However, looking at Jessica now, it seemed nearly impossible to stop her.
After much thought, Gan Yuan finally spoke up.
"There’s no need, everyone recognizes your face. It would be troublesome if they spotted you."
"Without me, you won’t be able to take Xiaotang away." Gan Yuan steadied Jessica’s shoulders, "Moreover, everything must go according to my plan. We’re only taking the child, and under no circumstances is it permissible to hurt anyone."
Jessica lifted her eyes to look at her, "Gaia, you loved him, didn’t you?"
"I loved him before, but now..." Gan Yuan said with self-deprecating humor, "What kind of love is it if even my identity is not accepted? It’s all in the past. Let bygones be bygones; as long as I can take my son away successfully this time, we’ll have nothing to do with each other in the future. There are plenty of men out there, why should I be hung up on one?"
"That’s true!" Jessica nodded in agreement, "Even without a man, haven’t I been living just fine?"
Gan Yuan gave her a smile, "Now, tell me about your plan."
When the conversation turned to serious matters, Jessica’s expression also became grave. She earnestly pointed at the map and explained to Gan Yuan the sequence of events at the banquet, detailing her plan. Gan Yuan listened attentively and then quietly pondered her strategy for the next day.
"...That’s the plan!" Jessica turned to look at her, "Is there anything you need to add?"
"The more people involved, the higher the chance of something going wrong. Tomorrow, just the two of us will sneak in. And..." Gan Yuan reiterated, "I’ll say it again, don’t kill anyone unless absolutely necessary."
"Are you afraid of the Duke?" Jessica asked with a smile.
Gan Yuan gently shook her head, "Before, I didn’t care about these things, but... now I want to be a good mother. I don’t want my son to see me killing someone!"
Jessica’s face showed a thoughtful expression.
After a moment, she spoke again.
"I understand; I won’t make a move unless it’s absolutely necessary. And even if I do, I won’t do it in front of your son." She lifted the corners of her mouth slightly, "I don’t want the little guy to think of me as a scary woman. Besides, I haven’t killed that many people. The Duke rarely asks me to do such things. Red Flame isn’t what it used to be. In recent years, the Duke has been working hard to transform the organization, and we’ve mostly been focusing on legitimate business."
Gan Yuan nodded lightly, "It’s getting late, I’d like to rest soon."
"Alright, good night!"
Packing up the map on the table, Jessica turned and walked out of her room.
Gan Yuan locked the door, then walked to the window and leaned against the balcony’s battlement, folding her arms.
It was so late; she wondered if the child was asleep. Speaking of which, she really missed him. Even if she couldn’t take him away tomorrow, it would be good just to see him.
In the city center, the Splendid Royal Palace.
Inside the east wing suite, Huangfu Jue squatted next to the shoe bench, pulling off the little cotton socks from the little one’s feet. He then tested the water temperature in the bathtub before carefully lifting the little one and gently immersing his feet in the warm water.
Giving a child a bath for the first time in his life, despite having asked the servants for advice and tested the water with a thermometer, he was still worried about the heat.
The little one shook his head as he slowly lowered him into the water.
"If you’re uncomfortable, just speak up and Daddy will immediately lift you out."
The soft little body relaxed into the warm water, which was just right, and Gan Tang breathed a sigh of relief, raising his little face to smile at him.