“I’m worried something might happen to them,” Yan Shenyu replied. “You lead the way and come in with us.”
"We might not be able to get down."
Before Fu Shuyu could answer, Xie Siyan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "The gas cylinders on the ship are all out of gas."
"It's out of breath?"
Yan Shenyu was taken aback and quickly looked through all the gas cylinders on his side.
“How is that possible?” Fu Shuyu stood up. Before setting off, he had specifically instructed, “This time, the air tanks are enough for all of us to dive for 4 hours.”
Yan Shenyu frowned: "The gas valve has been loosened."
Fu Shuyu paused for a moment, then hesitated and asked, "Are you still going?"
“This situation needs to be resolved soon, but the key is…” Yan Shenyu looked up at Xie Siyan and hesitated, “What if we get to the island and Fu Da goes back and takes the yacht away? Leaving a bunch of us stranded on a deserted island.”
Xie Siyan shook his head: "We can't rule out the possibility that he did that, but we won't be stranded on a desert island."
"Why?" Yan Shenyu asked, and before Xie Siyan could answer, he suddenly realized, "Could it be that you told others your itinerary when you left, so they would come looking for you if you didn't return by the scheduled time?"
Xie Siyan neither confirmed nor denied: "That's one way to understand it."
However, his security measures are an advanced version described by Yan Shenyu. Xie Siyan wears a tracking device year-round, and only his most trusted core team can access this information. It won't affect his daily life, but once the artificial intelligence determines that his itinerary is abnormal, the crisis team will act swiftly.
He discovered that the yacht's internet was down and the satellite phone was unreachable after he woke up this morning; more than eight hours had passed.
It is more likely that the signal began to fail last night, meaning that he has been out of contact with the outside world for nearly 24 hours.
If he's not mistaken, Wildfire Technologies' helicopters are already on their way to him.
However, since there were outsiders present, he couldn't say much to Yan Shenyu.
“I was originally thinking of having you stay and guard the ship, but it seems that’s not necessary now,” Yan Shenyu breathed a sigh of relief. “Then let’s go to the island together.”
They paddled to the island in kayaks and walked a long way along the mountain road before finally arriving at the cave diving spot.
From the outside, it looks like just an ordinary little puddle. Judging from the collapsed weeds next to it, you can tell that someone went down into it not long ago.
Fu Shuyu followed quietly behind them the whole time, only daring to speak now: "So, we're just going to wait for them to come out here?"
"You said you made a deal with Fu Da," Yan Shenyu suddenly said, "but you only talked about what Fu Da did for you. What did you do for Fu Da?"
Fu Shuyu was startled, her blue eyes widening, and it took her a long time to shake her head: "N-nothing, it has nothing to do with this matter."
Yan Shenyu narrowed his eyes, but he wasn't going to let him off the hook: "He didn't team up with you to deal with Fu Jingran?"
“No,” Fu Shuyu shook her head and said seriously, “I swear, I have absolutely not done anything to betray the family!”
Yan Shenyu looked away and stopped talking.
He wasn't sure what the weight of Fu Shuyu's promise was, but worrying about it now was pointless.
He had no interest in the power struggles within the Fu family; he only hoped that Yan Sheng would be implicated.
Time passed second by second, and after an unknown amount of time, a "splash" suddenly came from the water.
Yan Shenyu looked closely and saw that the first person to step forward was the diving guide, followed by Fu Da, whose hair was still wet. After that, the pool returned to calm, and there was no longer any sign of anyone coming out of the water.
"Where are they?" Yan Shenyu walked over.
"Why are you here?" The diving guide was taken aback for a moment before saying, "They want to stay in the cave to watch the moon and come out later."
Yan Shenyu didn't look at him, but instead looked at Fu Da and said in a deep voice, "What did you do to Yan Sheng and the others?"
Fu Da removed his mask and said slowly, "I thought the guide had already told you that."
The diving guide nodded: "They'll be out tonight, or at the latest tomorrow."
Yan Shenyu didn't believe him at all, and took the oxygen tank to go downstairs.
“Sorry,” Fu Da grinned and said casually, “I’ve run out of oxygen.”
Yan Shenyu's face immediately darkened, and he said coldly, "Take us in by land to find them."
Fu Da: "The tide is rising, and the land routes are also flooded."
Yan Shenyu: "You—"
"Don't rush." A cool, large hand grasped his, and Xie Siyan's calm voice rang in his ears, "We've done everything we can. They are adults and have the ability to take responsibility for their own choices."
"What, Mr. Xie, do you still have time to worry about others?" Fu Da, who was standing next to him, suddenly laughed.
Yan Shenyu abruptly raised her head, her eyes flashing with undisguised anger: "What did you do to Xie Siyan?"
Fu Da laughed: "I was talking about Xie Siyan, why are you so agitated?"
“Fu Da,” Yan Shenyu gritted his teeth, “don’t force me to fight you. You have no chance of winning if we really fight.”
“I knew I wasn’t wrong,” Fu Da’s smile widened even more. “Only for the people you care about can your abilities be fully utilized.”
Yan Shenyu stared intently at him and said, word by word, "Fu Da, what did you do to Xie Siyan?"
Fu Da extended his right hand to him, speaking calmly and deliberately: "Join me, and I'll tell you everything."
Fu Shuyu suddenly opened her eyes wide.
"Dream on! You—" Before Yan Shenyu could even start cursing, he was pulled back by a large hand.
“Fu Da,” Xie Siyan stood in front of Yan Shenyu, his voice as cold as ice, “you’d better take back what you just said.”
