Chapter 860 — A Meeting at the School Gate

Kang Zhaoming was deeply uneasy, uneasy that his standing in the Kang family might not hold. True, if he laid the whole truth before the family, they might not necessarily blame him — after all, it was not that he had failed to try, but that no amount of trying could have succeeded! Guan Xin was already promised to another man. Even if Kang Zhaoming were Pan An reborn and the Star of Literature descended to earth, the other party could hardly break off the engagement and take up with him, could they?

What Kang Zhaoming feared was this: the chief blame for the affair might not rest on his shoulders, but the earlier failure to investigate did. Had he discovered from the start that Guan Xin was already betrothed, would he ever have needed to spend such effort courting her? Was that not simply a waste of time?

As Kang Zhaoming's subordinate, Wang Shubin was naturally just as anxious. When one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall — that was the way of things, and he understood it perfectly. With the skin gone, what can the hair cling to? If Kang Zhaoming lost his place in the Kang family and his prestige along with it, what good days could the two of them, his underlings, possibly enjoy?

So it had become Wang Shubin's duty to smooth away Kang Zhaoming's troubles. When he had heard Guan Xiaoxiang turn Kang Zhaoming down, he had already begun turning over the next move in his mind: "Young Master Ming, since this road is blocked, then we simply won't take it!"

"Won't take it? Then how am I to answer to the family? Back then I boasted that I could most certainly win Guan Xin over!" Kang Zhaoming said bitterly. "But who knew she was already engaged? Now I've no way to account for myself at home — doesn't it just make me look incompetent?"

"Not so!" Wang Shubin waved a hand. "Young Master Ming, if you look at the problem from another angle, it becomes far simpler! Courting Guan Xin was never your true aim — the true aim was only ever to obtain the prescription. If you can get the prescription without courting Guan Xin, haven't you fulfilled the mission all the same? I daresay what Divine Physician Kang values is the prescription, not Guan Xin!"

"Mm, that much is true! But if I don't win Guan Xin over, where am I to get the prescription?" Kang Zhaoming felt Wang Shubin had a point, yet he was still somewhat at a loss.

"There are many roads to a prescription — theft, robbery, threats, and the like. It needn't be through Guan Xin. We can still work on other people at Doctor Guan Pharmaceutical," Wang Shubin said. "I hear that younger brother of yours, Kang Xiaobo, is some sort of vice president there as well, isn't he?"

"Yes, and the very mention of it makes my blood boil! Kang Xiaobo actually became a vice president — more accomplished than me! It's infuriating! He's nothing but a relative of the Kang family, and yet he's faring better than I am!" The thought of Kang Xiaobo set Kang Zhaoming seething with resentment.

The news that Kang Xiaobo had become vice president of Doctor Guan Pharmaceutical was no secret; Doctor Guan Pharmaceutical had already announced it to the media.

"Young Master Ming, as the saying goes, brothers fight side by side in war, fathers and sons march together into battle!" Wang Shubin said. "Think on it — you and Kang Xiaobo are cousins. And though he may be a vice president at Doctor Guan Pharmaceutical, I doubt he's earned much money yet. I say you should go to Kang Xiaobo. He is a Kang man in the end. Reason with him, move him with sentiment, and tempt him with substantial profit — it shouldn't be difficult to coax the prescription out of him!"

"Kang Xiaobo would know the formula for the Longevity Detox Pill? Impossible. He may be a vice president, but that formula should be known only to the top brass — Guan Xuemin, Fatty Lai, and the like, no?" Kang Zhaoming was no fool; he shook his head.

"Young Master Ming, your pressing task now is not to find the formula for the Longevity Detox Pill — that can wait. Have you forgotten the new assignment Young Master Kang Zhaolong gave you? To obtain the formula and the raw-material supply channels for Doctor Guan's Trauma Medicine!" Wang Shubin said. "If you can simply dig up those two things, that alone is a great merit! As for the Longevity Detox Pill formula, we'll think of something in due course."

"Hmm... that's true enough. The trauma medicine is of little importance, and Kang Xiaobo should know the formula and the supply channels!" Kang Zhaoming nodded. "In that case, it's a workable plan. Tomorrow I'll go find Kang Xiaobo and have a proper talk with him, and coax the formula and the raw-material supply channels out of him!"

"Young Master Ming, you must hold two things firmly in mind. First, play the family card — make certain Kang Xiaobo understands that the rise and fall of the Kang family is the duty of every Kang descendant! You may promise him certain benefits — say, a share of Divine Physician Kang Pharmaceutical Company once you have the Kang family in hand, and so forth. It's all idle talk in any case; who knows when you'll actually have the Kang family in hand!" Wang Shubin advised. "Second, you must also give him some benefit he can see right now. Didn't you already give Xiaofen a sum of money? You can say that was given out of regard for him, Kang Xiaobo. This time, give Kang Xiaobo a little money as well — otherwise, seeing no immediate profit, I fear he won't cooperate."

"Mm, you make sense!" Kang Zhaoming nodded. "I understand. Shubin, you truly deserve to be called my strategist. I had thought there was no way out and was ready to slink home and take my scolding — I never imagined you'd have so many ideas!"

"Heh heh, devising strategies for you is my duty, Young Master Ming!" Wang Shubin said with a rather smug smile.

Every afternoon, Kang Xiaobo went to Divine Physician Kang Pharmaceutical Company for his internship. This had already been arranged with his homeroom teacher, Mr. Liu; seeing that Kang Xiaobo had such a promising future before him, Mr. Liu naturally would not stand in his way.

What was the point of attending university? Was it not to learn a few skills and then use the diploma to find a good job? Now Kang Xiaobo had skipped that step entirely and landed a good job outright, so Mr. Liu, his homeroom teacher, naturally had nothing more to say.

Kang Zhaoming had already learned Kang Xiaobo's daily routine inside and out. The moment Kang Xiaobo stepped out of school at noon, Kang Zhaoming poked his head out of the rear window of his Porsche Cayenne: "Little brother! Over here!"

At first, Kang Xiaobo did not think the voice was meant for him. It sounded somewhat familiar, but who would run to the gate of his school and call him little brother? So he paid it no mind.

But the voice called out again: "Xiaobo, over here!"

Only then did Kang Xiaobo take notice. He looked up and saw that it was Kang Zhaoming, and he was startled on the spot, his expression turning a little unnatural. Last time, he and Wei Zhao had thoroughly set Kang Zhaoming up at Xiaofen's house. He did not know whether Kang Zhaoming had caught on that it was he and Wei Zhao who had pulled that trick, so Kang Xiaobo's first instinct was that Kang Zhaoming had come to settle accounts.

For the fastest updates and pop-up-free reading, please visit.