"The last message we received from Captain He Peng was two days ago. He said they were heading into the mountains. Since there’s no signal in the primeval forest, we temporarily can’t contact them."
An Yan frowned. She had thought she could get updates directly, but now it seemed she could only wait here.
"Miss," Luolie came in to report, "Mo Yunkai from the Mo Family has arrived. Would you like to see him?"
"I’ll see him," she said.
She was just a doctor. Mo Shiyan was the patient’s relative, and so was Mo Yunkai. It would be nothing more than repeating to Mo Yunkai what she had already told Mo Shiyan.
"Miss An Yan, do you mean there’s a living worm inside my father’s brain?"
"Then, can Miss An Yan remove the worm?"
"I understand. Thank you, Miss An Yan! This is a small gift as an apology for disturbing you. Please accept it." Mo Yunkai offered An Yan a card, saying, "Ten million."
An Yan pushed the card back. "Once you’ve cleared the worm from your father’s brain, I will still perform the surgery. Mr. Mo can provide compensation after the surgery is successful."
Mo Yunkai did not insist further and took back the card. "Then I won’t disturb Miss An Yan anymore."
After leaving the villa, Mo Yunkai’s wife asked him, "Do you think An Yan might be a helper Mo Shiyan hired?"
Mo Yunkai shook his head. "She’s probably just a doctor. But perhaps Mo Shiyan brought her in merely as a tool to clear his own name."
"What should we do then?"
"As long as she doesn’t interfere in our family’s affairs, we’ll just pretend she doesn’t exist."
At ten o’clock that evening, An Yan called Li Tianyao as scheduled.
This time, he was in a restaurant. The natural wood décor had a strong local flavor, characteristic of R Country.
"Don’t eat that seafood! Watch out for nuclear contamination!" An Yan urged as soon as she saw the sashimi on his table.
Li Tianyao laughed. "Don’t worry. This isn’t from the sea. It’s specially farmed seafood!"
An Yan murmured, "Oh. What a selfish and contradictory nation. On one hand, they claim discharging nuclear wastewater into the ocean won’t affect marine life, yet on the other, they only eat seafood they’ve farmed themselves!"
"That might just be their nation’s peculiar limitation—only considering the present and themselves, without understanding the bigger picture or the future."
An Yan nodded in agreement. "How’s your business progressing? How many more days until you’re done?"
"Are you missing me?"
An Yan paused for two seconds, then said, "The team you sent to find the Golden Thread Worm has gone into the mountains. There’s no signal, so I can’t contact them. For now, all I can do is wait here."
So, she did miss him! When she was busy, of course, she had no time to think about him. But now that she was idle, the longing was irrepressible.
The man’s lips curved into a pleased smile. "What about Mo Hengyue’s surgery?"
"It can’t be done for now. Someone put a worm in his brain. I’ve strictly followed your advice, treating all members of the Mo Family as the patient’s relatives and giving the same answer to anyone who asks."
"Good girl!" Li Tianyao nodded in satisfaction. "If you get bored, go out for a walk. I recall Yuncheng hosts a Raw Stone Fair or something similar. Have Wang Yong get you some tickets so you can go have some fun. But while you’re having fun, remember to be careful."
Hearing they could go to the Raw Stone Fair to see new things, Mu Enyu and Liang Chen both showed great interest.
Wang Yong immediately used his connections to get them several entry tickets.
After breakfast the next day, An Yan set off with Mu Enyu and Liang Chen. Wen Ya drove, with Luolie in the passenger seat. Wen Ge, Officer Xiaohe, and two bodyguards familiar with the local terrain followed in another car. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel~fire~net
The event was held in a five-star hotel in Yuncheng. The organizers had booked three entire floors. The first floor was like a supermarket, with numerous stalls and cheaper stones.
Wang Yong whispered to An Yan, "If you’re looking to find a bargain, this floor is sufficient; it mainly comes down to your discerning eye.
"However, if you wish, Miss, we should probably wait for the auction on the third floor. The stones up for auction there are all first-hand raw materials from several major suppliers, and nearly every piece contains green. Of course, the prices are also considerably higher."
"Let’s look around this floor then." An Yan was also quite interested in finding bargains.
Who wouldn’t want to buy the most valuable things at the lowest price? Even the wealthy felt the same.
An Yan glanced around and saw many elegantly dressed men and women exuding an air of ostentatious wealth. Upon seeing such individuals, the stall owners greeted them with great enthusiasm. Voices rose and fell from all directions, creating a bustling atmosphere.
Little Squirrel, looking like it had never seen such a scene, hopped onto An Yan’s shoulder. It extended a tiny paw, trying to tug An Yan’s hair. But before it could get a grip, An Yan reached up, plucked it off, and handed it to Mu Enyu, who was watching it with eager eyes.
Mu Enyu’s eyes immediately curved into a smile. She then gently cradled Little Squirrel in her hands.
Little Squirrel, however, was not pleased. It wanted to see the world, not just people’s backs and the napes of their necks while being held by this ’shorty’! So, it struggled resolutely, stretching out its little paws to climb onto Mu Enyu’s head.
Mu Enyu, genuinely fond of Little Squirrel, actually did place it on top of her head.
Mu Enyu had an exceptionally sweet appearance, with smooth, waist-length hair that was gentle and endearing. At just over 1.6 meters tall, she was the shortest and smallest in An Yan’s group. But now, with a squirrel perched on her head, she instantly seemed taller and became the center of attention, like a single red bloom in a sea of green. Instantly, she attracted numerous gazes.
Having claimed the high ground, Little Squirrel puffed out its chest, held its head high, and waved its little paws. Although no one was actually listening to it, as long as it correctly anticipated its master’s intentions, everyone would move in the direction it waved. What a fun game! It felt like it was controlling everyone! Little Squirrel was instantly hooked.
To onlookers, it appeared as though the entire group was following Little Squirrel’s commands.
Mu Enyu, linking arms with An Yan, looked around curiously and asked, "Yan, do you know anything about Raw Stones?"
An Yan shook her head. "Not a thing!"
Their conversation drifted to the ears of a nearby stall owner. Young, ignorant, and they even have a pet—these rich kids are the easiest to fool!
The stall owner immediately perked up, calling out enthusiastically, "Hey, pretty lady, handsome fellow! Come look at my stones. They’re definitely first-hand materials, and the prices are reasonable."
Liang Chen stopped. "First-hand raw materials?"
The stall owner grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Absolutely haven’t changed hands!"
Liang Chen bent down, picked up one of the stones, and pressed a flashlight against its surface to peer inside. Curious, An Yan followed his gaze, trying to look inside as well. But without using her Clairvoyance Technique, she couldn’t make out anything at all.
"Miss." Wang Yong handed An Yan a high-powered flashlight, then picked up one of the stones and offered it to her. "If you’re considering a purchase, I think this one looks promising. Would you like to see?"
Having spent a long time in Yuncheng, Wang Yong knew a thing or two.
An Yan took it and, imitating Liang Chen, pressed the flashlight against the stone. Just as she focused, trying to discern any changes where the light hit the stone, Yezi in her mind suddenly began to sway vigorously, full of excitement!