Return of the Antagonistic Lady Boss

Chapter 871 - 845: All Roads Lead to Heaven, Team Split Action

Time ticked by little by little.

Qian kept using psychological suggestions to coax the criminal out. Her "suggestions" sounded more like casual chatting, and the onlookers, unable to bear the sweltering heat, had already started whispering among themselves.

This negotiation expert doesn’t look anything like the ones on TV. Even though she’s using the same kind of tone they do in dramas, it just doesn’t sound serious at all.

"Can she even handle this?"

"Exactly, why isn’t she getting to the point?"

"The higher-ups only know how to use our tax money to feed freeloaders. Look at these so‑called officials, they’re all useless."

A few people in the crowd whispered, and their words reached Yu Minglang’s ears. He glared at them fiercely. Laypeople talking nonsense about professionals again! How could his wife be saying anything useless? This had to be one of her tactics!

Qian was still working on the stand-off when Mrs. Yu’s phone rang.

It was a call from Daiyi.

"Mom! Why isn’t Qian here yet?"

"Something came up on her side."

"The competition organizers said if she doesn’t show up in ten minutes, they’ll seal off the venue and no one can go in. I’m already inside. What do we do!"

Daiyi’s voice was full of anxiety.

Mrs. Yu didn’t know what to do either, so Yu Minglang took her phone and said to Daiyi,

"Qian said if she can’t make it, you’re up."

"Huh?! I’m just an assistant..." Daiyi was stunned.

"Qian said she trusts you. Do what you think is right."

Yu Minglang hung up after he finished speaking.

Right now Qian had no way to spare any attention, and Yu Minglang couldn’t run over to talk to her either. He could only speak from Qian’s perspective and give a solution.

Daiyi was completely dumbfounded.

At this moment, the competition organizers had already started announcing that contestants could enter the venue in succession. Standing at the entrance of the studio, Daiyi hesitated.

"Qian can’t make it?" Mingyi was holding Panpan’s hand. He was off duty today and could come cheer for his wife.

Daiyi was so anxious her face turned pale.

"Yeah, Minglang said I should replace Qian, but how am I supposed to replace her?"

She had the lowest education in the room and almost no clinical experience.

More importantly, she was just an assistant, not a contestant!

If Qian was absent and she stepped in to fight two opponents alone in Qian’s place, could she really pull it off?

And did this even comply with the competition rules?

Daiyi was so anxious she was spinning in circles. She had never encountered anything like this before; her heart felt like it was on fire.

"If he told you to replace her, then just do it."

Mingyi didn’t know what exactly had happened, but Qian’s phone wouldn’t go through, and Minglang had already spoken to Daiyi—this clearly meant something serious had gone down.

This was the kind of moment that really tested one’s mental toughness. Although Daiyi was relatively more mature than her peers, she still lacked real-life experience and was still a student. Faced with something this big, she naturally panicked.

"How am I supposed to replace her? This competition is really important to Qian. What if I mess up and drag her down! Up until now she hasn’t had a single failure on record. Mingyi, what do I do..."

Daiyi was on the verge of tears.

She really didn’t want to hold Qian back.

If she had known this would happen, she might as well have found a senior brother or sister to be Qian’s assistant. If Qian’s assistant had been a PhD or a graduate student, they wouldn’t be in this situation now.

Being thrown into the fray at the last second, shouldering such a huge responsibility!

Mingyi gently cupped her face with his hand. His slightly lower-than-average body temperature calmed her agitation a little, and she looked up at him helplessly.

"I always tell new pilots: if you build absolute confidence in winning, you can push your potential to the maximum. You have to believe that difficulties are like a spring—when you’re strong, it’s weak; when you’re weak, it’s strong. Only by surpassing yourself can you realize your worth."

"But my degree isn’t good enough, I don’t have any clinical experience yet... Why did I even agree to be Qian’s assistant!"

Daiyi regretted it deeply. Everyone had too much faith in Qian’s strength. They were convinced that even without a senior from the same department as her assistant, Qian could still handle everything with ease. The big boss and Qian had asked Daiyi to come mainly so she could gain more experience in competitions; she’d definitely be taking part in many similar contests in the future.

A supporting character suddenly forced into the lead role, Daiyi felt like she was about to smash Qian’s never-fail golden brand in her own hands. She was Qian’s sinner, the Yu Family’s sinner, even the entire school’s sinner. History would never forgive her...

Quite a few people from their school had entered the competition, but several had been eliminated in the first round, leaving only a handful. Qian was the top seed!

You had to know that on day one, Qian had scored a perfect mark, leaving the second-place finisher far behind. Everyone was waiting to see her shine, but who knew she’d suddenly be absent on day two. Daiyi hated herself for not maturing faster, for not being able to stand on her own and hold the line for Qian.

"Every day at exactly five thirty a.m., you get up on time, no matter if it’s hot or cold. You spend half an hour reading professional books, then make breakfast for the whole family. On the way to school you read the cases Qian gave you. In the past four years, you’ve missed your stop at least more than twenty times because you were too engrossed. After your day of classes, you cook for the family and tell stories to Panpan. From nine thirty at night until eleven, you keep studying. If I’m home during that time and we’re together, you always get up early the next day to make up whatever lessons you missed that night."

Mingyi’s precise breakdown left Daiyi staring at him in shock.

He continued,

"Sometimes I feel really conflicted. On one hand, when I’m not home, I hope you’ll catch a cold or a fever; on the other hand, I can’t bear the thought of you getting sick. Because if you get sick, you’ll rest for two days and won’t have to work so hard. But I also can’t bear to see you suffer."

That’s why whenever he was home, he’d find ways to drag her off to work out or pull her into bed. Only then would she stop pushing herself so hard.

Daiyi never expected him to say something like this. Her eyes grew a little red.

"I thought you didn’t care about these little things..."

He was silent most of the time, and she hadn’t realized he’d been watching her every move, to the point he could recite her daily routine so clearly.

"I’ve never seen any student work as hard as you. You’ve always wanted to become the second Chen Xiaoqian; you treat her as your goal, so you’ve put in many times the effort an ordinary person would. But in my heart, it doesn’t matter what level you reach in the future. I just want you to be happy."

"Mingyi..."

Her tears finally fell.

Outside, she rarely called his name; only when they were in bed and she was deeply moved would she say it. Yet at this moment, even though they weren’t in each other’s arms, their hearts were so close.

The happiest thing in the world is having someone who understands you, someone who knows you’ve been working hard all along.

"Confidence comes from your daily efforts, and you’ve always worked this hard. Right now you don’t need to be afraid or nervous. Just perform the way you usually do. Chen Xiaoqian sent you here because she believes in your ability. Geniuses like Qian are rare in this world, but in my heart, you’re the only one. Go."

Mingyi placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Blood surged through Daiyi’s veins, like she’d just been injected with pure adrenaline.