Take on a Daughter

Qin Qinghan could never have imagined that this legendary woman who had built up a business empire in just a few short years was actually Luo Bingyan, her former best friend.

Although they were once the closest of confidantes, those days were long gone. Luo Bingyan was no longer the famous beauty who had once shared Qin Qinghan's fame and status. Now she was just a struggling worker trying to make ends meet.

So although Qin Qinghan was initially excited and surprised to see her old friend, her enthusiasm soon turned to politeness as she respectfully addressed her: "Ms. Luo..."

But before Qin Qinghan could even finish uttering the two words "Ms. Luo", Luo Yihang had already walked right up to her. To Qin Qinghan's shock, Luo gave her a warm, affectionate embrace.

That simple hug instantly made Qin Qinghan feel like their old friendship had come flooding back. Luo was still that seemingly cold yet passionate Luo Bingyan who used to discuss life with her.

Qin Qinghan vaguely recalled something Luo Bingyan had once said - that she would build a business empire that impacted the whole of China, rising above all men. She wanted the whole world to know that women were not just bargaining chips for arranged marriages. Women could be stronger than any man!

Standing to the side, Lin Yu was still stunned. She had never seen Ms. Luo act so intimately with anyone, not even other women. She couldn't believe that this formidable, imperial woman actually had such a treasured friend.

From this, Lin Yu could ascertain that even if Ye Fengwu hadn't brought Ms. Luo back that night, she absolutely would not have allowed any harm to come to Qin Qinghan.

"I'm sorry I didn't help you sooner," said Luo Yihang, letting go of Qin Qinghan and looking apologetic.

But Qin Qinghan just gave a wry smile and shook her head. She knew why Luo Yihang had not appeared earlier. Luo understood that she could never have abandoned the Qin family back then.

Luo Yihang looked at Qin Qinghan with satisfaction and said, "Well, from now on you can come and help me. Having you by my side will make me feel more complete."

Qin Qinghan smiled wryly and responded: "But I've never managed such a big company before. I'm afraid I might..."

Luo Yihang interrupted her. "I don't have your worries, because I know you'll do well. This isn't meant to pressure you, just an acknowledgment of your abilities."

Qin Qinghan's smile turned even more bitter. "You're still the same as ever, so confident once you've made up your mind about something."

Luo Yihang gave a warm laugh, then took Qin Qinghan's hand and led her over to sit on the nearby sofa. The two were like affectionate sisters.

Lin Yu silently poured tea for them, still feeling shocked. She had never seen Ms. Luo look so happy before. In fact, Ms. Luo had smiled more today than she had in years.

"Bring your daughter over sometime. I want to take her as my goddaughter," said Luo Yihang with a smile.

At the mention of her daughter, a flash of sorrow passed through Qin Qinghan's eyes. Jing Si had been her greatest heartache over the past five years. Ever since Jing Si started acting erratically, Qin Qinghan hadn't had a single good night's sleep.

She would jolt awake multiple times each night, reflexively checking that Jing Si was still breathing. Her greatest fear was waking up one day to find her daughter's body cold and lifeless.

After a long pause, Qin Qinghan finally nodded with a faint smile. "Alright."

Luo Yihang noticed the sorrow in Qin Qinghan's eyes but didn't inquire further. She never forced Qin Qinghan to tell her anything she didn't want to.

Luo Yihang then turned to Lin Yu and said, "Arrange two seats for us at this afternoon's auction. I'm bringing Qinghan to oversee it with me."

Lin Yu nodded. "It's already arranged. The auction starts at 2pm this afternoon. There will be a banquet in your honor at 7pm tonight at the Fenghao Hotel. All the branch managers have been notified."

Luo Yihang nodded. She knew Lin Yu would make sure everything was properly arranged.

When she heard about the banquet, Qin Qinghan looked somewhat overwhelmed and quickly said, "You don't have to hold a banquet for me. I'm...I'm not ready yet."

But Luo Yihang just laughed and responded, "If you don't face those crafty old sharks of managers head-on, you'll never be ready."

Lin Yu spoke up again. "Your formal dress will be delivered to the head office by 5pm this afternoon, Ms. Qin. Do you need anything else?"

Qin Qinghan hurriedly shook her head. She had never held an executive position at such a huge company before, so everything made her feel honored yet anxious.

