and smiled amiably, as he said to her. “Ning, I am here to speak with you.”

  Shangguan Ning was surprised to see her father smile. He hardly ever smiled. In fact, ever since her mother passed away, he had never smiled at her. He was always angry or unhappy whenever they met. She was used to him scolding her and siding with Shangguan Rouxue.

  Somehow, she knew that her father was upto no good at the moment.

  Although she hated him for not caring about her enough and for scheming with Jing Yiran to drug her, she was not as ruthless as he was.

  He was, after all, her father. He had given her life and taken care of her for all those years.

  Shangguan Ning opened the door of the car and got off.

  She hadn’t called him “Daddy” for many years now.

  She asked him casually, “What are you doing here?”

  “I……” For a moment, Shangguan Zheng was speechless. He had no idea what to say to his daughter. He found it so strange that he had to make small talk with his own daughter.

  He was still thinking of what to say, when Jing Yichen opened the car door and stepped out.

  There was his chance. He said, “When did you get a boyfriend? Why didn’t you tell the family?”

  Seeing Jing Yichen who come and stood by her side protectively, Shangguan Ning became more confident. She hesitated for a moment and then introduced the two. “This is Jing Yichen, my husband. Yichen, this is my…… father!”

  Standing next to Shangguan Ning, Jing Yichen realised that the red patch on her face hadn’t gone away completely. He said to Shangguan Zheng politely, “How do you do, Deputy-Mayor Shangguan? Your wife threw hot coffee on Ning’s face. She’s still recovering, so I don’t think it’s wise for her to stand here, exposed to the sunlight, for so long. We should be going in now. If there’s anything that you need, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me.”

  Shangguan Zheng heard nothing of what he said. What Shangguan Ning had said was enough to zone out everything else. “What did you say, Ning? Your husband? You are…… married?”

  “Hang on! Wait! What did you say his name was? Jing Yichen? The Jing Yichen. He who is the President of Jingsheng Enterprise?”