It became clear that Yu Tang hadn't taken this message to heart...
The port lights are dim, and the festival has come to an end.
"Tangtang".
The man's voice behind her made her look up, and she realized that Yu Chaoxian hadn't followed. He was standing at the junction of the dock lights and the night, half of his face hidden in shadow.
Yu Chaoxian's tone carried a knowing warning: "Go back to sleep quickly, and stop hiding under the covers playing on your phone late at night, you hear me?"
"Okay." Yu Tang wanted to say that he had been in her room all week, so how could she have had a chance to play on her phone until midnight?
Just as she was about to turn around, she suddenly noticed that he didn't seem to be following. A car was approaching from behind Yu Chaoxian, and the outline of the person in the driver's seat gradually became clearer—it was Chen Diao.
Chen was full of complaints. The flight time was perfect during the day, but his boss insisted on postponing the trip just to accompany his aunt to some song and dance performance at the Haikou Street Festival. Now, he had to catch a night flight to the Americas.
Mickey stared at the car's silhouette. He had originally intended to go to America with Yu Chaoxian, since Yu Tang already had A Jin by her side; otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease leaving his boss alone. However, given the boss's arrangements, Yu Tang's safety was the top priority, so he was also left on the ship.
Before Yu Tang could look away, the rear window slowly rolled up, and Yu Chaoxian's profile gradually disappeared from her sight.
She stood there, watching the Bentley disappear into the night, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed.
After Yu Chaoxian left, Yu Tang felt much more relaxed, even her breathing became easier. Knowing he was no longer on the ship, she leisurely took a bath, then lay on the bed playing on her phone and talking to Mo Fei.
Mo Fei had always considered Yu Tang's sea voyage as a post-high school graduation trip, her words brimming with envy. Yu Tang was speechless; if her good friend Mo Fei were on the ship, it truly would be a perfect graduation trip.
The two chatted haphazardly, about everything under the sun; one second they were worried about grades, the next they were talking about TV dramas. Only when chatting with Mo Fei did Yu Tang feel like she was back in a normal life.
Later, the conversation somehow drifted to kissing, and then from kissing to even more inappropriate topics...
"Tang, what do you think it would feel like to do those things?" Mo Fei's tone was full of curiosity, yet also tinged with shyness.
Yu Tang felt only shame, unease, fear, and... exhaustion. Some blush-inducing scenes surfaced in her mind, and Yu Tang quickly shook her head, trying to banish Yu Chaoxian from her thoughts.
They talked on the phone until almost midnight. Before hanging up, Mo Fei reminded Yu Tang not to forget to fill out her college application form the next day.
At this, Yu Tang's previously sleepy eyes suddenly cleared.
After hanging up the phone, Yu Tang began to think about the school she would apply to tomorrow... She had always told Yu Chaoxian that she would apply to Hong Kong University, and Yu Chaoxian had always thought that she would apply to Hong Kong University.
But... Yu Tang sat up, her eyes darting around, and she had another idea. Actually, she had two choices for her initial university, and it would depend on her scores.
Next comes the matter of money. No matter where you go in this world, you can't get anywhere without money.
The lack of money is a problem that can be solved in a few ways. At least Yu Tang has a way to solve her immediate problem right now—listing all the clothes and bags she doesn't wear at home on a second-hand website, so she won't have to worry about her tuition for at least a year.
Afterwards, by working part-time and studying hard, I can save up for living expenses and tuition fees.
Yu Tang thought a lot and finally figured out a way. The thought of being able to leave Yu Chaoxian made her feel relieved. She comfortably stretched out her legs, turned to the side, and rolled over, clutching the blanket between her legs.
Sure enough, it's still more comfortable to sleep with a blanket, so soft and cozy. Yu Chaoxian's whole body was stiff and rigid, the oppressive feeling was too strong, and it always made it hard for her to breathe.
That night, Yu Tang slept soundly without any dreams.
Yu Tang, still half-asleep, pulled out her phone. The screen showed it was already 9:00 AM. An unread message sat quietly in the notification bar—sender: Yu Chaoxian, time: 6:15 AM—saying: "[The plane has landed.]"
She stared at the incomplete message for a while, swiping her finger across the screen, but made no move to reply. What would this person say to her after getting off the plane? It was probably sent to the wrong person.
After washing up, Yu Tang went up to the deck and found that the yacht had already set sail. The azure sea stretched as far as the eye could see, but there was no sign of a port. Just as she was wondering, Mickey came over and explained, "The ship will stop at the next port in three days, and the boss will board there."
Upon hearing this news, Yu Tang's lips unconsciously curled into a smile. Thinking that Yu Chaoxian hadn't been around for the past three days, Yu Tang happily ate an extra breakfast, remarking that A-Jin's cooking was getting better and better. Then she ran to the sun lounger, put on her sun hat and covered herself with a soft towel, and took out her book to continue reading.
