Ch. 1651..1660
Chapter 1651: 1650 how are you here
Gand patted Ina on the head, comforting her, “Don’t think too much, you’ve worked hard these past few days, go get some good sleep.”
Ina left dejectedly, as if she were truly heartbroken over the mission’s failure.
Bata remarked, “It seems Ina really is deeply saddened this time.”
“Ina is a very capable person, she can’t accept her own failure.” Gand reflected for a moment, then added, “This is the first mission failure for Ina so far, isn’t it?”
Bata nodded, “Yes, before this, Ina has never experienced a failed mission.”
Gand sighed, “It appears this failure has greatly affected her, I hope she can move past it soon. After all, there’s a lot more she needs to take care of.”
Bata didn’t want Ina to go on missions; he hoped she could be happy, but he knew that was impossible. Since Ina had come to the Dawn Society, she had to fight for it to the very end.
As the two were talking, an uninvited person walked into Gand’s study, strolling as if he were on a leisurely walk.
“President Gand, it seems you’ve encountered some troubles,” Faler said with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back.
“My troubles aren’t new, you’re just seeing them today?” Gand replied, “Why isn’t Prince Faler resting in his room late at night instead of coming here?”
Faler disliked this appellation the most, he could tell Gand was being sarcastic, but for the greater good, he decided not to argue with Gand.
“I’m here to help President Gand solve his troubles, so there’s no need for such harsh words,” Faler stated.
Gand laughed, “You’re here to help me with my troubles? That’s frankly laughable. If you really have nothing to do, then find somewhere to lie down, but don’t come here bothering me.”
Faler calmly said, “President Gand, I know the Dawn Society is strong and has many members, but from the current situation, your power in the royal city still isn’t enough.”
Gand was well aware of the deficiency; there were too many nobles in the royal city, and he had to act covertly in everything he did — how could he accomplish great things like that?
“What are you trying to say?” Gand asked impatiently, “Out with it.”
Instead of responding directly, Faler clapped his hands, and a person dressed in a black robe walked in.
Gand glared at him and said, “What’s the meaning of this, Mr. Faler? Are you implying this is a gift for me? Do you know I’m short of Dawn Guards and deliberately sent me a test subject?”
The person in the black robe took off their hat, revealing a familiar face.
“How are you here?” Gand asked curiously, “Wasn’t it said that Prince Busodi had left the royal city? So who is the person before me now?”
Busodi smiled and said, “The Busodi that left the royal city is me, and the Busodi that stayed in the royal city is also me.”
“You’re twins?” Gand asked doubtfully, “I’ve never heard of Prince Busodi having a twin brother.”
Busodi replied, “That’s not it, I simply left the royal city and then returned. Only my confidants know about this, not even my wife.”
Gand didn’t believe Busodi had come just to chat, “Spit it out, what does Prince Busodi want? Are you planning to take me to prison, or sell the information to His Majesty the King?”
“Neither,” Busodi shook his head, “I’ve come to propose a partnership.”
Gand rejected Busodi’s proposal, “There’s no need, the Dawn Society has its own way of doing things, we don’t need help from others.”
Busodi persisted, “Hear me out first, if you truly don’t need my help, then I’ll leave once I’m done.”
Gand was indeed curious to hear what Busodi had to say, not just because of Busodi, but also because of Faler. Faler had tried several times to facilitate a cooperation between him and Busodi, but to what end?
And then there was Faler’s attitude. Wasn’t he the one who hated the royal family the most? Why was he helping Busodi this time?
“I’ll give you the opportunity. If your conditions meet my requirements, then I will consider working with you,” Gand said, “If they don’t, I’ll have you escorted out.”
Chapter 1652: 1651 new plan
“Just to put it simply, I want the throne,” Busodi said with a cold gaze, “It was originally my rightful place! Laka is a fool, Samiyi is a woman, the throne should rightfully be mine.”
Gand chuckled, “What benefits would the Dawn Society gain if we helped you?”
Busodi replied, “I know your thoughts; you wish to expand the Dawn Society greatly. Therefore, as long as you help me acquire the throne, I will let you and your Dawn Society step out into the open proudly, and then you will become the God of Dawn that everyone admires.”
His words moved Gand. Gand didn’t desire the throne, so for many years he had only been making small moves secretly, but if Busodi could help him become the admired God of Dawn, then he could indeed give it a try.
Moreover, he was extremely angry inside. Those two women had ruined his plans, and he would not let them go! Once he caught them, Gand was determined to send them to the most wretched place in the kingdom, letting them live a life worse than death!
“Alright, I agree to cooperate with you,” Gand said, “However, my Dawn Patrol suffered heavy losses, and the new Dawn Patrol is still in production, needing some more time.”
“There’s no time,” Busodi clenched his fist, “I don’t want to wait any longer, I want to become King now!”
Gand slightly frowned. He wasn’t an impatient man, and he wouldn’t make a move without full preparation.
“We still need to wait for some time…” Gand didn’t want to be led by the nose by the other party, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by someone else.
