Chapter Forty-Five: Sometimes, I Truly Am a Harbinger of Misfortune

"Who is the patient's family?" The doors to the hospital room finally opened, as everyone had been anxiously waiting.

People immediately crowded forward.

Shangguan Xing was quick to step up, but someone moved even faster.

"How is she?" Huangpu Shenqing's voice was hoarse and full of emotion.

"The patient's forehead is severely injured, but the bleeding has been stopped. However, she may be left with a scar. There are dozens of wounds across her body, some more serious than others, and her abdomen is particularly damaged. Once she regains consciousness, she'll need further examination. The patient has been transferred to an intermediate ward."

"Thank you, doctor," Ouyang Muya said gratefully.

After each of them took turns to see Shangguan Renran, they left; there were too many people for it to be comfortable.

Huangpu Shenqing was the first to enter, and the last to leave. He didn't want to go.

It was Gong Yi who persuaded him, saying, "You shouldn't stay here now. Even though you saved her, her father is still here. Knowing she's safe, you can rest easy. Most importantly, those who hurt her are waiting for you to deal with them, Huangpu. You need to act."

Ye Zuo and Ye Xin stayed behind, and Aunty Zhang and Shangguan Yang soon arrived.

"Ye Zuo, what happened to Renran? How could she get into a car accident out of nowhere?"

Outside the ward, Shangguan Xing questioned Ye Zuo.

"Near noon, we noticed Miss's phone couldn't be reached and suspected something was wrong, so I had someone trace her location. When we arrived, eight people were lying on the ground—they must have been bodyguards. There was also Huangpu Qingyin. She's from the Huangpu family and has had conflicts with Miss before. I believe this wasn't an accident, but deliberate."

"Huangpu Qingyin, the Huangpu family... Well, they really think Shangguan Xing is someone to ignore," he said, clenching his fists tightly. At that time, Shangguan Xing was the only one left of the family, so he gradually withdrew the Shangguan clan from the public eye, unwilling to get involved in the bloody storms of Z Country.

He hadn't expected that this would make them forget the Shangguan family still existed.

"But..."

"But what? Speak plainly."

Ye Zuo adjusted his glasses. "But Shangguan Miaomiao was involved in the incident. When we arrived, Miss wasn't there. Ouyang Mufeng at the scene told us Miss was taken away by Shangguan Miaomiao."

"Shangguan Miaomiao, Shangguan... Butler, Butler?"

"I'm here, sir, has something happened?" Shangguan Yang hurried over.

"Look at the daughter you've raised. Renran's condition is half her doing."

With a thud, the butler knelt.

"Sir, how could this happen? I clearly educated her, she shouldn't dare... How..."

His face was full of remorse. Seeing Miss so weak, he blamed himself for not taking better care of her. Now, the culprit was his own daughter?

He kowtowed. "Sir, if it really is Miaomiao's doing, I'll make sure she atones for it. Whatever the law decides, I won't show mercy."

"What are you doing? Get up."

"Sir, I'll go back first. I'll find out the truth and give you an explanation," the butler said, rising and leaving the hospital.

His staggering figure was laden with disappointment, guilt, and regret—a father's disappointment in his daughter, his own self-blame, and remorse for failing to raise her well.

"Ah, what a sin... Why did she have to do such a thing?"

He asked himself—he'd cared for that child, worried she wouldn't find work, so arranged a place for her in the company, turned a blind eye to her sales department performance. He hadn't expected to be raising a tiger that would turn on them.

——

"Let me out! I'm from the Shangguan family! You have no right to detain me!"

Shangguan Miaomiao pounded frantically on the iron door. She'd been locked in since noon, with no one coming.

She was terrified—afraid what she'd done would be discovered. But Shangguan Renran was truly lucky; just a little more, just a bit, and she would've been tormented to death.

"Hahaha, just a bit more, you would have..." Shangguan Miaomiao was utterly deranged.

Outside the room, "Huangpu, what should we do with her?"

"Let the Shangguan family deal with her. Those two can go," Huangpu Shenqing referred to the two bodyguards.

"And now..." Gong Yi was worried. He hoped Huangpu would deal with that family soon, to prevent more trouble.

But he feared Huangpu would be branded with infamy, which was why they'd stayed their hand for so many years.

"Gong Yi, don't you sometimes think I really am a bringer of disaster?"

Just like when he was a child—called a bastard, a curse, blamed for his grandmother's death, his father dying because of him, and his birth mother abandoning him for another family.

Renran was like this too; this was the second time it had happened because of him.

"Why think that way, Huangpu? Shangguan Renran's situation isn't your fault. It was Huangpu Qingyin's pride."

"But what she wanted was the stock transfer agreement."

"Even without the agreement, she would've done this. Huangpu, this isn't like you."

You shouldn't be so defeated; you should send every one of them to hell.

"What am I then?" Huangpu Shenqing's voice was low. He didn't even know who he was anymore—he couldn't protect anything now.

"Huangpu, Shangguan Renran hasn't woken up yet. Are you just going to give up? Do you want to go through this again? All those years of effort, gone in a single moment."

"I understand. Assign some people to me," Huangpu Shenqing said, turning to leave. What did it matter if he carried infamy now? There was nothing left he couldn't afford to lose.

He would grind that family to dust.