Auntie Ya...
Madam Ya!
That was it. Qi Huan had pried the information about the human trafficker from Qi Tianxiang.
The trafficker who had taken away Qi Huan’s younger biological brother all those years ago was called Madam Ya!
Could this Auntie Ya possibly have some connection to Madam Ya?
Recently, there had been quite a few things Jiang Youli needed Ye Ying to investigate, and she was worried Ye Ying might be overwhelmed. That was why she hadn’t asked Ye Ying to look into Madam Ya yet.
She had never expected to find a related clue through Yu Linglong!
“This information is very valuable to me,” Jiang Youli replied to Yu Linglong.
Then she continued, “But as I told you, Long Yuan has already taken Jiang Yonghe away. He knows you’ve been in contact with me, and he’s already suspicious of you. Making any rash moves now would be dangerous.”
Yu Linglong, however, said, “How can you catch tigers without entering their lair? My father has already brazenly brought his illegitimate son into the company. Every time I think about that bastard taking over the company in the future, I can’t eat or sleep. The image of my mother dying with her eyes open haunts me every time I close mine.”
“I’ll be careful. If anything really happens to me, my lawyer will deliver the share-transfer agreement bearing my signature to you. When that time comes, all I ask is that you avenge my mother and me.”
Hearing Yu Linglong say this, Jiang Youli couldn’t help but admire her a little more.
“I’ll send you a package by express delivery another day. It contains an electronic device developed by my father’s company. Besides tracking your location in real time, it also has a self-defense function. If anything happens to you, I’ll know immediately.”
There was a brief silence on the other end before Yu Linglong laughed. “Thank you, Miss Jiang.”
Her voice was no longer as gloomy as before; it sounded much lighter now. “Ever since my mother died, it’s been such a long time since anyone cared about me like this.”
“People only see either my beauty and the value it brings, or my value as a potential marriage alliance.”
“You’re the only one who truly cares about my safety.”
Listening to those words, Jiang Youli was reminded of her former self.
Although she had never received love from her biological parents while growing up, she had been fortunate enough to have an adoptive father who treated her extremely well, along with a group of uncles and aunts who had taught her everything they knew.
It could be said that she had never lacked love. Her life had, in fact, been rich and fulfilling.
Jiang Youli pulled herself back from her thoughts and said, “Don’t say things like that. You make it sound like a last will and testament. The ones who deserve to die are your father, who betrayed your mother; his mistress, who caused your mother’s death; and her son, who wants to snatch the fruits of the company your mother and father built together.”
“As long as you’re alive, you can deal with every one of them.”
Yu Linglong let out a heavy “Mm” from the other end of the line. “Miss Jiang, I used to have no idea how to resist or fight back. I kept thinking, What kind of trouble could a woman like me possibly cause? Even if I was the legitimate daughter, what did it matter? As long as I wasn’t a man, my father would cheat on my mother and leave the company to the illegitimate son he had with his mistress.”
“But after seeing everything you’ve done, I suddenly realized that I don’t want to endure this in silence anymore.”
“Why should I be reduced to a pawn in a marriage alliance and hand the company over to the son of the mistress who killed my mother?”
“For a woman to achieve the same success as a man, she really does have to be more ruthless. After all, women are naturally more empathetic and have a stronger sense of morality than men.”
“So for women, the hardest obstacles aren’t the difficulties and dangers in front of us. They’re the limitations we impose on ourselves.”
“True feelings should be reserved for those who deserve them. As for those who don’t, they should be treated the way they treated others.”
“Miss Jiang, you’re a perfect example. Your father, mother, and brother refused to acknowledge you, but you didn’t wallow in self-pity, doubt yourself, or endure humiliation in silence. Instead, you fought for your own happiness.”
“I hope I can be like you and fight for the happiness that belongs to me.”
“Sorry. I got carried away and told you so much. I hope I didn’t annoy you?”
Jiang Youli smiled. “Not at all. I know someone who’s a lot like you and loves telling me all sorts of things too. Maybe I’m just naturally a good listener.”
That person was Qi An'an.
Even though Duan Jinghan had not contacted Qi An'an for a long time, Qi An'an still sent Jiang Youli messages every night, chatting with her and sharing amusing stories from her day.
Jiang Youli had truly come to regard Qi An'an as her own younger sister.
“I hope that one day I can meet you openly and spend time chatting with you.”
“You will.”
After hanging up, Jiang Youli thought for a moment. She decided not to contact Qi Huan immediately to tell him about Auntie Ya.
She felt it would be better to wait until the investigation confirmed that Auntie Ya really was connected to Madam Ya. Otherwise, if it turned out to be nothing more than a coincidence, she would only give him false hope.
...
Even after learning that there might be a clue about his younger brother, Qi Huan did not allow the matter to distract him. He handed the investigation over to Cheng Jing and continued handling his work with impeccable efficiency.
Worrying blindly would accomplish nothing. Only by keeping his position as the Qi family’s heir secure could he protect his younger brother in the future.
It was not until after dinner, when he was playing chess with Grandpa Qi in the study as usual, that Qi Huan received Cheng Jing’s call with an update on the investigation.
“Young Master, Madam Ya died twenty-two years ago. She had only one daughter, who disappeared without a trace after Madam Ya’s death.”
Qi Huan remained calm. If Cheng Jing had only uncovered such insignificant and useless information, he would never have called.
Sure enough, Cheng Jing continued, “Two years ago, an organization opened in the capital under the guise of providing etiquette and talent training. In reality, it trains socialites. The owner is a woman known as Auntie Ya, and she has been in private contact with Long Yuan several times.”
“We still can’t confirm whether Auntie Ya is Madam Ya’s daughter, but I’ve already assigned people to keep watch on Auntie Ya and Long Yuan. If we discover that Long Yuan is also looking for Young Master Qi Yue—and finds him first—our people will follow behind and take advantage of the situation.”
When Qi Huan heard this, his eyes darkened, but his voice remained calm. “Keep a close watch. My brother absolutely cannot fall into Long Yuan’s hands.”
“Understood.”
No one could have expected that someone connected to Madam Ya would, of all people, have ties to Long Yuan.
Across the chessboard, Grandpa Qi looked up at Qi Huan. “I heard you went to visit your father at the sanatorium?”
Qi Huan did not hide it. “Yes. I went to ask him about the whereabouts of my biological younger brother.”
“Did you find out?”
“I did. I asked Cheng Jing to investigate, and he found a lead.”
Grandpa Qi fell silent for a moment before reminding him, “Find your younger brother as soon as possible, and don’t let anyone else know. Otherwise, he could become leverage against you. In particular, be careful of the Long family. That boy, Long Yuan, has been keeping an eye on you. If he learns that Qi Yue isn’t actually your biological brother, he’ll stop at nothing—he’ll be even more desperate than you to find your brother first, so he can use him to control you.”
“I know, Grandpa. Even if Long Yuan finds my brother before I do, I absolutely won’t give him any chance to threaten the Qi family,” Qi Huan said calmly.
Because—
