Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

By the time the two wooden crates were carried into the Jiang family villa, it was already broad daylight.

Ye Chen asked Song Tiezhu to put the box in the study, and then asked someone to invite Jiang Ruoxi over as well.

Jiang Ruoxi's expression changed as soon as she saw the contents of the box.

She crouched down and examined the old documents one by one. Some of the papers were damp and sticky, but the writing and photos on them were still clear.

Especially those photos of her when she was a child, when she was five, seven, and in her elementary school graduation photo—she herself had forgotten that these existed.

One photo shows her and her mother sitting under a magnolia tree at their old house in Meixi. On the back of the photo is a line of very small print: "Nannan is three years old, in Meixi."

It is the courtesy name of his father, Jiang Yuanshan.

Jiang Ruoxi gently traced the words with her fingers, and her eyes became a little sore again.

Ye Chen squatted down beside her and whispered, "They've been investigating you for a while now. This kind of information can't be collected in just a day or two. Blackwater might have been watching the Jiang family since your father was still alive."

Jiang Ruoxi took a deep breath, put the documents back in the box, and stood up. Her face had returned to its usual coldness: "So they know Meixi, they know the magnolia tree, and they know what my mother left me. Wen Jiuhong said that day that he would start with the people around me. He probably has an even more detailed list in his hands."

Ye Chen nodded, then turned to Han Song and said, "Pass the word down: all senior executives in the company, especially those related to the Jiang family, must be assigned to escorts and protection starting today. They are not allowed to act alone or go out at night. Don't make a scene. Use business trips as an excuse to disperse as much as possible. He Jianping, the security department will be divided into three shifts starting today, with twelve people per shift. Focus on the president's office and several core departments. Brother Song, your men will stay in the shadows, specifically following old ministers like Zhang Da. Wen Jiuhong is just waiting for us to make a mess of things; we can't afford to make a mess of things ourselves."

Everyone responded in unison.

After they left, Jiang Ruoxi walked up to Ye Chen, looked up at him and said, "He's in the shadows, we're in the light, but you've taken out so many of his spies today and intercepted these two boxes. He must be furious now. A person pushed to the limit is more dangerous than a hundred Blackwater Knife Henchmen. Ye Chen, we can't let him lead us any further. I have to force him out of his shell."

"How do you plan to force me?" Ye Chen asked.

"He told you to find me, so I'll find a place for him to come find me." Jiang Ruoxi walked to the table, opened a map, and pointed to the location of Jiangxin Island.

Her eyes shone brightly, as if a fire burned within them: "Jiangxin Island is now an empty shell, but Wen Jiuhong is still using it, which means he thinks it's safe. We'll play along. I'll spread the word that the Jiang Group is going to restart the tourism project on Jiangxin Island, and the day after tomorrow morning, I'll personally lead a team to the island for an inspection. With his brains, he'll see through this setup in less than half a day, but he won't refuse to come, because there's something or someone he wants on that island. Do you believe me?"

Ye Chen looked at the small island circled in red on the map and suddenly smiled.

He put his arm around Jiang Ruoxi's waist and pulled her closer to him: "I believe you. This is a blatant scheme, just like the ones you play in the business world. It's obviously a trap, but there's something inside. Wen Jiuhong is a meticulous person, and the more meticulous a person is, the easier it is for them to fall into this kind of half-true, half-false trap."

Jiang Ruoxi gently pushed him away and turned her face away, saying, "Stop flattering me. Go and call Uncle Gui and the others in. We need to go over the things on the island again and also be wary of that Five Shadows. Fang Zhe said that the person is best at sneaking in when there are many people. You didn't find him at the dock last time, but he will definitely come this time."

Ye Chen released her and said seriously, "I had Guli follow you closely, not as a bodyguard, but as your personal assistant. No matter how good the Five Shadows are at disguise, they still need to get close before they can make a move. As long as they get close, Guli will be able to recognize them."

Jiang Ruoxi nodded, then added, "I'm not afraid of him, I'm afraid he'll hurt the other people around me."

