“Xiao Xiao, that’s a nice name.”
Ye Chen muttered casually, reaching out to pinch the kitten’s chin.
The kitten was obedient, half-closing its eyes and slightly lifting its head, letting him play with it.
Ye Chen was a bit surprised and said, “This little cat is quite brave, not afraid of people at all.”
Lin Wan’er smiled and nodded, saying, “Xiao Xiao is more friendly to people than most stray cats. Maybe it always got bullied in the cat group, so it thinks humans are more reliable than its own kind.”
After saying that, she looked at Ye Chen as he lowered his head. His handsome face and brows made her think to herself, “If the young master knew his mother was still alive, he would be very excited. For twenty years, he thought his closest family was gone, but he never expected his mother to still be in the world. Nothing could be more comforting than this.”
At that moment, Xiao Xiao seemed to like Ye Chen’s gentle rubbing. It slowly stood up, arched its back, stepped its front paws back and forth a few times, and then burrowed into Ye Chen’s arms.
Lin Wan’er smiled and said, “It looks like Xiao Xiao really likes the young master.”
With that, she took out her phone, opened the camera, and said, “Young master, let me take a photo of you and Xiao Xiao.”
Ye Chen did not think much about it and nodded slightly, holding Xiao Xiao as he looked at the lens.
Lin Wan’er pressed the shutter, capturing a close-up high-definition photo. The garden lights were dim, so the phone automatically turned on the flash. In the photo, Ye Chen’s sharp features were highlighted by the flash, as if it had auto-beautified him, making him look even more handsome than in real life.
Lin Wan’er handed the phone to Ye Chen and smiled, saying, “Young master, take a look. Is it okay?”
Ye Chen did not care much about these things. He glanced at it casually and laughed, “It’s pretty good.”
Lin Wan’er smiled happily. After taking back the phone, she opened WeChat and sent the photo to An Chengxi.
She had never thought about taking photos of Ye Chen to keep as memories before. The idea to take this photo came partly because the scene of him and the cat was so harmonious, and partly because she wanted to send it to An Chengxi to see.
For so many years, An Chengxi had not dared to get close to Ye Chen. Back when Ye Chen was in the orphanage, it was easier; her staff could secretly take photos for her. But in recent years, as Ye Chen grew stronger, the people she had placed near him had withdrawn one by one and kept their distance. It was hard to get close-up photos of Ye Chen on a normal day.
At this time, An Chengxi had already left Kinkaku-ji and gone to Aomori Prefecture, hundreds of kilometres away.
Aomori is at the northernmost tip of Japan’s main island and is famous for apples and other cash crops.
An Chengxi had her own plantation here, along with production lines for processing apple products. Aomori produces half of Japan’s apples, and An Chengxi controls half of that. Most of the export business is also in her company’s hands.
After marrying Ye Changying, the two of them not only helped their family businesses make money but also invested in many industries worldwide through shell companies and proxies. They had profitable tech, energy, and industrial firms, as well as smaller businesses that did not make much. Like the apple industry in Aomori, it was large-scale but not very profitable. But that did not matter to them. Their investment in Aomori was mainly for the geographical conditions and the industry’s uniqueness, which brought them a lot of convenience.
Aomori Prefecture has low population density, about one-third of Japan’s average. The vast land and sparse population make it easier to hide, especially in a plantation setting, where it is hard for outsiders to discover secrets.
Aomori’s location was convenient for An Chengxi. A few hundred kilometres south were Japan’s developed areas like Tokyo and Osaka. Just dozens of kilometres north was Hokkaido, separated only by the Tsugaru Strait, with an undersea tunnel connecting them. Sailing east led to the Korean Peninsula and Russia’s Far East, while west was the vast Pacific. From Aomori Port to San Francisco was only about seven or eight thousand kilometres, making it very convenient.
An Chengxi controlled Aomori’s apple exports partly by buying up large plantations and partly by keeping export prices and profits low, making it impossible for competitors to keep up.
Others grew apples to make money, but she did not care about profits, so her margins were the lowest. Lower margins meant better value for consumers.
An Chengxi’s main goal in controlling Aomori’s apple exports was to build an international shipping channel under the cover of exporting apples, allowing her to transport special goods.
Worried about Ye Chen’s investigation, she had moved here after Abbot Kongyin passed away and settled in her largest plantation. The hills were full of apple trees, all managed by her people, and it had a hidden security system. Her safety here was well protected.
At this moment, she was in her own building in the plantation, tasting apple juice she had just pressed in the traditional way. Suddenly, she received the photo from Lin Wan’er and was immediately delighted. She held the phone with both hands and looked closely at Ye Chen in the photo.
It had been a while since she had seen such a clear photo of Ye Chen. Looking at his handsome features and the rare relaxed smile as he held the kitten, her mood instantly brightened.
