The beautiful woman left the street, casually running her fingers through her wine-red waves. She connected her earpiece and said, "Mission accomplished. Target confirmed dead."
The message reached Cherry Miller's ears, and she let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally, he's dead.
If she'd known it would be this troublesome, she would've asked Captain Hans for help sooner.
"Thank you, Captain Hans." Cherry Miller was polite and courteous.
On video, Captain Hans looked as handsome and dangerous as ever.
"My dear girl, it's my honor to serve you." Captain Hans raised his glass to Cherry Miller. "I won't ask why you wanted that person dead, but you do look quite relaxed now."
"Yes," Cherry Miller answered honestly.
She knew Captain Hans had surely investigated her relationship with that deadbeat dad, but it didn't matter. He was gone now, and no one could threaten her anymore.
"Come have a drink with me at the base sometime." Captain Hans smiled warmly at Cherry Miller.
Such a cute little lady, makes me want to tease her a bit.
Cherry Miller braced herself and said, "If I get the chance, I'll visit Captain Hans at the base. I won't take up any more of your time today."
Captain Hans gave Cherry Miller a meaningful look before ending the video call.
Cherry Miller took a deep breath. After a moment, she got up and left the room.
If it hadn't been for that mishap on the other side, she wouldn't have sought out Captain Hans.
Because everyone knows, when Captain Hans takes action, the price is always steep.
And that price isn't always money; sometimes, it's something else entirely.
In this world, the only person who could ever make Captain Hans go hungry was probably Cecilia Grant.
Cherry Miller knew she could never compare herself to her family's chairman.
So she'd better behave herself.
After Cherry Miller composed herself, she returned downstairs, spotting the group of young heirs squatting on the ground from afar.
"Sister Cherry!" Yuzhen Yin waved from a distance. "I want a popsicle!"
"Me too!" Ryan King chimed in immediately.
"Me too!" Leo and Theo Mo hurried to add, "We want strawberry flavor!"
Yina Yin weakly waved her hand, "Ugh, I'm dying! This place is way too hard to farm, right? I was so careful, but how did I still mix up the rice seedlings and weeds!"
Cherry Miller walked over, laughing. "Relax, everything you all want is being prepared and will be delivered soon. The big boss just wants you to learn how to farm, not to suffer endlessly! Work when it's time to work, rest when it's time to rest!"
"Yay! I knew it! Sister Cherry is the best!" Ryan King jumped up, excited. "Besides Sister Cherry, no one else dares to go against Ethan Yin!"
Yuzhen Yin rolled his eyes at him, "Stop exaggerating!"
Leo and Theo Mo whispered, "Shh! Keep it down! If Ethan Yin hears us, we're toast! Don't mess with Sister Cherry unless you want trouble!"
Lucas Mu nodded vigorously, too tired to even speak.
Shawn Jin looked around and asked, "Cherry, I haven't seen Thirteen these past few days. Where is she?"
Yina Yin looked at Shawn Jin curiously. "Shawn, you seem pretty interested in my bodyguard!"
Shawn Jin immediately replied, "No way! I was just asking out of habit."
Ever since Thirteen Yuan returned from the base, she’s been protecting Yina Yin from the shadows and rarely shows up in public.
Unless necessary, she won’t reveal herself.
Yina Yin finally explained, "Yun Chen and Yun Shuang needed Thirteen for something, so she went to help them out."
Cherry Miller’s eyes dimmed a little, but she didn’t say anything.
"Guess they’re lucky," Lucas Mu said weakly. "They escaped Ethan Yin’s clutches and didn’t get dragged out to farm."
"Don’t be so sure," Ryan King shook his head. "You guys are giving Ethan way too much credit! Anyone who’s ever crossed him never escapes his punishment. For all we know, Yun Chen and Yun Shuang are getting tortured by him somewhere!"
Everyone looked at Ryan King like he was some kind of hero.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Ryan King suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Yeah, it must be the weather!
Definitely just because it’s cooler today!
"Turns out the person who knows me best in this world is Ryan," Ethan Yin’s voice sounded right behind him.
The moment Ryan King heard Ethan Yin’s voice, his scalp tingled like he’d been electrocuted.
Everyone was trying not to laugh.
Ryan King shot a dramatic glare at his traitorous friends, then turned around with a fawning smile. "Ethan, you're here! You got it all wrong! I meant, you’re the most principled, fair, and just person out there! If someone messes up, they get punished, no exceptions. No one escapes the rules!"
"Very good," Ethan Yin gave Ryan King an approving look. "You’ve got the right attitude."
"Of course! I always listen to you, Ethan!" Ryan King said, brown-nosing shamelessly.
Lucas Mu couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. "Ryan King, you’re getting thicker-skinned by the day! I don’t remember you being this shameless before!"
