In a house on the outskirts of the city, tucked in a secluded area, a man was holding his long white sleeves while he crushed the ink. It was grounded perfectly on the slab so, when he dipped the calligraphy brush, the ink had a good streak to it. The birds chirped outside and a light breeze wafted in from the gardens, carrying a pleasant floral smell.The man was in a very good mood today, especially when he discovered that his father was going to have a thorough talk with Elder Yang. He did not realize it yesterday, but, as he now sat in a secluded, peaceful area, his brain was finally able to think properly.
Zhao Lifei was Yang Feng"s weakness. His sole weakness, might he add. It would be the lovers" greatest downfall, for it would not take long for Elder Yang to be notified of this news. And when it does happen, she will come tumbling down, literally.
Su Boyuan could not wait for the day she would crash after flying so high. The higher she flew, the harder she would fall. He let out a haughty laughter at the idea.
Elder Yang was a merciless man when it came to ensuring that his grandson was the perfect ruler. Anything that could jeopardize Yang Feng"s reputation and muddle his brain would be exterminated. To a man as capable and potent as Elder Yang, killing Zhao Lifei would be like squas.h.i.+ng a bug. Zhao Moyao could protest all he wanted, but in the end, he had other favorable grandchildren. Losing one should not hurt that much.
Su Boyuan was fully aware that his daughter would enter a loveless marriage, but he did not care. As long as she bore the Yang family a son and secured her position in the family, a broken heart and eternity of suffering were fine with him.
He smirked at the idea of how useful she would become in the future. He wondered if he should ask Elder Yang to pardon Zhao Lifei from dying, just so he could get his hands on that woman and ruin her further before she died.
The thundering sound of a frantic servant rus.h.i.+ng down the hallways could be heard. "M-master Su…" She squeaked at the door.
Su Boyuan scowled at her mistake. "Come in."
The servant, no more than the age of eighteen, because Su Boyuan liked them young, hesitantly stepped into the room. The second she did so, something was hurled at her head. She yelped and dodged the flying jar, dropping to her knees to beg for forgiveness.
"Useless little thing, how dare you run and cause a ruckus?!" Su Boyuan snarled, standing up.
"T-t-this servant apologizes for her mistake…" She cried out, bowing her head to the wooden floor. "But there is urgent news sent from the training center that must be addressed immediately."
"What is it?" Su Boyuan put down the stick that he was going to beat her with.
"T-t-today"s training supplies did not arrive. Also, three of our top instructors handed in their resignation letters this morning!"
Su Boyuan felt his entire world crash at her words. No, that can"t be possible. To lose one instructor without notice is like a starving farmer dropping his sole bag of rice in the sewers. And to lose three at once was like dooming him to h.e.l.l. There are only five instructors in this place, with two remaining, everything will be chaotic. To add to the problem, without the supplies, this place could not properly function.
Today was evaluation day, where recruiters were coming in to evaluate the students and the training center. It was an important day for them, both in terms of money and reputation.
"What do you mean there are no supplies and instructors?! Order the other servants to go out and buy some now! Who the h.e.l.l let the instructors resign? Go and have people find them, threaten them to come back and if they do not, tell them the Su family will not take the matter lightly!"
"Master, we"ve tried. Many of us went out to buy materials, but all of the closest suppliers said they would not sell to us or take our money, no matter how much we offer them! In regards to the instructors, they disappeared without a trace!"
Su Boyuan collapsed onto the ground, his face dumbfounded. How was this possible?
- - - - -
Yang Ruqin watched as the last drop of IV entered her system. The nurse removed the needle, stuck a bandaid on her hand and placed everything on the metal tray.
"When can I leave this hospital?" She asked Bai Xingyao who checked a tablet.
"We need to run a few tests on you to ensure no major internal damage was done. If everything goes smoothly from here, I believe you can be discharged within three days." Usually, patients could leave early, but Bai Xingyao knew how protective President Yang and Zhao Lifei was of this woman. She concluded it would be appropriate to have Yang Ruqin rest longer, just so she could sooth the worries of the overthinkers.
"That"s not fast enough." Yang Ruqin"s lips dipped into a small, disapproving frown. "Aside from the bruises, nothing is hurting me. I"m a bit sore from lying in bed for so long. I don"t think three days is necessary."
"It is. You need to rest, Qinqin." Zhao Lifei interjected.
"I"ve rested long enough." Yang Ruqin stubbornly shook her head. She turned to the nurse and said, "Perform the tests today. I want to leave as early as a few hours or tomorrow morning."
"Why are you in a rush to leave?" Zhao Lifei worriedly said.
"I want to go to the Underworld to beat some sense into Mu Ting."
"Absolutely not."
"Absolutely not."
Both Yang Feng and Zhao Lifei said at the same time. They behaved like authoritative and overly-protective parents.
Yang Ruqin eyed the two of them. She loved them dearly, but sometimes, she wondered if they viewed her as a sibling and friend or as a child. "With all due respect, I can do whatever I want."
"Sure you can." Yang Feng sarcastically replied, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. He slung his arms on the couch, sitting like a lazy and defiant crowned prince.
Yang Ruqin knew what her brother was implying. With him in control, he could have her tossed out of that place for all he cared. "You do realize, I"m also a Yang." She could easily storm into the base and s.n.a.t.c.h everything. No one could stop her. Only brain dead people would. Everyone knew how loved she was by both the Big Boss and Second-in-Command. No one was willing to go against her in the headquarters.
Yang Feng didn"t respond. He slid his arms down a bit to play with Zhao Lifei"s hair, twirling the silky strands in his hands.
Yang Ruqin stuck out her tongue at her brother, angry that he didn"t reply. He always did this. Refusing to speak to his family, but willingly babbled to Zhao Lifei. She huffed, crossed her arms, and stubbornly glared at the floor.
Zhao Lifei was worried for Yang Ruqin if she entered the Underworld. She knew, without a doubt, that Mu Ting"s brutalized body would not be a pretty sight for the sheltered princess, but a part of her knew it would be better to expose her to the cruel reality sooner or later.