Legendary Captain

Chapter 158 Xu Xian! The Future Owner of the Group?

"Dad, why are you dragging me along when we're going to talk to Uncle Xu?" Wen Jingshu said to Wen Mingyuan with great dissatisfaction. The two sat in the back of the car, their destination being the First People's Hospital of Dianyun City.

Wen Mingyuan was also feeling uneasy: "How am I supposed to know what he's up to?"

"Ahem." Wen Jingshu cleared her throat, and seeing that Wen Mingyuan's expression was alright, she carefully chose her words: "Dad, don't fight with Uncle Xu later!"

Wen Mingyuan patted his beer belly and, after a long pause, managed to utter, "I'll try my best."

Perhaps to change the subject, Wen Mingyuan casually changed the subject: "I heard that Xu Qing and Han Qi are also at this airline exchange meeting. You should treat them well."

"That's natural." This goes without saying; Wen Mingyuan didn't even need to remind him.

Wen Jingshu: "Even Editor-in-Chief Ye from Tianyan Magazine will be coming to conduct an interview in person."

"We're being treated at the same level?" Wen Mingyuan said with a sigh, "I'm not even asking for a special issue of Tianyan, just an annual interview would be enough to make our group proud."

Tianyan Magazine is a quarterly publication. In its history, it has only been supplemented twice, once for Xu Qing and once for Han Qi. This is considered the highest honor for the entire civil aviation industry in China.

Tianyan Magazine features a cover figure each quarterly. The year-end issue features a Person of the Year.

Chimelong Airlines and Star Airlines are both reputable companies, yet they haven't produced a single Person of the Year, and even their quarterly cover stars are few and far between. Considering the size of Chimelong Airlines and Star Airlines, this performance is undoubtedly unacceptable.

Wen Mingyuan had no illusions about Tianyan Magazine ever sponsoring a supplement for Chimelong Airlines or Star Airlines. If Tianyan Magazine were to actually do so, it would undoubtedly signify the rise of a third giant.

Whether it's Xu Qing or Han Qi, they were figures born from the sacrifice of countless lives. Can their legends continue? Wen Mingyuan was not optimistic about this.

It is already extremely rare for two phenomenal figures to emerge in the last twenty years, but to have a third one appear seamlessly in the next is wishful thinking.

Therefore, Tianyan Magazine is unlikely to have any more supplements in the near future.

The benefits of the supplement are out of the question, but I still need to try and get an interview as Person of the Year. If someone becomes Person of the Year, it will bring him, Wen Mingyuan, some prestige. But neither of the two airlines under his control is doing well.

Wen Jingshu smiled and said, "You're still worrying about this?"

"What you can't have always seems more alluring!" Wen Mingyuan smiled.

The father and daughter went straight to Xu Jingyang's ward at the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province. As soon as they opened the door, they found that only Xu Xian and his son Xu Jingyang were in the ward.

Wen Mingyuan looked around and, not finding Huang Ying, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had learned that Huang Ying had been taking care of Xu Jingyang recently, and had been a little worried. Now it seemed that he was quite lucky to have come at such a good time.

Xu Jingyang's wife is truly someone to be avoided; she has an extremely close relationship with Mei Tingting, and he absolutely doesn't want to cross her. Furthermore, Huang Ying has always seemed to dislike him. If Huang Ying were present and incited Xu Jingyang to oppose him, there would be no way to reason with her.

When Wen Mingyuan and Wen Jingshu came in, Xu Xian slumped onto the sofa, lazily munching on an apple while watching TV, appearing extremely relaxed. The variety show on TV was quite funny, making Xu Xian laugh rather unrestrainedly. Anyway, with his father there, why should he worry about his image?

As he was eating half of his apple, the hospital room door suddenly opened, and a rather imposing middle-aged man entered first, causing Xu Xian's eyes to widen in surprise. Then, a pretty woman followed in, her bright eyes immediately locking onto Xu Xian.

Xu Xian was startled by Wen Jingshu's arrival, and some of the apple he was eating even jumped out of his nostrils: "You guys didn't even tell me you were coming?"

Xu Xian quickly covered his mouth and nose, and with his other hand reached for a tissue, saying, "Why are you here?"

Xu Xian didn't specify who he was asking, but Wen Jingshu answered naturally, "I came to see you!"

"Trying to scare me!" Xu Xian rolled his eyes, coughed twice, and coughed up some apple crumbs. Wiping his mouth, nose, and tears, he stood up: "Speak properly, what are you here for?"

