Chapter 44: Visiting Grandpa Security  

At Yuncheng Hospital’s VIP ward, the security guard lay in bed, his wife sitting beside him. The tear stains on her face were still visible, showing that she had cried.  

His injuries were severe—multiple fractures all over his body, with two broken ribs. It was clear how ruthless those men had been when they attacked him.  

When Ou Zichen, Zhao Jiaying, and Shen Linghao arrived at the hospital, they saw the security guard covered in bandages, lying motionless on the bed.  

Seeing them enter, the security guard tried to sit up and greet them, but the movement pulled at his wounds, causing his face to contort in pain.  

Ou Zichen immediately stopped him.  

“Grandpa Security, just lie down. You don’t have to get up!”  

When the security guard saw Zhao Jiaying return safely, he let out a breath of relief. However, he still felt guilty for not being able to protect her and allowing her to be taken. He hurriedly apologized to Ou Zichen.  

“President Ou, this was my fault. I failed to protect Yingbao and let the bad men take her!”  

“This wasn’t your fault. Given the circumstances, you did everything you could. That you got hurt in the process—it’s us who should be apologizing to you. At the same time, we also want to thank you. Thank you for trying so hard to protect Yingbao!”  

Although Zhao Jiaying had ultimately been taken, the security guard had done his best to defend her. That was something no one could deny.  

Zhao Jiaying looked at the bandages covering the security guard’s wounds. She walked to his bedside, took his hand, and said sorrowfully: “Grandpa Security, does it hurt a lot? It’s all Yingbao’s fault. Yingbao made you get hurt!”  

“No, this isn’t Yingbao’s fault. And it doesn’t hurt. As long as Yingbao came back safe and sound, Grandpa doesn’t feel any pain at all…”  

Hearing those words, the security guard’s wife couldn’t stop the tears from falling again. She knew that her husband had been in unbearable pain since yesterday, unable to sleep because of it. Yet now, just to comfort Zhao Jiaying, he was holding back his suffering and saying it didn’t hurt.

Zhao Jiaying knew that Grandpa Security was lying to her. Just from the look on his face, she could tell he was in pain—he was only saying that to make her feel better. Unable to hold back her emotions, her tears began to fall uncontrollably.  

“Grandpa… Wuwu…”  

“Yingbao, don’t cry. Grandpa is really fine, really. Don’t worry!”  

Ou Zichen started to regret bringing Zhao Jiaying here. Not only had it reminded her of the painful incident, but it had also stirred up Grandpa Security’s emotions, making him agitated. This was not good for his recovery at all.  

He needed to take Zhao Jiaying away as soon as possible before she affected Grandpa Security’s rest.  

“Alright, Yingbao, we should go now. Grandpa is in the hospital, and the doctors and nurses will take good care of him. He’ll recover very soon!”  

Zhao Jiaying looked up at Ou Zichen with wide eyes, tears still pooling in them. She asked: “Really? Grandpa will get better soon?”  

“Of course it’s true! If you don’t believe me, ask Brother Linghao!”  

She quickly turned to Shen Linghao, looking at him with the same tear-filled eyes, and asked: “Brother Linghao, is Daddy telling the truth?”  

Seeing her so heartbroken, Shen Linghao felt a pang of sorrow. He reached out and gently wiped away her tears, comforting her.  

“Mm, it’s true. As long as Yingbao stays happy, Grandpa will get better very soon. So don’t cry anymore. If you’re sad, Grandpa will be sad too, and that won’t help him recover.”  

Hearing this, Zhao Jiaying immediately wiped her tears away. If her sadness would slow Grandpa Security’s recovery, then she wouldn’t cry! She quickly put on a smile and said to him: “Grandpa, Yingbao won’t cry or be sad anymore. So you have to get better quickly, okay?”  

“Alright, Grandpa will recover very soon.”  

