A day passed in the blink of an eye, and night fell. Ye Luo and Mingyue sat inside a cave, with a pile of firewood burning in front of them, illuminating their faces.
"Do you think weâll really stay on this deserted island forever?" Mingyueâs eyes gazed at Ye Luo as she couldnât help but ask.
"Maybe, I donât know either," Ye Luoâs expression seemed very indifferent.
"I donât think you want to stay on this barren island either, otherwise, how would you survive without women?" Mingyue said with a laugh.
A playful look appeared on Ye Luoâs lips as he looked at Mingyue, "Arenât you a woman?"
"Donât get any ideas about me, I wonât be with you," Mingyue suddenly pursed her lips and glared at Ye Luo.
"If we really can only stay here, then you donât have much of say in it," Ye Luo chuckled.
"Iâm going to sleep, and I warn you one more time, absolutely no improper thoughts, or else..."
"Or else what?" Ye Luo asked with interest as he looked at Mingyue.
"Or else, I will bite you to death." Mingyue showed her teeth and made a fierce gesture as if she were about to bite someone, then she lay down, her body tensely coiled as if truly afraid Ye Luo would do something.
Ye Luo smiled and leaned against the wall, falling asleep immediately. However, in the middle of the night, he was suddenly awakened by screams and saw Mingyueâs face contorted in pain, her eyes closed and muttering something incessantly.
"Donât kill my mom and dad, donât kill my mom and dad..."
With her hands flailing, Mingyue kept shouting, as if caught in some nightmare.
"Wake up, girl!" Ye Luo quickly went over, helped Mingyue up, and yelled, jolting her awake from the nightmare.
"Ye Luo!" When Mingyue saw Ye Luo, she suddenly clung tightly to his body, trembling.
"Whatâs wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Ye Luo said, patting Mingyueâs shoulder. He never expected this brash and obstinate woman to have nightmares too.
Mingyueâs face was pale, her arms wrapped around Ye Luo, snuggling into his embrace, and she fell asleep again, leaving Ye Luo with a look of helplessness. He wanted to push her away, but she held onto him tightly, like a drowning person clutching desperately at a lifeline.
A new day arrived quickly, and sunlight streamed into the cave from the outside.
Mingyue awoke and blinked her eyes, suddenly realizing something was amiss, she was lying in Ye Luoâs arms.
"Ah!"
With a scream, Mingyue pushed Ye Luo away, causing him, who was still asleep, to fall to the ground and wake up.
"Whatâs wrong with you, girl? What were you trying to do?" Ye Luo touched his head where it hit the ground and looked at Mingyue.
"You bastard, what did you do to me last night?" Mingyue held one hand to her chest and pointed at Ye Luo accusingly.
"I didnât do anything! Whatâs with you?" Ye Luo looked at her with a helpless expression.
"Howâs that possible? If you didnât do anything to me, how come I ended up in your arms?" Mingyue was full of disbelief.
Ye Luo stood up, walked over to Mingyue, touched her forehead, and said, "Youâre not feverish, are you? Donât you remember what happened last night?"
"Last night..." Mingyue furrowed her brows as she recalled the events of the previous night.
"You had a nightmare on your own, then I woke you from it, only to find yourself lying in my arms, hugging me and refusing to let go. Now youâre blaming me, right?" Ye Luo looked completely innocent.
"Is that so? I donât remember, but it seems like it." Mingyue muttered.
Ye Luo looked at Mingyue, completely baffled by her, and walked straight out.
"Iâm sorry, I misunderstood you before."
As she stepped out of the cave, Mingyue approached Ye Luo with an apologetic expression.
"Iâm very curious, what kind of nightmare did you have last night that scared you so much? Could it be that youâve done something guilty?"
"Get lost, youâre the one whoâs done something guilty." Mingyue glared at Ye Luo without a good temper, then her expression turned somewhat solemn, with a hint of sadness in her eyes, making her whole presence suddenly seem a bit desolate.
"Last night I dreamt about the scene where my parents were murdered." Mingyue said, her head low and her tone somber.
"Your parents were killed?" Ye Luo asked in surprise.
Mingyue nodded and said, "My parents were killed right in front of me when I was five years old. If it hadnât been for an expert from the Special Security Bureau arriving in time, I would probably be dead by now. Since then, I often dream about my parentsâ murder when I sleep at night, always waking up terribly frightened."
"Do you know who killed your parents?" Ye Luo couldnât help asking.
Mingyue shook her head and said, "I donât know. Over the years, Iâve been staying within the Special Security Bureau, using its Strength to try to find those who killed my parents, but so far, there has been no trace."
"Do you know why they wanted to kill your parents?"
"It seems it was to force my father to hand over something, but I was too young at that time to clearly remember what happened. However, I will definitely keep investigating and sooner or later, I will find them and avenge my parents."
A look of determination flashed through Mingyueâs eyes, her fists tightly clenched.
Ye Luo looked at Mingyue, not expecting such a rough exterior to hide such a painful past.
Meanwhile, in Capital City, at the Qin Group headquarters.
Inside a conference room, Qin Yuru sat at the head of the table with several Qin Group shareholders and directors, as well as heads of various departments, seated below her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I believe you are all aware of the reason why I have convened you here," Qin Yuru said with a grave voice to the directors and shareholders below her.
At this moment, an older director spoke up, "President, whatever you have to say, please just say it."
"If that is the case, then Iâll speak frankly. The Qin Group is facing a tremendous challenge. The four major groups have already started to suppress us in the stock market and in various other respects. Behind the scenes, numerous family forces are looking to take advantage of the situation and grab a piece of the pie. The Qin Clan, and what weâve built here, matters to us all, and I believe no one here wants to see it destroyed in an instant," she said dispassionately.
Qin Yuru went on, "So I want everyone to unite and contribute their Strength to safeguard the Qin Group."
As Qin Yuru finished speaking, the shareholders and directors present maintained their silence, with not a single person making a statement; the strange atmosphere caused Qin Yuru to furrow her brows.
"Haha, my dear niece has really spoken well."
Just then, the door to the conference room was suddenly opened, and Qin Tianchen and his son Qin Yun walked in. The statement just made had come from Qin Tianchen himself.