Suddenly, Xu Xian glanced at his father, then at Wen Jingshu, and a terrifying thought crossed his mind: "You're not here to ask for hospital fees, are you? Let me tell you, I have no money, and I have no life either!"

Xu Jingyang has been eating, drinking, and recuperating for free at the hospital all this time, all thanks to Wen Jingshu who paid a large sum of money on his behalf. If they were to have to pay it back, it would be tantamount to taking their lives.

Wen Mingyuan was taken aback by Xu Xian's shameless demeanor, which seemed to value neither money nor life. Looking at Xu Xian's handsome appearance, he sighed softly, "Xu Jingyang, did you trade your son's good looks for his brains?"

"Shameless old scoundrel, shut up!" Xu Jingyang bristled like a cat with its fur standing on end when Wen Mingyuan mentioned his son's appearance. "My son's good looks are obviously inherited from his father. Is there any doubt about that?"

It must be said that Xu Jingyang was quite handsome. Especially when he was young, he had a refined, scholarly air about him. Of course, time is a cruel mistress, and it has taken its toll on Xu Jingyang's appearance.

Wen Mingyuan curled his lip: "Your brains are probably inherited from you! That explains it!"

Xu Jingyang glared angrily: "Old man Wen, I'm warning you! You can insult our character, but you can't insult our intelligence! If you keep barking like that, we can forget about anything else!"

Xu Xian, sweating profusely, whispered, "It's your business if you want to insult my character, but don't drag me into it!"

"Like father, like son! At this time, if you don't stand with your father, you're not worthy of being a son!" Xu Jingyang shouted, appearing so righteous and awe-inspiring.

Xu Xian was speechless: "Don't drag my character into it! That's mine!"

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? We're father and son! In this critical moment, can't I borrow your personality for a bit?" Xu Jingyang pleaded.

Xu Xian's lips twitched: "No!"

"You two shut up!" Seeing Xu Xian and Xu Jingyang's incessant verbal sparring, Wen Mingyuan was exasperated. He waved his hand, "Jing Shu, you and Xu Xian go outside first. We have something to discuss."

Wen Jingshu was quite worried. Her father and Xu Jingyang had started arguing as soon as they met. What if they went outside and exchanged a few more words, and the tension escalated to the point of breaking down into a fight?

"Dad, no matter what, don't lay a hand on him!" Wen Jingshu instructed again.

Xu Xian heard Wen Jingzhu's voice. His eyes lit up, and he clicked his tongue: "A fight?"

Then, he raised his eyelids and instructed Xu Jingyang, "There's a small stool under the bed on the left. It's very handy to grab and use it to beat someone up! If a fight breaks out, make good use of it!"

Xu Jingyang was taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Look at your former father-in-law, all flabby and overweight, what can he do to me?"

Veins bulged on Wen Mingyuan's forehead. He glanced at the area under the bed, wondering if he should seize the tools first if a fight broke out.

Xu Xian said disdainfully, "You're so thin and weak, you get out of breath after running just a few steps, yet you have the nerve to criticize others."

Xu Jingyang was originally the frail, scholarly type. After becoming wealthy, he gained a little weight, but after going bankrupt in recent years, he was exhausted and lost all the weight he had gained over the years, returning to his former skinny frame. In addition, Xu Jingyang has a heart condition and cannot exert himself with great effort.

Xu Jingyang had planned everything meticulously, but he never expected to be humiliated by his own son. He was instantly enraged: "Get out of here right now!"

Xu Xian left the ward with a grumble, and Wen Jingshu followed him out very obediently.

The two sat on the bench outside. After a short silence, Wen Jingshu spoke first: "Thank you. Otherwise, they would have remained at odds for a while longer."

Although she didn't understand the specific reason, Wen Jingshu could tell that Xu Jingyang and her father were extremely at odds. Xu Xian's joking remarks just now prevented the atmosphere from becoming too cold and facilitated communication between the two.

"Thank me?" Xu Xian sneered. "I heard you went to Star Travel Airlines as president?"

"Hmm? Hmm?" Wen Jingshu, seeing that she could no longer hide it, readily admitted it.

Xu Xian snorted: "So, the harassment I received when I joined the company was at your behest?"

Xu Xian had always found it strange that he, an unknown nobody, had been targeted with so many traps so soon after joining the company; it was simply outrageous. But if there was a former fiancée, the president, above him, then it would make sense.

Before, when Wen Jingshu didn't see Xu Xian, she was incredibly ruthless and manipulative! But now that she sees a chance to reconcile, her attitude has completely changed. Under Xu Xian's stern questioning, she managed a barely audible whisper: "I'm sorry! Don't be angry!"