A young man, appearing to be a doctor, rushed in, even forgetting to knock. He said in a flustered manner, “Sir, Mrs. Hai Wei has disappeared. We went to the place she had arranged to pick up new medicine, didn’t get it, and couldn’t contact her. By the time we got to her place, she was gone, and a large part of her home had been burned.”
After hearing this, Gand remained silent, but it was Busodi who broke the awkward silence with a laugh, “I heard that Red Maple Street is very lively today. It’s said that the foreign woman Mr. Gand has been looking for also appeared there.”
Gand looked at Busodi, then at Faler, who avoided his gaze.
“I have really underestimated you two, Your Royal Highnesses!” Gand said through gritted teeth.
He didn’t anticipate that he would be duped by these two royals, nothing seemed to be going his way lately.
“Mr. Gand, you only have cooperation with us now,” Busodi said again, “The longer the night, the more dreams will appear. It’s better to solve some matters sooner.”
This was said to Gand, but also to himself, wondering when his sick cousin would die. If it was delayed further and Samiyi completely seized the power, then his chance would vanish.
With too many incidents occurring lately, Gand decided, prompted by their urging, to advance his plans.
“Very well, then three days from now at eight in the evening,” Gand said, “I will deploy all of the Dawn Patrol to assist you. As long as you successfully take over the palace, I will make sure other places also fall under our control.”
After hearing his words, Busodi and Faler exchanged a smile, both feeling that their trip had been worthwhile.
After they left, Gand sat alone at the table, pondering something.
Ina suddenly entered the room, still like a lively, naive young girl. Seeing Gand upset, she asked in confusion, “Uncle Gand, why are you unhappy?”
Seeing her approach made Gand’s expression slightly improve, and he asked with concern, “Didn’t you say you were going to rest? Why are you back here?”
Ina replied, “I heard some people arguing, so I came out to see. Just now, I saw a man in a black cloak leaving, was he here to argue?”
Gand didn’t wish to divulge the matter, simply gesturing with his hand, “He wasn’t here to argue. It’s very late now, go rest. If there’s no necessary business, don’t go out in the next few days. I have an important task for you in a couple of days.”
Ina obediently replied, “Okay, Uncle Gand. Ina will go sleep now, and if there’s a task, please make sure to inform Ina.”
Gand considered Ina too concerned about her last “failed task” and didn’t think much of it, “Don’t worry, you won’t fail in the next task, I assure you. Moreover, our goal is almost realized.”
Ina smiled and said, “Ina understands. Uncle Gand, good night.”
Chapter 1653: The chaos begins in 1652
Tan Rou intensified her research on the poison left by Mrs. Hai Wei. She had already made some progress with her previous studies, and now her task was to produce the antidote. After all, there was still hope for those people, and if they lost their ability to act, Tan Rou was confident she could save them.
When noon arrived, Tan Rou handed some of her work over to the researchers and returned to her current residence. Before she even entered, she saw Zhuang Liu coming out of the house.
“Why didn’t you rest a little longer?” Tan Rou ran over to ask.
Zhuang Liu held a letter in his hand. “I was resting, but someone knocked on my window. When I woke up, I found this letter by my window. I looked around outside the window but saw no one.”
He had been resting on the third floor, which meant that the person delivering the letter was incredibly skilled, not only scaling three floors but also retreating with great speed.
Tan Rou didn’t concern herself with the letter deliverer; she directly opened the envelope and, after a glance, her face showed a look of surprise.
“The Dawn Society plans to make their move three nights from now. We need to inform Samiyi at once.” Tan Rou put away the letter. “Zhuang Liu, you need to notify our people. They must protect themselves at all costs.”
Zhuang Liu understood Tan Rou’s implication and didn’t waste time in the house. “Alright, and you too, stay safe.”
They were in a foreign land with restrictions, but they had to leave safely.
However, Shang Jin and the others did not have a safe departure, as explosions occurred at the airport. Not just the airport, bus stations, train stations—nearly all the transportation hubs experienced varying degrees of explosions.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu had no choice but to change their plan. They redeployed a third of their people to protect Shang Jin and his group, trying their best to move them to another city. Zhuang Liu had businesses in other cities, so even if they couldn’t immediately escort them out, they could at least ensure their basic needs were met.
Even with the continuous reports of explosions coming in, Samiyi remained unflustered, holding the letter from Tan Rou. She said icily, “This is our first battle, and it will be our last. The so-called Dawn Society is nothing but sewer rats—no need to worry.”
Yet other ministers were truly worried. One said, “Your Highness the Princess, it is a critical time. Perhaps His Majesty the King should preside over the situation. After all, you are…”
“Take him away!” The minister hadn’t finished speaking when Samiyi ordered the guards to drag him out.
“In critical times, I need strategies. If there aren’t any, then shut your mouths!” Samiyi roared, “Enough with the nonsense!”
The ministers dared not speak further nonsense and began to offer her their advice. Samiyi listened while secretly noting down the viable plans.
When Tan Rou arrived, she just happened to see someone being dragged out with a covered mouth. Guessing that Samiyi was still in a meeting, she waited outside.
