39 Reinforcements

Huo Lingchen suddenly sneered, staring at Jiang Yunxi as he said, word by word, "I let you off for your tryst with some random man at Emerald Island three years ago, and now you have the audacity to stir up trouble here over some baseless rumors."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunxi’s once-rosy complexion turned deathly pale. Her eyes widened, and her lips trembled as she replied, "I told you, I was framed! I was with my mother at the time; I never saw any other man."

"Ha! Do you take me for a fool?" Huo Lingchen’s eyes were filled with fury, his voice rising a notch. "Your mother would obviously help you cover it up."

He swiped through his phone, pulling up a photo, and thrust it in front of Jiang Yunxi. "I’ve kept this picture all this time. My heart bleeds every time I look at it."

His eyes were rimmed with red, as if the scene in the photo stung him all over again.

Jiang Yunxi looked at the image: she was on a bed, her clothes disheveled, with a naked man pressing down on her. Her pupils contracted sharply, her face a mask of disbelief.

"This isn't me! Lingchen, please, you have to believe me!"

"What else do you have to say for yourself?" Huo Lingchen’s gaze was cold as he shoved Jiang Yunxi to the floor.

Jiang Yunxi fell heavily, and without so much as a glance back, Huo Lingchen turned and strode away.

Left alone, slumped on the ground, Jiang Yunxi stared into space and muttered, "How could this happen... how could it be like this..."

Qiao Yuyan frowned deeply. Jiang Yunxi was an incredibly traditional woman. If she had truly had a change of heart, given her personality, she would have divorced first before starting a new romance; it was impossible for her to commit adultery while married.

But how could one explain that photo and the stranger in it?

The original plot had not gone into detail about this incident. Was someone framing her, or was there more to the story than it seemed?

The roar of an engine in the distance interrupted Qiao Yuyan’s thoughts. She looked up to see a black speck in the sky flying toward her.

She pushed the matter to the back of her mind. Since the original story hadn't detailed this event, it meant there was plenty of room to maneuver. Regardless of what had happened in the original plot, she would stay by her sister's side these next few days to ensure no harm came to her.

The helicopter drew closer, the rotor wash whipping up a gale that sent the assault boat rocking on the sea.

Moments later, the helicopter hovered above her. The cabin door opened, and Flora leaned out, waving at Qiao Yuyan. "Hey, babe, I'm here!"

A rope ladder was thrown down, swaying in mid-air. Qiao Yuyan reached out, grabbed the ladder, and began to climb.

Once she reached the cabin, the helicopter ascended. Flora closed the door, and the sound of the engines and rotors dimmed, making the cabin instantly much quieter.

Qiao Yuyan greeted her colleagues listlessly and collapsed, lying motionless. Covered in seawater and sand, she looked utterly wretched.

Aside from the pilot, Flora, and two members from the medical department, Orrie was also on board. After they had finished collecting debts from the second Master Gu, the team had split up—Qiao Yuyan stayed in the Xia Kingdom for a vacation, while Orrie and the others returned to headquarters. It was no surprise that Orrie had come along for this rescue mission.

The medical team quickly took the baby carrier from her back to check her vital signs.

"I'm fine," Qiao Yuyan said, rolling over to lie flat on the floor. Seeing their anxious expressions, she joked, "I’m perfectly fine. You should check on 'One Hundred Million' first."

"Stop giving people such ridiculous nicknames," Flora said, walking over to haul Qiao Yuyan to the back of the cabin and peeling off her stained clothes. "Not bad, the wound isn't deep, just a bit nasty from soaking in the seawater." After examining her, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Qiao Yuyan glanced at her wound. The flesh was white and bloated from the salt water, and the surrounding skin had a ghastly, eerie hue. She said dismissively, "It's nothing."

She didn't bother with the wound, letting Flora dress her in clean clothes.

Orrie walked over, holding medical supplies. "The wound needs stitching. Do you want anesthesia?"

"Why go through the trouble? Just stitch it up." Qiao Yuyan didn't like the feeling of losing control over her body; as long as it wasn't the kind of excruciating pain that involved being gutted, she never used anesthesia. Pain was a reminder, a way to keep her mind sharp.

Knowing her nature, Orrie said nothing more and quickly stitched the wound, handing her a bottle of the base’s proprietary energy-restoring supplement.

Qiao Yuyan took the bottle, downed it in one gulp, and lay quietly on the floor, waiting for it to take effect.

A while later, having regained some strength, she stood up and walked to the middle of the cabin. "How is 'One Hundred Million'?"

"The nanny took good care of him. No other symptoms, just a bit thin from hunger," Flora said, cradling the little prince who was busy drinking milk, and pursed her lips. "Sit over there."

Qiao Yuyan walked up to the little prince, stroked his brown curls, and asked, "When is Sari coming to pick him up?"

"Speaking of that," Belen, who had been silent ever since she boarded, suddenly spoke up, "take the child to the Zhenfu Hotel on Emerald Island first. King Sari has already departed from Sari and will arrive at Emerald Island in about four hours."

Qiao Yuyan was puzzled. "What’s this about Emerald Island?"

"Just a transaction. Don't worry about it," Belen said. "Just get the child to Emerald Island, and they will find you."

Qiao Yuyan flatly refused. "That’s none of my business. My mission is complete. If you want me to babysit, you’ll have to place a new order."

Belen was so annoyed by her mercenary attitude that his teeth ached. "All you think about is money, money, money! You don't even spend it, you just hoard it to look at?"

"As long as the numbers look pretty, that's enough," Qiao Yuyan shrugged. "Can't I have a little hobby?"

Belen conceded helplessly, "Fine, you win. Four hours of babysitting, 200,000 dollars. Is that enough?"

"Deal," Qiao Yuyan sat down, satisfied, watching Flora wipe the little prince down, smiling, "This little gold nugget is worth a fortune."

Flora rolled her eyes and placed the child in Qiao Yuyan’s arms. "There, the rest is up to you. 200,000 dollars."

Qiao Yuyan lowered her head to tickle the little prince's chin. Having been fed, the boy was in a great mood; he parted his lips to reveal a few pearl-like baby teeth and giggled.

"You didn't bring him any clothes?" Qiao Yuyan asked, holding the naked little prince.

"No," Flora replied as if it were obvious. "Who knew you’d be so fast? We were afraid you’d die out on the high seas, so we rushed over."

"You weren't prepared, and now you're blaming me." Qiao Yuyan didn't believe a word of it, but none of them had ever raised a child; it was a miracle they’d even remembered the formula.

Fortunately, Emerald Island was on the equator, and the climate was sweltering, so the child wouldn't freeze without clothes.

She carried the little prince to the cockpit and asked, "How much longer until we reach Emerald Island?"

Before the pilot could answer, a helicopter suddenly appeared off their front right.

The group immediately went on high alert. Flora reacted instantly, throwing open the cabin door and shouldering a portable rocket launcher, aiming it squarely at the incoming aircraft.