When Mickey brought over the lemonade, she suddenly remembered the message. "Oh right," Yu Tang said casually, flipping through the pages of her book, "your boss texted me this morning saying he got off the plane; it must have been sent to me by mistake."
Mickey's expression suddenly became subtle upon hearing this. He recalled that back in Killaria, the boss had already been reporting his itinerary to Yu Tang. After a moment of silence, he said, "Miss Yu, the boss's information was sent to you. His whereabouts are kept secret and only shared with extremely close and trusted people. Someone once paid a high price to buy the boss's itinerary and planted a bomb on the plane. If the boss hadn't been vigilant and discovered it, he might have perished on the plane. That's why the boss trusts Miss Yu so much, which is why he reports his itinerary to her at every turn."
Yu Tang hadn't taken the message to heart, nor had she thought about it deeply. But after hearing Mickey's words, she belatedly realized what it meant.
Indeed, Yu Chaoxian's whereabouts cannot be easily exposed, and there are very few people he can fully trust, yet he trusts her implicitly...
Thinking of this, Yu Tang suddenly straightened up, her face showing sudden realization; she understood.
Mickey observed Yu Tang's reaction and smiled with relief, thinking that Yu Tang finally understood that the boss valued her highly, and that she should understand the boss's feelings.
The morning sunlight streamed through the porthole. Yu Tang was still turning over in his sleep, while Yu Chaoxian's plane had already landed at the American military base. At that moment, he was sitting in General McCarthy's office, making final negotiations on the order for a batch of second-hand rifles.
McCarthy hadn't seen Yu Chaoxian for some time, but his daughter Vivian kept talking about him.
Two cups of black coffee steamed on the table. Yu Chaoxian sat cross-legged on the leather sofa, while Chen Diao behind him presented a box. Inside the box was a piece of porcelain, its glaze gleaming warmly under the light.
General McCarthy enjoyed collecting these things and had a fondness for Eastern culture.
McCarthy's gaze never left the blue and white porcelain. "Yu, you understand me best."
His fingertips gently traced the edge of the porcelain plate, and his memory suddenly flashed back to the scene when he first met Yu Chaoxian. No one would have guessed that the world-renowned "Shark" of that strongest special forces unit was such a young and handsome man in front of him. In fact, Yu Chaoxian was only twenty years old when he carried out the mission to rescue him and his daughter.
At that time, McCarthy, who possessed core military intelligence, and his daughter Vivian were imprisoned in a damp basement, oblivious to day and night, until the wall above them shattered and a blinding light shone in. Outside, mercenaries lay dead on the ground, their flesh mangled, a horrifying sight for McCarthy. Yu Chaoxian, gripping a rope with one hand and a gun in the other, descended.
Upon suddenly meeting Yu Chaoxian's dark eyes, McCarthy felt a sense of oppression. He had experienced countless bloody battles on the battlefield, and ordinary soldiers dared not meet his eyes. However, Yu Chaoxian's eyes were even more terrifying than his own.
A fleeting hint of tenderness crossed Yu Chaoxian's eyes. McCarthy noticed the change in Yu Chaoxian's expression after seeing the message on his phone.
Yu Chao received the photo from Mickey first. Yu Tang was reading a book on a sun lounger, complete with a sun hat, towel, and juice. There was also cut fruit next to him, and he even had a mascot he bought at the port festival placed on the sun lounger where Yu Tang was sitting, sunbathing together. Was he treating that doll as him?
This aunt is taking good care of herself. It's just that she's a bit heartless; she didn't send a single text message after he landed.
When Yu Chaoxian saw the photo, the sharp lines of his face softened considerably, and the faint smile at the corners of his mouth now looked like a real smile.
McCarthy was surprised and couldn't help but wonder what was on the phone that could make this man, who had crawled out of hell, show such a tender expression?
"Yu, it's been three or four years since we last met, how have you been lately?" McCarthy was too embarrassed to ask Yu Chaoxian about his personal life directly, since Yu Chaoxian's smile just now was definitely not because of business.
“General McCarthy isn’t here to reminisce with me, is he?” Yu Chaoxian put away his phone, not intending to waste any more time. “Let’s go to the armory.”
Seeing this, McCarthy didn't dare to ask any more questions on behalf of his daughter, and immediately had someone drive him to the armory and assigned a special person to accompany Yu Chaoxian.
After Yu Chaoxian left, McCarthy's confidant Will asked worriedly, "Are we really going to sell weapons to Yu Chaoxian? Won't that cause trouble?"
