Shang Jingchen handed her a tissue, wanting to help her wipe away the sweat, but only saw the girl reach out, give a casual swipe, and wipe it off herself.
His hand holding the tissue froze in mid-air, unsure whether to extend it further or pull it back.
Ye Zhixing met his gaze.
She took the tissue from him of her own accord and slipped it into her bag with a very natural motion.
Then she answered his question: "I have already returned her soul. If all goes well, she will wake up by noon tomorrow."
"But she cannot stay here anymore."
"I broke the formation, and the person who set it will suffer the backlash. Locking away the soul of a living person is a forbidden technique to begin with."
"I added a talisman to delay the backlash, giving him an eight-hour grace period before it hits."
Shang Jingchen nodded, understanding what Ye Zhixing meant.
He took out his backup phone and called Assistant Zheng.
"President Shang, did you need something?" Assistant Zheng asked, sounding a bit surprised. Hadn't he just returned from the boss's home?
"Investigate right now. Check every staff member who has had contact with the sanatorium or managed Nuannuan's ward over the past eight years. Don't even let the cleaners slide."
"Contact their director, round everyone up immediately, and herd them into one place," Shang Jingchen ordered in a low voice carrying a hint of fury.
"Right now?" Assistant Zheng asked, taken aback and wanting to make sure he heard correctly.
"Is there a problem?"
"No problem at all! I'm on it right away!" Assistant Zheng answered immediately.
After ending the call, Shang Jingchen looked at Ye Zhixing and said, "I'm taking her home now."
"Then do it as quickly as possible. The Yin Energy here is very heavy at night, which is bad for both of you." Ye Zhixing did not refuse.
Shang Jingchen himself possessed a constitution that easily attracted that sort of evil spirit.
"Alright. Could you please help me get her onto my back? I'll carry her down."
Ye Zhixing complied.
As they stepped out of the sanatorium, the security guard at the entrance suddenly woke up.
Seeing Shang Jingchen carrying someone out on his back, he immediately stepped forward to question them.
Recognizing Shang Jingchen, the guard turned pale with fright in an instant: "Pr—President Shang, what are you—?"
"Get lost. I don't need to explain myself to you." His cold voice was practically freezing enough to kill.
Moreover, Shang Jingchen's complexion was exceptionally pale right then, and an icy aura radiated from his entire body. His presence was so overpowering and intimidating that the guard swallowed hard, not daring to step out of line.
He could only obediently step aside.
Once they had walked past, the guard immediately pulled out his phone, intending to call the director. But who would have expected Ye Zhixing—who had clearly already walked out—to turn back, slap a slumber talisman on him, and cause his phone to slip right out of his hand?
He walked back toward the duty room in a daze, half-asleep.
That talisman would keep him asleep until tomorrow, lasting the full eight-hour duration.
That way, he had no way of tipping anyone off.
And just like that, Shang Jingchen and Ye Zhixing brought the still-unconscious Shang Nuannuan back home.
Once they arrived, Shang Jingchen still couldn't set his mind at ease.
He worried that his own villa might have been tampered with as well.
So he had no choice but to ask Ye Zhixing: "Ye Zhixing, can Nuannuan sleep in her own room?"
"Is there any problem with this villa?"
Tonight, he had witnessed Ye Zhixing's true abilities, and now he harbored a blind trust in her.
"She can sleep in her room."
"There is no problem with this villa. On the contrary, the Feng Shui is quite good. Someone must have hired a Feng Shui master to look over it beforehand."
Ye Zhixing answered his questions one by one.
Only then did Shang Jingchen relax slightly. She was right.
A Feng Shui master had indeed been invited to inspect the place back then, but considering that even Nuannuan's side had been tampered with, he didn't understand these matters of Feng Shui and metaphysics and had no idea if anyone had tried to harm him in the past.
Since she now said there was no issue, then there was nothing to worry about.
After putting Shang Nuannuan back in her original room, Ye Zhixing applied two more soul-calming talismans to her.
