Chapter 533 - 367: I Will Make Them Pay Double

Chapter 533: Chapter 367: I Will Make Them Pay Double

Before he could finish speaking, the chat box lit up.

Marcia didn’t waste any words. It was as if she had been waiting for him to ask. She sent the hospital’s exact address, complete with the floor, room number, admission time, and specific injuries—everything he needed to know was perfectly clear.

Jin Meiyan covered her mouth and pointed at the screen in disbelief, then looked over at Lin Chen.

"Oppa, can anyone even type that fast? I feel like she gathered all this information ahead of time, copied it, and was just waiting for you to ask."

"I feel the same way... but why?"

’The founder and president of a five-star hotel, an incredibly busy woman—why would she be waiting for a message from me?’

Just as the two were wondering, the chat box lit up again.

[I just got to the airport and I’m waiting for my flight. I figured that girl, Erica, wouldn’t have brought you with her, so I was about to message you. Perfect timing that you asked.]

[You’re a good man, more considerate than I’d imagined. Last-minute tickets are hard to get. Do you need my help?]

Seeing the messages, Lin Chen quietly sighed in relief.

"So it was just a coincidence. That scared me for a second. This makes more sense; otherwise, I couldn’t imagine why a major president would be waiting for me specifically."

Without hesitating, he immediately opened the Air Canada website to check for tickets. There were plenty of direct and connecting flights from Vancouver to Chicago. He could definitely get a ticket, it just might not be for the very next flight.

After a moment’s thought, he politely declined the president’s kind offer.

Da Xia People don’t visit patients empty-handed. Plus, he still had to ask Andre if he even wanted to go. There was no need to be in such a rush.

Based on the information from Lady Marcia, Erica’s father’s injuries weren’t too severe—just a gunshot to the thigh and being knocked unconscious.

Setting aside his status as a government employee, Marcia’s influence alone was enough to let him bypass the long queues ordinary people face in the healthcare system and be sent straight into surgery.

By the time he bought tickets and rushed to Vancouver, the surgery would probably be over. It wasn’t life-threatening, so there was no reason to hurry.

"Hello?"

Andre answered the phone, a little confused as to why Lin Chen was suddenly calling him.

Judging by the noise on the other end of the line, the guy was probably still wandering around town, not having gone far.

Lin Chen quickly told him about the plan to fly out and visit Erica’s father. Andre thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"I think I’ll pass. I don’t know her that well—we’ve barely exchanged a few words. I’ll stay here and watch the house for you guys, and I can supervise the construction. I can also take the opportunity to go home and visit Mia and our two daughters."

"Besides, isn’t there a little wolf cub to feed?"

"Alright, then I’ll leave things here to you."

Since he didn’t want to go, Lin Chen didn’t press him. He then called Wang Jun and the driver, telling them to figure out how to handle the workers’ meals for the next few days.

Anyway, there were a couple of workers at the restaurant site who could do some simple cooking. Worst case, they could eat rice with toppings or noodles to fill their stomachs. He didn’t need to worry about it.

Cooking wasn’t his responsibility anyway. He did it as a favor when he had time, but if he didn’t, there was nothing to be done about it.

After handling everything, the two of them drove straight to the Nanaimo ferry terminal, took the ferry to Vancouver, and then caught a cab to the airport.

The direct flight to Chicago took about ten hours. By the time they landed, a full day had passed since they’d left home.

One of them had a United States passport, and the other’s visa was still valid from a show he had recently participated in. They didn’t have to worry about being stopped by customs and walked straight out with confidence.

Once they reached the city, Lin Chen headed straight to Chinatown to find a fruit shop that could make a gift basket. He got it filled with common fruits like apples, bananas, cherries, strawberries, and blueberries. Meanwhile, Jin Meiyan went to a nearby flower shop to pick out some flowers for the owner to arrange into a bouquet.

Although the flower shop only stocked very ordinary flowers, after Jin Meiyan made her seemingly random selections, the resulting bouquet was at least a couple of notches above the other pre-ordered arrangements on display.

A girl who came to pick up her order was absolutely stunned by the bouquet in Jin Meiyan’s hands. She paid extra on the spot to have the owner make her an identical one, which left the owner both flattered and flustered.

It turned out, upon calculation, that the cost of the flowers in the bouquet she had assembled was almost the same as the store’s regular arrangements, and even a few dollars cheaper.

This led the owner to believe she was a professional floral design instructor, and she insisted on getting Jin Meiyan’s contact information to take lessons from her.

When Lin Chen arrived at the flower shop entrance with the fruit basket, he happened to witness this scene, and a bold idea suddenly popped into his head.

