On the Ark.

Seeing that Lin Ye didn't respond, Grani was also a little frustrated, but she knew that this was not something an outsider like her could interfere with. So she stayed by Lin Ye's side, but after walking a few steps, she felt something was wrong and said to Lin Ye, "Dr. Lin, shouldn't we find a stall?"

Grani's words reminded Lin Ye that the companies and enterprises attending the business exchange had their own booths to introduce their businesses to others. Lin Ye thought about it and decided that this would be more effective in concealing his identity. He then took Grani to a staff member, and thanks to his connection with Hao Guangzhuqing, he successfully secured a booth as well.

To avoid attracting too much attention, Lin Ye wrote "Rhode Island Healthcare Company" on the sign of his stall.

After finishing writing it, I felt it wasn't enough, so I added two words, and it eventually became "Rhode Island - Women's Healthcare Company".

Well, that should deter anyone from being interested in them. They can simply sit quietly in a corner of the exchange meeting all day and see if they can catch a glimpse of the Second Prince, Ying Jie. However, while he can sit still, Grani is less so. Lin Ye doesn't really need Grani, so he has her wander around the food businesses nearby to see if she can snag some samples to feed Nian back home.

So Grani left, leaving Lin Ye alone to watch the stall. Just as he had expected, after he put up the words "Women's Healthcare Company," no one wanted to come and talk to him about cooperation, not even a hint of interest. They basically just glanced at him and looked away, leaving Lin Ye to be the background figure.

However, his good fortune didn't last long. Not long after, someone sat down in front of his stall and said, "Could you tell me about your company?"

This annoyed Lin Ye, who wondered who was bothering him with nothing better to do.

However, when he looked up and saw the person sitting in front of him, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

Because the other party is—Ying Li.

Although she was wearing a mask, Lin Ye still recognized her eyes.

What's Ying Li doing here?! Where's the Second Prince?!

At this moment, Ying Li was unaware that Lin Ye was sitting opposite her. Originally, she didn't want to come to this kind of place, but her father had called the previous night to question her about why she hadn't met with Hao Guang Zhu Qing by now. She had no choice; she could refuse Ying Jie, but she couldn't disobey her father's order. However, she really didn't want to see Hao Guang Zhu Qing at this time, so she came up with a compromise.

That means just wearing a mask, walking around the business conference, and then going back under the pretext of not finding Haoguang Zhuqing.

Since she's already here, it's not her fault if she doesn't find anyone.

With this in mind, Ying Li decided to find the most inconspicuous booth at the business conference and just kill some time with the person in charge who seemed to have nothing better to do. So, she immediately spotted a women's health company called "Rhodes Island." Just look at that incredibly tacky name, look at that incredibly tacky business presentation, look at that incredibly tacky… uh, inexplicably dressed company representative—no wonder no one had approached him for business deals all day; he was practically the perfect background prop!

Ying Li decided to blend herself into the background, so she sat down and said to Lin Ye, who was wearing a doctoral gown, "Could you tell me about your company?"

Come on, come on, give me a longer introduction, preferably one that could take a whole day to tell. I certainly won't listen, but it'll help pass the time.

Ying Li thought to herself.

……

……

Author's note: My arm isn't fully healed yet; it's still aching slightly, but it's much better than yesterday when I couldn't even lift it. I'll try my best to maintain my daily updates for the next couple of days, and I'll resume updates once I'm fully recovered.

Chapter 571 Everything will be alright, I promise.

What the heck? Why is Ying Li here?

Lin Ye was quite bewildered, especially seeing Ying Li wearing a mask and then thinking about his own veil. He wondered if this was some strange fate between the two siblings? No matter where or when, they always seemed to meet inexplicably. Fortunately, his veil was much more concealed than Ying Li's, so he could recognize her, but she couldn't recognize him.

No, although Lin Ye really wanted to talk to his adopted sister a few more times, now was clearly not the time. If either Hao Guangzhuqing or the Second Prince Ying Jie suddenly showed up, he wouldn't know what to do. He had to get rid of Ying Li quickly.

So he coughed lightly and said in a deliberately hoarse voice, "As you can see, we are a women's healthcare company."

Ying Li frowned slightly.

Why is the person in charge of a women's health company a man? It feels really strange.

Whether it's strange or not doesn't matter, she's just here to kill time anyway, so she nodded, signaling Lin Ye to continue.

But how could Lin Ye know what to say next?! What the hell was "women's health care"?! He'd just made it up on the spot. He was a veterinarian, a psychologist, and could even be considered the director of a daycare center on Rhodes Island, but he was definitely not a gynecologist. So Lin Ye fell silent. He felt cold sweat breaking out, but facing Ying Li's gaze, he dared not remain silent. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke slowly: "Our main business is women's healthcare."

“I know, so what exactly is your business?” Ying Li tapped the table and said, “I’m very interested in your company. Could you give me a more detailed introduction? The more detailed the better.”

Ying Li thought it would be best if they could talk for hours.

Lin Ye's mind was filled with the thought, "Oh my god, she's interested in our business!" So why did he have to come up with such a ridiculous project as women's healthcare? He could have made up something related to veterinary medicine, like postpartum care for sows, at least then he could say something. But what could he say about women's healthcare? It seemed like he could only make things up.

