Chapter 384 — An Unexpected Call

Feeding someone poison was nothing short of courting death—if anything went wrong with anyone in Divine Doctor Kang's household, he would be the first suspect.

So Kang Jingming figured he might as well try it himself; this stuff might not do any good, but it couldn't do any harm either, and if he let his father take it and it turned out badly, Grandfather would only think less of him again. Kang Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and voiced his decision.

Kang Jingming's words caught Divine Doctor Kang somewhat by surprise—he had not expected this cowardly little grandson of his to actually volunteer to test the medicine himself! So he said with great delight, "Good! Zhaoming, I never thought I'd live to see the day you'd grow up and show some sense! Rest assured, if we manage to figure out this pill, I'll give you a share of the profits, Grandfather's word on it!"

Kang Jingming was overjoyed at once! If this so-called Nourish-Life Detox Pill could be successfully reverse-engineered, the profits would be no less than those from the Golden Wound Medicine. To actually hold a share himself—that was a stroke of immense good fortune!

Among the third generation of the Kang family, not even the outstanding Kang Jinglong held any shares. At the thought that he would be the very first, Kang Jingming was beside himself with joy.

Kang Jingming's father, Kang Cuipu, was likewise astonished at his son's courage and nerve! He had never imagined that a single decision by his son could reap such great profit and benefit!

Even Kang Jinglong cast a somewhat envious glance at his younger brother!

In the Kang family, Kang Jingming had always been the cowardly, pampered young master, so whenever he did something crooked, everyone took it as a matter of course and thought nothing of it. Now that he had suddenly done something sensible, it was naturally a surprise.

So Divine Doctor Kang, taken aback as he was, made Kang Jingming just such a promise...

Kang Jingming took from Divine Doctor Kang's hand that lump of "dog shit" that resembled the Nourish-Life Detox Pill, placed it on the table, sliced it open with a sharp little knife, pinched up half of it, and raised it aloft, preparing to swallow it down.

"Ugh... it stinks so bad!" Kang Jingming held it to his lips and nearly gagged to death. "Why does it smell exactly like dog shit?"

"Just as you said, good medicine tastes bitter!" Kang Cuipu urged him on. He too was thrilled—if his son took this Nourish-Life Detox Pill and it proved effective, he would gain a share in the company, and he, as the boy's father, would bask in the glory.

Kang Jingming nodded, clenched his teeth, pinched his nose shut, squeezed his eyes closed, and shoved half the "dog shit" into his mouth. Then he hastily gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, barely suppressing the urge to vomit so that it stayed down.

It was a good while before he recovered his breath, and he let out a long sigh. "Phew... it's finally down!"

"Good, Zhaoming. Don't go out for the next few days—stay home and watch for the effects after taking it!" Divine Doctor Kang nodded and said to Kang Guifeng, "Guifeng, seal up the other half of the Nourish-Life Detox Pill. If it proves effective on Zhaoming, send it to the lab and have someone analyze its composition!"

"Yes!" Kang Guifeng nodded.

Having swallowed the "dog shit," Kang Jingming felt his stomach churning miserably, but he fought back the urge to vomit, hurried back to his room, and lay down on the bed! It had to be said that Kang Jingming was rather fortunate: the half of the "dog shit" he had taken happened to have some Nourish-Life Detox Pill still clinging to it—it was not entirely pure dog shit.

Wei Zhao of course had no idea what had happened in the Kang household. Had he known that Kang Jingming had picked up the "dog shit" thinking it was the Nourish-Life Detox Pill and even swallowed half of it, he would likely have laughed himself into a fit.

At Guan Xuewen's home, Wei Zhao gave Kang Xiaofeng a rough outline of the matter concerning the pharmaceutical company. But Kang Xiaofeng, excited as he was, was also worried—after all, he had not the slightest experience in business management. He did not want to let this fine opportunity slip, yet neither was he a fool, and he knew what came of muddling along blindly. "Boss, I don't know the first thing about running or managing a business. You've got to give me time to learn..."

Once his excitement had passed, Kang Xiaofeng calmed down again. He was a man of easy enthusiasm, but once the enthusiasm passed, he could consider matters coolly.

In the rooftop brawl and the matter of Xiaofen, Kang Xiaofeng had shown an impulsive temperament beforehand, yet afterward he could settle his mind and weigh the gains and losses.

Kang Xiaofeng's words put Wei Zhao in a bit of a bind. Guan Xuewen was a scholar and naturally had no experience running a business, and Wei Zhao himself needn't even be mentioned—send him to assassinate someone and he was fine, but managing a company was out of the question.

What Kang Xiaofeng said now was not without reason; he truly had no relevant experience!

Only at this moment did Wei Zhao realize that some things he had taken too simply—it was not as though having a prescription in hand meant one could open a company! Yet he did not want to let just anyone he did not trust take part in running the company at will.

First of all, Wei Zhao was a secret existence; he did not wish to expose himself to the public and let everyone know the prescription had come from his hand! After all, Wei Zhao was still in the middle of carrying out a mission, and it was not the time to be distracted by other matters.

"Xiao Yi, my thinking is this: we find a trusted professional manager, and on my end, I'll mainly serve as an honorary vice president, or hold the title of director of the R&D department—just enough to cooperate with publicity and promotion!" Guan Xuewen suggested. "As for the company's affairs, Xiaobo and Xinxin can serve as directors of the company, involved only in decision-making, not in operations!"

"That's a good idea too. The key is finding a trustworthy manager." Wei Zhao nodded. "But such a person won't be easy to find."

"There's no rushing this!" Guan Xuewen shook his head. "I'll ask around some more."

And so the matter was shelved for the time being. Wei Zhao drove Kang Xiaofeng out of Guan Xuewen's villa. He had intended to take him straight home, but Kang Xiaofeng said he wanted to go to a bookstore to buy a few books on business management!

Though it smacked a little of cramming at the last minute, Wei Zhao was rather gratified that Kang Xiaofeng had the mind for it. What he feared most was a lack of ambition; so long as he was willing to work hard, that was enough.

Wei Zhao dropped Kang Xiaofeng at the bookstore without going up with him, and drove straight back to Gu Mengyao's villa. He had been gone two days now—he wondered whether the young lady would bear a grudge. Though he had told her beforehand that he was accompanying Kang Xiaofeng to his second granduncle's birthday banquet, and Gu Mengyao had said nothing about it, who knew whether that little minx Shen Yushu had been stirring up trouble?

Just as he neared home, Wei Zhao's phone rang. He had assumed it was Kang Xiaofeng or Tang Zhi calling, but when he saw the caller ID on the screen, he could not help but freeze!

Because the person calling was none other than Wang Xinyan!