Hearing Auntie Ya’s question, Long Yuan gathered the documents on the desk and leaned back against the sofa, saying, “Thanks to you, I’ve managed to uncover some very valuable information.”
Auntie Ya sounded puzzled. “I don’t understand what Young Master Long means.”
Excitement could not be concealed in Long Yuan’s eyes. “You don’t need to understand. Just collect your reward. Ten million yuan will be transferred directly to your account tomorrow. As for the person who caused your mother’s death, don’t worry. I’ll get to the bottom of it for you soon.”
The information that the bastard Auntie Ya was searching for was actually Qi Huan’s biological younger brother. To Long Yuan, its value was far greater than ten million yuan.
If he could find Qi Huan’s younger brother before Qi Huan did, he would be able to trample Qi Huan underfoot and become the Capital’s foremost scion!
“Good. I believe someone as capable as Young Master Long will definitely find him. I’ll also continue doing my best to work for you!”
After Long Yuan ended the call, Yu Linglong set down the lunchbox in her hand, sat beside him, and leaned over. Wrapping her arms around his, she asked curiously, “Ah Yuan, who was calling? You seem to be in such a good mood today.”
Long Yuan tossed his phone aside and turned to stare straight at her. “A woman. What is it? Are you planning to get jealous again and go looking for trouble with her, just like you did with Jiang Yonghe?”
At the mention of Jiang Yonghe, Yu Linglong immediately became wary. She remembered what Jiang Youli had told her: Long Yuan had already found Jiang Yonghe. That meant Jiang Yonghe must have told him that Yu Linglong had helped her escape before.
That was why Long Yuan was now on guard against her.
Given Long Yuan’s personality, he should never have let her off after learning that she had betrayed him.
Yet he still had not exposed her. That could only mean that, in his eyes, she still had some value to him.
Although Jiang Youli had already warned her that she no longer needed to take action and only had to protect herself, could she really preserve herself by doing nothing? Could she simply watch her father’s illegitimate son inherit the company while she was forced to marry Long Yuan as a pawn in a political marriage?
What she had to do now was dispel Long Yuan’s suspicions of her!
“You’re still angry that I let Jiang Yonghe go, aren’t you?” Yu Linglong hugged his arm and shook it, putting on an innocent expression. “I only did that because I care about you too much. That’s why I lost my temper.”
Seeing that Long Yuan’s expression remained cold, she continued explaining, “You know what it was like. Jiang Yonghe had always been above me. She was known as the Beijing’s No. 1 Talented Socialite, while I could only be the Capital’s second-most talented woman. You can understand how that feels, can’t you? When I heard that the woman you were secretly keeping was Jiang Yonghe—the same Jiang Yonghe who never even entered the entertainment industry but constantly put out press releases to overshadow me—how could I not be angry?”
At the mention of this, Long Yuan’s expression darkened.
It was precisely because of the title of the Capital’s Second Goddess that he had noticed Yu Linglong in the first place.
They were both perpetual runners-up.
When he learned that Old Master Qi intended to arrange an engagement between Qi Huan and Jiang Yonghe, he had chosen the woman known as the “Capital’s Second Goddess” as his own fiancée out of a desire to compete.
He refused to believe that second place would always remain second place!
So he had spent considerable effort and resources promoting Yu Linglong, determined to make her even more famous—to make her shine brighter than Jiang Yonghe.
His fiancée had to outshine Qi Huan’s fiancée in every way.
Yet now, the fiancée he had carefully chosen was planning to betray him and cooperate with Jiang Youli, someone who had offended both him and the Long family!
“Ah Yuan, I only defied you because I wanted you all to myself.” Having laid the groundwork, Yu Linglong finally got to the point. “There’s something I’ve been hiding from you. I was afraid you’d be angry if you found out, but if I keep it from you any longer, I’m afraid you’ll misunderstand me.”
Long Yuan frowned but said nothing.
Yu Linglong continued on her own. “Jiang Youli was the one who told me that you were hiding Jiang Yonghe. I knew she had offended you and the Long family, so I planned to gain her trust and then find an opportunity to deal with her harshly on your behalf. That’s why I pretended to agree to cooperate with her and helped her release Jiang Yonghe.”
Long Yuan was taken aback when she openly admitted to cooperating with Jiang Youli. At last, he turned his gaze toward her, his eyes filled with scrutiny.
She had actually volunteered this information and even provided what seemed to be a reasonable explanation.
Could it be that she had been trying to deal with Jiang Youli for his sake all along, and had never truly betrayed him?
Long Yuan hoped that was the truth.
He could not accept the fact that he had been betrayed by a woman.
How could a woman chosen by Long Yuan ever dare betray him?
Long Yuan asked, “Is that so? What useful information did you get from her that could be used against her?”
Yu Linglong replied dejectedly, “She was very cautious and didn’t tell me much. She only said that she would make the new series Soaring to the Top, which Great Wind Entertainment had specially produced to compete with Azure Cloud’s Aspiration, explode in scandal. The scandal would involve the male lead, so she asked me to help arrange the casting for him.”
“Do you think I can believe you?” Long Yuan gripped her chin and demanded harshly.
Tears gradually filled Yu Linglong’s eyes. “Ah Yuan, I love you so much. How could I possibly lie to you?”
Her expression was so pitiful that Long Yuan’s heart was shaken, and for a fleeting moment, he actually softened.
But soon, his expression turned cold once more.
To him, it did not matter whether Yu Linglong genuinely loved him, whether she had betrayed him, or whether she had only pretended to cooperate with Jiang Youli. As long as there was even a possibility that she might escape his control, he would rather kill a thousand innocents than let one potential threat go.
“You’d better not be lying to me. Otherwise, those who betray me are already at the bottom of the sea, feeding the sharks.” Long Yuan’s voice was low and carried a trace of menace as he slowly released Yu Linglong’s chin.
In Long Yuan’s world, betrayal was absolutely intolerable.
Without exception, every subordinate who had once betrayed him had been thrown into the boundless sea and left to become food for the sharks.
His words sent a shiver through Yu Linglong. After he released her chin, she could not help coughing several times, trying to steady her labored breathing.
Then she raised her head, suppressed the fear in her heart, and met Long Yuan’s eyes directly.
“If I’m lying to you, then may my entire family suffer a horrible fate.”
Her voice still trembled slightly, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
Long Yuan stared at her, seemingly judging whether her words were true.
Seeing this, Yu Linglong hurriedly pressed her advantage. “Whether you believe me or not, you should eat first. Hurry and try my cooking…”
There was a trace of ingratiation in her voice. She hoped to ease the tense atmosphere between them.
However, Long Yuan interrupted her.
“You’re my fiancée. You don’t need to do this kind of menial work for me.”
In the future, she would be sent to powerful figures above them who could help the Long family. Her duty was to take good care of every part of her body.
Yu Linglong was secretly delighted. She felt that her efforts seemed to be having some effect in dispelling Long Yuan’s suspicions of her, so she said with a smile, “All right, I won’t disturb you anymore. Remember to eat, or you’ll go hungry.”
With that, she rose and prepared to leave.
When she reached the door, Yu Linglong suddenly stopped. After looking around and making sure no one was nearby, she quietly pressed her ear against the door and held her breath, straining to hear what was happening inside.
“We must capture those two people Auntie Ya is looking for within a week! Bring the younger one back to me, and hand the older one over to Auntie Ya.”
Long Yuan’s voice rang out.
Yu Linglong frowned. Who was Auntie Ya?
Why was Long Yuan helping her find people?
So the reason Long Yuan had been so happy just now was because of this Auntie Ya?
