The CEO turned out to be a hidden assassin

On the day of the Winter Solstice, a snowfall blanketed Jiangcheng. In the hospital corridor, Chu Yuxuan, his face etched with exhaustion, paced anxiously. When he saw the doctor emerge from the ward, he hurried over, his voice tinged with desperation: “Doctor, how is my grandmother?” The doctor, a man in his late forties with thinning hair, closed the door and shook his head softly, sighing: “It’s uncertain whether she will make it through the night. I’ve prescribed some painkillers—one injection every three hours—to make her departure as peaceful as possible.” Chu Yuxuan felt a wave of dizziness, his legs weakening. He leaned heavily against the wall, trying to steady himself. After a moment, he removed his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes before mustering the courage to enter the ward. His grandmother, having just received a dose of pain relief, lay peacefully in bed with an oxygen mask. She turned her head slightly, squinting at him with a tender smile: “Yuxuan, where is Xia Zhu?” She likely sensed her time was near and wished to see her granddaughter-in-law one last time. Chu Yuxuan fought back his tears, taking a seat on the stool beside the bed, forcing a smile: “Grandmother, she should be busy filming today.” The elderly woman’s cold hands grasped his, her expression calm: “It’s better if she’s busy… Yuxuan, please call her. I’d like to speak with her. I fear… I might not have the chance to wait for her.” “Why would you say that? You’ll surely live a long life!” Chu Yuxuan squeezed his grandmother’s hand, and seeing her resolute gaze, he reluctantly took out his phone and dialed Xia Zhu. “Hello, the number you have dialed is currently unreachable…” Chu Yuxuan furrowed his brow, turning to his grandmother: “Forget it, she is busy… Are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?” The old woman closed her murky eyes, her pale lips moving faintly: “I would like to have the tomato and egg soup you make.” The tumor hospital was not far from home, just a ten-minute drive. After a moment’s thought, Chu Yuxuan instructed the nurse and hurriedly drove his used Skoda back home. In the underground parking lot, as Chu Yuxuan parked and opened the car door, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Xia Zhu’s figure— Not far away, beside a white Range Rover, Xia Zhu was tightly embracing a man in a suit, tears streaming down her face. Chu Yuxuan’s heart jolted, and he was momentarily frozen in place. He recognized the man—Gao Ning, Xia Zhu’s childhood friend, and her long-lost love. Three years ago, for reasons unknown, Gao Ning had cruelly abandoned Xia Zhu and left for abroad. During that period, Xia Zhu was lost and disoriented, and it was said that women are most susceptible to emotional vulnerability when they are at their weakest. This was how Chu Yuxuan had managed to marry her. Although Chu Yuxuan knew Xia Zhu had someone she could not forget, he had always believed that no stone was too cold to warm. Yet now… Gao Ning gently patted Xia Zhu’s back, comforting her softly: “Xiao Zhu, three years ago, I truly thought my illness was incurable. Going to America was merely a last-ditch effort; I was resigned to dying eventually. That’s why I had to leave you… You don’t know how much it hurt to push away the girl I loved most. I sincerely wished for you to find someone who loved you even more than I could.” Xia Zhu sobbed: “How can you be so selfish? How could you be so foolish! Ning Ge, I’ve thought about you every moment over the past three years! I knew there had to be a reason for your leaving! Wuwu… Please, never leave me again, okay?” Gao Ning caressed Xia Zhu’s cheek, his eyes filled with sorrow: “Silly girl, I will never leave again! I know, deep down, you don’t truly love that Chu fellow, do you?” Xia Zhu hesitated, biting her lip. Before she could respond, her gaze fell upon Chu Yuxuan, who was approaching slowly. “Let her go.” Hearing the cold voice behind him, Gao Ning instinctively released Xia Zhu and turned to see Chu Yuxuan. He was momentarily stunned, and then a smirk of mockery curved his lips as he defiantly wrapped his arm around Xia Zhu’s waist. Xia Zhu stiffened slightly, then, after a moment of hesitation, removed her hand from Gao Ning’s waist and walked a few steps toward Chu Yuxuan. Avoiding eye contact, she twisted her neck and said coolly: “Yuxuan, did you… see everything?” “I’m not blind.” Chu Yuxuan’s expression remained impassive as he paused, then said firmly: “Come with me to the hospital.” Gao Ning stepped forward, scrutinizing Chu Yuxuan’s unsophisticated attire with a smirk: “You must be Chu Yuxuan. I remember you pursued Xia Zhu back in high school. Even then, you were rather uncouth, like a country