"Damn, you think you can just brush this off with a casual 'sorry'? There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Xu Xian said, clearly displeased.

Wen Jingshu's eyes suddenly curved into crescent moons: "Then what do you want to do?"

Xu Xian and Wen Jingshu were standing very close, breathing in the slightly warm air. His gaze shifted downwards, landing on Wen Jingshu's rosy lips. He seemed to be thinking of something else, his breathing quickened slightly, he licked his dry lips, then looked away, remaining silent.

Wen Jingshu sensed Xu Xian's change, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. Seeing that Xu Xian was deliberately enduring, she bit her lip and remained silent.

The two people were like familiar strangers, and an eerie atmosphere was spreading around them.

After a short while, Xu Xian finally calmed down and asked, "Is it about Chen Qi?"

"Mm," Wen Jingshu replied softly, without saying anything more.

"Looks like there really are problems within your group! Chen Qi has called me six or seven times in the last few days, he seems quite anxious!" Xu Xian laughed. "When my family suffered a major upheaval back then, I don't think it was just bad luck. I've found evidence that someone was plotting against my family. Although it's all about the victor and the vanquished, a person should always fight for their honor, shouldn't they?"

When Xu Xian spoke, he looked directly at Wen Jingshu, and Wen Jingshu seemed to avoid his gaze.

Both men are intelligent, and the tense relationship between Xu Jingyang and Wen Mingyuan undoubtedly speaks volumes. Before this, while Xu Jingyang and Wen Mingyuan weren't exactly close, they maintained a fairly good relationship on the surface because they had almost become in-laws. Even though the Xu family's misfortunes caused them to drift apart, their current state, resembling a bitter feud, is truly excessive.

Unless both of them have gone mad, there must be another reason. As for what that reason might be, that's something to ponder!

In the ward, Wen Mingyuan plopped down on the sofa, waiting for Xu Jingyang to speak first.

Xu Jingyang didn't mince words either: "What goes around comes around! The words of our ancestors are truly profound! Isn't that right, Chairman Wen?"

His smugness was practically written all over his face.

Wen Mingyuan heard this through gritted teeth, yet he couldn't refute it. Now that he was at their mercy, what other choice did he have but to accept it?

"I'm not here to listen to your nonsense. Just tell me, how can I get Xu Xian to step in and help?" Wen Mingyuan really didn't want to spend another minute with Xu Jingyang. In front of the arrogant Xu Jingyang, he felt an unprecedented sense of frustration.

Xu Jingyang raised an eyebrow; he had already thought this through. Almost without pausing, he said, "I'm telling you, you're getting on in years, why are you still worrying about your business? Why not let someone take over? I think Jing Shu is a good girl, why don't we hand the business over to her?"

Wen Mingyuan had never imagined that Xu Jingyang wanted him to abdicate early. He was even prepared for the possibility that Xu Jingyang had only sent him there to make fun of him.

However, things seem to be developing in a way that is not quite right.

Xu Jingyang continued, "The children are all grown up now. It was my mistake to break up two of their marriages back then, and now I want to correct it."

Wen Mingyuan grew increasingly alarmed as he listened, and interrupted, "Jing Shu will never be used as a bargaining chip. Forget about it!"

"I didn't say I was forcing your daughter!" Xu Jingyang shrugged. "As long as you promise not to interfere between the two children, everything is negotiable."

"Two conditions! Your position will be taken over by your daughter, and you will not prevent the two children from interacting. Of course, you will not prevent them from being together, nor will you force them to be together; it's all up to them," Xu Jingyang said.

Wen Mingyuan was thunderstruck. If it were before, he might have agreed, but seeing that his daughter still had feelings for Xu Xian, he really had no confidence.

Actually, he wouldn't have much of an objection if it were just handing the family business over to Wen Jingshu; it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. He couldn't rely on his own son, so he had to rely on his daughter, right?

But if a second condition is added, the nature of the matter changes.

He did have plans to deal with Xu Xian properly after he had sorted out the internal strife within the group, but if he agreed now, could he really let Xu Xian and his daughter develop freely?

Seeing how infatuated his daughter was with Xu Xian, he absolutely dared not gamble.

"What? You don't want to?" Seeing Wen Mingyuan's hesitation, Xu Jingyang added fuel to the fire: "Then forget it! These past few days, that Chen Qi has called Xu Xian a lot, he's probably impatient! Xu Xian hasn't replied yet, do you think we should call him back later?"

Wen Mingyuan jumped up in a rage: "You dare threaten me?"