Ye Chen's heart softened, and he took her hand, saying, "No one will be in trouble. After we deal with Wen Jiuhong and Wu Ying, I'll take you back to Meixi for a few days. Just the two of us, we don't need to worry about anyone."

Jiang Ruoxi didn't say anything, but instead gripped his hand tightly.

Over the next two days, Jiang Ruoxi really put on a show of inspecting the island.

On the same day, Jiang's Group's official Weibo and WeChat accounts posted updates, including renderings and press releases, stating that the company intends to integrate the tourism resources of Jiangxin Island to create an urban ecological resort area.

Secretary Wang arranged for several familiar media outlets to follow up, making the news seem half true and half false.

He Jianping led his men to the island to conduct two rounds of investigations, and also set up hidden sentries at several high points along the waterfront and in the center of the island.

Song Tiezhu's men patrolled the island by boat all night but found no one had landed on the island ahead of time.

Ghost Servant went to Wangu Zhai again and arranged for Manager Qiu to deliver a letter to Wen Jiuhong, saying that Jiang Ruoxi would be coming to the island the day after tomorrow, bringing only the project team and two accompanying personnel.

After hearing the instructions, Ye Chen only said one sentence to the ghost servant: "In this play, Wen Jiuhong must think that it is his opportunity, so the ship that goes to the island cannot be guarded too much. He must think that Jiang Ruoxi is being presumptuous."

The ghost servant nodded: "I will be watching from a high point on the opposite bank. We will also hide two unfamiliar faces on the ship, disguised as workers. If he comes, he will have fallen into our trap."

Ye Chen agreed to the ghost servant's suggestion, walked into the courtyard, and looked up at the sky.

The sky was overcast, and a river breeze blew from the south, carrying a damp, humid air, as if it were about to rain.

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time," he said softly.

The withered sword rested beside his leg, its scabbard humming very softly in the wind, as if in response.

Aygul came out of the house carrying a knife and handed him a package of meat pies wrapped in oil paper: "Ruoxi asked Auntie to make these. She said you didn't eat breakfast. She was worried you'd have low blood sugar before coming to the island and wouldn't be able to fight back."

Ye Chen took the meat pie, took a big bite, and mumbled, "My wife still loves me the most."

Aygul didn't even lift her eyelids before turning and leaving.

On the morning of the third day, Jiang Ruoxi led the "project team" onto a boat bound for Jiangxin Island.

She was wearing a white suit, her hair was neatly styled, and a communicator was clipped to her ear.

Aygul was dressed as an accompanying secretary, wearing a black skirt and holding a folder in her hand, with a knife tied under the skirt.

Ye Chen did not board this ship.

He scuba-dived ahead of time from a reed bed on the south side of the island and ambushed the ruins of the stilted houses on the island's top with Guipu and Han Song.

From here, you can see the entire North Beach and the dock, as well as the route of Jiang Ruoxi's boat.

At 9:40, Jiang Ruoxi's boat docked at the small pier on the north side of the island.

She led her people off the boat and headed towards the old stilted houses in the center of the island.

The river breeze made her clothes flutter like a white flower blooming between the river and the sky.

Ye Chen lay prone in the grass, his heart pounding. He gripped his sword, his palms sweating profusely.

At exactly 10 o'clock, a black speedboat silently glided out onto the water in the northwest of the island, carrying only one person.

The man was wearing a dark gray shirt and an old fisherman's hat, the brim pulled very low.

But Ye Chen recognized him at a glance. Wen Jiuhong.

he came.

Just one person.

But Ye Chen knew that a person would never act like Wen Jiuhong.

The Five Shadows must be somewhere on the island, like a real shadow, hiding in the angle of light, waiting to deliver a fatal blow to their prey.

"Ready," Ye Chen said in a low voice into the walkie-talkie.

Jiang Ruoxi didn't reply, but instead gently pressed the communicator by her ear, as if she were brushing her hair.

The movement was so natural, yet it was a pre-arranged signal that the fish had been caught in the net.