Chapter 3583: Better Dead Than Without Freedom

After Xiao Churan left, Ye Chen's sense of belonging to Jin Ling faded considerably.

It wasn't that he had lost affection for the city, but that the city no longer had that invisible rope binding him, making him reluctant to leave.

Now he was like a bachelor with time freedom and financial freedom—once he decided where to go, he could set off immediately, and in Jin Ling he could say he had no ties or worries.

Jin Ling's friends were all doing very well now; in this city, they might originally have been business rivals, but because he had been threading the needle among them these past years, they had long become good friends, looking out for each other in life and helping each other in business.

Interestingly, when everyone used to compete fiercely, they earned less than they do now by being modest and yielding to each other.

Although they were all elites in the business world, sometimes their perspective would be limited by territorial consciousness, seeing everyone outside themselves as rivals, leading to severe internal drain; but once they eliminated that internal drain, the situation naturally improved greatly.

This situation is somewhat like the EU—without the EU, Europe was reduced to ruins in two world wars, and Germany and France, these age-old enemies, had been at each other's throats since the 17th century, fighting right up to the end of WWII, with neither managing to turn itself into a world power; later, when they came to their senses, abandoned their old prejudices, and huddled together for warmth, the situation suddenly cleared up.

Besides his friends, Ye Chen's maternal grandparents' family now also needed no more worry from him, after all, they were overseas returnees who had come back to build the motherland as major businessmen, and China had given them great importance; Wu Feiyan would not dare to move against them unless she was tired of living and wanted to fight to the death.

Moreover, at Xiangxieli Hot Springs, he still had a large reserve of martial talents, and these people in Jin Ling could also guarantee the safety of his relatives and friends.

This was also one of the multiple reasons Ye Chen could leave with peace of mind.

Returning to Xiangxieli, he did not go straight to his own hillside villa, but came to the villa where Yun Ruoyu and Song Ruoyu were in seclusion to visit them.

This pair of sisters-in-arms, after spending time together, had become close as blood sisters; seeing Ye Chen suddenly visit, they were overjoyed and warmly invited him into the living room.

After sitting down in the living room, Ye Chen asked the two: "Miss Yun, Miss Song, how have you been lately?"

Yun Ruoyu smiled and said: "Thanks to Mr. Ye's concern, these days I and Ruoyu have gotten along very pleasantly."

Song Ruoyu also no longer had her former coldness and arrogance, smiling and saying: "Yun Elder Sister has been especially good to me, like a real elder sister; we two have discussed it and agreed that if we are fortunate enough to survive, we will live together and cultivate together; if we do not survive, then we trouble Mr. Ye to choose a scenic spot in Jin Ling and bury us together there."

Ye Chen was slightly surprised, but he smiled and said: "Talking about death now is still premature."

Yun Ruoyu said with a relaxed smile: "Mr. Ye, time flies like a white colt passing through a gap—one year will pass quickly."

Ye Chen nodded slightly and said to the two: "Ladies, I came today to discuss something with you."

Yun Ruoyu immediately turned serious: "Mr. Ye, please speak."

Song Ruoyu beside her also sat up straight, her eyes unblinking as she looked at Ye Chen, waiting for his continuation.

Ye Chen said earnestly: "During this time, I deeply feel the anguish of my cultivation being stuck and unable to advance, so I plan to go to Northern Europe for seclusion to see if I can by chance find an opportunity to open the Niwan Palace, and also to see if I can find a way to detoxify you two; I hope you two can come with me."

The young Song Ruoyu, without any hesitation, blurted out excitedly: "Thank you, Mr. Ye, for your support—I, Ruoyu, am willing to go with you, sir!"

Yun Ruoyu's brows flickered with a hint of worry and dejection, but she quickly adjusted her mindset and smiled: "Ruoyu also wishes to go with you."

Ye Chen nodded with relief and said: "If so, then you two should prepare a little—we'll set off tomorrow."

The two immediately agreed; Ye Chen saw that it was already late, so he did not want to disturb them further, and thus rose to take his leave and depart.

Song Ruoyu and Yun Ruoyu together saw Ye Chen out the door; after watching him leave, they lowered their voices and Yun Ruoyu said: "Elder Sister Yun, Mr. Ye suddenly wants to go to Northern Europe for seclusion—his wife isn't in Jin Ling, is she?"

"This..." Yun Ruoyu shook her head and murmured: "I'm not really clear either."

Song Ruoyu smiled and said: "Mr. Ye thinking of bringing us along while in seclusion shows he really has us in his heart."

