The entire underground area was hollowed out. All of it reinforced with steel plates dozens of centimeters thick.
Shen Qi saw a lush expanse of green before her eyes. The two-story laboratory had its first floor entirely dedicated to cultivation. It was planted with newly cultivated plants.
Walking through these plants, Shen Qi felt as if she were dreaming. “Was the lunch we ate picked from here?” Shen Qi murmured, almost in a daze. “If an apocalyptic生化危机 happened, we’d all survive just fine, wouldn’t we?”
Xiao Chun and Xiao Xia couldn’t help it—they burst out laughing. “Young Madam, have you been reading too many novels?” Xiao Xia couldn’t resist saying. “But honestly, if a mutation really occurred, this island could support thousands of people without any problem.”
Shen Qi nodded, deeply impressed. This was incredible!
Passing through the first floor, they descended to the second. Shen Qi saw many people busy at workstations. Each person was surrounded by piles of test tubes and culture media. They manned rows of computers, each one monitoring the growth status of every plant.
Shen Qi felt like she was watching a sci-fi blockbuster! No, an agricultural blockbuster!
The Democratic Republic of the Congo—this country’s mineral resources held a pivotal position globally. If He Yining could secure even half the shares... Oh my god, it was almost unimaginable!
No wonder He Yining dared to say that even ten Feng families weren’t qualified to challenge him!
He Yining continued, “The Congo is developing faster and faster, and in the future, various trace minerals will dominate. But if a country’s economy rises while agriculture lags behind, it will be held back. The seeds I’ve cultivated are all destined for Africa, specially modified for the local climate and environmental humidity. The experts you see here are agricultural and genetic specialists I’ve brought in from around the world.”
Shen Qi nearly dropped to her knees. These experts weren’t the kind you could just meet casually, right? And the He family had hired so many of them. Please don’t talk about it as if it were so easy to bring them in, okay? It was really provoking envy, wasn’t it?
Shen Qi didn’t dare disturb them, only observing from a distance.
As they toured, Shen Yinyin finally emerged from her stupor. Awakening, Shen Yinyin moved a finger, and the pain all over her body made her shriek involuntarily.
“With that little skill, you dared to climb into my bed?” Heizi sneered. “I thought you had more guts.”
Just-awakened Shen Yinyin froze. What had she heard? The man sleeping beside her wasn’t He Yining? Impossible! How could it be?
Shen Yinyin nearly screamed, clamping her hand over her mouth to stifle any sound. She trembled, turning her head to look at Heizi. When she saw his hairy body, she nearly gagged in disgust. Her first time—given to this ugly man?
“Get out.” Heizi looked at Shen Yinyin with disdain. “You’ve dirtied my bed.”
Only then did Shen Yinyin snap back to reality, realizing she was in Heizi’s room! She was a peculiar one—instead of feeling shame, she puffed up with righteous indignation and yelled at Heizi, “I gave you my virginity, and you think you can just kick me out like this? No way! One million! Not a cent less! Otherwise, I’ll shout it to the whole world!”
Heizi gave her a cold glance, got out of bed, opened a safe, pulled out a case, grabbed a handful of US dollars, and threw them at Shen Yinyin. “Take the money and get out.”
Shen Yinyin wrapped the bedsheet around herself, picked up all the money scattered on the floor, bundled it in the sheet, and actually left with it.
Heizi watched her retreating back, a cold smile curling at his lips. He dialed He Yining’s private line: “President, it’s done as you instructed.”
“Good.” He Yining replied with a single word and hung up.
He Yining said to Shen Qi, “We’ve seen enough. They’ve brewed some herbal tea upstairs—also a new product of ours. Want to give it a try?”
Shen Qi’s eyes lit up: “Sure!”
She felt that this trip to the island had truly opened her eyes.
Shen Qi and He Yining returned to the surface, where steaming hot herbal tea was already prepared. Shen Qi took a few sips and gave the others a thumbs-up: “Can I take some back with me? It’s really good.”
Hearing this, everyone smiled and replied, “Of course you can!”
As the He family’s Second Young Madam, Shen Qi had no airs about her. She was kind and approachable, respecting others’ work. Just this one trait made all the staff on the island instantly accept their new boss’s wife.
By dinner time, Shen Qi still hadn’t seen Shen Yinyin and had no idea what she was sneaking around doing. But Shen Qi couldn’t be bothered to ask. As long as she didn’t cause trouble, that was enough.
He Yining took Shen Qi out on a speedboat for some sea fishing. Shen Qi gripped the fishing rod nervously: “Do I have to hold this pose until a fish bites?”