By the time everything was finished, it was already three o'clock in the morning.
"Alright, get some rest for tonight. You really need it," Ye Zhixing instructed.
Shang Jingchen's health was already very poor, and tonight he had pushed his limits several times over.
"I have one more question." Shang Jingchen still couldn't sleep; there was something he had to clear up.
"Ask."
"How did I end up on the verge of death this time?" There had been too much going on, leaving him no time to ask.
His health had been terrible before, but it had never felt like he was about to die on the spot.
If Ye Zhixing hadn't arrived in the nick of time tonight, he probably would have been dead.
"The curse on you was triggered, aided by your Extreme Yin Life Fate. Today was the final limit of the curse," Ye Zhixing answered calmly.
Upon hearing this, Shang Jingchen couldn't help a shock running through him. He had actually been cursed as well?
"How long does the curse last?"
"Eighty-nine days."
Shang Jingchen's eyes narrowed slightly, exuding a dangerous aura. He was determined to hunt down the person who had cast this curse, and he would never let them off!
"Has the curse on me been lifted?"
"Not yet. We need to find the person who cast the curse, along with the talisman or doll."
"Alright, I understand. Go get some rest." Shang Jingchen had a rough idea of the situation now.
Once day broke, he still had a lot of things to do.
Eight o'clock in the morning. The Shang Group headquarters building.
A crowd of reporters was staking out the entrance, eager to pounce.
The Shang Group had announced that they would be releasing a major piece of news today.
They had invited over a hundred media outlets and reporters to hold a press conference.
Those who hadn't received an invitation could only stake out the perimeter.
The company's multimedia hall.
This was the venue where the group held dedicated press conferences.
By now, every seat was taken. Rows of cameras and microphones were aimed squarely at the stage.
On the stage, Elder Shang the Group Chairman, Second Uncle Shang Dajiang, Third Uncle Shang Daming, and stepmother Yin Xiu were already present.
The Elder's expression was grim and he remained silent, a hint of anger mixed between his brows.
Stepmother Yin Xiu's eyes were red and swollen, as if she had cried her heart out.
Managing the proceedings at the moment was Second Uncle Shang Dajiang.
"Friends from the media, we invited you all here today to announce with heavy hearts: President Shang Jingchen of the Shang Group, who is also my eldest nephew, unfortunately passed away yesterday due to a sudden, severe illness."
"Today, our entire family is gathered here to personally issue this obituary."
As soon as those words fell, an uproar erupted through the entire hall.
This was undoubtedly the biggest piece of news in the Capital in recent years.
Even though rumors had been circulating in the industry for a long time that Shang Jingchen had poor health and wouldn't live past thirty—
He was already twenty-eight now.
Those rumors had floated around for so long, and he had continuously handled the group's affairs through it all, leaving the outside world unable to tell how much was true and how much was false.
Yet now, they were suddenly announcing his death.
It was simply too sudden, too shocking.
"Jingchen has always been in poor health, yet he poured so much into the group over the years. He is our close kin, and now that he has gone, we are all grief-stricken."
"However, the Shang Group is vast, with tens of thousands of employees. We cannot remain submerged in sorrow forever. There must be someone to take charge of the group."
Shang Dajiang wore a look of profound grief, his voice choking up several times as he spoke.
The reporters off stage suddenly understood.
So aside from issuing the obituary, the more important purpose was to announce the group's heir.
No wonder even the long-absent Elder had come out.
Yin Xiu sat nearby, holding a handkerchief and seemingly wiping away tears. But in truth, the corners of her mouth curved upward in a bizarre smile.
"Through discussions between us members of the Shang family and the Board of Directors, it has been decided that the Shang Group will henceforth be managed by—"
Bang!
Before Shang Dajiang could finish speaking, the door of the multimedia hall was kicked open.
The deafening crash instantly silenced the entire scene.
Every gaze and camera lens in the room whipped around in unison.
When they saw who had arrived, everyone present couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath of air—