Yun Ruoyu let out a soft sigh and said in a low voice: "Mr. Ye is probably also afraid we might develop divided loyalties..."

Song Ruoyu blinked, then gave a wry smile: "Mr. Ye is worried we might cling to life and fear death at a critical moment?"

"Perhaps." Yun Ruoyu said: "If he really intends to seclude himself for a long time, he likely also worries that when we have no way to survive, we might return to the Poqinghui."

Song Ruoyu said firmly: "Even if I die, I will never go back there."

After saying that, she muttered somewhat resentfully: "It seems Mr. Ye still doesn't trust us."

Yun Ruoyu smiled and said: "I am the same as you—I would rather die than return—but Mr. Ye's concern is also reasonable, for people's desire to live and the danger they face are directly proportional; the more perilous the situation, the stronger the will to survive."

Song Ruoyu shook her head, then said earnestly: "Seeking life also depends on what kind of life one seeks; if it's still the same as before—living under the control of the Poqinghui and even helping Zhou to abuse his power in exchange for an antidote—I would rather die, as the saying goes: 'Without freedom, better dead.'"

Yun Ruoyu patted her shoulder and said with a smile: "You and I both want to break free from the Poqinghui with all our hearts, but since we lack the ability to control our fate, we might as well just follow Mr. Ye's orders."

Song Ruoyu felt a pang of sorrow, gently embraced Yun Ruoyu, and murmured: "Elder Sister Yun, you say—can we get past this hurdle?"

Yun Ruoyu smiled and said: "Whether we can pass or not depends on our fate; Wu Feiyan's poison is not something we can cure ourselves—everything still relies on Mr. Ye."

Song Ruoyu nodded slightly, and in her heart, the feeling of shared exile with Yun Ruoyu grew a little deeper.

……

Far away in Northern Europe, Helena had just finished several state visits to friendly nations, boarded a plane, and returned to Northern Europe and the palace.

Although the royal family, for such constitutional monarchies, is merely a mascot, she, through her personal charm and influence, has gained many supporters both domestically and worldwide.

This makes her no longer simply a national mascot—many things that the prime minister cannot negotiate, she can step in and settle, especially in attracting foreign investment to Northern Europe, where Helena can always get those top-tier international enterprises to willingly invest in the Northern European market.

Moreover, Helena has been constantly traveling for Northern Europe, rarely resting, even putting in more effort than the prime minister; her efforts and charm have been seen by all Northern Europeans, and public support for her has reached an unprecedented height, while the royal family's presence has continually reached new highs.

Helena does not truly love being queen—it's just that the royal life is dull and lonely, so she does not want to idle away.

Letting work fill her life has indeed lessened her loneliness somewhat, but her longing for Ye Chen has already taken deep root and is hard to ease.

Seeing Helena return exhausted and listless, the old empress, seeing it in her eyes and feeling it in her heart, could not help but ask: "Helena, haven't you recently taken some time off for yourself? Don't keep running around like this."

Helena chuckled and said: "Taking a vacation feels boring too; going out on holiday is inconvenient, and staying in the palace all day, cold and empty, is not as good as being out there busy with work."

The old empress sighed helplessly and said: "You, you're still saying the same thing—you need to gain something in family life, otherwise this palace will always be cold and empty for you; now I'm still alive, but if I were to die and you were left here, wouldn't it be even colder and emptier?"

Helena gave a bitter smile: "Grandma, haven't we discussed these things before? I have my own life I want, and I don't want to just make do."

The old empress sighed: "If you have decided in this lifetime to be with Ye Chen, then you should still try to strive for more; otherwise, if you just keep going like this, you'll be wasting your own life—I said last time, have a child with him, you should still consider it; with a child, the palace wouldn't be so cold and empty."

Helena sighed: "Grandma, this matter isn't as simple as you think."

The old empress quickly said: "Precisely because it's not simple, we must strive all the more for it, or else it will truly be forever out of reach."

Helena rubbed her temples and said: "Now even wanting to see Mr. Ye once isn't that easy... Last time he brought that little girl to Northern Europe, we hardly had any chance to be alone together."

Speaking of that, Helena recalled those times when Ye Chen had fainted on her bed.

She couldn't help but feel a little regret: if she had seized the opportunity then, would she really have had a chance to bear Ye Chen's child?

She dare not think of using a child to tie him down, but if she could have his child, she would be content for this lifetime.

At that moment, her phone suddenly rang.

The moment the ringtone sounded, her whole person instantly shifted from a state of fatigue to excitement and agitation.

Because this ringtone was one she had specially set for Ye Chen alone.