He Yining chuckled, standing behind Shen Qi, wrapping his arms around her waist, and resting his chin on her shoulder, grinning slyly: “If you want to keep that pose, I don’t mind, but...”
With that, his hands mischievously went to tickle her. Shen Qi shrieked, dropping the fishing rod and bolting away.
“Trying to escape? Let’s see where you can go!” He Yining’s long legs covered in one step what took Shen Qi two, and he scooped her into his arms. Shen Qi screamed in panic: “He Yining, you cheater!”
“Hmph, let me show you what real cheating is!” He Yining carried her toward the boat’s edge. “How about we take a dip in the sea together?”
“No way!” Shen Qi clung tightly to his neck, refusing to let go. “Absolutely not going down!”
“Oh, really...” He Yining dragged out his words, pretending to jump, making Shen Qi scream again.
“He Yining, if you throw me in, you’re not sleeping in the bed tonight!” Shen Qi blurted out in a panic. “No touching tonight!”
He Yining laughed heartily: “So, if I don’t throw you in, tonight’s still on?”
Shen Qi finally realized—she’d fallen for his trick again! She pressed her face against his chest, too embarrassed to look up. How mortifying! Xiao Chun and the others were right there! She’d actually said something like that! Her image was completely ruined!
Seeing Shen Qi so flustered she wanted to hide, He Yining laughed out loud. Xiao Chun and the others pretended to be deaf and blind, turning away as if they hadn’t heard a thing.
After teasing Shen Qi, He Yining finally set her down. Shen Qi grabbed her fishing rod and scurried far away, determined to avoid him.
He Yining sat quietly, fishing. Shen Qi watched him from a distance. When he was still, he was like a painting. Blending seamlessly with the sea and sky. So beautiful, it made the world seem brighter because of him.
What Shen Qi didn’t know was that when she wasn’t looking at him, He Yining was also gazing at her with a smile. He Yining was the scenery here, but wasn’t Shen Qi scenery too?
For the first time, He Yining felt that the dream of the past no longer mattered. What mattered was that the person he wanted to be with now was named Shen Qi.
Returning to the island that evening, they brought back a bucketful of sea fish. Shen Qi volunteered to help and cooked a big pot of fish soup with the island’s chef. Everyone on the island was lucky enough to taste the fish soup made by the president’s wife herself.
Shen Yinyin sat there, pale-faced, her gaze venomous enough to bore through Shen Qi’s body and kill her on the spot. But she was powerless now. After all the commotion, she was utterly exhausted! Yet she couldn’t let Shen Qi notice anything amiss, so she forced herself to come to dinner. She absolutely couldn’t let He Yining know what had happened! She wouldn’t let anyone become an obstacle to her becoming the He family’s young madam!
Seeing that Shen Yinyin didn’t seem well, Shen Qi brought her a large bowl of soup. “If you’re not feeling well, go rest in your room early.” Shen Qi set down the fish soup and turned to leave.
“I don’t need your fake kindness!” Shen Yinyin wouldn’t accept it. In her eyes, everything Shen Qi did was a provocation.
Shen Qi shook her head helplessly.
“Shen Qi, your place will be mine sooner or later!” Shen Yinyin continued, glaring venomously at Shen Qi’s back. “No matter what happens, nothing will change that!”
Shen Qi stopped, her back to Shen Yinyin, and sighed bitterly.
“I’m telling you, Shen Qi, you don’t deserve happiness!” Shen Yinyin spat viciously. “You and your brother—neither of you deserve it!”
“Is that so? Then I wish you happiness.” Shen Qi didn’t want to continue the conversation and walked away.
That night, back in her room, Shen Yinyin called Shen’s mother, sobbing: “Mom, what kind of drug did you give me? I didn’t end up with He Yining—I ended up with some disgusting old man!”
Shen’s mother was shocked: “What? Yinyin, say that again, clearly! What exactly happened?”
Shen Yinyin recounted the whole story. On the phone, Shen’s mother said regretfully, “It’s all my fault! I forgot to remind you! That drug can’t be used too much—too much and you lose your mind! Yinyin, are you sure it wasn’t He Yining you were with?”
Shen Yinyin started throwing a tantrum on the phone: “It’s all your fault! What a lousy idea you gave me! Now what? How am I supposed to be with He Yining?”
Shen’s mother’s mind raced, and she suddenly said, “Yinyin, don’t get upset first! Anyway, you’re on the island—no one can testify, right?”
Shen Yinyin said sullenly, “So what?”