After half an hour, Samiyi finally finished the meeting. Hearing that Tan Rou had arrived, she immediately called her in.
“Rou, have you been waiting long?” Samiyi asked.
“Not at all.” Tan Rou placed several vials on the table. “The drugs have been developed; now we need to capture them and administer the injections.”
Samiyi nodded. “My people are already covertly capturing them. The hotel owner you mentioned last time didn’t show any abnormalities, at least nothing my people could detect.”
Tan Rou cautioned, “In my country, there’s an old saying: ‘Better to wrongly execute ten thousand than to let one escape.’ If that owner is innocent, you can release him later and apologize, can’t you? The future Queen.”
Samiyi was stunned, then her expression changed, and she called out loudly, “Come!”
But by the time the soldiers arrived, Hamillen was nowhere to be found. After searching Hamillen’s house thoroughly, they finally discovered some unused drugs, as well as several failed experiments.
This time, Samiyi was not angry; she remained calm. The closer they got to the end, the more she had to stay composed—she still had to lead the overall situation.
As dusk fell, Samiyi visited the King’s chamber. The King had been sleeping; his condition had improved over the last few days, no longer needing medication for sleep.
When Samiyi appeared, he woke up.
“What’s wrong, little Samiyi?” Sensing that Samiyi’s mood was off, the King asked.
Samiyi took the King’s hand and earnestly said, “Brother, I won’t fail your expectations.”
The King seemed to sense something, affirming, “Do your best, Samiyi. Your brother believes in you.”
Chapter 1654: 1653 Coup
That night, the royal city was extremely bright, and there were few patrolling soldiers on the streets, but they all wore sturdy bulletproof vests and were equipped with the best weapons.
Groups of black-clad specters emerged from the darkness. This time, there was no flute to guide them, for they killed at sight, and this was their last mission.
The patrolling soldiers spotted them. “Terrifying! Not these monsters again—shoot them quickly!”
However, the monsters had grown cleverer, swiftly dodging the bullets and advancing towards the palace.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu were positioned high up in the royal city, alongside snipers carefully selected by Samiyi. Their rifles, with modified bullets that wouldn’t kill, were already aimed at those monsters.
“Once they expose an arm or a leg, shoot the drug-filled bullets into them,” Tan Rou said while aiming. “This is a tougher mission, I hope you can complete it perfectly.”
The snipers did not utter superfluous words, only responding, “Yes!”
Soon, those black-clothed monsters were taken down one by one, but the person Tan Rou hoped to see had not yet appeared.
“He hasn’t shown up,” Zhuang Liu observed for a long while alongside her, scanning the nearby streets, but still not spotting that figure.
Tan Rou looked through the scope of her sniper rifle for a long time, then said, “Could our intelligence have been wrong? It seems we can’t fully trust that letter.”
Zhuang Liu said, “The letter only mentioned that the Dawn Society’s people would mobilize tonight; it didn’t say Gand would appear.”
Tan Rou fell silent for a moment, handed her sniper rifle to a nearby sniper, and said, “Let’s head back to the palace…”
Before she finished speaking, flames erupted in the palace’s direction, followed by a massive explosion.
Zhuang Liu reacted swiftly, protecting Tan Rou in his arms, and said, “Did the Dawn Society charge into the palace?”
Tan Rou also worried, “Could Gand be in the palace?”
Time rewound to half an hour earlier. Samiyi sat alone in the palace’s council hall, which lacked ministers and even her usual accompaniment of guards and maids.
In the deserted council hall, dressed in a lavish gown, the princess was extremely composed. She brewed a cup of tea for herself and flipped through a book-like object as she sipped her tea.
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the once-quiet palace. Samiyi glanced outside the window, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
“Busodi, since you’ve already arrived, why not come in for a cup of tea?” Samiyi said as she stood up to pour a cup of hot tea.
A group of rebels escorted Busodi inside, surrounding him; compared to them, Samiyi looked like a mere figurehead.
The palace was eerily empty, almost deserted. Busodi found this strange—had all the people been deployed by Samiyi to counter the Dawn Society?
“It seems you knew I would come tonight,” Busodi ventured.
Samiyi smiled slightly and said, “I know nothing.” She placed the teacup on the table and asked, “Would you like a cup?”
Busodi had no time for idle chatter because he was uncertain about the situation outside—if Samiyi’s people overpowered the Dawn Society, then his own position would be in great trouble.
He pointed a gun at Samiyi, then took out a beautifully crafted paper, saying, “This is the Throne Abdication Edict. If you know what’s good for you, have your brother and your nephew sign it.”
Samiyi shrugged and said, “It’s resting time now; my brother and my nephew are both sleeping. If you want their signatures, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Make them sign it!” Busodi shouted. “Otherwise, I’ll kill you!”
Samiyi smiled again. “If you kill me, you won’t be able to become King. The citizens of this country won’t allow a thug who murdered a princess to become King.”
Busodi countered, “I will claim it was done by that foreign woman. After all, they are foreigners; it’s not surprising whatever they do.”
