"Uncle, you don't need to be so nervous." Rona Muir crossed her arms, her expression shifting into the commanding presence she once had as Vice President of Odyssey Corporation—full of confidence and charisma. "Whether you want cash or a bank transfer, as long as it's under one hundred million, I can get it all done within three days."
Cici shot Rona a sideways glance.
Hey, hey, wasn't it you who just told me not to show off our wealth?
Rona gave Cici a look, telling her to stay calm.
Uncle Martin squinted at Rona, as if trying to gauge how much truth was in her words.
A hundred million—that's no small amount.
Rona was actually a little nervous herself.
She was becoming more and more certain—Uncle Martin was definitely not a simple man!
She just hadn't expected Chen Village to be hiding so many hidden talents.
"What are your names?" Uncle Martin suddenly changed the subject.
Cici and Rona were straightforward, giving their names directly: "Yun Xi, Rona Muir."
When Uncle Martin heard this, his brows furrowed. "Yun Xi? The Yun Family? The Grant Family of Eastshire?"
Cici and Rona exchanged a cautious look—Uncle Martin actually knew about the Grant Family of Eastshire!
Seriously, if anyone still thinks Uncle Martin is just an ordinary guy, I'll throw a bun at their head!
"Uncle, you know the Grant Family too?" Cici couldn't help but ask.
Uncle Martin gave Cici a meaningful look. "Are you the eldest daughter of the Grant Family?"
This time, Cici's expression changed slightly.
He even knows about Nora Yun!
"No, I'm the second daughter of the Grant Family." Cici's expression grew more serious.
Uncle Martin's brows knitted together. "The Grant Family has two daughters?"
Clearly, this realization caught him off guard.
Cici smiled lightly. "If you doubt me, Uncle, you can call the Grant Family right now to verify my identity."
Uncle Martin gave Cici a deep look and asked, "Since you're from the Grant Family, why did you come to this place?"
Rona interjected, "Uncle, we're here to buy the Royal Skincare Formula, not to have our family background checked!"
Uncle Martin snorted. "Chen Village doesn't welcome you. Leave now! The Royal Skincare Formula is not for sale."
Seriously?
Mission failed before it even started?
Uncle Martin's identity was getting more and more intriguing.
After saying that, Uncle Martin turned and left—decisive, not giving Cici and Rona any chance to stop him.
Rona pinched her chin and asked Cici, "Cici, don't you think Uncle Martin is really hiding something?"
Cici nodded. "That's right. He seems especially wary of outsiders coming into the village."
"Wary of outsiders..." Rona's eyes suddenly lit up. She smacked Cici on the shoulder. "Cici, you really are my lucky star!"
"Huh?!" Cici stared at Rona, surprised by her sudden burst of energy.
"The more he's afraid of something, the more we should do it! We'll force him to negotiate with us! Perfect, that's the plan!" Rona didn't waste any time—she pulled out her phone and started calling people.
Cici stood aside, listening as Rona actually called all the company employees over!
And she told them all to bring tents and camping gear!
What does she mean by this?
Is she planning to turn Chen Village upside down with all these people?
And then force Uncle Martin to negotiate with us?
Uh, that's a pretty wild idea!
Will this really work?
By evening, the newly hired employees really showed up in a huge convoy!
When these people arrived at the entrance of the Village Committee, sure enough, the villagers started buzzing with excitement.
As expected, Uncle Martin's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot!
Seeing Uncle Martin's sour expression, Cici and Rona were absolutely thrilled!
We're just here to camp, not doing anything else. You can't really kick us out, can you?
We even paid the Village Committee a sponsorship fee of one hundred thousand! They said we can do whatever we want in Chen Village!
So, dozens of company employees set up tents right in the village, lit campfires, bought firewood from the villagers, and picked up food and supplies from May Chen's little supermarket.
Just like that, everyone set up camp in Chen Village.
That night, Chen Village was so lively no one could get any sleep.
Cici and Rona still hadn't fully adjusted to the time difference, so they were the most energetic.
While everyone else was yawning nonstop, the two of them happily lay on the grass, watching the stars.
"Cici, if you want to see your two kids at the Yin Family, they won't let you," Rona said, steering the topic back to the children.
Cici gently shook her head. "In what capacity would I go? As the second daughter of the Yun Family? Or as Charles Yin's ex-wife?"
Rona was at a loss for words.