Yan Shenyu was also stunned for a moment. It was the first time he had ever seen Xie Siyan speak to someone in this tone.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Fu Da across from him laughed: "What if I don't?"
Xie Siyan looked down at him, her tone calm: "Then I can guarantee that whatever you want to do next will not succeed."
Fu Da narrowed his eyes, his smile gradually fading. Xie Siyan looked at him calmly, refusing to yield an inch.
A tense atmosphere filled the air, ready to explode at any moment.
After an unknown amount of time, Fu Da suddenly took a step back and slowly said, "I was lying to you just now. Although I really want him, I never do anything by force or coercion."
Xie Siyan looked at him warily, his strong arms tightly protecting Yan Shenyu in his arms.
At the same time, Fu Shuyu, who was standing next to her, suddenly blushed: "You..."
As if only then noticing Fu Shuyu's presence, Fu Da lowered his gaze to him, his eyes filled with a hint of affection: "Little friend, our deal ends here."
That's it? Fu Shuyu was stunned, incredulous: "You...you were just using me to deal with Fu Jingran?"
Fu Da: "You've finally been smart for once."
Fu Shuyu suddenly opened her eyes wide: "Is this your only purpose in approaching me?"
“That’s not entirely true,” Fu Da smiled nonchalantly, his gaze still gentle. “I was indeed captivated by your appearance, no, even now, I still think your looks are exceptional.”
"Unfortunately, after getting to know you, I realized that all you have is a pretty face and your self-righteous wisdom that can't stand up to scrutiny."
Fu Shuyu's breath hitched, and she opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
His greatest pride in his life was his wisdom.
His family background and appearance are innate and beyond his control; only his wisdom and insights are unique to him and belong entirely to him.
For more than twenty years, he prided himself on being intelligent, upright, and able to distinguish right from wrong. Unlike other rich kids, he had not picked up many bad habits. Even though he liked Xie Siyan, he had never done anything against his principles.
This was his proudest point, but when Fu Da said it, it was just a simple "self-righteousness."
This person completely rejected what he cared about most!
“Fu Da,” Fu Shuyu shouted angrily, “what gives you the right to say that about me?”
“Look, the question you’re asking is really stupid,” Fu Da said slowly, looking down at him. “You consider yourself smart, but if it weren’t for your family background, would you have been able to go to Eton College and have this kind of vision and insight?”
Fu Shuyu had never heard such direct criticism before, and she was filled with shame and indignation, her face turning red.
“You have never reflected on your birth, but instead take it for granted and are even complacent about it, thinking that you are a step above others.”
Fu Da spoke the cruelest words, yet his touch on Fu Shuyu's cheek remained gentle, his gaze focused and affectionate, as if he were looking at a precious treasure.
"Your beauty is your most precious asset, yet you are complacent because of your mediocre inner qualities, which has allowed your brilliance to be obscured. To be honest, I am truly disappointed in you."
Fu Shuyu glared at him angrily, her azure eyes brimming with tears of rage.
He gritted his teeth and said, word by word, "Fu Da, you betrayed the Fu family, you will go to hell."
Fu Da smiled calmly and retreated step by step to the edge of the cliff in front of everyone. Then he spread his arms and fell off the cliff in the gentle sea breeze.
"I am already in hell."
Did he commit suicide?
Fu Shuyu's heart sank heavily; she was so surprised that she forgot to breathe. Yan Shenyu was the first to react and chased after her.
"Wait!" Yan Shenyu ran to the edge of the cliff and shouted at the sea, "What did you do to Yan Sheng and the others?"
“I told you,” Fu Da’s voice came from the yacht, “they will come out when the time comes.”
However, the world they came out into was completely different.
The yacht headed into international waters, and at the same time, a small black dot appeared in the azure sky. Soon, the dot grew larger; it was a helicopter, slowly approaching the island.
Fu Da took the binoculars and recognized Xie Siyan's secretary sitting in the passenger seat.
It came faster than he had imagined.
Fu Da then pointed the telescope at Xie Siyan, who was standing on the cliff. The man calmly watched the direction in which Xie Siyan had disappeared, his gaze as still as water, unfathomable.
The operation was only 60% complete; Xie Siyan and Yan Shenyu were more difficult to control than he had imagined. He had originally planned to keep Fu Jingran and Xie Siyan trapped on the island for two days and two nights, but Xie Siyan sensed the danger in advance and avoided it.
But his main target was not Xie Siyan. Even if he was only out of contact for 24 hours, it would be enough for his plan.
"President!" The helicopter landed on the island, and Secretary Lin, dressed in a suit and tie, jumped out of the plane, his face full of anxiety. "Daniel Chips has refused to cooperate with us!"
Xie Siyan's eyes darkened, and he coldly uttered two words: "Details."
Secretary Lin, ignoring her wind-blown hair, quickly said, "Daniel has been delaying our signing process all year. Yesterday afternoon, President Wang finally scheduled a time to have a final discussion with the president of Danielle in California. It was supposed to be signed on the spot, but the president of Danielle publicly withdrew from the cooperation, saying that next year, or even in the future, he would no longer provide chip support to Wildfire Technology."
Xie Siyan: "What's the reason?"
“They say it’s a policy restriction,” Secretary Lin added. “It’s not just Daniel; even chip companies like Angelo and Grove are no longer providing chip business to Wildfire Technology.”
In recent years, China's domestic chip industry has been under development, and most major domestic technology companies have been using imported chips from the United States. No one could have imagined that in such a deeply globalized business environment, they would suddenly encounter this technological blockade.
Xie Siyan: "What about other domestic technology companies?"
"No," Secretary Lin shook his head, "Other companies are also unable to make purchases."