This is the most luxurious restaurant on the entire Jiang Ye Star.
Eight-meter-high floor-to-ceiling windows, hundreds of crystal lamps like waves hanging from the ceiling, all lit up at this moment, the golden light as if the sun at noon.
A spacious rosewood long table, covered with white silk tablecloths, expensive tulips in vases, and a large bouquet of brilliant flowers at each seat.
Isabelle sat at the head of the table, unusually dressed in a black formal suit, looking as serious as if attending a funeral.
Feng Zhi Shuang was equally serious, sitting to Isabelle's left.
Tian Rao looked bewildered. She had come in a cute white dress, with a handful of fruit candies in her pocket, but the atmosphere was more solemn than she had imagined, and she didn't dare to take out the candies to share.
Xu Yan and Ju Lan Lan were also a bit confused. They were both in their pajamas. It was one o'clock in the morning, and they had been called over in their dreams. They thought it was their sisters drinking and playing in the middle of the night, so they came without changing clothes, only to find the atmosphere completely wrong.
"I called everyone here in the middle of the night because there's something extremely urgent," Isabelle said, her brow furrowed. "Everyone present is a good friend of Jiang Ye, even a confidante, and also a prominent figure on this planet. This is a life-or-death meeting. We have about an hour. After an hour, please leave. I have a second group of guests to entertain. The second group of guests are also wealthy merchants from our planet. I have sent people to invite all billionaires, and they should be on their way."
The beauties by the table looked at each other, their expressions a little tense.
"What happened?" Xu Yan asked first.
Isabelle took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Jiang Ye's spaceship is missing!"
The room instantly fell silent, so quiet that one could almost hear the accelerating heartbeats.
Tian Rao's little face turned pale, her eyes stared blankly, and her skin instantly lost its color!
Xu Yan almost fell off her chair!
Ju Lan Lan's eyes widened, utterly shocked!
"To be precise, it was a spaceship accident," Feng Zhi Shuang said, her face also very grim. "Isabelle has a friend in the military and got the news from the military. When Jiang Ye left Node Star in a warp-driven spaceship, he encountered a large-scale invasion by the Millers. A blast hit Jiang Ye's spaceship, causing the accident."
"Now Jiang Ye is completely out of contact, and all methods have failed to reach him," Isabelle said. "According to the last data, Jiang Ye's spaceship was hit during warp navigation. When such a warp engine is damaged, it can cause chaotic jumps, making it difficult to determine the spaceship's location. There are at least over 140 planets that could be his crash sites. Among these 140 planets, there are 28 uninhabited planets, 12 abandoned planets, and 30 occupied planets. Some planets have very harsh environments, and crashing onto them means certain death. Only a few planets offer a glimmer of hope."
"Moreover, we don't know the specific condition of Jiang Ye's spaceship. It's possible that it was completely destroyed after being hit by a weapon. It's also possible that it was destroyed when it crashed onto a planet. It's also possible that the spaceship didn't land on any planet but kept flying towards the depths of the universe."
"Based on the available data, the military's calculation is that Jiang Ye has only a 4.5% chance of survival."
Cries suddenly erupted.
Tian Rao couldn't control her emotions and burst into tears!
Xu Yan, beside her, also had red eyes and pulled Tian Rao into her arms. The age difference between them was a decade, making it look like an elder comforting a junior.
Ju Lan Lan stared blankly, lost in thought.
"Don't cry yet, Isabelle hasn't finished speaking," Feng Zhi Shuang said.
Tian Rao stopped crying and began to sob, looking up with teary eyes.
"As far as I know, Jiang Ye has always treated us well. Tian Rao, your clothing company's monopoly was due to Jiang Ye's order prohibiting foreign companies from entering. Xu Yan, your performance on this planet is excellent, and most of your achievements are provided by Jiang Ye; he never approached other construction companies. Ju Lan Lan, yours is even more so; your business owes a great deal to Jiang Ye." Isabelle scanned the room. "Therefore, I hope everyone can contribute to rescuing Jiang Ye."
"How do we rescue him?" Xu Yan asked immediately.
"The military has many mercenary organizations. If you give them money, they will carry out designated missions," Isabelle said. "I have already contacted a mercenary organization. They have experience in search and rescue missions. Now, all we need is money. The more money, the more search forces we can deploy. I called everyone here today to ask for money."