"I can't let my children suffer any injustice. Besides, even if Charles and I had a past, that's all it is—it's the past. I don't love him now, and I won't lie to myself." Cici continued, "Rona, I'm not just one person. I'm a member of the Yun Family, and I can't bring shame to our name. Do you understand?"
"Then why did you come back to China this time..." Rona stared blankly at Cici.
"I came back to restore the Yun Family. My future won't depend on any man; I'll rebuild the Yun Family with my own hands." Cici said firmly. "I won't marry Max Mo just to revive the Yun Family, nor will I compromise myself for any other reason to be with Charles Yin. I've thought about what it would be like to have my children with me, but clearly, I can't give the Yin Family better conditions. Ethan Yin was already the heir when he was born—that's an undeniable fact. I can't take Ethan away, and the Yun Family can't compete with the Yin Family. Since I know this, why put my children through pain and struggle?"
"So you're really willing to accept this?" Rona sighed softly.
"Of course I'm not, but I want my children to have the best of everything in this world. For them, I'm willing to endure this hardship," Cici said resolutely.
"So, will you and Charles Yin get back together?" Rona Muir was uncertain now too.
Cici didn't answer that question.
She was just as lost.
That man, noble and elegant yet so domineering, impossibly handsome and unfathomable.
Could she really handle a man like that?
Three years ago, were they truly in love with each other?
If so, why hadn't he come looking for her in all this time?
Why did he only show up in front of her after three years?
With his power and status, finding out where she was should've been effortless.
Why hadn't he come to Europe to find her in these three years?
Was it because he didn't love her enough?
If he didn't love her enough, was there any point in going back to him?
She may have lost some memories, but it also felt like a rebirth.
Now, all she felt for this man was awe, not love.
The only thing connecting them was their two children.
The Yin Family was powerful, but the Grant Family had declined. Whether she could restore it was still uncertain.
Could love between families so mismatched really stand the test of time?
It looked like she'd need to plan her future carefully.
She slept well that night.
When Cici woke up in the morning, she saw Rona Muir sleeping as if she'd been in a fight—her hair was a mess, her clothes and blanket tangled everywhere.
Cici couldn't help but nudge Rona: "Hey, hey, time to get up."
"I only slept for four hours," Rona grumbled sleepily, reaching out to pull Cici, who was already sitting up, back down to lie beside her.
"Sleep, my foot! Get up and party!" Cici kicked her again. "We have a mission today! Don't you want that skincare formula?"
"If May Chen won't sell, what can we do?" Rona mumbled, still half-asleep.
Cici rested her chin in her hand. "That's why we need to stir things up today! The bigger the commotion, the better. When Uncle Martin can't take it anymore, he'll come talk cooperation with us! Maybe nobody tried this before, or maybe they just couldn't make enough noise? Should we sponsor the village committee a bit more and make things even livelier?"
Rona perked up immediately. "You have a better idea?"
Cici shot her a sly look. "Doesn't our company have a bunch of single guys? I heard there are several eligible bachelors, and Chen Village has a few unmarried girls, right? Some wives are left behind while their husbands work out of town. Why not get everyone together for a chat about dreams and life?"
Rona choked. "Cici, you're something else! I didn't know you had such a devious side!"
Cici shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."
Sure enough, in less than ten minutes, the village loudspeaker blasted Rona's voice: "Hello, friends of Chen Village! I'm the CEO of Danni Cosmetics Technology Ltd. Our company is here on a group retreat, and we'd love for everyone in Chen Village—men, women, young and old—to join us for some fun and conversation. We have many outstanding single men among our staff, and if anyone finds their match here, the company will offer a wedding fund of 100,000 yuan and a month of paid leave as a bonus! Come and show off!"
As expected, after hearing Rona's announcement, Uncle Martin couldn't sit still. The more lively it got, the more strangers appeared, and the higher the risk of his secrets being exposed.
The moment he stepped outside, he saw Cici waiting at his door, leaning against a small tree and smiling at him.
"Uncle, let's make a deal." Cici said sweetly. "I know you have your own secrets, and we're not the type to pry. As long as you work with us, we'll promise never to show up in Chen Village again."
Uncle Martin's face instantly darkened.
"Come with me," he said in a low voice.
With that, Uncle Martin turned and walked away.
Cici didn't hesitate and followed him out of the village, heading straight for a field.
Waves of wheat swayed in the breeze, lush and green—a perfect, open spot with a wide view.
Uncle Martin led Cici to the edge of the wheat field—a wide, open space where nobody could overhear.
It looked like Uncle Martin was finally ready to lay his cards on the table with Cici!