Samiyi’s smile gradually faded; she threatened, “Busodi, I’m giving you one last chance—if you leave now, I’ll act as if nothing happened, and you can continue being a prince.”
Chapter 1655: 1654 Duel
“I just want to be King.” Busodi’s eyes fixated solely on the seat behind Samiyi; after decades of longing, he had finally reached the threshold of kingship and there was no way he could give it up.
Samiyi continued to speak, “Busodi, let’s talk this through. We’re siblings, and I didn’t want things to get to this point today. If you could just go back…”
However, Busodi didn’t want to hear the rest of Samiyi’s words. He laughed arrogantly, “Naïve little girl, without your brother, you’re nothing. Don’t think you can take your nephew’s place. Once your brother dies, both of you will accompany him. Judging by your current state, that old man must not be far from death.”
Samiyi clenched her fists, “If you utter one more insult about His Majesty the King, I’ll have to take action.”
Busodi said dismissively, “What action can you take? I’ve looked around—the palace is practically empty, you’ve sent everyone out.”
Samiyi glared at him, her expression slightly panicked. Busodi, sensing her change, grew bolder, “I guessed right, didn’t I? You have no one by your side.”
He boldly approached Samiyi, lowering the gun in his hand, “Samiyi, leave that seat. It’s not meant for you.”
“Nor is it meant for you,” Samiyi retorted, and then she clapped her hands.
Suddenly, a large group of armed guards descended from the lofty rooftop, and a batch of armed guards stealthily appeared at the doorway.
Samiyi said, “I already gave you a chance. You didn’t cherish it, so there’s nothing I can do.”
Busodi started to panic, “How could this be, where did you get these people?”
Samiyi smiled, “Money can buy anything, including lives.”
Busodi, as if realizing something, exclaimed, “Mercenaries!”
Samiyi nodded, “Correct.” She had been in touch with the mercenaries for a while, and although they were expensive, they served their purpose. After the mercenaries arrived, Samiyi had dispatched them to replace the palace guards and go after the minions of the Dawn Society. The palace guards were kept inside to deal with the enemies expected tonight.
“How did you know about my plan?” Busodi demanded.
Samiyi drew out a letter, “Someone told me.”
Busodi thought it was Gand who betrayed him and said angrily, “That bastard Gand, I’ll kill him!”
Samiyi sneered, “Before that, I have a secret to share with you. Your two children are not your own. They are the offspring of your young wife and another man.” As she spoke, she played the recording Tan Rou had given her.
At first, Busodi didn’t believe it, but the voices were too familiar—one was his wife, the other was the person he trusted most. As it turned out, they were in cahoots, and even the children were theirs.
“Impossible!” Busodi was dazed for a moment.
Samiyi took a sip of tea, then gently set down the cup and gave a nod.
The guard squad, receiving the cue, immediately opened fire. Busodi’s men quickly aimed their guns at Samiyi, but the bullets didn’t hit her; instead, they struck the completely transparent glass.
Samiyi had taken protective measures around herself in advance; otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to sit there alone, waiting for Busodi.
Busodi tried to charge at Samiyi but was stopped by the guard squad before he got close and was pinned to the ground.
Samiyi was pleased with today’s outcome, “Lock up Busodi. Take the others out and wait for the firing squad.”
Then, she took out several documents, “Arrest everyone listed here.”
The guard squad followed Samiyi’s orders, and she glanced at the time—10:30 pm, not too late.
Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a huge explosion suddenly illuminated the palace.
“What’s going on?” Samiyi exclaimed.
A guard hurried in, “Your Highness, the Princess, intruders have broken into His Majesty the King’s chambers!”
Samiyi, in immense panic, circumvented the glass wall and rushed to His Majesty the King’s location.
But she was too late; the King’s chambers were already ablaze.
“Brother!” Samiyi attempted to rush inside, but the guards stopped her.
“Your Highness, the fire is too intense, you can’t go in there!” the captain of the guard shouted, then turned to others, “Hurry, speed up the firefighting!”
Samiyi turned pale, her hands pressed together as she prayed, “Brother, please be safe.”
By the time Tan Rou returned to the palace, the fire had been extinguished, but the royal chambers were completely destroyed.
Chapter 1656: 1655 has taken revenge
Sunlight shone upon the fire-ravaged ruins, where the royal guards were lifting several charred bodies from the debris, unable to discern which one was His Majesty the King; only a DNA test could confirm.
Tan Rou stood behind Samiyi, who was in front of the ruins, looking utterly helpless with nobody by her side.
Laka, who had been dealing with affairs outside, had also returned. Upon receiving the news, he couldn’t believe that there had been a coup at the palace, nor could he believe that his father had been killed in an explosion. That was His Majesty the King; how could he possibly be killed by an explosion in his own home?
“It’s all my fault.” Samiyi said with a face full of sorrow: “To lay a trap for Busodi, I had some of the royal guards moved from the palace and gathered the rest in the council hall. I didn’t expect Busodi would send people here.”
Laka was also very heartbroken, but now was not the time to grieve; the news of His Majesty the King’s death could not be spread.
