C27 One Minute

What's he getting at?

It wasn't just Chen Pingzhi, Zhang Chunlin, and Wu Mingxian who were taken aback; even Tang Yuanshan's own son, Tang Shuang, was left in stunned silence.

What in the world was happening with his father?

Hadn't he always been focused on self-cultivation? Why was he now hurling insults at his lifesaver?

"Elder Freeman, please, take a moment to calm down. You've only just regained consciousness; getting upset isn't good for you," Zhang Chunlin urged with concern.

"Indeed! Elder Freeman might still be disoriented from just waking up. His body probably hasn't fully recuperated, which could explain his reaction. Let's quickly get him to the VIP ward for proper care," Wu Mingxian chimed in supportively.

Unexpectedly, Tang Yuanshan rose to his feet with a dismissive snort. "Do I look like I'm still groggy?"

He appeared robust and vigorous, nothing like someone who had just been gravely ill.

"This..."

Zhang Chunlin and Wu Mingxian exchanged bewildered glances, at a loss for words.

Chen Pingzhi, however, cleared his throat and offered a placating smile. "Elder Freeman, you have an exceptionally strong constitution. That's why you've been able to respond so well to our treatment and are on the road to recovery."

"Treatment?"

Tang Yuanshan gave Chen Pingzhi a frosty look and scoffed, "Then tell me, what exactly did you do after I passed out?"

"Treatment," Chen Pingzhi replied almost reflexively.

"And then what?" pressed Old Master Freeman.

Chen Pingzhi was cornered.

He surely couldn't admit that he hadn't managed to save him, had signed a death certificate, and had him sent off to the morgue, could he?

"If you're at a loss for words, I'll fill in the blanks. I wasn't even dead yet, and you'd already signed the death certificate and had me carted off to the morgue, correct?" Tang Yuanshan interrogated.

Chen Pingzhi was petrified, drenched in sweat, hardly daring to make a sound.

How could the old man remember everything so vividly when he had supposedly passed out?

"What's really going on here?" Tang Shuang's brow furrowed, sensing that something was amiss.

His father, though hot-tempered, had never been one to act without reason.

There had to be more to the story.

"That lifesaver employed an extraordinary acupuncture technique to seal off the blood flow around my heart, safeguarding my brain from injury."

"This guy doesn't have a clue, and yet he repeatedly interfered with my lifesaver's attempts to rescue me."

"After being taken to the hospital, his efforts to save me were merely symbolic. But can you believe it? He declared me dead and even cursed at me before I actually passed away."

"Had it not been for that young man revisiting me in the morgue to administer aid once more, I might have long since perished here."

As Sayeed spoke, he was visibly struggling to contain his emotions, his chest rising and falling with intense agitation.

The more Morio heard, the grimmer his expression became.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Reeve asked Morio, his face etched with icy disdain.

"How are you so certain of the details?" Morio's eyes bulged as he blurted out the question involuntarily.

This is unbelievable!

"Hmph! As soon as that young man injected me, my consciousness returned. Just because I couldn't open my eyes doesn't mean I couldn't hear!" Sayeed huffed with indignation.

Reeve turned to Benjamin and enunciated each word deliberately, "Dean Zhang, this issue is a matter of my father's life and safety. If you fail to provide a satisfactory explanation, the Freeman family will not take this lightly."

Benjamin's legs nearly buckled under the weight of his fear.

The wrath of the Freeman family was not something to be taken lightly.

"Rest assured, I will provide a proper account to you and Old Master Freeman," Benjamin said, offering Reeve a placating smile.

Then, with a furious glare at Morio, he barked, "How did our hospital end up with a disgrace like you? Come to my office and explain today's events in detail."

With that, he stormed off.

Ledford gave Morio a disappointed glance and then shook his head as he walked away.

"Teacher, Dean, please hear me out."

Morio, desperate and dejected, hurried after them.

It was clear that his chances for a professional title upgrade were dashed, and even his job hung in the balance.

Reeve turned to Sayeed, whispering, "Regardless, I'm just relieved you're alright."

"Reeve, I want you to look into this. Whether it's checking surveillance footage or anything else, we need to find this lifesaver so I can thank him personally," Sayeed commanded.

"Yes, Father!" Reeve nodded emphatically.

"Oh, after I woke up, I overheard a girl mentioning his name. It seems his name is Westley," Sayeed added.

5:55 PM.

Just five more minutes, and Olivia Group employees would be clocking out for the day.

Stoddard couldn't stop glancing at his watch, the smile on his face growing increasingly pronounced.

It was rare for anyone in the sales department to see such a stoic man grinning like this.

Naturally, his colleagues found it odd and began to murmur among themselves.

Stoddard ignored the surrounding chatter. Joyous occasions always lifted spirits.

Having assisted Director Rogers with such a significant matter, he was confident that his path to a promotion and pay raise had just gotten a whole lot smoother.

"Just wait until six o'clock hits. If today ends and Westley hasn't completed his task, I'll have the perfect reason to fire him," Stoddard mused, feeling quite smug about his scheme.

But his triumphant smile was short-lived, freezing on his face.

Because Westley had come back.

He looked utterly spent, his clothes drenched in sweat, as if he'd just run a marathon.

"Mr. Wood, I'm not too late, am I?" Westley panted.

"Not at all, you've got three minutes to spare," Stoddard said, his face contorting slightly.

The kid had managed to return just in the nick of time.

"Good!" Westley breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't have a penny to his name and had made the journey back on foot.

It was a good thing he'd had a hearty lunch; otherwise, he might have collapsed from exhaustion halfway here.

"Did you take care of your task?" Stoddard asked, his tone skeptical.

"Absolutely, it was a breeze," Westley replied, leaning back in his chair with an air of nonchalance.

"Oh?"

Stoddard was taken aback.

He pressed on, "If you've retrieved the payment, then where's the money? The company's account hasn't been credited yet."

"Yeah, where is the money?"

Westley stood up, scanning the room, puzzled. "Sienna, where is she? I told her to head back first, didn't I?"

Witnessing this, Stoddard allowed himself a cold smile.

Even now, the guy was still putting on an act.

Everyone knew that the debt incurred by the new city was notoriously tough to reclaim. The boss, Carter, had a reputation as a thug, and none of the previous debt collectors had fared well.

Could Westley, a greenhorn fresh on the job, actually manage to recover the debt?

It seemed clear to him that Westley hadn't retrieved the debt and was merely putting on a show.

"Westley, honesty is important. There's no shame in admitting you didn't get the debt back. However, per our prior arrangement, it looks like you'll need to leave the company," Stoddard stated icily.

"The money is indeed on its way back, but it's with Sienna. I have no idea where she is. Does anyone have her number? Please, give her a call and press her on this," Westley explained.

Yet, no one around him was inclined to lend a hand.

They were all sharp enough to see that Stoddard had set up the rookie for failure, likely with ulterior motives.

So, they discreetly chose to overlook Westley's plea.

"You have one minute left. Once that minute is up, you're out of the company," Stoddard said, his face stern as he watched the seconds tick by on his watch.

​