Xinghe had this uncanny charm that could win anyone over if she tried. Or else, under normal circumstances, Chui Qian would not have dared to take on such a huge risk without knowing everything.
Chui Qian followed Xinghe's request and immediately called He Lan Chang to come fetch He Lan Qi. He Lan Qi's sudden sickness was indeed a surprise for He Lan Chang.
Initially, he thought He Lan Qi was drugged while he was in jail, but the doctors found nothing suspicious in his system. They said he was fine, just suffering through a serious flu, it was nothing life threatening. That made He Lan Chang sighed in relief.
However, it did nothing to squelch his anger towards Chui Qian. During his secret meeting with Chui Qian, he interrogated him viciously, "Your work has been becoming increasingly shoddy, how can you fail to find a small party of people when you have the whole government under your control? Or have you colluded with them and that is why you have nothing to report?"
Chui Qian immediately voiced his loyalty. "How could that be possible‽ I gain no benefits from working with them, is that not digging my own grave? I have tried my best to look for them, but they have hidden themselves very well. There are no clues or traces of them whatsoever."
"Even with the whole country in your control, you fail to complete a simple task like this; why am I still keeping you around? Chui Qian, my patience is limited, and I will never allow anyone to challenge me! I will give you another week, and if you still turn up with nothing, then you will announce your recusal from the presidency. I already have people lining up to take your position. Do not ever think about challenging my decision because you will not be able to suffer the consequences!" He Lan Chang slammed the door and left after leaving that threat.
Chui Qian gritted his fists and suppressed the fury burning within him. He had done so many things for He Lan Chang, but he knew that, in He Lan Chang's eyes, he was nothing more than a dog. In fact, he believed He Lan Chang treated He Bin the same way.
Therefore, He Bin was like the example of his future. No matter how good he was, the one time he failed He Lan Chang, he would not hesitate to have him ruined. Working for He Lan Chang was akin to a devil's bargain, there was no way he could survive it.
Therefore, only by revolting against him would he have a fighting chance. That was why he chose to cooperate with Xinghe. He Lan Chang's threat reminded him that this was his only chance at freedom. He had already betrayed He Lan Chang, so it was already too late for him to go back. He could only grit his teeth and continue on this path that he had chosen.
Thankfully, when Xinghe found out about He Lan Chang's threat, she told him reassuringly that he would be fine. This gave Chui Qian some confidence and a small degree of anticipation.
However, as the limit drew closer, Chui Qian's anxiety level gradually increased. He was under immense pressure every day and in the blink of an eye, the one-week limit was up.
To his surprise, He Lan Qi's revival also coincided with this limit. He Lan Chang demanded Chui Qian hide the fact that He Lan Qi had gained consciousness and had He Lan Qi stay at home instead of having him sent back into prison. The public was still under the impression that He Lan Qi was still unconscious at the hospital.
Chui Qian did that, but that did not mean He Lan Chang was going to forgive Chui Qian. The one-week limit was up, and Chui Qian still had not found Xinghe's party; He Lan Chang decided he was at his breaking point.
He called Chui Qian and ordered him on the phone, "Today, you will figure out a way to announce your recusal and I will have my man replace your position temporarily. Remember, do not ever think of challenging me, or your end will only be worse! And I want to see the news of your recusal on national television by twelve in the afternoon or else you will lose more than you have now… for example, your life. Do you understand?"