“Aunt, now is not the time to be sad…” Laka was interrupted before he could finish speaking by Samiyi.
Samiyi wiped her face and regained her composure, “Let’s go, we still have a lot of things to do.” She walked over to Tan Rou, thanked her, and then led her people away.
Zhuang Liu held Tan Rou’s hand and said, “We should also take a break.”
Tan Rou nodded, “Yes, it’s time to go home.”
Busodi was captured, but there were still others on the run, one of them being the president of the Dawn Society, Gand.
Gand crawled deep into the sewer, filthy, bearing no semblance of his former demeanor.
“We’ll wait out this storm and then head to the provinces; we still have our people there.” Gand told Bata, “As long as we’re alive, the Dawn Society won’t perish.”
Bata replied, “Sir, I will protect you no matter what.”
Gand frowned slightly; if possible, he would have preferred Ina to be by his side, as her combat skills were much stronger than Bata’s. But Ina had been unreachable. She was supposed to assassinate Tan Rou, so why was there no news? Could it be that she had been taken care of by Tan Rou?
“Let’s rest for a while.” Gand took out a packet of compressed biscuits, “Let’s have something to eat first, and then you can go out and scout the situation after dark.”
“Yes.” Bata also took out compressed biscuits to eat.
Before they had a few bites, they suddenly heard a series of light and slow footsteps, not like those of an adult.
Gand drew his gun, aiming in the direction of the sound.
“Uncle Gand, is that you?” Ina’s voice came from around the corner, “I’m here to find you.”
Hearing Ina’s voice, Gand breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “My dear Ina, where have you been these past few days?”
In the darkness, Ina slowly approached Gand while saying, “I went to take care of something.”
Gand did not ask what it was but instead asked Ina if she had completed the task he gave her, “Did you complete your mission?”
Ina replied, “Not yet…” She appeared fully in front of Gand, her gun pointed straight at Gand’s head, “So now I’m here to complete my mission.”
“Bang!” A shot hit Gand’s head, blood and brain matter burst out, gory and disgusting.
Gand couldn’t believe he died like this, “You…” He fell into the water of the sewer.
Bata, hugging the wall, asked in confusion, “Ina, why are you doing this?”
Ina smiled in response, “I’m here for revenge. My family, friends, and so many innocent people, they cannot die in vain; there must be someone to avenge them.”
“Are you undercover?” Bata asked.
“I’m not.” Ina, holding the gun, approached Bata, “I’m just a monster seeking revenge.”
She knew all along that she had little emotion for the loss of her relatives, but in the depths of her mind, a voice kept reminding her, “Ina, you must seek revenge.”
Bata knew Ina was terrifying; since she had already killed Gand, she surely wouldn’t let him go, so he had to act as well.
Gunshots echoed once again in the sewer, Bata had been formidable in his youth, but he was old now, no match for Ina, and with Ina’s ability to see in the dark, Bata had no chance to hide.
Yet, she didn’t notice the situation in the water next to her; the man who had been shot in the head was still able to raise his gun.
Another gunshot, Ina was hit, Bata seized the opportunity and also shot Ina.
Ina, enduring the pain, fired and hit Bata’s head; this time, no one had the chance to fight back.
Chapter 1657: Return to the country in 1656
All of Busodi’s people were taken down by Samiyi, but there is still a portion of those who conspired with him on the run, like Gand.
Samiyi looked at the report from the search team, her expression not looking great, “Most of the Dawn Society members have been imprisoned, but as the head of the Dawn Society, there’s no sign of Gand. Is he really that hard to find?”
Her tone was very calm, with not the slightest intent to blame the search team, but the team leader was still very tense, as days of interaction had made him realize the once gentle princess was long gone.
“Your Highness, we will do our utmost to find Gand,” the search team leader pledged, “I guarantee with my life that if we can’t catch him…”
Samiyi cut him off, “There have been too many deaths these days, I don’t want to see any meaningless loss of life, go and complete your mission.”
The search team leader left with his men.
Tan Rou came over with Laka, accompanied by Shang Jin and others.
Upon seeing Samiyi, Tan Rou’s first question was to inquire about her health. Samiyi hadn’t rested properly for several days, just napping briefly before returning to work, consuming cans of coffee.
Samiyi smiled and waved her hand, “No worries. Please take a seat first.”
After Tan Rou and others sat down, they reported the current research status to Samiyi. Laka also presented the new policies they had developed with the ministers in the past few days.
Samiyi looked at the report given by Tan Rou and asked, “Are you leaving?”
Tan Rou nodded and then shook her head, “My summer vacation is almost over, so I must hurry back for classes. My teammates will not leave; they want to continue doing research here.”
This was the decision reached after discussions by Shang Jin and the others, who felt that J country needed talents at this time and they would certainly be of use here with Samiyi present.
Tan Rou agreed, and surely Samiyi would not object.
“It’s a pity I can’t hold a farewell party for you,” Samiyi said regretfully, “I still have many things to do.”
Tan Rou thought of His Majesty the King’s matters and said, “You will make a fine queen.”
