Rekindled Hearts: The Tycoon’s Reluctant Love
Chapter 537 - Chapter 537: Chapter 535: Realizing there's a Problem with the Smoke

Chapter 537: Chapter 535: Realizing there’s a Problem with the Smoke

Confronted by Yanxi’s suspicious gaze, Xia Yiwan remained unperturbed, “I’m here for an internship, and my position is your secretary. I’ve been formally recruited.”

Yanxi dialed the HR department manager to inquire.

The HR department manager said Xia Yiwan was exceptionally talented, ranking first in both the written and oral tests, a perfect fit for Yanxi’s secretary position criteria.

Yanxi hung up the phone and looked at the woman standing in front of his desk, his eyes falling on her veiled face.

“I don’t need a secretary who doesn’t even dare to show her true face.”

Xia Yiwan lifted her hand and caressed the rose-painted corner of her eye, “President Yan may not know, but I have a scar here. I’ll reveal my face after the corrective surgery.”

Seeing that Yanxi said nothing, Xia Yiwan continued, “Do you need me to remove my makeup so you can see for yourself?”

Yanxi didn’t say anything more; he waved his hand, “Go to work for now!”

The new secretary indeed had a strong work capability; Xia Yiwan completed the tasks Yanxi assigned remarkably well and was very diligent, carrying none of the airs of a prima donna.

While Yanxi observed Xia Yiwan covertly, she was also secretly watching him.

She noticed he had a heavy smoking habit.

Almost every time she brought in documents, he was smoking.

Moreover, the brand of cigarettes he smoked now seemed different from before.

The cigarettes he smoked now were unbranded.

His emaciated appearance, could it be related to smoking?

Taking advantage of Yanxi’s inattentiveness, Xia Yiwan quietly picked up a couple of cigarette butts and placed them in a small, transparent bag.

After work, Xia Yiwan found Ming Yao and handed her the cigarette butts.

Xia Yiwan immediately had Jing Hang take them for testing.

About an hour later, the results were out.

Jing Hang said with a heavy tone, “These are the cigarettes Young Master Yan smoked?”

Xia Yiwan nodded, “Yes.”

“Based on the test results, there are traces of poppy in the cigarettes.”

Ming Yao and Xia Yiwan were both surprised.

Everyone knew what poppy meant.

Simply put, Yanxi had developed an addiction.

“Moreover, this substance can cause one’s memory to deteriorate, slow down their thinking, and if it gets serious, hallucinations may occur.”

“Young Master Yan must have been addicted for several years; a lot of the time, his thoughts may not be under his own control!”

Xia Yiwan’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

She hadn’t expected Shi Ying to harm Yanxi like this.

To make him addicted to such a thing, to control his mind–such a vicious method!

But no matter what, some of Yanxi’s actions were not just the result of addiction; they also included his own behavior.

Jing Hang also said that the substance only took control of his thoughts as he smoked more and more.

When her father and she encountered their misfortunes, he must have been lucid!

“Can he still quit after becoming addicted?”

She would get her revenge when he was sober.

Now that he was in a daze, what would be the point of seeking revenge?

Jing Hang rested his fingers on his chin, deep in thought, “There’s a medicine that can reduce his dependency on nicotine if he takes it. But to quit completely, he must stop smoking entirely, and the process will be excruciatingly painful!”

Xia Yiwan nodded, “Okay, I understand.”

Jing Hang gave the medicine to Xia Yiwan, and Ming Yao told her that by placing one pill in Yanxi’s teacup once a day, it could alleviate his addiction.

After speaking with Ming Yao for a while, Zhou Hengnian called, saying he was there to pick her up.

Ming Yao followed Xia Yiwan downstairs and, upon seeing the man waiting in front of the Maybach, playfully winked at Xia Yiwan.

Zhou Hengnian leaned against the front of the car, tall and statuesque, clad in a black windbreaker with the zipper pulled up to the top, pressing against the sharp lines of his throat, exuding an aura of abstinence.

His hair was cropped short, and his elongated eyebrows and dark eyes gave his face a sharp, mature look which, even when he simply stood there, exuded an air of untouchable sternness.

His demeanor was strikingly impressive.

“Is that Zhou Hengnian?”

Xia Yiwan nodded.

“He’s super handsome.”

An image of the first time she met Zhou Hengnian flashed across Xia Yiwan’s mind.

Back then, he was dressed in rags and had a scruffy beard on his face, making it impossible to discern his true appearance.

Even now, Xia Yiwan had no idea why Zhou Hengnian had pretended to be a beggar, and she knew even less about what he did for work; he was quite mysterious.

Upon seeing Xia Yiwan, Zhou Hengnian strode toward her with his long legs.

Xia Yiwan introduced him to Ming Yao, “Brother Hengnian, this is my best friend, Yaoyao.”

Zhou Hengnian glanced at Ming Yao and nodded, “Wanwan often mentions you to me.”

Ming Yao’s lips curled into a smile, “These past few years, Wanwan has been in your debt for your care.”

“She once helped me, and besides, when I saw the car plunging into the river, I didn’t know it was her.”

In other words, he would have saved anyone he saw in that situation.

Zhou Hengnian possessed a solemn and staunch sense of justice.

This sense of justice made him look even more handsome, and there was a rugged charm to his weathered features.

This type of tough guy was something neither Ming Yao nor Xia Yiwan had ever encountered before.

Truth be told, Zhou Hengnian was very charismatic.

Before getting into the car, Ming Yao whispered to Xia Yiwan, “After you’ve taken your revenge on Yanxi, consider Zhou Hengnian. This kind of man is just too manly!”

Xia Yiwan gave Ming Yao a playful glare, “Yaoyao, what are you talking about?”

Ming Yao just smiled and said no more.

Xia Yiwan, of course, did not take this matter to heart.

Her mind was completely filled with making Yanxi and Shi Ying pay for their actions; she had not given any thought to other matters.

Besides…

For the rest of her life, she would be unable to conceive. No normal man would want a woman like her!

Zhou Hengnian drove the car to the villa he had purchased in the capital.

Ah Cheng was already waiting in the villa’s hall.

Ah Cheng was the bodyguard Zhou Hengnian had arranged to be by her side. After returning to the capital, Xia Yiwan had sent Ah Cheng to track Shi Ying.

“Ah Cheng, have you made any discoveries?”

“She is very cautious; currently, I have not found anything abnormal about her.”

Xia Yiwan nodded thoughtfully, “Keep following her.”

…

Shi Ying found out about Yanxi replacing his secretary because one night, she found a long black hair on his shirt.

Holding his shirt, she stormed into the study and accused him, “Yanxi, why is there a woman’s hair on your shirt?”

She sniffed the shirt and detected a faint scent of perfume.

This scent was one she had smelled on Miss Shang before.

Yanxi was in the middle of a video conference when Shi Ying burst in; he frowned deeply and hastily ended the call.

“Did you do something to betray me?”

When Yanxi saw the long strand of hair in Shi Ying’s hand, his frown deepened.

The hair must have come from Shang Wan.

She had followed him to a gathering that evening, and when he had drunk too much and was a bit unsteady, she had helped him out.