CHAPTER 397: CHAPTER 396

Ma Tianlai took that small jar, didn’t care what it was, and drank it down.

Previously, he could tolerate the pain in his chest and abdomen with some painkillers, and hospital check-ups found no issues. It wasn’t a terminal illness, so although he was worried, he had excuses to comfort himself. But today the stomach pain had him rolling on the ground, painkillers were useless, and he remembered Beisitian saying he wouldn’t live for many years, and fear seized his heart.

Now, his vast legacy was all built by him alone, and he had only recently gained a strong foothold in Hong Kong, not yet enjoying enough of others’ reverence. He was really reluctant to die!

Ma Tianlai drank the contents of the small jar... was it water? Yes, what reached his mouth felt like water, and very soon he felt like a stream was poured into his burning, painfully inflamed stomach, quelling the area bubbling with molten lava.

Ma Tianlai let out a long sigh, lying back on the armchair, no longer caring about his demeanor; now he was drenched, relieved yet seeming utterly exhausted.

Beisitian glanced at Wu Yuekai, seeing that his spirits were relatively unperturbed, and sat aside, waiting for Ma Tianlai to catch his breath.

Ma Tianlai knew he couldn’t be too impolite, and once he had somewhat recovered, he flipped himself upright and solemnly bowed to Beisitian. If not for the small doctor’s medicine today, he feared he might have died from the pain!

Pain also comes in types; before, he had been stabbed and hacked, but he could endure that kind of pain. This pain from inside the body, unseen and intangible, was truly life-threatening.

"Doctor Xiao Bei... I was impolite, Ma Tianlai is grateful to Doctor Bei for forgiving past grievances and saving me!" Ma Tianlai bowed with genuine seriousness.

His attitude was extremely sincere, coupled with eloquence, making Wu Yuekai feel much better inside.

Beisitian accepted his gratitude with peace of mind, nodding, "Mr. Ma, there’s no need for undue courtesy; this can only temporarily relieve your suffering."

Hearing that it was only a temporary relief, Ma Tianlai’s face instantly wrinkled. He was truly scared; this kind of pain could be fatal. It was different from stomach perforation or ulcers; it was as if it was rotting from the inside out. Moreover, it rotted so quickly you could feel it, yet the rotten flesh seemed to have thousands of ants burrowing in and out, which was extremely terrifying.

"Doctor Bei, I was impolite today, I apologize to you. Can you save me? I truly don’t want to experience this pain again; it’s unbearable!" Ma Tianlai said with a pained expression.

He had no pretense, even the deepest scheming couldn’t endure such pain. He now genuinely hoped Beisitian could save him, he would pay any amount!

However, he also kept it in mind that the young doctor was brought by the old headmaster, probably not lacking money, so casually offering money might backfire. Thus, he might as well wait for Beisitian to make a request.

"I can help you, but I also have something I need your help with," Beisitian said.

Ma Tianlai inwardly acknowledged this was coming, quickly nodding, "Doctor Bei, please tell me."

"Are you in a partnership with the Weng Family?" Beisitian asked.

Ma Tianlai was taken aback, Weng Family? He thought for a long time, he had many businesses on the Mainland, and when Beisitian suddenly mentioned the Weng Family, he couldn’t immediately remember which Weng Family it was. After a while, he realized and asked, "The Weng Family from Beijing?"

"Yes."

Ma Tianlai carefully observed Beisitian’s expression and found this young doctor, just in her early twenties, was much more formidable than he had imagined; he couldn’t discern anything from her face.

"There’s cooperation, is there any problem, Doctor Bei?" Ma Tianlai asked.

Beisitian’s lips curled slightly, seemingly with coldness, "Choosing to cooperate with a family like the Weng Family, Mr. Ma should be cautious."

What kind of person was Ma Tianlai? Beisitian’s words were already quite clear to him, and he couldn’t fail to understand; the Weng Family had ultimately offended this Doctor Bei.

He immediately knew what to do, nodding, "Doctor Bei is right; I’ve never really wanted to cooperate with the Weng Family, and had plans to change that during this visit!"

Having mixed in society for so many years, Ma Tianlai wouldn’t have achieved today’s status if he couldn’t handle conversations.

For him, the Weng Family was a somewhat significant partner; otherwise, he wouldn’t have failed to react instantly. But if they really ceased cooperation, he would have to pay penalties due to the contract’s terms.

Of course, he didn’t voice these considerations; other than promptly agreeing to satisfy Beisitian, he had no other options.

Beisitian showcased her skill tonight, making Ma Tianlai realize that this young woman, appearing young, truly had talent. Additionally, his confidence came mostly from the old headmaster, who wouldn’t randomly bring someone to treat his son. During his panic, he hadn’t considered this thoroughly.

Fortunately, this Doctor Bei needed his assistance for something, or it would have been difficult to manage.

Since Beisitian had decided to gather strength, she obviously wanted to first grasp the opponent’s information. So, when Ma Tianlai asked if she could check on his son, Beisitian agreed to visit him the next day.

That evening, Ma Tianlai went back and instructed his secretary to handle matters with the Weng Family. He definitely didn’t want to pay penalties, so he claimed that the Weng Family’s products had quality issues.

The Weng Family had some top-grade items reserved for military supplies, which was why Ma Tianlai chose to cooperate with them; otherwise, he wouldn’t choose them when there were so many listed companies available.

Unfortunately, they had offended someone.

Finding some unqualified products was not difficult, and if they couldn’t be found, they could be created. Moreover, sample testing inherently allows some quality issues, but it generally isn’t used as a point of contention in partnerships.

On one hand, Ma Tianlai relayed his intention to terminate the contract with the Weng Family. On the other, within the military, inquiries arose about the quality issues with Weng’s products, leading to written questioning.

Behind the red lacquered doors, Li Xuejun sighed in front of the old commander. Why did you partake in such matters? You insisted on pressuring the military to trouble the Weng Family.

To Li Xuejun, this matter seemed like a child’s quarrel. With such a powerful figure, the old commander played the role of an adult and really didn’t need to get involved.

Yet the old commander chose to engage, and Li Xuejun didn’t need to think hard to understand why—because of Comrade Xiao Bei!

As long as it wasn’t related to Comrade Xiao Bei, the old commander remained the same commander as before. But whenever it was tangentially related to Comrade Xiao Bei, he transformed into a different person!

"You kid, stop sighing in front of me, go sit somewhere else," Wu Yuekai glared at Li Xuejun. That brat thought he didn’t know what he was thinking; he participated, and nobody could say otherwise!

The old commander was accustomed to being unreasonable, and Li Xuejun wouldn’t bicker with an elderly man. He paced to the side but refused to leave; he had to keep an eye on the old commander to prevent him from drinking tea, as Comrade Xiao Bei had specifically instructed!

In the morning, as Beisitian was checking on Ma Tianlai’s son, a clash between the Weng Family and the Tian Family had already erupted.