"Bowen, that girl can't be kept."
Xi Meichen returned, and Bai Bowen's face stiffened, "What did you say?"
"Yi Weiyang's will is very clear: Yi Luowa is the sole heir to PCW. If she dies, then PCW will fall to Shaoqing and Lingfei." Xi Meichen glanced at Bai Bowen with a mildly flattering expression.
"She will have to be dealt with sooner or later, but not now. You should know what kind of people are around her." Bai Bowen walked toward Xi Meichen, placed both hands on her shoulders, and said in a low voice, "Do not make any moves for the time being, lest we get caught. Otherwise, all our years of endurance and planning will be wasted!"
"What about the shareholders' meeting?"
"Proceed as planned. First, we force Yi Luowa out of the Yi family. This is in black and white; they can't deny it!"
"I'll listen to you." Xi Meichen gazed at Bai Bowen with deep emotion and quickly walked out.
At 1:30 PM, Yi Weiyang was wheeled into the operating room. Yi Luowa looked at Mai Zekai, who approached sluggishly, and felt an inexplicable pang in her heart.
"Don't be nervous," Mai Zekai said in a calm tone, noticing her tightly clenched hands gripping her collar.
Yi Luowa mechanically nodded, "Please take care of him!"
"Miss Yi, once you sign the surgical consent form, Dr. Mai can begin the procedure."
Yi Luowa took the consent form handed to her by the nurse and swiftly signed her name.
Mai Zekai glanced at her and entered the operating room with several specialists.
The operating room light came on, and Yi Luowa clenched her fists tightly.
Uncle Li gently patted her shoulder, "Don't be nervous. Second Master will recover for sure."
Yi Luowa stared blankly at Uncle Li, and after a long pause, she asked, "Where's Aolie?"
Uncle Li shook his head helplessly, "He's out handling matters with his men."
"He values his life so little! He's walking around with so many injuries, and now he's gone out again?" Yi Luowa seemed to have found a vent for her emotions and grumbled about Aolie, using it as a way to ease her tense nerves.
When Ai Ni and Tong Aino came out, they saw her sitting in a wheelchair, her lips moving silently, muttering things to herself. The siblings exchanged a glance and quickly entered the elevator.
Just as the elevator doors closed, Mi Chenxuan sneaked half his head out of a hospital room.
Yuan Hang glanced at him with lowered eyes, "The two little Dukes have already left."
Mi Chenxuan punched him lightly in the chest and lowered his voice, "Don't wake up my fourth brother!"
Yuan Hang smirked, "If you're going to see the little girl, then hurry up. She's at the entrance of the operating room looking like a little fool, pitiful to watch."
"You're the little fool!" Mi Chenxuan glared at him and ran out.
Tong Airui, who had his eyes closed, slowly opened them. Little fool—the one cradled in his arms, scared and stunned—was his little fool.
"Buzz buzz..." The phone beside him vibrated.
Tong Airui picked up the phone, "Speak!"
"Fourth Master, Xi Meichen went to Bai Bowen. She's already returned home now."
"Keep following them; a fox will always show its tail eventually!"
"Understood!"
Just as Tong Airui hung up, his phone buzzed again. Tong Si glanced at the caller ID and frowned slightly, choosing to decline the call.
The phone stubbornly kept buzzing. Yuan Hang poked his head into the room, "Fourth Master, shall I answer it for you?"
Tong Airui shook his head and reluctantly pressed the accept button, "Leon, I'm on vacation!"
"I know!" A laugh came through the phone. "I'm not calling about work—just thinking about you."
"I wish you'd never think of me for the rest of your life. Three years without a vacation, and you still won't let me go?"
"If I let you go, then who will let me go? Haha... Selfishness is human nature. Listen, Z Country is having a military parade, and we're sending a squad to participate. It's a glorious task, and I'm assigning it to the Divine Eagle squad. I've already picked the personnel—they'll arrive in two days. The rest is up to you."
Tong Airui took a deep breath, "I'm not in Z Country; I can't make it in two days."
"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you're not in Z Country! If I wasn't sure I could find you, I wouldn't have called. Please, brother, it's just a matter of a few days. Step up—for once. Isn't this supposed to be your duty?" Leon's infectious laugh echoed over the line.
"Duty? I'm already retired. Divine Eagle isn't regular military. I think it'd be more appropriate for you to lead a regular army; that would better reflect our respect for Uncle Leng."
"You're all retired, yes—but you're the secret combat hawks. Uncle Leng would most love to see you all. I've already had your ceremonial uniform sent along... Gotta go now, I've got more official matters to handle."
With the dial tone in his ear, Tong Airui fumed and threw the phone to the side.
"The Prince's call?" Yuan Hang cautiously asked.
Tong Airui grunted gloomily, "He's a beast!"
Yuan Hang burst out laughing, "Funny—sounds like that's what the Prince often says about you."
Tong Airui shot him a sideways glare, "Tell Old Eight to come back and keep me company. Say I'm in a bad mood."
"Fourth Master... That little girl is so pitiful. Let Eighth Master stay with her for a bit. I'll chat with you instead if you're feeling down."
Tong Airui gave him a disdainful look, "You know how to chat? Since when? Why didn't I know about this?"
"I used to know how to chat, but you and your sharp tongue stifled it." Yuan Hang slammed the door shut with a "bang."
Tong Airui propped himself up on the bed and shouted toward the door, "Rebellion? Two days from now, the ceremonial troops will arrive—you'll accompany them to practice the formation!"
Yuan Hang peeked into the room with drooping lips.
Tong Airui tentatively got out of bed and pushed the door open.
Before the surgery, Mi Chenxuan tried every trick to make Yi Luowa laugh. Yi Luowa stared blankly at him. She knew he meant well, but she just couldn't muster a smile.
"Come on, smile a little~" Mi Chenxuan leaned in with his head, and just as his face was less than two inches from hers, a large hand grabbed his collar. Before he could react, he was flung aside.
"Who's there?" Mi Chenxuan staggered to his feet and, upon seeing Tong Airui, hurried to Yi Luowa's side, pushing her wheelchair to run away.
Yi Luowa looked up at him, puzzled, and managed to squeeze out two words, "What's wrong?"
"My fourth brother is here to settle the score with you. You were talking about him staying in the morgue, and he found out!" Mi Chenxuan shouted anxiously.
Yi Luowa laughed until her shoulders shook. But when she saw the heavy hand land on Mi Chenxuan's shoulder, she laughed even harder.
"Move aside!" Tong Airui shoved Mi Chenxuan and pushed the wheelchair forward a couple of steps.
Mi Chenxuan and Uncle Li looked nervously, but fortunately, Tong Airui didn't go far. He sat on a bench not far away.
"You were really wishing for my death?" Tong Airui frowned and mouthed to her.
"Just joking! Can't take a joke even as an adult?" Yi Luowa glared at him.
"Do you realize that a casual joke of yours could potentially kill several people?"
"So, it seems I'm a sweeping star. Even a joke could harm lives!"
Tong Airui glared at her angrily. For some reason, he really hated hearing the term "sweeping star," especially when it came out of her mouth. "I'll clear your name from this curse!"