Not wanting to disturb his rest any further, Zhao Jiaying followed Ou Zichen out of the hospital room.  

The hospital expenses for Grandpa Security were fully covered by Ou Zichen.  

In addition, he instructed the company’s finance department to transfer three million yuan directly into Grandpa Security’s bank account.  

His injuries were severe, and even after being discharged, he would need a long period of recovery. Since he had gotten hurt protecting Zhao Jiaying, it was Ou Zichen’s responsibility to ensure he would be taken care of in the future.  

As they stepped out of the hospital entrance, Zhao Jiaying looked up at Ou Zichen and asked: “Daddy, are you coming back with us?”  

“Daddy won’t be going back just yet. I have to handle some things at the company. You and Brother Linghao go back first, and you have to listen to him, alright?”  

Zhao Jiaying obediently nodded.  

Ou Zichen then turned to Shen Linghao. “Linghao, do you need me to send two bodyguards with you?”  

“No need, Uncle Ou. Shen Yi is with us, and that’s enough!”

Ou Zichen was well aware of Shen Yi’s skills. Against ordinary people, even a dozen or twenty would not be his match. With him protecting Shen Linghao and Zhao Jiaying, there was nothing to worry about.  

“Alright, then let’s go!”  

Inside a dilapidated house in an urban village in the western part of the city—  

Brother Qiang and one of his subordinates were sitting at a folding table, drinking. The more they drank, the angrier they became, until Brother Qiang smashed the bottle in frustration.  

With a loud “crash.” the bottle shattered on the ground.  

“That wretched woman, Yang Xiaoyun! This time, she really screwed me over!”  

The kidnapping of Zhao Jiaying had made him the police’s most wanted criminal. Not only that, but people from the underworld were also after him. Ou Zilong had even put up a ten-million-dollar bounty to capture him.  

Ten million was no small sum. Because of it, many in the criminal world were searching for Brother Qiang.  

The only reason Brother Qiang still had a place to stay was thanks to a man called Rat. Brother Qiang had once saved his life, and Rat was a man who valued loyalty and righteousness. That was the only reason he risked his own life to help Brother Qiang.  

If it had been anyone else, they would have sold him out to Ou Zilong for the reward. Wouldn’t ten million be more than enough to live a carefree life?  

Although Brother Qiang had made five million from this job, he regretted it deeply. With the way things were going, he feared he would not live long enough to spend the money.  

It was all his fault for being careless. He had failed to investigate Zhao Jiaying’s identity before taking the job. If he had known that Zhao Jiaying was Ou Zichen’s daughter, he wouldn’t have accepted the job even for a hundred million.  

He knew exactly what kind of person Ou Zichen was. Besides being the heir to Ou Corporation, he had an even more formidable identity—  

He was a major general in the South China Military. Though he was no longer active in the military, his distinguished service had earned him special recognition from the central government, which had retained his military status. With just a word from him, he could mobilize the South China Military’s forces at any time.  

In Bincheng, everyone knew never to cross Ou Zichen or anyone from the Ou family. Just his status as the heir to Ou Corporation was enough to destroy anyone who offended him, not to mention the military power behind him.  

Now that Brother Qiang knew Zhao Jiaying’s identity, regret was useless. His only option was to find a way to escape Bincheng—only then would he have a chance to survive.  

Meanwhile, Zhao Jiaying and Shen Linghao returned to the Ou family residence.  

Shen Linghao began tutoring Zhao Jiaying in third- and fourth-grade subjects. Since she had only completed second grade, jumping straight to fifth grade made it difficult for her to understand many things. He used this time to help her catch up.  

Fortunately, Zhao Jiaying was incredibly intelligent. She had a strong ability to comprehend and an exceptional memory. Many times, he only needed to explain something once, and she would understand and remember it.  

Because of this, Shen Linghao didn’t find teaching her difficult. Instead, he felt a sense of pride—he hadn’t expected his future wife to be such an extraordinary person.