Mr. Z finally delivered a piece of exciting news.
Everyone was overjoyed.
"That's great, I can finally go home!"
"I thought I would never get out of here alive, I didn't expect the surprise to come so quickly!"
Despite the dangers ahead and the missing people yet to be found, the possibility of returning safely was the greatest joy for everyone.
Everyone was celebrating, and Ai Qi was happy too, but when she turned her head, she saw Fu Jingshu with a cold expression.
She hesitated for a moment and leaned closer, "Brother Fu..."
He didn't respond.
Ai Qi bit her lip and whispered, "Are you worried about pretty sister?"
He still didn't speak.
But Ai Qi knew she was right. She endured it, but couldn't help but say, "Why bother, Brother Fu, you know very well..."
They had been searching for so long and still couldn't find her.
She was gone.
But people liked to pursue the impossible, and Fu Jingshu was one of them, as was she. She knew that what she was about to say would anger Fu Jingshu.
Yet, she said it anyway.
"You know, we can't find her. If she were alive and well, she would have returned, but we've searched for so long, and there's no sign of her, dead or alive."
This was not good news. This valley was rampant with wild beasts.
The reason for no corpse was likely that she had been carried off by wild animals.
"Shut up!"
Fu Jingshu finally spoke, his gaze colder than ice.
Ai Qi was a little scared, but since the words were out, she didn't want to give up. She decided to press on. "You're just making things difficult for yourself!"
"What does it have to do with you?"
Fu Jingshu's voice was cold and deliberate.
"I..."
"Get lost."
He made no attempt to hide his disgust. Before she could react, he got up and strode away, never looking back.
Ai Qi's eyes reddened, and tears welled up. Ai Sen, who had just arrived, saw her and felt both heartache and helplessness, coupled with utter confusion.
"You know his attitude, why bother getting close to him?"
Ai Qi remained silent.
Ai Sen rambled on, "Just listen to your brother, and don't go near Fu Jingshu anymore. He's such an unromantic man..."
As he was talking, Ai Sen suddenly realized something was wrong.
If he were talking about a couple quarreling, it might be normal to call someone unromantic or a "straight man," but the man in question was married.
He slapped his forehead. "Look at me, what am I saying!"
Ai Qi pouted, her face full of stubbornness, "I won't!"
Even Ai Sen, who was usually slow-witted and a bit obtuse about romance, sensed something was amiss. "No, why do you insist on getting close to him?"
Ai Qi remained silent.
"Speak up!" Ai Sen urged, lowering his voice. "Don't tell me you have feelings for Fu Jingshu?"
Ai Qi still didn't speak.
Ai Sen's guess grew like a snowball. "You need to explain this to me. Have you lost your mind? I've always thought you paid too much attention to Fu Jingshu. Before, I thought you liked being close to Shen Qingqing, but now?"
"She's missing, and you're still so concerned about her husband? What's that supposed to mean?!"
Perhaps one of his words struck a nerve with Ai Qi, and she angrily retorted, "What's it to you?"
Ai Sen's eyes widened. "I'm your brother, so why shouldn't it be my business?!"
"You don't need to worry about me!" Ai Qi said indignantly. "It's my own business, and I decide for myself. I'm not a child anymore, and I know what I should and shouldn't do!"
With that, she turned to leave, but Ai Sen grabbed her. She was quite angry and turned back to glare at him.
Ai Sen glared back, his voice rapid and urgent, his tone extremely serious. "Listen to me, I don't care what you're thinking, but you are not allowed to have any ideas about him!"
"What ideas do I have?"
"He's a married man!"
"She's dead!"
Ai Sen gasped and tightly gripped her wrist. "You've finally shown your true colors! I knew something was off about you recently!"
"Ow, you're hurting me, let go!" Ai Qi hissed.
After all, she was his sister. Ai Sen couldn't bear to see her in pain, so he loosened his grip, but still didn't let her escape. This wasn't the place to talk, so he pulled her into a corner.
"What are you doing?" Ai Qi was annoyed.
"Listen to me!" Ai Sen warned through gritted teeth. "You will behave yourself from now on and not go near Fu Jingshu again. Do you hear me?!"
Ai Qi's face was full of stubborn defiance, showing no sign of compliance.
Ai Sen was furious. "Don't forget what our family motto says. We can be wild and ruin the family fortune, but we must never break up someone else's family!"
This was why he had given up on Shen Qingqing, despite her beauty, when he first saw her.
This was the basic bottom line!
Ai Qi was so angry she laughed. "I haven't done anything, and you're lecturing me. Don't you trust me? Pretty sister is my benefactor, and Brother Fu is too. What's wrong with me comforting him a few words?"
At first glance, her words seemed reasonable, and Ai Sen, being tongue-tied, couldn't refute them.
"In short, you just need to remember what I said!"
"Your words are telling me to be ungrateful and to stay away from my benefactors based on baseless suspicions!"
Ai Qi glared at him fiercely, yanked her wrist free, and, disregarding the pain, stormed off.
Ai Sen was so exasperated that he could only say in a low voice, "Remember what I said, do you hear me?"
Ai Qi completely ignored him.
Ai Sen didn't know if his sister had heard him, but at the moment, Pei Ji was more important. He thought that his sister had always been sensible since she was a child, so she wouldn't do anything out of line...
It should be fine, right?
At noon, after everyone had eaten, they checked on Pei Ji's condition. He was temporarily stable, but still unconscious.
However, as long as he was alive, it was the best outcome.
After this incident, Mr. Z's standing in everyone's eyes had completely changed. They had listened to him before out of necessity, and because someone had to take the lead.
But now it was different; everyone genuinely recognized him.
In the afternoon, they continued their search. They returned exhausted and quite resentful.
However, with the formidable Fu Jingshu present, they dared not voice their complaints.
As dusk approached, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the sky.
Hearing this long-lost sound, everyone instinctively looked up and saw two airplanes circling in the air before slowly landing on a large open space.
Everyone scrambled to their feet, put on their shoes, and rushed to see the planes.
Soon, people descended from the planes. They were several tall, imposing men in black. The leader was a middle-aged man in a tuxedo, his face etched with anxiety.
"This is... Steward Su."
Someone murmured.
Zhao Qian was puzzled. "Who is Steward Su?"
Someone explained to him, "Steward Su is the personal attendant of the little prince. You might not have met the little prince, but you must have seen this steward. All of the little prince's affairs are handled by him."
This person was extremely capable, eccentric, and highly valued the little prince's safety, serving him exclusively.
Now that the little prince was in mortal danger...
Things were about to get complicated.