"Master, is it worth it for two strangers?"
"They are key witnesses." Ye Qingliu's voice suddenly became closer, frightening Feng Yulan so much that she took a step back. "Besides... Zhang Shumin might know the truth about the Beishan project."
The footsteps faded away. Feng Yulan slid down to the floor, her back against the door, her heart pounding. What Beishan project? How could her mother-in-law know about it? What exactly did Ye Qingliu want?
Feng Yulan was awakened by the chirping of birds in the morning. Sunlight streamed through the gauze curtains, filling the room. Last night's rainstorm seemed like a nightmare.
She hurriedly washed up and went to see Zhang Shumin, and found that her mother-in-law had woken up and was leaning against the head of the bed drinking porridge.
"Mom! How do you feel?" Feng Yulan rushed to the bedside.
Zhang Shumin's face was still pale, but her eyes were much clearer: "Where is this?"
Feng Yulan briefly recounted how she was rescued after stopping a car last night. After hesitating for a moment, she mentioned the Beishan project that Ye Qingliu mentioned.
Zhang Shumin's expression froze instantly, and the spoon in her hand fell into the bowl with a clang.
"Did he really say that?" Zhang Shumin's voice was unusually sharp.
Feng Yulan nodded and was about to ask more questions when the door was gently pushed open.
Ye Qingliu walked in. He was still wearing the public school uniform today and looked like he was getting ready to go to school.
"Good morning," he said politely. "How are you, Ms. Zhang?"
Zhang Shumin's eyes instantly became alert and sharp: "Master Ye, thank you for your help. We won't stay long, today..."
"You can't go anywhere." Ye Qingliu interrupted her, his voice gentle but unyielding. "The people of Jinwan City have blocked all exits within a radius of fifty miles."
He walked to the window. "Green Lake Villa has a state-of-the-art security system. It's the safest place right now."
Zhang Shumin pressed her lips into a straight line: "Why are you helping us?"
Ye Qingliu turned around, the sunlight forming a halo behind him. "Two reasons. First, I hate people like Jin Wancheng. Second..." He looked directly into Zhang Shumin's eyes. "You know the truth about the Beishan project, right?"
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Feng Yulan saw her mother-in-law's fingers clenching the sheets tightly, her knuckles turning white.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhang Shumin's voice was cold.
Ye Qingliu sighed softly. "In 1989, there was the chemical plant explosion in Beishan District. The official report said it was an operational error, but in reality..."
He stepped forward. "Jin Wancheng deliberately set the explosion to destroy the first batch of drug experiment evidence."
Feng Yulan gasped - that was the accident in which Zhang Shuo's father died!
She looked at her mother-in-law and found that Zhang Shumin's face had turned pale.
"You...how do you know..." Zhang Shumin's voice trembled.
Ye Qingliu pulled out an old photo from his suit pocket and placed it on the bedside table. "Because the Ye family was the major shareholder of that chemical plant back then. My grandfather always suspected the truth of the accident, but only found a clue last year."
The photo showed a group of workers posing in front of a chemical plant. Feng Yulan recognized the young Zhang Shumin and the man standing next to her—presumably Zhang Shuo's father.
In the corner of the photo, a young man wearing a gold watch is staring at the camera sinisterly - the young Jin Wancheng!
"I need a witness," Ye Qingliu said bluntly. "Jin Wancheng has been using his old tricks again in Beishan District, using development as a cover to run drug operations. Although the Ye family has withdrawn their investment, their reputation remains affected."
Zhang Shumin closed her eyes, as if struggling with something. After a long moment, she opened them and asked, "If we testify, can you guarantee Yulan's safety?"
"Mom!" Feng Yulan exclaimed, "What are you talking about?"
Ye Qingliu nodded solemnly: "I guarantee it on the reputation of the Ye family."
"Okay." Zhang Shumin breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders. "I'll tell you everything I know. But there's one condition—"
She took Feng Yulan's hand and said, "Send Yulan to a safe place first. She knows nothing and shouldn't be involved in this."
Feng Yulan held her mother-in-law's hand tightly: "I won't leave! I want to stay with you!"
Ye Qingliu looked at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a touch of emotion flashing in his gray-blue eyes: "I can arrange for Ms. Feng to go to the Ye family's estate in Singapore. It will be absolutely safe. When everything is over..."
His words were interrupted by the sudden ringing of his cell phone. Ye Qingliu answered the call, his expression gradually becoming serious: "Got it, activate the defense protocol."
After hanging up the phone, his voice became urgent: "The Jin family has found the villa. We have to move immediately."
Feng Yulan's heart almost stopped. Was she going to lose the safe haven she had just found so soon?
Ye Qingliu had already pressed a hidden button on the wall: "There's a car in the basement garage, leaving in three minutes."
He looked at Feng Yulan, "Pack your things and only take the necessities."
As Feng Yulan hurriedly packed up, she heard Zhang Shumin whisper to Ye Qingliu, "The Beishan archives are in the safe at the old post office in Qingxi Town... The password is Shuo'er's birthday."
Ye Qingliu nodded: "I will send someone to get it."
Five minutes later, they were already in an ordinary-looking but bulletproof SUV.
Ye Qingliu drove the car himself, and it slid silently out of the underground garage and drove along a hidden path towards a woods behind the villa.
"Where are we going?" Feng Yulan asked, holding her mother-in-law's hand tightly.
Ye Qingliu's eyes met hers in the rearview mirror. "At the airport. There's a plane waiting to take you to Singapore."
"Aren't you coming with us?" Feng Yulan blurted out.
The young man raised his lips slightly. "I have to stay and deal with Jin Wancheng." His voice suddenly turned cold. "It's time to end this game."
The car passed through the woods and drove onto a secluded road. Feng Yulan looked back, but Cuihu Villa had disappeared from her sight. She didn't know whether true safety or a bigger storm awaited them.
But at this moment, at least she is no longer alone - she has her mother-in-law by her side, and the mysterious boy is guarding her in the dark.
The sunlight shines through the clouds, illuminating the road ahead.
Feng Yulan took a deep breath and prepared herself to face the unknown.
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