Chapter 362: Aunt

"You haven’t heard my reason."

"Doesn’t matter."

"It might."

"Aunt Qin."

Her eyebrow rose.

"Aunt?"

Silence.

Shen Tian froze.

The room became extremely quiet.

Qin Ruobing slowly smiled.

Dangerously.

Shen Tian immediately understood.

Wrong title.

Very wrong title.

Especially after yesterday’s beach walk.

Bai Xue covered her mouth.

Rose turned away.

Ling Shuangxue’s eyes widened.

Qin Ruobing walked closer.

"Say it again."

Shen Tian stared.

"Qin Ruobing."

"Better."

Her smile returned.

His eye twitched.

Xu Ning was laughing.

[Host.]

"Don’t."

[You almost died.]

"Not remotely."

[Emotionally.]

Shen Tian ignored her.

Qin Ruobing continued.

"I spent years dealing with the upper circles of families that use charities, foundations and investment groups to move money internationally."

Shen Tian became serious.

She continued.

"If this organization is as old as Bai Xue says..."

"It won’t survive through mercenaries alone."

"It needs banks."

"Lawyers."

"Research institutions."

"Politicians."

"Shipping companies."

"Property trusts."

"People who appear respectable."

Gu Qingya nodded.

"She’s right."

Ling Shuangxue added...

"And she knows people I don’t."

Shen Tian looked between mother and daughter.

Then...

"Fine."

Qin Ruobing smiled.

"Good."

"But..."

Her eyebrow rose.

"You stay behind Rose and me if things become violent."

Qin Ruobing stared.

Then...

"Agreed."

Shen Tian blinked.

"That easy?"

She smiled.

"I’m not unreasonable."

Ling Shuangxue looked toward her mother.

Qin Ruobing noticed.

"What?"

Ling Shuangxue said nothing.

Qin Ruobing narrowed her eyes.

"Don’t."

Ling Shuangxue’s lips twitched.

. . .

Chi Lingxi hadn’t needed to say anything.

Shen Tian already knew.

She was going.

She knew he knew.

He knew she knew he knew.

So...

Neither bothered.

Rose looked between them.

"That was disturbingly domestic."

Chi Lingxi smiled.

"Jealous?"

Rose froze.

Then...

Her cheeks warmed.

"No."

Chi Lingxi leaned forward.

"Liar."

Rose stared.

Shen Tian interrupted.

"Children."

Both turned.

"Quiet."

He smiled.

. . .

Thirty minutes later.

The island operations center activated.

Screens lit across the room.

Satellite maps.

Financial databases.

Security feeds.

Aircraft routes.

Property records.

Bai Xue sat before one terminal.

Gu Qingya another.

Ling Shuangxue beside her.

Qin Ruobing stood behind them.

Tang Meilin worked from a financial network terminal.

Shen Yan coordinated Shen International assets.

Rose reviewed tactical imagery.

Lin Yue examined Chen Lihua’s photograph.

Li Lian and Ruan Yizhen searched available public records.

Chu Mei.

Chu Chuchu.

Chu Luoshen.

Yin Suyi.

All remained involved.

Shen Tian stood at the center.

Watching.

For once...

He wasn’t doing everything himself.

Xu Ning floated beside him.

[Interesting.]

"What?"

[You like this.]

He looked around.

Everyone working.

Everyone contributing.

No screaming.

No jealousy.

No protagonists.

Mostly.

"Efficient."

Xu Ning smiled.

[That’s not what I meant.]

He ignored her.

. . .

Ling Shuangxue suddenly spoke.

"Found something."

Everyone looked.

She enlarged a corporate structure.

"Coordinates belong to a company called Marseille Biologics SARL."

Gu Qingya searched.

"Private biomedical research."

"Founded nineteen years ago."

"Owners?"

"Helix Crown Holdings."

Tang Meilin immediately typed.

"Luxembourg."

Qin Ruobing nodded.

"Of course."

Tang Meilin continued.

"Helix Crown is owned by..."

She paused.

Then...

Her eyes narrowed.

"Seven separate trusts."

Gu Qingya smiled faintly.

"Classic."

Shen Tian looked toward them.

"Can you break it?"

Three businesswomen looked at him.

Silence.

Then...

Ling Shuangxue smiled.

"Obviously."

Gu Qingya nodded.

"Give us ten minutes."

Tang Meilin cracked her fingers.

"Five."

Ling Shuangxue looked toward her.

"Eight."

Tang Meilin smiled.

"Scared?"

Ling Shuangxue’s eyebrow rose.

Shen Tian slowly stepped backward.

Qin Ruobing laughed.

. . .

Rose called him over.