"I'm just stating the facts!" Xu Jingyang remained unmoved: "If we lose Shenggong Construction and Chimelong Airlines, you won't be able to hold your position on the group's board of directors. At that point, you'll probably be left all alone."

Aside from Renxin Hospital, which remains the core business built up by the Wen family for generations and is completely stable, the entire Wen Group's assets cannot be considered rock-solid. If both of these pillars fall into enemy hands, the remaining affiliated assets will likely also be lost. If that happens, the Wen family will probably only have Renxin Hospital left.

Then the Wen family's decades of hard work will be destroyed in an instant.

Wen Mingyuan was so angry he was practically fuming, but he couldn't retaliate.

After weighing the options for a long time, he finally compromised: "I accept your proposal."

Wen Mingyuan had no other choice.

Xu Jingyang shook his head: "I don't believe your promise."

Wen Mingyuan gritted his teeth: "I can sign the agreement with you."

"No, no, no, for someone like you, an agreement won't bind you," Xu Jingyang laughed.

"So what do you want?"

Suddenly, Xu Jingyang shouted, "Jing Shu, come in here for a moment!"

A few seconds later, Wen Jingshu, looking puzzled, opened the door and entered, while Xu Xian peeked inside to see if his father had been beaten.

Upon seeing Wen Jingshu enter, Xu Jingyang smiled and said to Wen Mingyuan, "Since Jingshu is here, repeat the agreement you just made, in front of your daughter."

Wen Mingyuan's eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted. Xu Jingyang had perfectly grasped his Achilles' heel. Whether it was a verbal promise or a written agreement, Wen Mingyuan would do everything he could to break it when faced with personal gain.

He was a cunning businessman, but even more so, a father who valued his children more than himself. If he were to state his promise to Xu Jingyang in front of Wen Jingshu today, as a father, he would absolutely not break it. Because he couldn't accept being seen as a man who broke his promises in his children's eyes.

It's ultimately unreliable to bind someone with external force; the most secure way is to make them willingly accept the binding.

"Xu Jingyang!" Wen Mingyuan roared, his voice filled with boundless rage. Xu Jingyang had truly led him down a dead end.

Xu Jingyang grinned, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "I'm a coward. If you keep yelling like that, I might just slap you across the face!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Mingyuan suppressed his anger and forced himself to swallow it back. If Xu Jingyang revealed what he had done before, Wen Jingshu might hate him, which was something he could not accept.

Wen Jingshu looked on, somewhat bewildered. But just then, Wen Mingyuan took a deep breath, as if he had made a huge decision: "Jingshu! Didn't I tell you before? Your brother doesn't want to inherit the family business. After we go back this time, I will transfer all my group shares to you, and you will take over the group from now on."

Wen Jingshu was quite taken aback by this sudden news: "Dad, what are you talking about? Such a big thing, and you're just saying it here? Where's my brother? You're not going to worry about him? And how am I supposed to manage the company?"

A series of questions made Wen Mingyuan's heart clench. He was about to comfort his youngest daughter when Xu Jingyang preemptively said, "It's alright, it's alright! Once you and Xu Xian are married, Xu Xian will help you out. Don't let his seemingly simple nature fool you, he's quick-witted!"

"What?!" Xu Xian jumped out abruptly. "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Wen Jingshu was also confused by the speed at which the topic changed.

Xu Jingyang laughed heartily: "Son, don't be angry. Your father is choosing a wife for you! There was some misunderstanding between our two families before, and we canceled your engagement with Jing Shu. Mingyuan and I regretted it deeply! Today, after discussing it, we thought we could try to reunite you two and see if we could continue your relationship."

After listening to Xu Jingyang's rambling nonsense, Wen Mingyuan almost suffered a stroke on the spot.

The fact that both sets of parents were discussing their children's marriage caused Wen Jingshu to panic. Looking at Wen Mingyuan with disbelief and a hint of expectation, she asked, "Dad, is it true?"

Receiving his daughter's hopeful gaze, Wen Mingyuan felt an urge to chop Xu Jingyang to pieces, but given the circumstances, he could only tearfully agree, "Yes! If you like this little rascal, then do as you please. I won't interfere. Is that alright?"

"I'm not right!" Xu Xian burst in, spreading his hands. "What were you all thinking about? Me and her? Wasn't it some kind of financial deal?"

Xu Xian always felt that his father was planning to use the Chen Qi incident to extort money from Wen Mingyuan. What could he possibly extort? Money or something else entirely.

However, things seem to be different from what Xu Xian expected! And they've deviated quite a bit.

Xu Jingyang shook his finger: "No, no, no, this is also part of the deal!"