Samiyi gave a bitter laugh, “I still wish I could always be my brother’s sister.”
But the King was already dead, and from now on, the country would depend on her.
On the day Tan Rou and her group left, the weather was not very hot. There were dark clouds in the sky, seeming to herald rain again.
Samiyi looked up at the sky and revealed a gentle smile, saying to her nephew at her side, “Everything will be okay.”
The Zhuang family and the Tao family had already learned that Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu were returning home. They had also seen the events in J country on international news, and keen-eyed individuals spotted Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu in the news footage.
Upon landing, the two were given a “warm welcome” by the elders of the Zhuang family and the Tao family, claiming they were there to pick them up, but in truth, it was to see if they had been injured.
Overseas conditions weren’t as good as at home, and despite Tan Rou doing her best to take care of herself, she had still lost seven or eight pounds. Her already small face seemed even smaller, and her complexion had worsened slightly.
The two worried mothers were very heartbroken upon seeing this. While vowing to nourish Tan Rou properly, they reproached Zhuang Liu for not taking good care of her.
Tan Rou spoke up for Zhuang Liu, “It’s not Zhuang Liu’s fault. I’ve just been too busy with work.”
Unexpectedly, Zhuang Liu took all the responsibility onto himself, “It’s my fault for not taking good care of Tan Rou.”
The parents of the Zhuang family and the Tao family didn’t really intend to blame Zhuang Liu; they just mentioned it in passing. What mattered most to them was their heartache for Tan Rou, seeing her so much thinner, they just needed someone to blame.
“Enough talk, let’s go home,” Father Tao said. “Tan Rou and Xiao Zhuang must be hungry after such a long flight, right? We’ve prepared food at home, so let’s go eat first.”
Mother Tao also snapped back to reality, wiping her tears, “Follow your dad and mom home, eat more to make up for the hardships you’ve endured abroad.”
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu exchanged a look, seeing helplessness in each other’s eyes. They hadn’t suffered too much abroad; on the contrary, they learned a lot. Moreover, before they left, Samiyi gave Tan Rou many books, all out-of-print editions that money couldn’t buy. This trip couldn’t be considered as suffering; it was a case of reaping rewards for their efforts.
“Let’s go,” Zhuang Liu took Tan Rou’s hand, smiling, “Let’s go home and eat together.”
Tan Rou gripped his hand tightly, “Yeah, we’re going home.”
Chapter 1658: 1657 Tan Rou’s Dream
After arriving home, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu enjoyed a delicious meal before retiring to Tan Rou’s estate for some rest. Both were exhausted and soon fell asleep.
Tan Rou, perhaps due to the various experiences she had been through lately, dreamed again of events from her past life. In her dream, her entire family died before her eyes, and this time, there was another person in the dream.
This was the first time Tan Rou dreamed of a different ending involving Zhuang Liu in her dreams. Previously, she had suspected that Zhuang Liu had died from poisoning, but in her dream, it wasn’t poison that killed him.
She dreamed that she and Zhuang Liu were not married, leaving Zhuang Liu heartbroken; he went to another country. Unexpectedly, that country experienced a turmoil, and Zhuang Liu was torn in half by monsters with purple skin.
“No… don’t…” Tan Rou in the dream wanted to go to Zhuang Liu, but she couldn’t make a sound, nor could she get to his side, and could only watch helplessly as he died.
“Tan Rou, Tan Rou!” Zhuang Liu heard Tan Rou’s voice, and upon opening his eyes, he saw Tan Rou sweating profusely, still muttering “don’t”.
“Tan Rou…” Zhuang Liu held her tightly in his arms, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid, I’m right here with you.”
Tan Rou woke from the dream to find that it was all false, and she and Zhuang Liu had safely returned.
“Did you have a dream?” Zhuang Liu gently wiped the sweat from Tan Rou’s face and asked, “Do you want to sit on the balcony for a while?”
Tan Rou sighed lightly and said, “Zhuang Liu, let’s hold our wedding soon.”
Naturally, Zhuang Liu was very surprised, but amidst his surprise, he became worried, “Tan Rou, did something happen?”
According to Tan Rou’s plan, they were supposed to have their wedding after Tan Rou finished her studies, and although Zhuang Liu also wished to advance the wedding, he wanted to know the reason why Tan Rou wanted to move it up.
Tan Rou answered, “I dreamed we weren’t married, and you were very sad, so you went alone to country J. There you encountered those monsters, and they… killed you.”
Zhuang Liu stroked Tan Rou’s forehead, comforting her, “Dreams are just dreams; we are both very much alive. I do indeed hope to advance our wedding, but if it’s because of a dream that you want to move it forward, I wouldn’t be happy.”
A hint of hesitation appeared on Tan Rou’s face, “Zhuang Liu, I don’t want our future to face any mishaps, so I still want to move the wedding up, but if you don’t want to, then let’s not.”
“Okay.” Zhuang Liu smiled, “I’ll start preparing the wedding right away.” Actually, he had already been making preparations. The venue and wedding supplies were already arranged, and now only the bride and groom were left.
“Zhuang Liu, I want to prepare the wedding favors myself.”
