The team updating the security system was busy at work. Ming Lan sat in the guest lounge, reviewing the files of the three women standing before her. These were top-tier bodyguards sent by the security company, and she had to choose two of them.
All three were considered elite professionals. Ming Lan picked up the files and examined them one by one. The woman on the far right was the oldest and also the most composed. She had extensive field experience and had participated in numerous high-level security assignments. She was known for her ability to handle emergencies calmly and effectively.
That seemed ideal. Ming Lan decided to assign her to Xie Jin, since Xie Jin’s work didn’t allow for a large security presence. One close, discreet bodyguard would be enough.
The other two had impressive resumes as well. Ming Lan looked at the woman in the middle, who wore her hair in a high ponytail. She was clearly more relaxed than the others. She was younger and had less experience, but she was a national sanda (Chinese kickboxing) champion, held a professional racing license, and also had skills in skydiving, skiing, paragliding, and extreme rock climbing. A true all-rounder, though these activities weren’t particularly useful to Ming Lan, who had no plans to engage in them.
Next, she looked at the one on the far left. This woman also had a strong resume and had once won a provincial free-fighting championship.
They were all qualified. Ming Lan nodded in approval and decided to keep all three. The first would be assigned to Xie Jin.
“Keep a low profile and dress casually while staying close to her. Just one important condition. During the protection period, I need real-time updates about her movements, with her consent, of course. Is that acceptable?”
This was both a safety precaution and a way to ensure her parents didn’t secretly participate in that research project. Ming Lan understood how passionate they were about their work. They had once given up running a large family business to pursue science. They still saw her as a child, which meant they might pretend to agree but act otherwise. Even if the risk was small, she had to eliminate it completely.
Once the woman agreed, Ming Lan felt reassured and asked her to go meet Xie Jin and become familiar with her routine.
She turned back to the other two and asked them to take a seat.
“I’m Ming Lan, as you’ve probably already been informed. You’re familiar with your duties, and the housekeeper will explain some additional guidelines shortly. But there’s one rule I must personally emphasize. No matter what happens during your time protecting me, you must keep everything strictly confidential. Not a word can be shared with anyone. Can you both agree to that?”
“No problem. Protecting a client’s privacy is part of our job by default,” replied the woman in the middle.
“Good. How should I address you?”
Although Ming Lan knew their real names from their files, security personnel rarely used their real names while on duty. Most used code names instead.
“Call me Xiaomei,” answered the quiet one who had won the free-fighting title.
“You can just call me Flying Fish,” said the woman in the middle.
Ming Lan nodded.
“Xiaomei. Flying Fish. Go ahead and have the housekeeper show you to your rooms.”
“Miss Ming, we should exchange contact information to ensure we can reach you quickly if needed.”
Flying Fish walked over and held out her phone. Ming Lan added both of them and saved their names in her contacts. That finalized their assignments.
On Saturday, Yi An called Ming Lan to say she had found the person who drugged her.
That was fast. Ming Lan stayed home waiting for her. But when she saw Yi An’s expression as she arrived, she immediately sensed that things might be more complicated than expected.
Yi An had been stopped at the gate, only to realize the security system had been entirely upgraded. It was obviously Ming Lan’s doing. Before Yi An could even explain, the guards received orders and let her in.
She headed straight to Ming Lan’s room and passed by the open relaxation area beside it, where she noticed two casually dressed women sitting. Their eyes briefly swept over her, but they did not interfere.
It seemed Ming Lan had arranged everything thoroughly. Yi An relaxed a little.
Ming Lan was sitting on a low couch on the carpet, playing a video game. When she heard Yi An open the door, she raised her hand and paused the game.
“You found something?”
Yi An sat down and opened her phone, showing her the evidence.
“Based on surveillance footage and statements from the staff that night, the person who drugged the drinks appears to be a woman named Miss Ma. It looks like her target was Li Jue.”
The surveillance video showed Miss Ma in the hallway quietly giving instructions to someone. That person was later seen lingering near the back area of the banquet preparations, acting suspiciously.
“But the timing doesn’t match when Li Jue was actually drugged.”
Ming Lan frowned. There was at least a two-hour gap between the moment captured on camera and the time Li Jue began showing symptoms. That didn’t make sense.
“Also, I remember Miss Ma. At the homecoming banquet, she tried to cause trouble for me, also over Li Jue. It was obvious she had strong feelings for him. If that’s the case, why would she drug both me and him? Wouldn’t she want to be with him herself?”
Yi An nodded.
“Unfortunately, there were no cameras inside the banquet hall, and the few in surrounding areas barely captured anything. If Miss Ma hadn’t stepped outside and gotten caught on film by accident, we would have no leads at all. There were so many people at the event, the staff couldn’t tell who took which drink or what exactly happened. For now, there’s no hard proof.”
Ming Lan looked at her.
“You already have someone in mind, don’t you?”
Yi An responded without hesitation.