bumpkin. And now… still the same, I see?” Chu Yuxuan fixed his gaze on Xia Zhu and repeated: “Come with me to the hospital. Grandmother wishes to speak with you.” Xia Zhu frowned, about to speak, when Gao Ning interjected: “Chu Yuxuan, you should know my relationship with Xia Zhu, and you should also know that Xia Zhu has never truly liked you.” As he spoke, Gao Ning produced a stack of checks from his pocket, tearing off one and handing it to Chu Yuxuan with a tone that was both sincere and mocking: “In any case, thank you for taking care of her these past two years. Fill in any amount you wish, as a token of my gratitude.” Chu Yuxuan’s patience snapped, and he shoved Gao Ning aside, shouting: “Am I speaking to you?!” Gao Ning stumbled, his back hitting the Range Rover’s hood. He clutched his chest, his face contorted in pain. Xia Zhu’s eyes widened in shock as she pushed Chu Yuxuan away, agitated: “Chu Yuxuan! What are you doing?! He’s unwell—are you prepared to take responsibility if something happens?!” She hurried to support Gao Ning: “Ning Ge, are you okay?” Gao Ning’s breathing was labored, his lips tightly pressed together as he appeared to endure great pain: “I’m fine… I’m fine…” “Still insisting you’re fine? I’m taking you to the hospital!” Xia Zhu struggled to help Gao Ning into the passenger seat, and as she moved from the front of the car to the driver’s seat, she glared at Chu Yuxuan with irritation: “Get lost! I don’t want to see you!” Chu Yuxuan clenched his fists and said: “Xia Zhu, I’m telling you one last time, come to the hospital. Grandmother’s condition is critical!” The final words were cut off by the car door slamming shut. Watching the Range Rover drive away, Chu Yuxuan adjusted his heavy black-rimmed glasses and took a deep breath. A bitter smile played on his lips as he murmured: “Enough… enough!” In the realm of unrequited devotion, Chu Yuxuan excelled, always foolishly hoping to win a smile from the woman he loved through some form of effort. Though he understood that deep love is not as tangible as mutual affection, one must always have limits. In situations like this, to continue pleading and making a scene in the hopes of gaining her attention would indeed be a form of self-abasement. Reality often unfolds this way—when the prince of one’s dreams appears, the princess can offer nothing more tender than “You’re a good person,” and adhere to the principle of “I know I owe you, but you must stay away,” while soaring off with her prince. ... In the end, his grandmother did not survive until the next day, passing away peacefully at 11:30 p.m. The older generation values returning to one's roots, so Chu Yuxuan hired a hearse and, that very night, transported his grandmother back to her rural hometown. Upon hearing the news, neighbors, aware that the elderly woman had no other family besides her grandson and knowing that Chu Yuxuan, being young, was inexperienced with such matters, came forward to offer their help. After kneeling in the mourning hall throughout the night, Chu Yuxuan, exhausted and disoriented from lack of sleep, was dozing off in the early afternoon when his pocket suddenly vibrated. Pulling out his phone, he saw a message from a contact labeled “Second Brother,” containing four screenshots and a single question: “Make him disappear?” Among the screenshots, two were intimate photos of Xia Zhu and Gao Ning, clearly taken by paparazzi. The other two were comments from netizens: “Is Goddess Xia about to announce a relationship?” “Congratulations! I heard the man is a wealthy second-generation!” “In this day and age, isn’t it common for female celebrities to pursue wealthy heirs? What’s so surprising?” Xia Zhu, being a top-tier celebrity, was naturally followed by paparazzi around the clock. As for why no one questioned her fidelity… it was because her marriage to Chu Yuxuan had been kept secret to avoid affecting her career. It turned out that love, if deep enough, could indeed render career concerns inconsequential. Chu Yuxuan pinched the bridge of his nose and replied to “Second Brother”: “Do nothing.” He then put his phone away. At that moment, someone outside the mourning hall called out: “Grateful son, come out to receive the gift!” Chu Yuxuan quickly performed a bow, and when he stood up, he found the mourner to be a large man in a suit, his imposing bulk exceeding two hundred pounds. The suit’s buttons strained to fasten, and as he knelt, his stomach pressed against his thighs, creating a comical sight. After burning two bundles of joss paper, the large man shuffled over to Chu Yuxuan, his face expressionless. He surreptitiously pulled a mobile phone from his pocket and handed it to Chu Yuxuan, speaking in a low, conspiratorial tone: “Someone wants to speak with you.”