After all, Yu Chaoxian's methods of taking revenge are no different from those of terrorists, or even worse, which is an important reason why no one dares to easily provoke Yu Chaoxian.
“Business is just business. Similarly, arms are either sold or not. Whoever pays for it gets the guns.” McCarthy didn’t care. He didn’t care about those things. He also had to support his family. The reward Yu Chaoxian gave him was something the American government couldn’t provide.
Having only recently entered politics, Wilkins still possessed some semblance of conscience, and he worried, "What if they fall into the hands of terrorists and cause harm to the world?"
McCarthy laughed heartily, patting Will on the shoulder, his mocking tone carrying an undeniable truth: "Then how about we put health warnings on the guns? What do you think? Would that work? Everyone knows smoking is harmful to health, but they still smoke anyway. You're still too young, lad. Take your time, you'll understand the ins and outs sooner or later."
The armory was filled with the smell of gun oil and metal.
Yu Chaoxian casually picked up a rifle, his slender fingers tracing the magazine well, the cool touch spreading from his palm. These sophisticated killing tools were so quiet at this moment.
Yu Chaoxian suddenly said to the accompanying inspector in a serious tone, "There are some defects in this batch of firearms."
“Absolutely not,” the accompanying inspector immediately retorted. “We already conducted a thorough inspection when the gun was taken from the soldier’s hands.”
At that moment, Chen Diao intervened, putting his arm around the inspector's shoulder and pulling him into the shadows as if they were becoming sworn brothers. He then slipped a check into the inspector's pocket, saying, "It's getting hot. I know you have a daughter at home. Here's some pocket money for her to buy some pretty dresses."
The inspector glanced down into the pocket; it contained a check. His Adam's apple visibly bobbed when he saw the amount.
Subsequently, the inspectors immediately went to the arsenal and reported to the general that Yu Chaoxian was right; this batch of second-hand pistols did indeed have certain defects, with approximately 11,000 defective firearms.
McCarthy, cigar in mouth, waved his hand, indicating he understood. He wouldn't personally inspect that pile of guns; selling secondhand firearms would bring in a profit, half going to him and the other half to the government.
“How about this, Yu, considering our past relationship,” McCarthy quickly offered a solution, “I’ll give you half price for those 11,000 guns, and increase the 30 million rounds of ammunition I promised to 400 million rounds. I’ll come to you first for future business, how about that?”
Yu Chaoxian appeared reluctant, as if he was only agreeing out of respect for McCarthy: "Since the General is so agreeable, I will naturally support the General's business. For the sake of long-term cooperation, let's make a deal."
McCarthy stood up and shook hands with Yu Chaoxian: "It's been a pleasure working with you."
Yu Chaoxian gestured behind him, and Chen Diao placed the briefcase on the desk. Without even opening it, he knew it was full of banknotes.
Seeing Yu Chaoxian about to leave, McCarthy quickly got up from his desk, stepped forward, and warmly urged him to stay, "Yu, stay and have dinner with us. Vivian was overjoyed to hear you were coming and is on her way right now." As he spoke, he shook his head and smiled with feigned helplessness, "That child always calls him 'Brother Yu,' she's really grown up and can't stay at home."
In order to maintain a friendly cooperative relationship with McCarthy, Yu Chaoxian would sometimes dine with McCarthy when he went to America. Each time, McCarthy would bring his young daughter along.
Dinner was served at an oriental restaurant, where melodious guzheng music could be heard from behind a carved screen.
Vivian's mother is Korean, and the mixed-race Vivian inherited her mother's black hair and her father's blue eyes.
Yu Chao naturally brought a gift to the banquet. Chen Diao was very experienced in this matter. Giving gifts was an essential part of dealing with relationships between high-ranking officials. He knew that these seemingly trivial etiquettes could often achieve great results with minimal effort. Ingratiating oneself with the wife or daughter of a high-ranking official was the key to managing a relationship well.
Chen had already prepared gifts: a silk embroidered shawl for Mrs. McCarthy and a bouquet of vibrant red roses for Vivian.
Yu Chaoxian grew impatient. Chen Diao couldn't even get things done smoothly, and he was extremely annoyed: "Chen Diao, when did you begin to presume to know what I mean?"
"I'm sorry, boss." Chen Diao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, realizing he had really angered Yu Chaoxian, and quickly replaced the roses with another bouquet.
Before dinner, Yu Chaoxian presented gifts to Mrs. McCarthy and Vivian.
The lady stroked the exquisite Suzhou embroidery pattern on the shawl; it was clearly a thoughtful gift. She smiled with satisfaction: "Mr. Yu is so considerate."
Vivian was surprised to receive a bouquet of flowers. Although they weren't roses, the joy of receiving flowers personally chosen by him still shone through her eyes.
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