Just as the attacker's knife was about to pierce my body, an unknown force flung me sideways.
"Ugh!"
I rolled on the ground, clutching my head. As I looked up, trying to make sense of what had just happened, I saw an astonishing sight.
The attacker was stumbling backward, his face pale, and Li Yang was clutching his stomach, his face contorted in pain.
"Catch that bastard!"
At my shout, a few of CEO Wu's men, who had been subduing the other attacker, rushed towards Li Yang. The attacker, seeing them approach, turned and ran.
As CEO Wu's men chased after him, I rushed to Li Yang's side.
"Are you alright? What…"
The knife, meant for me, was embedded in Li Yang's abdomen.
He had pushed me out of the way and taken the blow.
"Blood… blood…"
Li Yang, gasping for breath, smiled at me and said,
"Mei shi. (I'm fine.)"
Such simple words, yet I understood them perfectly.
I shouted,
"Fine? You're not fine! Ambulance! Call an ambulance!"
As the interpreter frantically dialed the emergency number, I said to Li Yang,
"Why did you take the knife for me?! What were you thinking?! Are you crazy?!"
I didn't even know what I was saying.
Was I implying that I should have been the one stabbed? And I was speaking in Korean.
Li Yang chuckled, seeing me panicking and babbling incoherently.
"Laoban mei shi ba? (Are you alright, boss?)"
I frowned.
"I'm fine, so don't talk! Bi zui! Bi zui! (Shut up!)"
As Li Yang's eyes started to close, I shouted frantically,
"Stay awake! Don't close your eyes! Where's the ambulance?! Why isn't it here yet?!"
"They said they're on their way."
I said to the interpreter,
"Tell him I'll repay him tenfold for saving my life! Tell him not to die!"
Li Yang smiled faintly and then closed his eyes.
"Damn it! Wake up! Don't die!"
***
I sat in the hospital lobby, my legs trembling, waiting for news about Li Yang.
"How's he doing?"
The interpreter, sweating nervously, said,
"They'll let us know as soon as they have an update."
"Damn it."
Why had Li Yang taken the knife for me?
I just needed a loyal employee.
It was all part of my plan to gain the trust and loyalty of a heihaizi with a small act of kindness.
Was 1 million won worth risking his life?
I had only known him for a week.
"He saved my life."
My attempt to exploit his desperation had ironically saved me.
"Was it… was it that important to him? A legal identity?"
I clenched my fists.
"Important enough to push me out of the way without hesitation? Damn it, it's just 1 million won. Just that."
I covered my face with my hands, speechless.
The interpreter said,
"Sir, he'll be alright. They said he'll be fine as long as there's no major organ damage. Let's wait."
"Did they catch that bastard? Are the others back?"
The ambulance had arrived before the men chasing the attacker could return, so I hadn't heard any updates.
"They didn't catch the attacker. The first one was handed over to the police."
"Damn it."
This wasn't a random attack.
I rarely left the factory for safety reasons, and I had only been out to look at buildings for the past two days.
Someone had been watching me and planned this.
"Chen Fei…"
He was the only one I had had a conflict with in China.
I gritted my teeth.
"I should have known."
I should have been more careful when Chairman Zhao Yang warned me about Chen Fei.
I had been naive to think that a bruised ego wouldn't lead to retaliation.
"I can't let this slide."
The problem was that there wasn't much I could do.
Xinhua Investment was more powerful than Renyi Investment, but they were competitors, not in a superior-subordinate relationship. They couldn't directly intervene.
Xinhua was my shield, not my sword.
"There must be a way."
An investment company's power came from its money.
"Chen Fei, I'll make you pay…"
As I trembled with rage, the interpreter said urgently,
"Sir! The doctor is coming!"
We rushed over to the doctor.
"Is Li Yang… is Li Yang alright?"
The interpreter's face darkened as he listened to the doctor.
"He says the knife pierced his internal organs."
"What does that mean? Explain it clearly."
"He says the damage is extensive, and it doesn't look good."
My heart sank.
"He saved my life, and I haven't even thanked him properly… Is he going to die…?"
That couldn't happen.
My life wasn't worth just a few bottles of Maotai and 1 million won.
Li Yang had to live. He had to become my trusted confidant, the envy of everyone, as a reward for saving my life.
"Why… why can't they save him? They have to operate and keep treating him. They have to try, whether it works or not."
The doctor shook his head.
