Chapter 504

Zhu Zhou didn't respond.

Jiang Yuan sighed; Xiao Zhou was handling this kind of thing for the second time, which was also good—he could get out and walk around more.

But he genuinely wanted to know why he was interested in this; if he didn't want to say, then forget it.

He softened his tone: "Alright, as long as the person is caught, that's great—no wonder he's my son."

"Leave the rest to them, don't get involved—Shang You also went over, right? You two have fun, don't wear yourselves out."

Zhu Zhou: "I understand."

Jiang Yuan added a few reminders about taking care of his health, was about to hang up, then suddenly remembered: "By the way, have you seen your brother lately?"

Zhu Zhou: "I have."

Jiang Yuan let out an "oh" and asked: "How is he?"

"Pretty good, accompanying Sister Yu."

"Then that's fine, you young people play on your own; I'm old, I can't manage you."

Zhu Zhou replied softly: "You're not old."

Jiang Yuan chuckled: "Alright, I'm not old, okay, I'll hang up now—go back early, and you must sleep before 8 p. m., don't stay up late."

"It's only 10 a. m. here; you, on the other hand, should set an example for me and rest well."

"Got it, got it."

After hanging up, Jiang Yuan sat alone for a while, then closed the computer, got up, and walked to the window to open the curtains.

He has been entrenched in M Guo for many years; on the surface he is a philanthropist and behind-the-scenes investor of an international medical conglomerate, praised as a refined gentleman by M Guo's high society, spreading nationwide through charity and medical cooperation.

But only a handful know that he secretly commands a disciplined military organization whose influence spans both the legal and illegal realms.

He controls nearly 40% of M Guo's underground order, maintaining covert ties with the military, police, and royal family.

He reaches up to the royal elite and down to the underworld, his power penetrating every corner; he shows no mercy when he acts, eradicating problems at the root.

He is the most formidable presence on M Guo's land—connections alone no longer suffice to describe his foundation.

... Last year, his niece-in-law—cough, cough—A Yu was kidnapped; that was him sending people to net her.

As for his own identity, Jiang Yuan never revealed even a hint to his juniors; even Jiang Liangjin only knew he had some connections in M Guo, but was unaware of the true details.

As his son, Zhu Zhou naturally knows everything.

However, he originally planned to hand over the affairs to Jiang Liangjin once he no longer wanted to work, so that Jiang Liangjin wouldn't need to report to him and could just find his subordinates to do the grunt work.

Now, seeing that if his son is interested, he could let him have a go, but unfortunately his physical Condition doesn't allow it...

Inside the castle.

After lunch, the two started another round of the game.

After a round ended, Jiang Liangjin glanced at a message that had popped up ten minutes earlier, his finger pausing: "I'll reply to that."

Mu Youyu was lowering her head to change her character's outfit; hearing this, she didn't even lift her head: "Go ahead, go ahead."

Jiang Liangjin exited the game, opened that message; the screen showed several lines of encrypted text, he quickly decoded it, and a brief brief popped up.

An international energy futures price fluctuation—suspected of being manipulated by an institution behind the scenes—matched a fund flow he had previously monitored.

He tapped a few keys on the screen, replied with a string of code, and then thoroughly cleared the chat history.

Mu Youyu had finished changing her character's clothes, holding up her phone to show him: "Does it look good?"

Jiang Liangjin glanced at the pink‑gold‑haired little figure on the screen, the corner of his mouth lifting: "Looks good."

Mu Youyu nodded satisfied, continued to poke the screen: "Who were you just replying to? Did Third Uncle contact you again?"

"Not, it's work‑related."

"All right, let's continue."

The date for the international negotiations, after repeated coordination among the representatives of several countries, was finally set for late August, with the venue chosen as the royal palace of Y Guo.

The day the news came back, Mu Youyu was curled up in the royal palace garden scrolling videos; Qing An walked over from a distance, his steps noticeably heavier than usual.

He sat opposite her, looking downcast: "Sister, I'm going to Y Guo in a few days to discuss a cooperation project; I might have to stay there for a while."

Mu Youyu raised her brows: "I know, Ruo Ya told me."

Qing An choked a little, then took a deep breath: "Then why didn't you ask me?"

Mu Youyu blinked: "Ask you what?"

"Why I'm going, how long I'll be gone, when I'll be back, why I didn't tell you sooner." Qing An said all that in one breath.

Mu Youyu was amused by his demeanor: "Didn't Qing An‑gege say it? Going to discuss cooperation—as for when I'll be back, it depends on your ability. Why didn't you tell me earlier? Probably because it wasn't settled yet, and you didn't want to worry me."

Qing An had nothing to say.

Jiang Liangjin came from the palace, holding a cup of milk, placed it in front of Mu Youyu, and glanced at Qing An: "Qing An‑ge, your complexion doesn't look good."

Qing An touched his own face: "Really?"

Jiang Liangjin didn't answer, sat down beside Mu Youyu.

His phone popped up another encrypted message; without opening it, one couldn't see it. Jiang Liangjin silently turned off the screen. Mu Youyu tilted her head: "What's up?"

"Nothing."

Qing An didn't notice the little exchange between them, still worrying about the negotiation: "Sister, what if I mess up the talks?"

Mu Youyu answered seriously: "If the talks fall through, they fall through; Ruo Ya will back you up."

Qing An gave a wry smile: "My sister and brother still expect me to use this project to get practice."

Even princes have their worries.

Mu Youyu didn't understand: "Then you have even less to fear—it's just practice, not a one‑shot success. A Jin, you think so?"

Jiang Liangjin's gaze shifted from his phone: "Yes, Qing An‑ge, you don't need to be too nervous; you know quite a few of the Y Guo representatives, so there's no need to worry."

Qing An sighed again: "Knowing someone is knowing them, but at the negotiation table, feelings don't count."

His main fear is that Jun Chenling will pressure him—after all, when he was ten, Jun Chenling, who was only five at the time, had already spoken up, and Xun Li is a petty grudge‑keeper...

Jiang Liangjin pointed out: "That Qing An brother, don't talk about friendship, you represent M Guo, you're not going to beg anyone."

"Right, who's afraid of whom!" Qing An was awakened by his words, sprang up, paced two steps in place, "Sister, bye-bye, I'm going back to prepare, I'll set off in these few days!"

"Qing An brother, keep it up." Mu Youyu looked at him, amused, at his suddenly pumped-up appearance.

The encrypted message Jiang Liangjin received again drew his attention.

That night, after Mu Youyu fell asleep, he sat alone in the study, opened a laptop, and logged into a crude operation backend.

In the upper left corner of the screen was a letter code: You

A mysterious operator who is only known by name in the overseas top investment circles, never seen in person.