“I’ll join you.”
Tan Rou not only wanted to prepare her own wedding favors but also planned to design several wedding dresses, so she was going to be quite busy in the coming half year.
The wedding date was set for January 1st, the start of the new year, a day filled with beautiful meanings. Also, it was a holiday, so everyone would have time to attend the wedding.
Most of a graduate student’s time is spent inside labs, and Tan Rou was no exception, but her work efficiency was high. What others might not manage to process in a month, Tan Rou could accomplish in just a day. After completing the tasks assigned by her advisor, Tan Rou had plenty of time to prepare for her own wedding.
Zhuang Liu also pushed back some work recently. In his heart, nothing was more important than his wedding with Tan Rou. With the wedding approaching, he had to make complete preparations.
This was proving to be exhausting for Xiao Mo, who not only had to work during office hours at the company, but also had to deal with the boss’s personal matters after hours. For instance, the boss sent him ten designs of wedding cookies to conduct a survey to see which design people preferred, and then arrange for a food company to make them.
Fortunately, Xiao Mo was battle-scarred and wasn’t felled by these little challenges. And with ample funds provided by his boss, Xiao Mo could use the money confidently and boldly.
Apart from Xiao Mo, many others were helping with the wedding preparations, even Li Li was helping Tan Rou select the better-looking wedding invitations.
The marriage alliance between the Zhuang family and the Tao family spread throughout the country, and for a time, the internet was buzzing with posts discussing their wedding, some said it was a commercial alliance between two families, others said they genuinely loved each other.
But no matter what was said online, it didn’t stop the wedding from happening.
Summer passed, autumn came, and before they knew it, it was winter, and soon, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu’s wedding was just around the corner.
Chapter 1659: 1658 Mysterious Gift
A month before the wedding, many people sent gifts to Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu, mostly to Tan Rou, including jewelry, minerals, and even company shares as gifts.
Tan Rou could guess who sent those very precious gifts. As for the ordinary gifts, there were greeting cards with names written on them in the boxes, and almost every gift could be matched with a name.
Shang Jin and others sent gifts to Tan Rou from abroad, along with a congratulatory gift from Queen Samiyi, all of which couldn’t fit in a small car.
After receiving the gifts, Tan Rou opened them because they were from abroad, and she wanted to open the gifts immediately and then thank the people who sent them.
“Is this big box all from Samiyi?” Zhuang Liu looked at the heavily wrapped big box and said with a smile, “I wonder what the queen has put inside, it’s quite heavy.”
Tan Rou guessed, “It should be books.” Samiyi knew she liked to read, and when she left, Samiyi said she would send her books again, so she thought it should be ancient books newly collected by Samiyi.
“Let’s open it and see.” Tan Rou carefully opened the big box, revealing beautifully packaged gift boxes inside. After opening the gift box, there were ancient books inside.
Zhuang Liu casually picked up an ancient book and checked the publication date, then said, “This book is a hundred years old.”
Tan Rou loved this gift, she happily said, “I’m going to call Samiyi now to thank her for the gift.”
“Okay.” As Tan Rou made the call, Zhuang Liu took out the rest of the books, preparing to place them in Tan Rou’s newly prepared collection cabinet.
While arranging the books, Zhuang Liu suddenly found a very delicate box among them, almost the same size as the books, hidden inside. Zhuang Liu thought it was another ancient book and opened it casually. Inside, instead of a book, there was a very ornate small knife, about twenty centimeters long.
Tan Rou just came over and was very surprised when she saw the small knife, “Is this a knife?”
Zhuang Liu said, “It might be a decorative knife with no sharp edge.” However, the next second, after pulling out the knife, he no longer thought so.
Looking at the gleaming small knife, both Zhuang Liu and Tan Rou showed puzzled expressions because it was not a blunt knife, but a usable one.
Customs inspections are very strict, whether it’s personal belongings or shipped items, they must pass security checks. Previously, Tan Rou had told Samiyi about the strict security checks in their country, warning her not to send dangerous items, so Samiyi definitely wouldn’t have placed a knife in the gift. So how did the knife end up inside?
Tan Rou held the box, feeling its weight, and studied it carefully. Finally, she found a compartment at the bottom of the box. After opening it, there lay a beautiful greeting card.
“Dear Sister Tan Rou: Happy Marriage! I can’t attend your wedding because I’m not a good kid, but I really wanted to give you a gift, and I was worried you wouldn’t accept it, so I mixed it in with the books Queen Samiyi sent during the customs inspection. If I have the chance, I will come to see you! — Ina”
Tan Rou was shocked, “Ina is still alive!”
Zhuang Liu had heard about Ina from Tan Rou. Ina belonged to the Dawn Society, and they all thought she had died in a melee or had already fled. They hadn’t expected that not only was she alive, but she also had come to their country.
“This little girl thinks too much,” Tan Rou’s expression turned very tender, “Ina is a clever child, if possible, I hope she can come and see my wedding in person. Besides, I promised her to take her to play in China, but unfortunately, something came up.”