"There's a blood shortage, there are many patients waiting, and the surgery is complicated… He might die from shock during the anesthesia."
My face contorted.
"Blood shortage? Shock?"
"Yes, the blood supply is low, and the surgery is difficult…"
"I don't care about any of that. Tell them to save him. If they need blood, I'll buy it from anyone, even gangsters. Just tell them to save him."
I looked at the doctor and said,
"And tell them I'll give them 100,000 yuan if they save him. 100,000 yuan. And I'll cover all the medical expenses, no matter the cost."
The doctor's eyes wavered.
"We'll do everything we can. We'll definitely save him."
***
[Hyung, are you okay? Are you hurt?]
I received a call from Maru as I sat in my office, devastated after the doctor's update.
"I'm fine. How did you know about the incident?"
[The employees there are the ones I hired when you were in Korea. I told them to contact me if anything happened.]
I said weakly,
"So you planted spies without my knowing. Good job."
[Anyway, are you really okay? I told you to be careful!]
"I'm not in the mood for your nagging. Just tell me what you want."
[…What happened to the employee who protected you?]
I sighed.
"It's not looking good. But the doctor said he'll do everything he can, so we have to wait."
[Do you have any idea who did this?]
I said with a hardened expression,
"Chen Fei. That son of a bitch. Who else would do this? I haven't made any other enemies here."
[What are you going to do? You're not going to let this slide.]
"I'll get my revenge. I'll make him pay."
[How? Do you have a plan?]
I closed my eyes and thought.
[Hyung?]
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I don't have a plan. I wish I could just hire someone to stab Chen Fei."
Maru said sternly,
[You're not actually considering that, are you?]
"Of course not. That's too risky."
There was a difference between committing illegal acts and hiring an assassin.
I had asked Chairman Zhao Yang to put pressure on the police to investigate the incident, but the attacker claimed he didn't know me and that a stranger had offered him 1,000 yuan and my photo, promising another 10,000 yuan if he stabbed me. He claimed he didn't know there were accomplices.
I suspected it was someone from Chen Fei's inner circle, but I had no proof.
Even if they were caught, Chen Fei could just cut them loose. But I had no one I could trust, I had even considered using a heihaizi.
Hiring an assassin was too risky.
[You were almost killed, you should come back to Korea. I'm worried sick.]
I said firmly,
"Absolutely not. If I go back now, it'll look like I'm running away. I can't show weakness."
[Then what are you going to do?]
I thought for a moment.
"I need to protect myself. I need more bodyguards."
[Hire them locally?]
"No, I'll bring them from Korea. Maru, contact Three Brothers Resources. Tell them I want to hire 30 thugs as bodyguards."
[Okay, I'll contact them and have them sent as soon as possible.]
I leaned back on the sofa and said,
"There must be a way."
***
I had received news that Li Yang's surgery had been successful, but he was still unconscious, in shock.
I stayed at the factory, avoiding going out, until the bodyguards from Korea arrived.
We were proceeding with the plan, starting with the acquisition of the land for the secondhand electronic components department store, but my desire for revenge on Chen Fei consumed me.
"The department store will take time to complete, so buy another building next to the site. We need to open a small store for now."
The interpreter nodded.
"Yes, sir. I'll acquire the building. Any other instructions?"
"No, you're dismissed."
The interpreter left, and I muttered to myself,
"The restored IC chip technology is starting to spread."
It had been over a month since we started mass-producing restored IC chips through the Hong Kong route, and competitors were starting to emerge.
The technology wasn't difficult to replicate.
And as I had predicted, IC chip restorers who couldn't find buyers started contacting Chunha Trading.
Most of them were small-scale operations and couldn't find factories that would buy their limited supply of restored IC chips.
But we had a vast inventory and handled almost all types of IC chips, so manufacturers came to us.
In the end, the restorers had no choice but to sell to us.
"The plan is going smoothly. Once the department store is partially open in two months, we'll release the technology."
Many people would jump into the restored IC chip business once the technology was released, but they would still have to sell to us, as we controlled the distribution channels.
"It's a shame to give up such a lucrative business."
I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret, having made so much money from the restored IC chip factory.
"Well, it can't be helped. We can't stop them anyway. We have to let go. We're taking over the distribution market now."
As I was trying to let go of my regret, an idea suddenly struck me.
"Wait, give up? Hmm…"
My eyes gleamed as I organized my thoughts.
"We don't have to give up. We can sell the technology before it loses its value."