"Look."

A satellite image showed the facility.

Three primary buildings.

One warehouse.

One laboratory.

One administration block.

Underground structure unknown.

Rose pointed.

"Perimeter security."

"Thermal cameras."

"Armed patrols."

"Likely drones."

"Vehicle checkpoint."

"Only one visible entrance."

Shen Tian studied it.

"Underground exit."

Rose looked toward him.

"Probably."

"No."

He pointed.

"There."

Rose leaned closer.

Their shoulders touched.

She stared.

A drainage channel.

Barely visible.

Rose zoomed.

Then...

Her eyes widened.

"You’re right."

Shen Tian smiled.

"Obviously."

Rose looked at him.

Then...

Their faces were closer than expected.

She froze.

His green eyes met hers.

Rose’s cheeks warmed.

Then...

She looked back toward the screen.

"Don’t."

"What?"

"Nothing."

Chi Lingxi appeared beside them.

Very casually.

Too casually.

She leaned between them.

"What are we looking at?"

Rose stared.

Shen Tian smiled.

"Drainage tunnel."

Chi Lingxi nodded.

"Interesting."

Rose narrowed her eyes.

"You don’t care about the drainage tunnel."

"I care deeply."

"You’re jealous."

Chi Lingxi looked offended.

"I’m his girlfriend."

"That doesn’t answer the accusation."

Shen Tian stared.

Then...

Xu Ning appeared.

[Harem authority formation increased.]

He froze.

"What?"

A panel appeared.

Sovereign’s Court

Formation Progress: 34%

Previous: 31%

Current Active Affection Resonance: 14

Shen Tian stared.

Fourteen.

Xu Ning smiled.

[Old routes reactivating.]

His eyes moved around the room.

Ling Shuangxue.

Qin Ruobing.

Li Lian.

Ruan Yizhen.

Bai Xue.

Chu Zijin.

Chu Mei.

Chu Chuchu.

Chu Luoshen.

Rose.

Chi Lingxi.

Gu Qingya.

Tang Meilin.

Lin Yue.

Fourteen.

Shen Tian became silent.

[Host.]

"What?"

[You’re doing math.]

"No."

[You counted.]

"Quiet."

Xu Ning smiled.

. . .

Bai Xue suddenly stood.

"Found them."

Everyone looked.

She displayed a list.

Companies.

Organizations.

Names.

"Smuggling contacts linked to Crowned Serpent."

"Some dead."

"Some missing."

"Some still active."

Shen Tian walked closer.

Then...

Stopped.

One name.

Rex.

Silence.

Rose saw it.

Her expression changed.

"Rex?"

Shen Tian remembered.

Old mercenary connection.

One of the names from earlier conflicts.

Bai Xue nodded.

"His organization transferred equipment through one of these routes four years ago."

Rose frowned.

"He never mentioned Crowned Serpent."

"Maybe he didn’t know."

"Or..."

Bai Xue looked toward the screen.

"...maybe he knew them under another name."

Shen Tian’s expression remained calm.

Then...

Another name appeared.

A company.

Qinghe Biomedical Procurement.

Gu Qingya froze.

Everyone looked toward her.

"What?"

She stared.

"That’s one of our old suppliers."

Tang Meilin moved immediately.

"Which product?"

"Specialized cell preservation equipment."

"When?"

"Three years ago."

Tang Meilin searched.

Then...

Her expression changed.

"They subcontracted."

Gu Qingya looked toward her.

"To who?"

Tang Meilin enlarged the record.

Helix Crown Holdings.

Silence.

Gu Qingya’s face became cold.

"They were inside my supply chain."

Shen Tian looked toward her.

Gu Qingya stared at the screen.

For years...

She had prided herself on knowing her company.

Every major project.

Every executive.

Every important contract.

Yet someone had touched Qinghe.

Quietly.

Without her knowing.

Shen Tian placed one hand on her shoulder.

Gu Qingya froze.

Then...

Looked toward him.

"Not your fault."

Her expression tightened.

"They used my company."

"Without your knowledge."

"Still."

Shen Tian squeezed her shoulder gently.

"Then help me destroy them."

Silence.

Gu Qingya stared.

Then...

A small smile appeared.

"Gladly."

Her cheeks warmed slightly beneath his hand.

Tang Meilin noticed.

Rose noticed.

Chi Lingxi noticed.

Everyone noticed.

Gu Qingya noticed everyone noticing.

Her face became redder.

"Stop looking."

Nobody answered.

Shen Tian removed his hand.

Gu Qingya immediately looked slightly disappointed.

Xu Ning smiled.

[Host.]

"No."

[Nothing.]

"Liar."

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