’This girl knows flower arranging?’

’Maybe I should have her help design the layout for the plants and flowers in the restaurant?’

He had a hunch. Anyone who could create such a dramatic visual improvement just by combining ordinary flowers must have formally studied floral design.

’It would be a huge waste not to use this free labor. We’ll just call it her paying rent~’

When Jin Meiyan came out of the shop holding the flowers, Lin Chen immediately gave her a thumbs-up and a few smiling compliments. His praise made her so overjoyed that she couldn’t hide the dimples at the corners of her mouth.

When she heard he wanted her to be involved in designing the restaurant’s plant layout, she was surprised at first, but then readily agreed.

’Since we’ve decided to try and make this work, we have to get involved in each other’s lives.’

’Personal feelings aside, she also felt the tourist destination Lin Chen was building had a lot of potential. If the opportunity arose, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to invest a little herself.’

’But she wasn’t as wealthy as Erica; the most she could do was help out with the little things.’

...

「In a clean and tidy hospital room.」

Erica, her eyes red, kept watch by the hospital bed. She tightly gripped the man’s large, rough, dark hand as a few tears escaped and rolled down from the corners of her eyes.

The man’s face was a little pale, and his forehead was wrapped in a bandage. He smiled and reached out to wipe the tears from her cheek.

"See? I’m fine. My dear little baby, don’t be sad anymore. It makes Daddy want to cry."

"How dare they!!"

A flash of hatred crossed Erica’s eyes, and her tone turned cold. "They’d better pray I don’t find out who did this, or else I’ll..."

The man covered her mouth before she could finish.

The smile vanished from the man’s face, his expression turning serious.

"Or else you’ll what?"

"Erica, I know you’ve grown into an excellent wilderness guide, but you have to take my words to heart. This is not something you can get involved in!"

"Poaching is against the law, and they attacked a public official. The forest police will handle the investigation. You’re a civilian, and a pretty young woman at that. What do you think you can do?"

"Those people know they’re wanted by the police by now. They’re on edge. If you go looking for them, you could be taken hostage, or worse, assaulted!"

"Of course I know that, Daddy. I’m not a little girl anymore."

Erica forced a smile and patted his hand reassuringly.

"Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll stay right here and take care of you. I won’t go anywhere."

"Then what were you going to say just now?"

Knowing his daughter’s personality, he was still worried and pressed on.

"It’s simple, really. Mommy has been sending me a lot of money every year, more than I can spend. I’ve barely touched it."

The smile on her face slowly turned cold, and a ruthless glint appeared in her eyes.

"All I have to do is put up a bounty, and someone will find them before the police do. They dared to hurt my daddy. I’ll make them pay it back double!"

"You mean... you want to pay someone to shoot them in both legs?"

The man’s expression turned strange. He seemed to want to say something, but the words died on his lips.

Just as Erica was about to nod, the sharp click of high heels suddenly sounded from outside the door.

The instant they heard the sound, both father and daughter froze, their heads snapping toward the door in unison.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and a pair of black high heels stepped inside.

Marcia took off her sunglasses, her expression complicated as she looked at the two people by the bed.

"Darling, are you all right?"

"Of course. I’m fine."

Erica gave the woman a long, hard look, then wordlessly stood up and walked out of the room, intending to pull the door shut behind her.

Marcia suddenly grabbed her arm, her eyes narrowing. "I already had someone put out a bounty on my way here. You just stay put. You hear me?"

"Tch..."

Erica pursed her lips, rolled her eyes, and slammed the door shut with a BANG.

As she sat on a chair in the hallway, for some reason, she felt a faint sense of satisfaction welling up inside.

Just behind that door, not far away, was her family.

A complete family.

Having rushed here at breakneck speed, her mind finally relaxed, and the exhaustion from her journey washed over her like a tidal wave.

She meant to just close her eyes for a moment, but as soon as the back of her head touched the wall, she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.

When Lin Chen and Jin Meiyan, holding the fruit basket and bouquet, finally found the room under the curious stares of patients and nurses, the first thing they saw was Erica, fast asleep against the wall with her mouth agape.

Seeing the line of glistening drool trickling from the corner of her mouth, his eyes darted around, and he pulled out his phone with a mischievous grin, moving in closer.

Jin Meiyan was stunned for a moment, but then she, too, covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

She had expected to feel a tumultuous wave of emotions upon seeing Erica, but now that she was actually here, she felt surprisingly calm.

It was as if she had come to see not a rival who made her feel guilty, but a close friend.

While Lin Chen was busy taking his sneaky photo, she carefully approached the hospital room door and peered inside through the small glass window.