"I'm just a delivery person, and I don't have much savings. I have a total of five hundred million, and I'll put it all in," Isabelle said, her tone filled with determination and complete honesty. "You are all wealthier than I am. I hope everyone present can contribute at least fifty billion."
"I can contribute fifty billion myself," Xu Yan said immediately. "I have a total of sixty billion in my accounts. I need to keep ten billion to maintain construction projects, and the rest is all in."
"4 billion, all in!" Tian Rao immediately raised her hand. "I can also sell my clothing stores. I don't know how much they'll sell for, but at least a few billion, right?"
"11 billion," Ju Lan Lan said calmly. "This is all I can contribute. Any more and I'll have to sell my company. If investing this money guarantees finding Jiang Ye, I'm willing to sell my company, but the chance of finding him is less than 5%. I can only take out the money I have on hand."
Isabelle was stunned.
She had prepared an hour to persuade everyone present. But to her surprise, it was over in less than ten minutes?
Everyone was unexpectedly cooperative, almost donating all their money!
She had seen too much of the fickleness of human relationships, so she had prepared for everyone to be unwilling to pay. Now it seemed she had worried unnecessarily. It made sense; a man like Jiang Ye wouldn't be without friends to support him!
Her eyes welled up a little. "Thank you, everyone! Thank you very much!"
"There's nothing to thank us for. Jiang Ye has been so good to us. It's only right that we donate some money when he's in trouble," Xu Yan said sadly, shedding a couple of tears silently and wiping them away with her hand. "As long as Jiang Ye Star continues to develop, I'll definitely be able to earn money. I'm willing to donate my income for the next five years to find him. We must find him, dead or alive!"
"I... I'll find a way to earn money," Tian Rao's tears kept flowing, and she sobbed non-stop. At this moment, she looked like she was made of water. "Jiang Ye... if Jiang Ye is still alive, he must be very lonely right now. He must be waiting for us to save him... we need to hurry..."
"Finding Jiang Ye is naturally very important," Ju Lan Lan said with a serious expression, but without shedding tears. "We also need to help Jiang Ye manage this planet and prevent any chaos. This planet is called Jiang Ye Star; it's his greatest achievement and life's work. It cannot be ruined carelessly. The most pressing matters now are: who will control the economic lifeline? And who holds military power?"
"I'll be responsible for the economy; there's no problem," Feng Zhi Shuang said.
"Before Jiang Ye left, he handed over the military to Che Zhen, and the police department has always been managed by Shao Wan," Isabelle said, tears falling as if she didn't feel them, not even reaching out to wipe them. "Che Zhen has already stated that he will continue to manage the military until Jiang Ye returns, and the army will always be loyal to Jiang Ye. If a new commander is appointed from above, Che Zhen will resign immediately and disband the troops before resigning. I haven't had time to contact Shao Wan yet; he should be fine."
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now," Feng Zhi Shuang stood up. "Thank you all very much. Please return! Once there is news about Jiang Ye, Feng Zhi Shuang and I will inform you immediately."
"So... you two are acting in place of Jiang Ye?" Ju Lan Lan asked, her tone clearly questioning.
Feng Zhi Shuang and Isabelle exchanged a look.
"I'm just doing my job," Feng Zhi Shuang said calmly. "I am a macroeconomist. When Jiang Ye is here, I am responsible for the economy; when he is not, I am still responsible for the economy. Although I can access Jiang Ye's money, I cannot take it away."
"I'm not interested in power," Isabelle sighed faintly. "I just feel that at a critical moment, someone needs to step up to maintain the situation, so that everything doesn't collapse after Jiang Ye leaves. If there are major issues, I will discuss them with you. We will discuss everything together. The commander of this planet will always be Jiang Ye."
Ju Lan Lan nodded and left without saying anything.
Tian Rao was still crying, and Xu Yan hugged her as they left, constantly wiping her tears, like comforting a sad child.
Only Feng Zhi Shuang and Isabelle remained in the room.
Isabelle's tears finally began to fall in large drops. She pulled a handgun from under the table and cocked it. Keeping such a charged handgun in a cocked state for a long time would severely damage its lifespan.
Feng Zhi Shuang's eyes widened in shock, and she whispered, "Why do you still... have this? Aren't they your friends?"
"I didn't know if they were willing to donate money, but we really need money now!" Isabelle said, her expression suddenly turning fierce and determined. "What I care about most is Jiang Ye. Whoever saves Jiang Ye is my friend, and whoever doesn't, I'll use my gun to rob them!"
