Approaching the bedside, Ye Ye sat on the edge of the bed, gently nudging Aunt Xiong: “Wake up, Aunt Xiong!” Something must have happened; otherwise, how could the mistress, who was supposed to be on a family outing according to the maid, be lying here pale and with tear stains? “Umm…” Aunt Xiong slowly opened her eyes, and in the dim light of the bedside lamp, she saw Ye Ye, her eyes lighting up suddenly: “Ye Ye…!” she whispered. “Shh—quietly, Aunt, tell me what happened?” “Ye Ye, how did you get here? It’s dangerous here!” Aunt Xiong sat up abruptly, gripping Ye Ye’s hand with a look of sorrow and panic: “Ye Ye, your uncle, your uncle was killed! Boo…” It was like a bolt from the blue; Ye Ye was stunned. How could this be? The vibrant Uncle Xiong from the birthday banquet was still vivid in his memory, and now, less than half a month later… After a moment, Ye Ye came to his senses: “Aunt, what exactly happened? Don’t cry, tell me quickly!” Realizing Ye Ye might be her only hope for escape, Aunt Xiong wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and said: “I don’t know, this afternoon, I was waiting for your uncle to come home as usual, but instead, a group of men in black I’d never seen before arrived. Then, two men carried your Uncle Xiong in… Boo, your uncle was already, already… dead!” At this, Aunt Xiong couldn’t help but cry, and Ye Ye silently shed tears with her. “And then?” Ye Ye asked. “Then, they carried your Uncle Xiong to a guest room and wouldn’t let me see. Another man wearing a mask came in, demanding I hand over the seal of the Qian Ye Gate branch, threatening that if I didn’t, my three children would meet the same fate as Xiong Ping! I refused, overwhelmed by grief, I fainted… and when I woke up, I saw you. Ye Ye, quickly notify Shao Gang and the others to leave, boo, I, I can’t let Uncle Xiong’s lineage come to harm! Ye Ye, I’m begging you!” “Alright, we’ll handle things one by one. Aunt, the Qian Ye Gate will definitely avenge Uncle. Right now, the most important thing is the safety of Shao Gang and the others. Tell me where Shao Yi and Shao Ran are in Switzerland.” “They’re in Switzerland… the phone number is…” Aunt Xiong detailed. “Hmm… Autumn, did you hear that?” Ye Ye spoke into his collar mic: “Help me!” “I heard, no problem, I’ll get my brother to send international police nearby to Switzerland!” Autumn said from the other end. “Thank you!” Ye Ye turned to Aunt Xiong: “My friend’s brother is an international policeman, he’ll go to Switzerland to protect Shao Yi and Shao Ran. As for Shao Gang, I’ll go find him as soon as I leave. Don’t worry.” “That’s great, as long as the children are safe, I, I’m ready to join Uncle Xiong!” “Don’t say that, Aunt, you need to be strong; Shao Yi and Shao Ran still need their mother. By the way, where is the seal?” “The seal is in the Qian Ye Gate branch, in Uncle Xiong’s office. Move the desk ten centimeters to the left, there’s a hidden compartment on the right side of the floor, it’s a safe, the password is Xiong Ping’s Chinese pinyin plus Shao Gang’s birth date.” “Got it, whatever they ask, don’t tell them anything. There are many guards outside; I can’t alert them. Since the thugs have a purpose, they won’t harm you easily. Aunt, after I leave, keep pretending to be asleep. Just endure until tomorrow noon, once my father and brothers arrive, everything will be fine! Even if they don’t make it in time, I’ll get you out before dark tomorrow! Stay calm, protect yourself well!” Ye Ye said with concern, but she was sure the thugs wouldn’t harm Aunt Xiong easily, having gone to the trouble of holding her hostage. “Hmm, I won’t say anything. Ye Ye, be careful!” “I’m leaving now. Here, keep this communicator; hide it well. Check it every half hour. If the blue light is on, it means I’m calling you, make sure it’s safe before you respond! Aunt, stay strong! Wait to see Qian Ye Gate avenge Uncle Xiong!” Ye Ye gripped her hand, handing her a small communicator. “Alright, thank you, child!” Tears fell from Aunt Xiong’s eyes again. Ye Ye held back tears, turned, and left… That Uncle Xiong who had been so kind to him was gone… the grief was indescribable! But now, saving his wife and children was the priority! Ye Ye exited the villa silently, just as he had come, and fifteen minutes later, safely returned to Autumn’s car. “Autumn, let’s go back to our place. I need to call my dad and gather people from Aohua Tower to help find Xiong Shao Gang. Something has happened at the Qian Ye Gate branch, Uncle Xiong was killed… I’m not sure if there’s a traitor inside, so I can’t move anyone from within!” Ye Ye said with tears in his eyes. “How could this happen!?” Autumn was evidently shocked, then quickly drove off: “I’ll take you home, then I’ll go to the Rome liaison office of the International Police to find my brother, have him help find Shao Gang! I hope he hasn’t left!” “Thank you, Autumn!” Ye Ye curled up in the passenger seat, silently crying, Uncle Xiong, I will definitely avenge you! “No need for thanks between sisters!” Rome – PM11:30
Ye Ye returned to her residence. Qiu Yu drove directly to find her brother, an international police officer. She rushed upstairs without a moment’s delay, as this concerned the survival of the Xiong family! Back in her room, Ye Ye called her father, “Daddy, uh… something’s happened to the Xiong family…” Without waiting for Ye Xingfeng’s response, Ye Ye tearfully recounted everything she had seen, what Aunt Xiong had said, and the measures already taken. She was, after all, just a girl not yet 19, and with her loved ones harmed, how could she not cry?
“Baby, I understand everything! You’ve handled it well! Alas… poor Xiong… Baby, do not act on your own. As you said, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light; we don’t know if it’s an external thief or an insider. Don’t go for the seal yet; I’ll freeze all assets of the Rome branch immediately… Go to Aohua Tower to find Si Yan and stick with him, don’t act alone!” Hearing the tragic news of Xiong Ping, who was like a brother to him, Ye Xingfeng was deeply saddened, but more importantly, he had to protect his wife and child! He then decisively instructed his daughter. “Okay, Daddy.” “After you find Si Yan, look for Shao Gang together; your brother and I will rush over as soon as possible! Remember, don’t be impulsive, don’t reveal your identity, and don’t be alone!” He reminded her again, concerned. “Yes!” Ye Ye hung up her father’s call and started dialing Si Yan’s number.
A moment later, the call connected, and Si Yan’s voice came through, steady yet with a hint of urgency, “Miss, where are you? Long Shao asked me to find you; he said your phone was off, and he’s worried something might have happened to you!” “Huh—oh, let’s not talk about Long Yu for now. Si Yan, where are you? I need to see you immediately!” Ye Ye set aside the matter with Long Yu and urgently inquired about Si Yan’s whereabouts. “I just left your apartment. I came to find you, knocked, but you weren’t there, so I’ve been looking for you on the streets!” “Come back, something big has happened!” Ye Ye said in a rush. “What? Something’s happened! Okay, I’ll be right there, don’t go out!” Si Yan turned back immediately and rushed to Ye Ye’s apartment.