Luo Yihang took a sip of her fragrant tea and looked at Qin Qinghan. "Qinghan, there will be a very valuable item up for auction today. It's something Sihu Heifeng Chen Yuanzhong sent to our company to auction several days ago. You should know what it is. Let's go take a look at it together."

When she heard Sihu Heifeng Chen Yuanzhong's name, the first thing Qin Qinghan thought of was that ring. But she still didn't quite believe it could be a genuine artifact.

Beside her, Lin Yu glanced through the schedule on her phone and suddenly spoke up again. "Ms. Luo, shall I arrange the bodyguard recruitment for tomorrow?"

Luo Yihang nodded. "This time try to recruit demobilized special forces soldiers. Have them interview on the 50th floor gym so that Pei Ying can test their abilities."

After the assassination attempts this past month, Luo Yihang placed even more importance on her bodyguards' skills and adaptability.

For some reason, this made Luo Yihang suddenly think of Ye Fengwu. If all her bodyguards were as capable as him, she could tour the world without a care.

...

At 10 am, Ye Fengwu strode familiarly up to the gates of the Chen family villa in the center of Haihua City's high-ranking official residential district.

"Who goes there?"

Suddenly a figure emerged from the shadows - the stocky, dark-skinned guard Li Hu with his muscular, explosive physique. But when Li Hu's stern gaze fell upon Ye Fengwu's face, his entire demeanor instantly changed to one of respect and awe.

Last time, Li Hu hadn't known Ye Fengwu was the legendary Wolf King whom countless soldiers revered. He had even shown some contempt and impatience toward him.

Li Hu had tossed and turned for days afterwards, racked with guilt and hoping Ye Fengwu would come again so he could apologize in person.

Li Hu snapped sharply to attention and saluted with great deference. "Instruc..."

He had barely gotten out the first syllable when he remembered his boss's orders to keep the Wolf King's identity secret. So he quickly changed what he was saying: "Brother Ye, you're here."

Ye Fengwu smiled slightly and nodded. "Old Chen's in?"

"The Chief has been waiting for you," Li Hu quickly responded.

Inwardly, Li Hu gave a wry laugh. In all the world, only the Wolf King dared address his boss so casually as "Old Chen".

Ye Fengwu nodded and was about to head into the villa when Li Hu suddenly spoke up behind him. "Brother Ye, last time I didn't recognize Mount Tai. If I was disrespectful to you in any way, I hope you can..."

Ye Fengwu turned back and cut him off with a grin. "You're a battle-hardened warrior yourself. Do the men of our army quibble over such trivial niceties?"

At these words, Li Hu's nervousness instantly vanished. He broke into a grateful smile. At last he could sleep easy again.

Ye Fengwu truly didn't understand Li Hu's anxiety. As someone who idolized the Wolg King, Li Hu had been tormenting himself for days over potentially leaving a bad impression. The matter had weighed on him like a mountain, costing him sleep and appetite.

Ye Fengwu shook his head helplessly and headed into the villa.

Inside the great hall, Chen Zuoshan was relaxing and sipping tea just as he had been during Ye Fengwu's last visit.

When Chen Zuoshan saw Ye Fengwu, his bright keen eyes crinkled slightly in a smile. But his tone was gruff as he scolded, "You kid, always acting with no restraint. A lot of people have been complaining to this old man about you."

Ye Fengwu knew Chen Zuoshan was referring to how he had killed over twenty assassins on the train as well as publicly executing two assassins in a small county.

Ye Fengwu didn't feel he had done anything wrong in those situations. He had simply reacted instinctively to the circumstances.

Chen Zuoshan poured a cup of tea for Ye Fengwu. He didn't say anything, as if waiting for Ye Fengwu, because from Ye Fengwu's seldom seen pensive eyes, he could tell that he had come today with something on his mind.

Ye Fengwu didn't drink the tea, but took a deep breath, and said in a very serious tone: "Leader, I want to ask you for something?"

Upon hearing this, the teacup in Chen Zuoshan's hand stopped halfway to his mouth instantly. His deep and profound eyes looked at Ye Fengwu, and after a long time he spoke in a solemn tone: "Go ahead."

Afterwards, Chen Zuoshan put down the teacup in his hand, and gazed quietly at Ye Fengwu.