Zhao Siyu instantly felt unloved. Ever since Ye Longlin returned, she hadn't felt loved.
"Alas, as expected, adopted children are not doted upon," Zhao Siyu feigned melancholy, letting out a long sigh as her gaze drifted wistfully towards the dishes on the table.
Hearing this, Zhao Qian playfully smacked Zhao Siyu on the head, "Hurry up and get bowls and chopsticks to eat."
Zhao Siyu rubbed her head in mock grievance, "Okay."
Ye Longlin watched all this with amusement. Truthfully, he hadn't experienced such a warm scene in a long time. He had always been alone, never experiencing family warmth since childhood. After the Ye family's pursuit began, they had traversed almost the entirety of Great Xia, from south to north, and had become displaced.
Ye Longlin's gaze gradually softened.
Mu Hanqi, who had been watching Ye Longlin intently, felt a sense of relief for reasons unknown. She placed a piece of meat into his bowl, looking at him with a beaming smile, her eyes curved into crescent moons.
For him, there were no longer any relatives in this world, but Zhao Qian's appearance filled a small void in his heart and gave him more to protect.
"It's still this taste. Back in the army, when I asked the mess hall cooks to stir-fry it, it always lacked something. This is the taste of memory," Ye Longlin sighed, a hint of nostalgia in his eyes.
Mu Hanqi blinked her eyes and playfully said, "Auntie, I want to learn to cook." Her intention was quite clear. Ye Longlin had just expressed his liking for the food, and then she turned to Zhao Qian to say she wanted to learn cooking. The intentions were as obvious as could be.
"Alright." Ye Longlin didn't say anything, but a hint of helplessness flickered in his eyes. How could he not know Mu Hanqi's thoughts? It was just that he had never considered marriage. If she were just an ordinary high-ranking official, he wouldn't have given it so much thought, but he was far more than just an ordinary high-ranking official!
"Boss."
At this moment, Xuan Niao walked in from outside and whispered something into his ear. Ye Longlin's expression turned slightly grim. He brought his fingers together, rubbing his temples, "I can't even have a meal in peace."
Mu Hanqi asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Ye Longlin shook his head slightly, not saying much more, only looking apologetically at Zhao Qian, "Aunt Zhao, I have to leave and handle some matters."
Zhao Qian looked at him with dissatisfaction, but there was nothing she could do but nod, "Handle your business first if you need to."
...
Lin Tianai hadn't returned for two days. During this time, she had been coordinating projects with a company to lay the groundwork for her upcoming entry into Nan Province. The people of Nan Province were very unfriendly to external companies, which led the highest leadership in Nan Province to try every means to attract investment. However, the results were bittersweet. Ultimately, it was due to Nan Province's severe xenophobia, which caused every external enterprise that entered to fail. The Investment Promotion Department could only try to improve the survival rate of external enterprises with all sorts of support and subsidies. But Nan Province's reputation was already set, leading to a situation where those who wanted to come had to consider if they could survive the initial period.
"Minister Wang, I hope you can understand that my entry into Nan Province, if I can establish a foothold, will be a good thing for Nan Province. Therefore, you should understand the current situation Nan Province is facing." Lin Tianai was truly helpless. This was another lecherous old man; she didn't know why she always encountered such people. Appearance in life was merely an auxiliary means; in the end, it would only be withered bones of beauty.
Minister Wang chuckled lightly, "Perhaps you don't know Nan Province's situation. Over the years, there have been no less than eight hundred to a thousand companies that have come to develop in Nan Province, but in the end, none have lasted more than ten years. So we have all given up. Even with what you're saying, who knows? Between uncertainty and certainty, I will definitely choose the latter."
Lin Tianai desperately wanted to catch up with Ye Longlin's pace, but what she was good at and what she currently possessed was only her company. Ju Ling Group had not yet gone public. Perhaps only after it went public would she have the slightest qualification to be with Ye Longlin. Even if she had the qualification to be with Ye Longlin now, she didn't want to. She wanted to stand by Ye Longlin's side in broad daylight one day!
"Since that is the case, then I will not trouble you further." With that, she left without any hesitation, quickly departing the Investment Promotion Department. However, just a few streets away, she was blocked by a group of people.
"Who are you, what do you want?" Lin Tianai frowned, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She held her phone in one hand, rapidly sending messages. A group of men in black got out of a car, glanced around, and sneered, "Miss Lin, please come with us." After speaking, they moved aside, revealing the open door of a van behind them.
Lin Tianai did not confront them directly and got into the car. This message was not sent to Ye Longlin but to Xuan Niao, though it made no difference. Upon learning of this matter, Ye Longlin immediately instructed Xuan Niao to access the surveillance footage, bypassing the Nan Province authorities.
"As of now, it's unclear who is responsible. However, for the time being, all we know is that Miss Lin was taken away immediately after leaving the Investment Promotion Department. I suspect this matter has something to do with Minister Wang." Otherwise, the opponent's reaction would not have been so swift.
A cold glint flashed in Ye Longlin's eyes. This was indeed quite interesting.
"Find out. I need to know who is behind this. Also, regarding this Minister Wang, if there truly is a problem, directly initiate an investigation." Ye Longlin said coldly, watching the scene on the screen where Lin Tianai willingly went with them, a chilling light flashing in his eyes. Although he didn't care much about Lin Tianai, he had promised Uncle Lin to protect her, and he would do so!
"Even if Lin Tianai betrayed Great Xia, I promised to protect her, and no one in this world dares to touch her!" With just one sentence, Ye Longlin revealed his true feelings, making Xuan Niao understand Lin Tianai's importance in his heart. Not to mention that Lin Tianai was the only daughter of Lin Langsheng, a four-star Marshal, but simply because Lin Langsheng had asked him to protect Lin Tianai, he would agree. Lin Langsheng's entire family had been loyal martyrs; based on this alone, he could not refuse.
"Their route has been traced. All routes point to one place: the Zhou family." Ye Longlin furrowed his brow, "We don't seem to have any dealings with the Zhou family, do we?"
Xuan Niao nodded, "It's currently found that the Zhou family experienced a change two years ago, causing a generational gap within the family. More importantly, two months ago, an old Daoist passed by the Zhou family and said they needed someone for a joyous occasion, requiring a woman. However, they had been searching for two years without finding a suitable candidate, and the Zhou family's decline grew each year. So, when Miss Lin appeared in the Zhou family's sight, that old Daoist said she was precisely the kind of woman they needed. And thus, this scene unfolded. Furthermore, this Minister Wang is someone the Zhou family sponsored and is strictly speaking, an outsider relative of the Zhou family."