Xu Xian nearly vomited blood: "So you've sold me out!"

"What do you know!" Xu Jingyang grabbed Xu Xian and said inwardly, "I'm here to provide you with support for the rest of your life."

Xu Xian's eyelids drooped: "Anyway, he can't escape the path of living off a woman!"

Seeing that his son seemed to strongly oppose his painstaking efforts, Xu Jingyang exclaimed, "This child is beyond redemption!"

"You've got a beautiful wife, you'll never have to worry about food or clothing in your next life, and she treats you well, you should be content!" Xu Jingyang coaxed patiently, "Didn't I ask you before if you wanted to go to her? You didn't object then! Now you're pulling this stunt on me!"

Xu Xian scoffed, "Back then, I thought you were having a bout of Alzheimer's!"

"You unfilial son, are you insulting your old man?" Xu Xianzhen really angered Xu Jingyang, making Xu Jingyang tremble all over.

Xu Xian sighed: "I was just expressing appropriate concern. After all, he's already showing symptoms of incoherent speech, so we still need to consider it."

Just then, Wen Mingyuan had a sudden inspiration, pushed Xu Xian aside, and pulled Xu Jingyang to a corner.

To be honest, although Wen Mingyuan looked a bit chubby, his strength was genuine. He lifted Xu Jingyang like a little chick, which was quite a shock to Xu Xian.

Xu Jingyang was shocked, thinking he had pushed Wen Mingyuan too far and that Wen Mingyuan was about to beat him up in public. If he lost face in front of his son and future daughter-in-law, how could he ever hold his head high again?

Just as Xu Jingyang was pondering this, Wen Mingyuan, having distanced himself sufficiently from Xu Xian and Wen Jingshu, grabbed Xu Jingyang by the back of the neck and said, "How about we make a deal?"

"Hmm?" Xu Jingyang's eyelids lifted up immediately.

Wen Mingyuan lowered his voice and said, "Your conditions are too harsh! I know what you're up to. You just want my Wen family's businesses to be registered under your Xu family name? That's absolutely impossible."

Upon hearing that he wasn't going to be beaten, Xu Jingyang immediately mustered his courage and resumed his previous arrogant tone: "Then you can guard the Wen family's ancestral hospital. I'm not going to keep you company!"

As he spoke, he prepared to leave.

However, Xu Jingyang had only taken one step when Wen Mingyuan gripped the back of his neck, abruptly stopping him in his tracks.

Wen Mingyuan pulled Xu Jingyang back and whispered, "Let's each compromise! If they get married in the future, they must guarantee to have two children, one of whom must take the mother's surname. Can you agree to that?"

As long as one child takes the mother's surname, the Wen family's assets will not ultimately be taken over by the Xu family. This can be considered Wen Mingyuan's last act of defiance.

At least for now, it seems their daughter is completely under Xu's thumb. This puts the Wen family at a disadvantage when it comes to naming rights. Therefore, they'll have to settle for second best and just keep the Wen surname as their bottom line!

"Holy crap! Are you out of your mind? What's the point of telling me about having a baby?!" Xu Jingyang looked at Wen Mingyuan as if he were an idiot.

Wen Mingyuan's eyes widened: "The key issue is having children? The key issue is that one of the children will take the mother's surname! Do you agree or not?"

"What's the use of my agreement? You have to get my son to agree! What if he's an old-fashioned, chauvinistic man?" Xu Jingyang said.

Wen Mingyuan's heart tightened: "Is that possible?"

Xu Jingyang nodded very seriously: "Yes!"

How do you know?

"Because that's who I am!"

Wen Mingyuan: "."

"It's a waste of time to talk nonsense with someone like you!" Wen Mingyuan shoved Xu Jingyang aside and stepped closer to Xu Xian.

Xu Xianyan watched Wen Mingyuan rushing over and felt a little afraid, even taking a step back.

Wen Mingyuan stopped in front of Xu Xian, looked him up and down, and said in a deep voice, "I can stay out of things between you and Jing Shu, but on one condition!"

"Conditions?" Xu Xian sensed something unusual.

Wen Mingyuan nodded and said in a very formal tone, "If you get married in the future, you'll have at least two children. One of them must take the mother's surname. Can you accept that?"

Faced with such blunt words, Wen Jingshu blushed from head to toe.

Xu Xian gasped in shock! Good heavens, can Alzheimer's disease be contagious?

Finally, I can write some exciting special reports again soon.

The interval between the two special reports is about 200,000 to 300,000 words!

Please help me vote with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets, I'm so sad!

(End of this chapter)