Liu Yutong watched Secretary Huang's departing figure, silent for a long time, even somewhat lost in thought, a trace of pain faintly visible between her brows.
She knew why this charity gala was being held. A natural disaster had occurred in the suburbs a few days ago. While there weren't many casualties, it had caused significant economic losses.
If it were just about donating money or similar things, she wouldn't mind; she wasn't unwilling to part with it.
The reason she felt pain was because it made her think of the catastrophic earthquake in BS Province from her previous life, one that shocked the world and plunged the entire nation into mourning.
Even now, recalling the scenes she witnessed in that past life, they remained vivid before her eyes: mountains collapsing, the earth splitting, lives devastated...
It was already May. There weren't many days left until that date.
The very thought of it made her heart ache terribly, even leaving her somewhat breathless.
She clearly knew the tragedy might repeat itself, yet she couldn't find a suitable way to prevent it all, to alter this predetermined course of fate.
This feeling of foreknowledge coupled with powerlessness was truly excruciating for her.
Standing beside her, Yun Cheng saw the look of pain on the young mistress's face. It was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on her.
Thinking she might be ill, he quickly asked with concern, "Young Mistress, are you alright? I'll take you to the hospital right now."
Liu Yutong shook her head gently, her voice carrying a hint of weariness. "I'm fine. I just thought of some things and feel a bit unsettled."
"Yun Cheng, take me back to the company first."
Although worried about her condition, Yun Cheng instinctively nodded in agreement. "Yes, Young Mistress."
The two of them walked out of the hotel one after the other, heading towards the black Maybach sedan parked by the lakeside.
Yun Cheng opened the car door for her. She bent down and settled into the back seat, her body sinking slightly into the soft leather.
After the car started, she directly pulled the curtain shut and closed her eyes, intending to rest for a moment.
But not long after,
through the rearview mirror, Yun Cheng saw the young mistress's shoulders begin to tremble slightly.
Then, a large teardrop rolled unexpectedly from the corner of her eye, tracing a path down her fair cheek.
Followed by a second, a third...
Until she suddenly raised her hand, pressing the back of it hard against her mouth.
Yun Cheng had never seen the young mistress cry so uncontrollably before. His own heart clenched in response.
In his impression, the young mistress was forever the calm, powerful queen who seemed to command everything.
But at this moment, she was as fragile as a child who had lost her way.
What was wrong with the young mistress?
He didn't know, and he couldn't figure out what could have happened to make her like this.
An unknown amount of time later, the car stopped at the main entrance on the first floor of the Wanlong Group headquarters.
Yun Cheng then softly reminded her, "Young Mistress, we've arrived."
He looked through the rearview mirror and saw Liu Yutong had already sat up straight, carefully wiping her face with a tissue. Apart from her eyes and the tip of her nose being slightly red, one could hardly tell she had just been crying.
Only those usually clear and sharp eyes still held a lingering hint of moisture.
Yun Cheng very much wanted to ask her what had happened, but he also knew the young mistress's temperament. If she didn't want to say, no one could force her, and he was no exception.
It wasn't that Liu Yutong didn't want to say, but rather she couldn't.
How could she possibly tell him that she knew a place called XX might have an earthquake?
This matter could only be kept hidden in her heart.
She also prayed silently in her heart, praying that in this life, there would be no earthquake, that everyone could live and work in peace and health.
This possibility also existed because her current life did indeed have some deviations from her previous one.
For instance, the appearance of Yun Cheng and the others sometimes made her wonder if this might be a parallel world developing very similarly to her past life?
If it was the latter, that would be the best outcome.
As soon as Liu Yutong got out of the car, the sound of footsteps came from the lobby.
She saw Xiao Hu walking out of the elevator with seven or eight teenagers, each face beaming with excited smiles.
They were now completely different from when they had first been taken in by the Wanlong Society. Their physiques were noticeably much more robust, and some had even developed muscles.
Since Yun Cheng had taken them as disciples, he would teach them combat skills from time to time and had arranged for them to attend school.
Usually after school or on weekends, whenever they had free time, they would come to the company's martial arts hall to learn Sanda.
Seeing Liu Yutong and Yun Cheng, Xiao Hu and the others hurried over. They first greeted Liu Yutong respectfully, then called out "Master" to Yun Cheng in an orderly manner.
A smile reappeared on Liu Yutong's face as she asked, "Xiao Hu, what's going on? You all look very happy today."
Xiao Hu said excitedly, "Young Mistress, good news! The police officers just notified us that Xiao Bao and Xiao Xiang's parents have been found. Their home is in BS Province."
Liu Yutong: "Really? That is indeed good news."
Xiao Hu continued, "The police officers also said that several of the traffickers who were previously wanted have recently been spotted in the BS Province area as well. They are coordinating the arrest now."
BS Province! Human traffickers!
Hearing that name, Liu Yutong's eyes instantly turned sharp.
The anxiety and sense of powerlessness she had forcibly suppressed earlier surged back, but this time, she seemed to have found a course of action.
"Yun Cheng, did you hear that?"
Yun Cheng nodded. "When the time comes, I will arrange for someone to take Xiao Bao and Xiao Xiang to BS Province to find their families."
Xiao Bao and Xiao Xiang had initially been thrilled to hear their parents were found, but upon seeing their Master and the Young Mistress, their spirits instantly fell.
If this family reunion succeeded, they didn't know if they would have another chance in the future to see their Master, the Young Mistress, and all the older brothers and sisters of the Wanlong Society.
Before they could express their reluctance,
Liu Yutong spoke instead. "No, Yun Cheng, it's not just about sending them back."
"We can't rely solely on the police coordinating for the trafficker matter. Those scum have ruined so many families. Since we have a lead, our Wanlong Society cannot stand idly by. Moreover, Xiao Bao and Xiao Xiang are also our family. Both emotionally and logically, we should send people over."
"These traffickers who succeeded in abducting so many children are definitely operating as a gang. We can't even rule out the possibility of local criminal forces sheltering them. We need to round them up completely. We might even be able to extract information from them about where Xiao Hu and the others were taken from before they were trafficked, helping them find their own families."
Her reasoning, while somewhat forced, was sufficient, and it also fit her established persona of occasionally making decisions that others found hard to comprehend.
When the time came, she would use the pretext of cracking down on human traffickers to deploy as many people and resources as possible near that place about to suffer calamity.
It was the only thing she could do.
Hearing this, the sliver of doubt in Yun Cheng's heart resurfaced.
The young mistress's reaction seemed excessively intense and urgent. While they had been assisting the police in combating human traffickers, mobilizing on such a large scale like this... was it perhaps a bit...
Although he didn't understand why the young mistress was so urgent, he would still strictly carry out her orders.
"Yes, young mistress! I will immediately dispatch a team to BS Province."
"One team is not enough. I want all core personnel!"
"Yes, young mistress!"