“Besides Ye Hai and his group, who else could move so freely within the Ye family estate? The security that night seemed loose, but in truth, it was extremely tight. Any small movement should have been noticed. The only way it wasn’t is if Ye Hai was orchestrating it himself. He wanted to use someone else to do the dirty work. That’s why the drug was split. One portion went into your drink, the other into Li Jue’s.
As for the timing gap, it’s likely that Ye Hai didn’t want it to be obvious. He wanted something to happen, but without everyone realizing what he had done.”
Everything had been timed carefully. Li Jue collapsed just as the guests were starting to leave. When he suddenly headed for the private lounge instead of leaving, it became clear that someone had tipped him off that it was a safer place.
Ming Lan frowned and began piecing things together.
“He drugged me to cause a scandal in your home. That would drive a wedge between us. But the person he hoped would be involved with me had to be someone I had a complicated relationship with. Someone the Ming family would be forced to accept in the end.”
Yi An’s eyes lit up in realization.
“Now it all makes sense. First, you only had a small amount of the drug in your system. Second, they found traces of sleeping pills in the lounge carpet where you spilled your tea. They drugged you once at the party. But when you went to the lounge and didn’t show the expected effects, they panicked. To be sure, they added sleeping pills to your tea.”
“That sounds right. I don’t even drink tea, so I didn’t touch it. But by pure chance, I still ended up falling asleep. From that point on, everything was under their control.”
Ming Lan replayed the sequence in her mind.
“They must have made a mistake with Li Jue’s timing. His dose kicked in too late, which is why he staggered into the lounge just as the event was ending. According to their plan, that was supposed to be the endgame.”
Yi An rubbed her temples, trying to recall more details.
“Wait. Li Jue did step out to take a phone call. He was gone for quite a while. No one saw him in the banquet hall during that time.”
At this point, the two of them had basically figured out the full sequence of events. As for the remaining gaps, Yi An would need to continue investigating.
But after their conversation, neither of them looked even slightly relieved.
Ye Hai’s control over the Ye family had clearly reached a frightening level. Everyone in the household spoke in unison. It was obvious they were all under his command. With things like this, Yi An’s every step within the Ye family would be incredibly difficult.
“If it gets any worse, you should move out. There’s no guarantee they won’t come after you too.”
Ming Lan couldn’t stop worrying. Even with her past-life experience, Yi An would still struggle against this pack of wolves closing in around her.
“The situation is slightly better at the old estate, at least with Grandfather there. They don’t dare act too recklessly under his watch. But this villa is already completely under Ye Hai’s control. I doubt even Grandfather can do anything about it now.”
All the evidence was currently in Ye Hai’s hands. As long as his people refused to admit anything, there was no way to hold them accountable. Yi An was running out of options.
“And Ye Corporation itself isn’t looking good either,” Ming Lan reminded her.
“I’ll know more once I get there Monday. Grandfather and I agreed I’d be starting in the project department. This used to be Ye Hai’s stronghold, so I’ll begin right where he left off.”
Strangely enough, Yi An felt more confident about handling the company. She had faced off with Ye Hai in her past life, both openly and behind the scenes. She also had a few trusted people she could still rely on. She wasn’t completely powerless.
“Just be careful. About everything.”
With everything said, Yi An didn’t stay long. She had too much to do. Coming in person was only to give Ming Lan a clear explanation. Now it was time to head back.
Ming Lan walked her to the door. Just before stepping out, Yi An gently tucked a stray hair behind Ming Lan’s ear.
“Don’t come out. It’s cold outside.”
“Alright. Take care.”
Ming Lan watched Yi An get into the car and drive off before turning to head upstairs. As she reached the landing, she looked up and saw two heads peeking over the railing of the upper floor. The moment they met her gaze, both heads quickly ducked back.
That was odd.
As she passed the open lounge area, she noticed Xiaomei and Flying Fish studying the carpet pattern like it was a scientific mystery.
“What are you two looking at?” she asked, curious.
“Nothing.” Flying Fish raised her head with a calm expression. “Boss, just to confirm, when that lady visits, we don’t need to stop her at the door, right?”
“That’s right. She’s a friend of mine. No need to stop her or check her.”
“Friend,” Flying Fish repeated the word with a slight pause. “Understood.”
Ming Lan thought their tone seemed a bit strange, but she couldn’t quite place why. She didn’t dwell on it and went back to her room.
Monday came quickly. Ming Lan woke up early and was finally heading back to work.
Her work schedule had always been inconsistent. Sitting in the car, she let out a small yawn and leaned her head against her hand while flipping through the documents Fang Yixing had sent over.
They had already agreed that today’s morning meeting would include a formal proposal regarding a partnership in the smart technology sector. Ming Lan double-checked her materials to make sure everything was in order.
As expected, the Li family was still the first proposed partner, and this would definitely be a major discussion point during the meeting. Ming Lan had reviewed their terms, and to be honest, their offer was quite strong and competitive.
So far, there had been no movement from Yi An’s side. Ming Lan’s goal was to delay the decision, buy some time and push the discussion back until Yi An officially stepped into her role.