Zhuang Liu hugged Tan Rou’s shoulder and comforted her, “Since she said she would come to see you, she definitely will come; maybe you will bump into her someday.”
Tan Rou placed the small knife on a very conspicuous display rack, hoping that if Ina really came one day, she would immediately see her gift.
“Tan Rou…” Mother Tao and Mother Zhuang walked in with smiling faces, seeing Tan Rou and others unwrapping gifts, and said, “Don’t unpack the gifts now, your wedding dresses have arrived, go try them on now; if they’re not suitable, there’s still time to alter them.”
Tan Rou agreed, “Okay, we’ll go now.”
Chapter 1660: 1659 wedding
January 1st is a very festive day, with the streets full of New Year lanterns, schools on holiday, and workers having time off. Many young people choose to get married on this day, partly because the wedding party has time, and partly because everyone has time to attend the wedding.
Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu are not people who love crowds, but this is their wedding, the only wedding in their lifetime. Even if they are not fond of bustling events, they still hope to have more people witness their love.
Of course, not just anyone can attend the wedding, the guests present today are all their relatives, friends, or some important business partners. Guests enter the venue with invitations to prevent uninvited people from sneaking in.
At 3 a.m., Tan Rou was awoken by the alarm. She thought she was the earliest to wake up, but as soon as she opened the door, there was a big group of people gathered outside, even her grandmother was there.
“The bride is awake, then hurry up and start getting ready for the makeup,” Grandma Tao said very happily.
Tian Tian quickly took out the snacks she had prepared overnight, “Tan Rou, quickly eat something to replenish your energy, once you’ve applied makeup, you won’t be able to eat or it will spoil the makeup.”
Li Li brought a huge suitcase up, “Tan Rou, don’t worry, I’ve studied makeup for three years, all for today’s task of doing your makeup.”
Tan Rou’s nose tingled, she was very touched and said, “Why did you all get up so early?”
Mother Tao holding her daughter’s hand, said, “Today is your big wedding day, we must dress you up beautifully, so we got up earlier than you to prepare.”
“Mom…” Tan Rou hugged Mother Tao, “Thank you all.”
Mother Tao was both happy and sad; she was reluctant to let her daughter get married, but seeing her daughter and son-in-law so happy made her very pleased.
“We’re all very happy,” Grandma Tao said. “Tan Rou, you should come back to stay often after you get married, Grandma will prepare delicious food for you.”
Tan Rou smiled and nodded, “Yes, this is my home. No matter where I live later, I will always come back often.”
She had already discussed with Zhuang Liu that after getting married they would neither live in Zhuang’s old house nor Tao’s old house, but in a house close to their workplaces, and would come back to dine with their parents on weekends.
After finishing the breakfast arranged by Tian Tian, Tan Rou began to apply makeup. Being the bride today, she didn’t need to do it herself; she just needed to sit there.
Li Li opened her makeup box, which contained many makeup tools and natural cosmetics made by Tan Rou herself.
The wedding was divided into three parts: arrival at the venue, the ceremony, and the conclusion of the ceremony. Therefore, Tan Rou had prepared three different sets of clothes and needed makeup three times.
The first set of clothes was traditional, with the groom wearing red and the bride wearing green. Li Li applied light makeup to Tan Rou, who was very beautiful. Heavy makeup would have affected her beauty.
However, in terms of decoration, Li Li and the others prepared a lot. Tan Rou’s head was filled with Pearl Hairpins by Li Li, each of them priceless, the kind that could be exhibited in a museum.
“Is the hair decoration a bit too much?” Tan Rou looked at her head and suddenly thought of a sugarcoated hawthorn stick.
Li Li felt it was not too much, “It’s not too much, I still have two golden hairpins to add.”
Tan Rou felt bad to refuse, so two shiny golden hairpins were added to her head.
Their wedding was held in a hot spring manor in the suburbs, which had a relatively high average temperature. Even in winter, it was very warm and many flowers were blooming.
The downside was it was too far away, a two-hour drive.
At six in the morning, the wedding car came to pick up the bride. Zhuang Liu sat in the front passenger seat, wearing a suit of a different color but the same style as Tan Rou. They came from Zhuang’s old house, and since Zhuang Liu had fewer brothers, the responsibility of driving was given to Tao Zheng.
Today was his sister’s wedding day, and since she had chosen Zhuang Liu, Tao Zheng wished them well. However, before picking Tan Rou from Tao’s house, Tao Zheng also had a few words with Zhuang Liu, warning him that if he ever dared to mistreat Tan Rou, he and his brothers would not let Zhuang Liu off easily.
Zhuang Liu replied with a smile: “Big brother, don’t worry, I will definitely treat Tan Rou well.”
Tao Zheng reluctantly accepted this brother-in-law.
It was not yet fully light, but Tao’s house was brightly lit, a red carpet was laid from the front door to the entrance of Tan Rou’s building, and the beautiful bride held a fan, waiting for her groom to come and fetch her.
The groom walked up to the bride with a smile and said, “Let’s go, wife.”
Tan Rou reached out her hand gently and said, “Okay, my husband.”