"Knock, knock, knock!" There was a knock at the door.
Isabelle and Feng Zhi Shuang turned around. Che Zhen stood at the door, in military uniform.
"How are the preparations?" Isabelle asked.
Che Zhen walked over and said in a low voice, "I've deployed five hundred troops, the best soldiers, and they are in position. There are 50 people in the next room, and a hundred are hidden downstairs, all equipped with assault rifles. The outer troops have individual missiles, capable of blasting through any vehicle. No one can escape by car."
"I've also contacted Shao Wan. All police officers are on standby," Che Zhen paused and added, "Shao Wan said that the wealthy merchants on our planet have not developed a significant armed force. Some wealthy families have many retainers, but they don't have weapons, so they are not a threat."
"Good, thank you for your hard work," Isabelle nodded.
"It's what I should do," Che Zhen said, looking troubled, and left in a hurry.
Feng Zhi Shuang stared at Isabelle, dumbfounded and shocked.
"Those wealthy merchants must donate money. Whoever doesn't donate enough won't be allowed to leave alive!" Isabelle explained, her face as cold as iron. "There's no other way. We really need money now! I will spare no effort to raise money to rescue Jiang Ye!"
After a long silence, Feng Zhi Shuang asked cautiously, "You... love him?"
"I don't know," Isabelle looked out the window, lost in thought for a long time before continuing. "When he was here, sometimes I hated him, sometimes I was angry with him, sometimes I wanted to hit him, because he always did things that made me hate him, made me angry, and made me want to hit him. But now that he's gone, I miss him terribly. I don't know his exact place in my heart, but I know he carries a lot of weight."
"As far as I know, he already has a girlfriend," Feng Zhi Shuang said even more cautiously. "You also have a husband."
"Please, the relationship between men and women isn't just either husband and wife or not husband and wife," Isabelle smiled sadly. "I just don't want him to die. I just hope to see him. I won't divorce my husband, and I bless him and his wife. Perhaps, this is a form of friendship. There are many kinds of friends in the world: drinking buddies, confidantes, friends in adversity, old and young friends. He and I are just a very special kind of friend."
Feng Zhi Shuang looked at her with a complex expression and finally said nothing.
...
The dawn on this planet was actually reddish-purple. The light shone on the garbage heaps, making all the garbage look like it was burning, possessing a beauty of dirt, disorder, and shabbiness.
"Honestly, if you weren't pregnant and if this planet wasn't so terrible, I really wouldn't want to leave," Jiang Ye said, sitting on the beach, holding Cen Ye Meng, and looking at the dawn over the sea. "There are no various messy jobs here, only you."
"I don't want to leave either," Cen Ye Meng rubbed her face against his neck, like small animals nuzzling each other, and said softly, "As long as you hold me, I feel very happy. Is managing a planet very tiring?"
"Extremely tiring, a dual pressure of physical and mental exertion. I have to pay attention to all sorts of matters," Jiang Ye said with a worried expression and sighed. "I wonder if anything will go wrong on Jiang Ye Star during my absence."
"Do you have any subordinates or friends you can trust?" Cen Ye Meng asked. "Is there anyone who can temporarily take over from you?"
"Let me think," Jiang Ye said. "In terms of economy, Feng Zhi Shuang is in charge, so it should be fine. Che Zhen is in charge of the military. Shao Wan manages the police. As long as these three don't falter, the entire planet can still operate normally."
"But there needs to be someone to preside over the overall situation, right?" Cen Ye Meng said. "The three of them can't just do their own thing; someone needs to coordinate them."
"I'm really not sure about that," Jiang Ye frowned. "Perhaps the military will parachute in a new commander. Damn it, I hope not. If someone from this planet temporarily replaces me... Tian Rao won't do; she can't command respect. Xu Yan has a corporate background, so it's also unrealistic. Ju Lan Lan is only good at business; managing a planet is difficult. Only Isabelle is more suitable. She's very familiar with my officers and understands the global situation because she's in logistics. The most important thing is that she has military experience and a bit of courage. If she were to preside over the overall situation, I would be more at ease."
Cen Ye Meng looked up, staring at Jiang Ye with a resentful gaze.
"Wh-what's wrong?" Jiang Ye broke out in a sweat.
"Why so many women!" Cen Ye Meng hit him hard. "I'm jealous! I'm very angry!"