Ryan King shot Lucas Mu a dramatic eye-roll.
What’s the point of having a thick skin?
Clinging to Ethan Yin’s thigh is way more important!
"Why'd you come over?" Cherry Miller couldn’t help but ask. "Weren’t you supposed to meet an important client today?"
"The client’s real, but not necessarily important," Ethan Yin’s gaze softened as he looked at Cherry Miller. "No one’s more important than you guys."
Yina Yin couldn’t help but complain, "What do you mean 'you guys'? It’s obviously just Cherry. Don’t lump us in!"
Leo and Theo Mo exchanged glances and chuckled.
They’d known for ages that Ethan Yin and Cherry Miller were inseparable.
See? No matter what, they always end up back together.
"Don’t complain about farming being tough. Someday, you’ll thank me for teaching you these survival skills," Ethan Yin tapped Ryan King’s forehead. "Stick around and learn. I’m heading out for a few days."
"Ethan, are you heading out to inspect a project?" Ryan King couldn’t help asking.
"Yeah. It’s a really big project," Ethan Yin replied with a sly smile. "Ryan, get ready—I’m planning to put you in charge of it."
Ryan King’s eyes lit up instantly. "Me? Really? I knew you had great taste, Ethan! My mom always says I’m careless and not detail-oriented, but you trust me with such a big project! You’re the best!"
"Yeah, you’re definitely the best fit," Ethan Yin said, his smile growing more mysterious as he quietly set Ryan up.
Ryan, this is something nobody else could handle. Maybe your laid-back style is the only way to break through.
Whether this works out or not, it all depends on you!
Right now, Ryan King was still feeling proud and smug, totally clueless about the tough days waiting for him.
He wouldn’t truly understand Ethan Yin’s words until he got dropped off in some unknown place.
By the time he realized what was really going on, it was already too late.
All he could do was grit his teeth and finish the task Ethan Yin gave him.
But that’s a story for another time.
"Don’t worry, Ethan! I won’t let you down!" Ryan King said, practically thumping his chest in promise.
"Good," Ethan Yin nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Cherry Miller. "Want to go for a walk?"
Cherry Miller’s ears flushed pink as she nodded.
The two of them walked off side by side, while the rest of the group grinned like doting relatives.
"I’ll be gone for a few days. Take care of yourself," Ethan Yin said. "Gu Miao isn’t around, so what was supposed to be a two-day trip will take four or five days."
"When have I ever not taken care of myself?" Cherry Miller retorted.
Ethan Yin gave her a jealous look. "You take care of yourself too well—you’ve attracted a bunch of pretty boys."
Cherry Miller couldn’t help but laugh. "Come on, that’s all in the past! Those so-called pretty boys you keep talking about are all out there farming because of you!"
Ethan Yin snorted, "Lucky them! They even dared to take advantage of me!"
Cherry Miller gave him a look. "So, what exactly are you planning to have Ryan do?"
"You figured it out?" Ethan Yin grinned slyly. "Yeah, I’m planning to have Ryan stir things up. Out of all the guys here, only his personality fits the bill."
"So you’re using the farming punishment as an excuse to train him? You’re not planning to dump him in some remote mountain as a landlord, are you?" Cherry Miller joked. "The King and Mo families aren’t exactly short on land."
"Not quite, but close enough," Ethan Yin couldn’t help pinching Cherry Miller’s ear. "And you say you don’t like me? You know me better than anyone."
"Stop it," Cherry Miller brushed his hand away. "They’re all watching."
"They’ll see a lot more in the future," Ethan Yin said, then planted a domineering kiss on her forehead. "This is just the beginning."
"You’re such a tease!" Cherry Miller shot Ethan Yin a look, but didn’t push him away.
Cherry Miller’s feelings were pretty obvious now.
The whole breakup thing was officially behind them.
Now, thanks to this moment, the two of them were truly back together.
Cherry Miller felt her deadbeat dad’s mess was finally solved. No one could threaten her mom or Mrs. Grant’s reputation anymore, so acting all dramatic would just be silly!
She’s definitely not some delicate flower.
Ethan Yin instantly sensed Cherry Miller’s mood shift.
He finally relaxed.
He hadn’t sent anyone to dig into Cherry Miller’s emotional state, so maybe he’d made the right call.
Cherry’s not one of those weak, clingy types. She might look small and soft, but she’s actually pretty fierce.
If you upset her, good luck trying to cheer her up.
Looks like her issues are finally resolved.
Whatever the reason, as long as she’s not talking breakup anymore, that’s all that matters.
Just focus on the result, not the process.
"Wait for me to come back." Ethan Yin grabbed Cherry Miller’s hand, reluctant to let go. "I really wish I could take you with me."