Village Doctor's Women-Chapter 204 - 198 Private or public settlement

The conference room fell silent once more; no one addressed Cai Zhi’s question. Cai Wenji’s gaze, however, had already said it all.

A strange atmosphere permeated the room, and this time, even Cai Zhi stopped talking. Even if he wasn’t the sharpest, he realized something was amiss.

He had endured for so long; there was no reason he couldn’t endure now. But with Cai Xing dead, he had nothing to worry about. He had never taken this young man, Cai Wenji, seriously.

Though he had a vague feeling that something wasn’t quite right, after much thought, Cai Zhi still couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong. As for the matter of outsiders, it wasn’t important. As long as the Cai Group was his in the end, nothing else mattered.

"Everyone, please step out for a moment!"

Cai Wenji dismissed everyone, leaving only the two brothers, Cai Qiang and Cai Zhi.

Before either of them could speak, Cai Wenji tossed a stack of documents onto the table from his briefcase. In previous meetings, Cai Wenji’s things were always carried by his secretary. This was the only time he had carried the bag himself, which immediately drew Cai Zhi’s attention.

"Take a look?" Cai Wenji smiled. "Do you know why I asked you two to stay?"

"Stop beating around the bush. What do you really want to say?" Cai Zhi frowned, ignoring Cai Qiang’s suddenly pale face. "Do you think I’m easily scared?"

"Third Uncle," Cai Wenji said slowly, looking directly into Cai Zhi’s eyes. "If you still consider me family, I suggest you take a good look at these documents."

After he finished, he turned to Cai Qiang. "Eldest Uncle, if you’re not busy, you should take a look, too. I’m sure you’ll find it very... exciting."

Cai Wenji handed him a file, clearly having prepared one for each of them in advance.

Given his repeated emphasis, the two brothers exchanged a look, then picked up their respective documents with differing expressions.

Seeing this, a small smile finally touched Cai Wenji’s lips. As he waited for them to read, he began to speak. "What do you think a family should be like? I’ve always believed that family should look out for each other, to think of one another. Even if that’s not possible, they shouldn’t harm each other. Oh... actually, even if you’re not family, you shouldn’t do things like this. Wouldn’t you agree, Third Uncle?"

At some point, Cai Zhi’s face had become unfamiliar to Cai Wenji. He actually had a very good impression of Cai Zhi from his childhood. This was the uncle who always loved to press his scratchy stubble against his cheek, who would hug him tight every time they met. He often took him and his sister out for delicious food. So, in his memory, his impression of this uncle was a positive one. But after growing up and meeting again after many years, the sense of unfamiliarity was overwhelming.

The contents of the files he’d uncovered were especially chilling.

He wasn’t the only one. Cai Qiang, reading through his own file, felt the same. The documents detailed everything Cai Zhi had done over the years. Cai Qiang was actually aware of some of it, like taking bribes from distributors and pharmaceutical companies. But when he turned to a page with information related to Gao Yang, he felt a hot flush spread through his body, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Cai Zhi was in no better state. His entire face had gone white, and his hands and feet grew cold. It was clearly summer, yet he felt as if he were trapped in the dead of winter. The air conditioning in the conference room only made him feel colder, a chill that seeped into his bones.

Every word on the paper was like a weapon, stabbing at him until his eyes ached.

*On a certain date of a certain month and year, Gao Yang and Cai Zhi...*

*On a certain date of a certain month and year...*

The moment he saw the name Gao Yang, Cai Zhi knew his past dealings had been completely exposed. He just couldn’t understand how. "How did you do it?" he asked. "This... How did you find all this out? Not even my wife knew about my business with Gao Yang."

Cai Qiang looked over as well, clearly just as curious. At the same time, he was terrified. In the file Cai Wenji had given him, there was information that concerned him, too. Unlike Cai Zhi, he hadn’t caused any major problems for the company, but his private life was far from clean. Cai Wenji had even dug all of that up.

Cai Wenji sat there, drumming his fingers on the tabletop. Seeing their expressions, he knew exactly what they were thinking.

"Actually, I’ve known about the matter with Gao Yang for a long time. You both knew when he got into trouble before."

"When Gao Yang got into trouble?" Cai Zhi muttered. "If it was back then, why didn’t you say anything sooner?"

Cai Wenji shrugged. "I was going to. But my father... he wanted to give you a chance."

How ironic. That was the only thought in Cai Zhi’s mind.

But it wasn’t over.

"Even this past week was a chance for you," Cai Wenji continued. "If you hadn’t tried to stage a coup, this scene today would never have happened. You could have remained a regional manager, quietly skimming your profits."

With that, he turned and switched on the large television screen behind him, which displayed an active video call. It was clear their entire conversation had been broadcast through the conference system. The face on the screen was Cai Xing’s.

"Long time no see."

"Brother?"

Cai Zhi almost choked.

So, Cai Xing wasn’t dead. No wonder Cai Wenji was so reluctant to issue an obituary. No wonder that no matter what he did, Cai Wenji wore an air of supreme confidence.

"But... you were already gone, weren’t you?" Cai Zhi asked, dazed, voicing the doubt in his heart. He was certain he’d checked for breath himself.

On the screen, Cai Xing raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, "It’s nothing much. With Wang Jian around, simulating death for a short period is easy."

"You planned this?" Cai Zhi frowned. "You pretended to be dead just to set a trap for me?"

"Not at all," Cai Xing said, shaking his head. "I truly almost died this time. It’s just that Wang Jian’s medical skills are too formidable..."

He continued, "You know, when a person is truly on the verge of death, a lot of things become clear. I used to think we were all one family. I thought that whatever you did, I could just pretend I didn’t see it. After all, we’re family, right? But then I realized something. Even if I died, you wouldn’t spare my children. You would want to take all of our assets and drive them out. What the hell kind of family is that? So..."

Cai Zhi didn’t wait for him to finish. "So what?" he cut in. His expression had become unnervingly calm, but his right hand was gripping the documents so tightly that he was crushing the papers without even realizing it.

"So, you have two choices."

"What choices?"

"Give up your shares and leave the Cai Group. Or, I’ll have you sent to prison."

***

Neither Cai Zhi nor Cai Qiang was a fool. They both chose the first option.

After handing the share transfer agreement to his secretary, Cai Wenji drove to Wang Jian’s house. In front of Cai Xing, he said, "Honestly, I still think sending them to prison would have been better."

"Let it go. Things are fine as they are now," Cai Xing said. "I’m getting old. I don’t want to spend my last days fighting with my own relatives."

His age was his reason. Cai Wenji pursed his lips and said no more. If it had been up to him, he would have definitely driven those two out and then had them thrown in jail. If it hadn’t been for Wang Jian, the Gu Poison incident would have wiped out the Cai family. Cai Xing felt that since disaster was averted, he could pretend it never happened.

But Cai Wenji didn’t see it that way. In his view, what’s done is done, regardless of the consequences. Still, since his father was alive and well, he would let him have his way.

The matter was considered settled.

Wang Jian never once asked about the Cai family’s internal affairs. However, Cai Qiong would occasionally mention things to him, so he eventually learned the whole story. Wang Jian offered no comment.

It wasn’t until Cai Qiong told him that a team from the provincial TV station was coming to the village to film a documentary that Wang Jian finally lost his composed expression.

Film who? Me?

He rolled his eyes. "If I have time for that, I’d rather be out traveling and practicing medicine."

It was just a grumbled complaint, but Cai Qiong’s eyes lit up at his words, and she said something that left Wang Jian even more speechless.

"Hey, that’s a great topic! A documentary about a traveling doctor... that sounds even more interesting, doesn’t it?"