CHAPTER 217: CHAPTER 217: TRIP TO YUNCHENG

「R-country.」

The moment An Yan took Ling Xiao into the laboratory, Li Tianyao received the message. He immediately opened the surveillance.

At first, everything seemed normal. Installing a prosthetic limb for Ling Xiao was something she had long promised to do.

Until he heard Ling Xiao say, "...I will definitely, as per your intentions, quickly establish the An Group’s presence in the country..."

In the country what?

Abroad?

Even though Ling Xiao added more after, what did "in the country..." mean?

Did Ling Xiao have an accent?

Li Tianyao stretched out his hand and summoned Lu Feng with a hook of his finger. "Go check, see if the An Group has made any recent moves, and whether there are any signs of them moving abroad."

"Yes."

Lu Feng left in response to the order.

Li Tianyao’s expression turned increasingly cold, his gaze pensive as it locked onto An Yan.

Little girl, you better not be scheming behind my back.

On the screen, An Yan tidied up the console and then stood up to leave the laboratory. Li Tianyao switched his surveillance feed, following her figure into the dining room.

While waiting for the food, she took out her phone and tapped a few times. Li Tianyao zoomed in on her phone screen and saw that she had opened a chat window with him:

[Are you...]

After a moment’s thought, she deleted those words and set her phone aside.

It seemed like she wanted to talk to him but was worried that sending messages out of the blue would disturb him.

A slight smile curved at the corner of the man’s mouth. The displeasure from earlier faded due to her actions.

He must have been overthinking it. This little girl’s behavior clearly shows she’s fallen for me; she’s thinking about me all the time.

The man reached for his phone. Perhaps I should give her a call?

No, that wouldn’t do. If I called her right after she thought of me, with her intelligence, she would certainly guess that I can see her. That wouldn’t be good.

He didn’t want the little girl to feel that he was watching her.

The man put down his phone, reined back his thoughts, and returned to working. On the big screen, An Yan, after eating, returned to the laboratory.

She had set up nearly a hundred reaction chambers for the components extracted from Li Tianyao’s cells. She had employed almost every drug that she thought could react with the cells. These drug reactions all needed time. This gave her a period to move around freely.

After getting everything organized, she set a new password for her laboratory, registered her retinal scan, and then left with peace of mind.

***

「Yuncheng.」

As An Yan’s party emerged from the VIP passage, they immediately spotted a man with an impressive physique and handsome appearance.

It was Mo Shiyan!

He was dressed in a dark suit with a white shirt underneath. The shirt was unbuttoned at the top, blending formality with a touch of nonchalance.

"Miss An Yan, we’ve been eagerly anticipating your arrival!"

An Yan sidestepped his outstretched hand and gave him a curt nod. "What relation are you to Old Master Mo?"

"Mo Hengyue is my grandfather!"

"Your direct grandfather?"

"Yes!"

"So, you are my actual employer on this occasion?"

"Professor Song is responsible for my grandfather’s health. His trip this time was to find someone who could operate on my grandfather. Knowing that it was Miss An Yan, I felt even more at ease, having experienced Miss An Yan’s medical skills firsthand."

An Yan gave him a polite smile. "Let’s skip the formalities and go straight to the hospital!"

"No need to rush, I’ve arranged rooms for you all. Please go to the hotel to rest first. We can head to the hospital after lunch!"

"We don’t need accommodations; we have a place to stay. But we can go for a meal."

After all, it was time for lunch.

The group soon arrived at the upscale restaurant arranged by Mo Shiyan. With dishes served one after another, Mo Shiyan knew An Yan was keeping her distance from him and didn’t try to cozy up to her. Seeing An Yan had brought Little Squirrel, he even specially asked for a small chair for it, placed it on the table, and got it a plate of sunflower seeds.

Little Squirrel, having its own dedicated dining table and chair for the first time, was so excited that it looked at Mo Shiyan with admiration. After finishing the sunflower seeds, it stared at Mo Shiyan with big eyes. Mo Shiyan, being very understanding, ordered another plate of pine nuts for it. Little Squirrel was extremely satisfied.

The meal was enjoyed by all.

After the meal, everyone rested in the car for half an hour. The car then arrived at the Mo Hospital in Yuncheng.

Outside the luxurious VIP ward on the top floor, dozens of Mo Family members were already present. Men and women, young and old, some sitting, some standing, each wore a rather grim expression.

One man in his fifties, who bore a resemblance to Mo Shiyan, stepped forward and scrutinized her with a commanding gaze. "You must be Professor An?"

An Yan raised her eyelids. Is this going to be another family member who doesn’t trust me because of my youth? I don’t feel like explaining!

"I have watched the video of the surgery you performed on that patient and know that you are indeed capable," he said. "But I would still like to remind you that my father is not the same as that man. I hope you will be even more cautious during the surgery."

An Yan immediately realized that this must be Mo Shiyan’s uncle, Mo Yunkai. He was also one of Mo Shiyan’s most powerful rivals. If Old Master Mo were to never wake up, it was very likely that the Mo Family would fall into his hands.

An Yan listened attentively to him and then replied seriously, "No surgery can guarantee 100% success. What I can assure you is that I will do my utmost!"

"You..."

Mo Yunkai’s face darkened. No one had dared to speak to him like that before. But considering her capabilities, Mo Yunkai adjusted his attitude: "Good. Professor An, I will not interfere with your work any longer. Just do your best."

An Yan was momentarily surprised. She had thought that someone who stood in opposition to Mo Shiyan would be difficult to deal with, but to her surprise, this man was quite flexible.

"Let me examine the patient first. We can discuss any issues afterwards!"

Mo Yunkai reached out to help An Yan open the door to the ward. "Please, after you!"

On the bed, the elder Mr. Mo looked peacefully asleep.

"He’s been in a coma for half a year. He never mentioned any discomfort before..."

While Mo Shiyan was speaking, Liang Chen and Mu Enyu took the elder’s complete medical reports since his admission, brought by Professor Song, and studied them carefully. Meanwhile, An Yan lowered her gaze and solemnly took the elder’s pulse.

After checking his pulse, she used her Clairvoyance Technique. A flash of golden light passed over her pupils, revealing the old man’s brain condition in its entirety. Beyond the bleeding caused by the shrapnel and old wounds, she detected an abnormality.

X-rays showed gray-scale images, revealing only black and white when fully exposed, but An Yan’s eyes saw the true imagery. Even the slightest differences in color were crystal clear to her.

Near the brainstem, that shadow was actually an insect, a black beetle the size of a grain of rice!

As An Yan watched it, the insect, sensing danger or something else, burrowed deeper into the brain.

On the bed, the elder Mr. Mo let out a cry of pain!

The monitoring equipment erupted into noise.