He definitely couldn’t go to the remote mountain village himself; he needed a front.
Opening his list of available candidates, Xia Yu began selecting a suitable front.
An Siyao? Xu Youxiang? Ning Qiuer? Wen Ziying? Jin Diao? Or You Xue, who wouldn’t take up a slot?
First, he eliminated Xu Youxiang and Jin Diao. Jin Diao wasn’t human, and Xu Youxiang had mobility issues.
Wen Ziying wasn’t appropriate either. Their relationship was merely that of ordinary friends, and spending too much time together in close proximity might lead to trouble. The same applied to Ning Qiuer.
So, the remaining options were An Siyao and You Xue.
Who should he choose?
After a brief pause, Xia Yu made his decision.
It’s settled then—you, An Siyao!
Perfect, it could just be treated as a trip together.
Returning to the Yu household, Xia Yu informed An Siyao of his plan.
“To a mountain village?” An Siyao’s voice carried excitement.
“Yeah,” Xia Yu replied, trying to temper her expectations, “a mountain village is basically just a backward village, so don’t get too excited. There’s nothing particularly fun there.”
“Oh.” An Siyao sounded slightly disappointed, but she still agreed.
“Then we’ll leave tomorrow morning. Bring along a bodyguard and a driver,” Xia Yu arranged the personnel.
The bodyguard was for An Siyao’s safety. Mountain villages weren’t paradises; there had been reports of highway robberies in this area before.
Although An Siyao had Xia Yu’s spiritual presence within her, making her unafraid of any physical threats, there were still dangers in the world like drugs to be wary of.
The driver was necessary because he had been there once before and was familiar with the route. Also, he was efficient and could be entrusted with certain tasks.
An Siyao first contacted the driver, asking him to return immediately. He was currently at the villa in Afang.
Then, she approached Yu Ningmeng to arrange the bodyguard.
Hearing that An Siyao was going to a remote mountain village, Yu Ningmeng asked in astonishment, “Why? Why a mountain village? Is Xia Yu going too?”
An Siyao looked at Xia Yu, who thought for a moment and nodded, indicating he would go as well.
However, his identity would be that of An Siyao’s subordinate, since some things couldn’t be exposed.
“Xia Yu is going too,” An Siyao told Yu Ningmeng.
“I see. This must’ve been Xia Yu’s idea. Hand the phone to Xia Yu,” Yu Ningmeng said.
An Siyao passed the phone to Xia Yu.
Taking the phone, Xia Yu explained before Yu Ningmeng could even ask, “Yin Shulan is in the mountain village, and Xu Youxiang’s research requires her help.”
Hearing it was related to medical research, Yu Ningmeng immediately took a firm stance, “You must go. Is one bodyguard enough?”
“Enough. An Siyao’s driver is going as well,” Xia Yu replied.
“You go ahead and ask for her help. If she agrees, great. If not, call me, and I’ll handle it—whatever it takes,” Yu Ningmeng said decisively.
“Understood,” Xia Yu answered. He couldn’t help but think to himself how important this ALS research must be for Yu Ningmeng to make such a promise. Even the Yu family wouldn’t dare to be so presumptuous otherwise.
“By the way, why don’t you just go yourself? Why bring An Siyao along?” Yu Ningmeng asked suspiciously.
Xia Yu was silent for a moment before replying, “Single people just wouldn’t understand.”
“Huh?? Are you trying to get yourself killed!” Yu Ningmeng’s voice rose sharply.
Xia Yu simply hung up the phone directly and handed it back to An Siyao.
…
Meanwhile, the driver, who had been urgently summoned, felt a bit anxious.
After arriving in Afang, the driver had enjoyed a very pleasant period—no conflicts, no assassination attempts, everything was so peaceful. He had thought this harmony would last forever, but apparently, he had been too optimistic.
Putting down the phone, the driver sighed, somewhat worried about this upcoming assignment.
After such a long time, why was he being called back into action?
He didn’t dare ask.
After packing his things, the driver called his girlfriend to say goodbye and prepared a letter in his email as a farewell note before boarding the plane to Yaoguang.
Early the next morning, he arrived in Yaoguang and rested at a hotel until eight o’clock, then went to the airport to wait.
Soon, he saw his young mistress, and at the same time, encountered Xia Yu, the mistress’s top lieutenant.
In addition, there was another woman he didn’t recognize, but who was clearly a bodyguard.
The woman didn’t seem particularly capable, so the driver turned his gaze back to Xia Yu, feeling somewhat uneasy about what lay ahead.
What kind of mission would require both the young mistress and Mr. Xia to personally get involved? Would he even survive this?
There was no turning back now. He could only silently pray for his own safety.
“Go buy tickets to Xishan,” Xia Yu handed the three IDs to the driver. “Four tickets.”
The driver nodded in understanding and walked toward the counter.
Soon, he successfully purchased the tickets. When the time came, the four of them boarded the plane together.
Three hours later, they arrived in Xishan City, then took a bus to a neighboring city, and finally a taxi to the small town that the driver recognized.
The driver remembered that he had once come here with a large sum of cash, burying it in an empty lot as per An Siyao’s instructions. At the time, he had speculated that this place might be a major assassin base.
Now that they had returned, had something gone wrong with this assassin group that had served the Yu family for centuries?
The thought of possibly confronting a group of assassins made the driver quite nervous.
“Let’s go,” Xia Yu took An Siyao’s hand and, relying on his memory, led them to the villa he had previously purchased using Yin Shulan’s body.
The villa’s door was closed, and there was no one inside.
Xia Yu stopped a passerby to ask, and learned that Yin Shulan no longer lived here—she had probably returned to the countryside.
“Does anyone here have a motorcycle license?” Xia Yu looked at the bodyguard and the driver.
The driver raised his hand slightly.
They went to a motorcycle shop in town. Xia Yu bought a three-wheeled motorcycle, with himself, An Siyao, and the bodyguard sitting in the back while the driver took the front.
Xia Yu could ride a motorcycle, but he didn’t have a license, so this was the only arrangement possible.
Following Xia Yu’s directions, they soon arrived at Yin’s village.
“Turn left up ahead,” Xia Yu said.
The driver obeyed and turned left, reaching their destination.
“Stop here,” Xia Yu said.
The three-wheeler came to a halt in front of a villa.
An Siyao curiously looked up, glancing at the three-story tiled villa, then at the nearby single-story rural house with a cement wall.
In this simple village, the villa stood out as completely out of place.
Xia Yu was also momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected Yin Shulan to build such a luxurious house. Judging by its size, she had even bought the land from the neighboring houses on both sides.
After getting off the vehicle, Xia Yu had the driver approach and knock on the door.
The driver swallowed hard, thinking that the person inside might be someone who had killed more people than he had eaten chickens. He didn’t dare to be arrogant, gently knocking on the door.
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