So Lin Ye braced himself and said, "Madam, I see that your complexion... I mean, is a bit poor. I suppose you haven't been sleeping very well these past few days."

What was originally just Lin Ye's casual banter piqued Ying Li's interest, as her sleep quality had indeed been poor for the past two days, the reasons for which were self-evident. Therefore, her gaze towards Lin Ye became slightly more serious: "You could tell that... but why are you wearing a mask?"

Lin Ye thought to herself, "Why does this unlucky princess like to meddle in other people's business?"

However, he dared not say what he was thinking; he could only say, "I'm too ugly, I'm afraid I'll scare the guests."

"I see?" Ying Li nodded. "I understand."

How did you figure it out so quickly? Shouldn't you be comforting me right now? Shouldn't people be less concerned about their appearance or too insecure? Why did you just blurt it out like you already know? It's like you've already decided that it's normal for me to wear a mask because I'm ugly.

Lin Ye was speechless. Then he heard Ying Li ask, "You still haven't told me how you figured out my sleep quality has been poor lately."

"This is something you can tell by looking at their faces, it's very simple," Lin Ye said. "Give me your hand, and I can see even more."

At this moment, Lin Ye was thinking that as a princess of Yan Kingdom, Ying Li would definitely not allow strangers to touch her body, including her hands. So as long as he made this request, Ying Li would most likely refuse and leave, and the plan would work. However, Lin Ye did not expect that Ying Li would actually extend her hand so readily, without caring at all.

This is quite awkward.

Lin Ye could only stiffly grasp his younger sister's hand, his mind a complete mess. After all, he neither knew how to take a pulse nor read palms, so he could only make things up at this moment.

“Well, poor sleep quality is also related to smoking,” Lin Ye said. “Smoke less before bed and drink a glass of warm milk; it will help a lot.”

Ying Li was even more surprised: "How did you know I smoke?"

"Because of what I saw that day," Lin Ye thought to himself.

"Because I can tell," Lin Ye said.

"Okay, you're pretty good." Ying Li withdrew her hand and said softly, "After all, even the palace... I mean, the doctors couldn't tell. I thought you could smell my scent."

Lin Ye shook his head and said, "Smoking is not a good habit, quit it."

Ying Li suddenly laughed, and then asked, "You said you work in healthcare, so let me ask you, do you have any treatments for women's mental health issues?"

Lin Ye thought to himself, "Finally, they've asked someone about my area of ​​expertise." So he sat up a little straighter and asked, "What do you want to ask?"

"It's that kind of feeling, when you're feeling really, really bad," Ying Li said softly. "Is there any way to make myself feel better?"

Lin Ye was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is this why you smoke?"

Ying Li did not speak.

At this moment, Lin Ye had no intention of joking. Looking into Ying Li's eyes, he recalled how she had thrown herself into his arms a few days ago, crying her heart out. He also remembered how she had said he wasn't her brother before turning and going inside. His heart ached once more. Therefore, Lin Ye, unusually, wanted to give his adopted sister a proper reply.

Before she could even speak, a cold voice rang out: "Ying Li, what are you doing here? Why don't you go and greet Zhu Qing?"

Lin Ye subconsciously raised his head, his gaze meeting a pair of emotionless eyes.

"A women's health company? If you're not feeling well, why don't you go see the imperial physician?" Prince Ying Jie of Yan Kingdom spoke slowly. "Why waste time on such a third-rate company?"

The moment Ying Li heard Ying Jie's voice, her body froze.

Then she slowly took off her mask, stood up gently, and said softly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty."

"The older they get, the less sensible they become." Ying Jie sneered, then turned to look at Lin Ye, "And who are you?"

Lin Ye also stood up, but didn't know how to respond. Just then, Hao Guangzhuqing walked over.

“Your Highness, this is my guest,” Hao Guangzhuqing said with a smile. “Dr. Ian from Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals is a very capable person, quite famous in the West. I invited him here.”

After the introduction, he looked at Ying Li.

"This must be Lili," Haoguang Zhuqing said. "I'm so glad to finally meet you."

Ying Li forced a smile but didn't say anything.

After learning Lin Ye's identity, Ying Jie had little intention of befriending him, and didn't even bother to look at him. Just as he was about to leave with Ying Li, Grani suddenly ran back.

"Dr. Lin, Dr., the cakes over there taste really good. I'll watch the stall for you, why don't you go and try some?"

Upon hearing the sound, Ying Li instinctively looked in the direction of the sound, and then she couldn't take her eyes off it.

Ying Li had seen Grani that night, though her impression wasn't as strong as Skadi's or Warfarin's. After a few seconds, she recognized her. But why was she here? Who was she calling, Doctor?

Wait, could it be...?

Ying Li suddenly turned her head, staring blankly at Lin Ye, her mouth slightly open.

Lin Ye understood that Ying Li would guess his identity the moment she saw Grani, so he raised his head and looked at her. He could see that Ying Li wanted to speak but dared not say anything, her lips trembling slightly. At that moment, he had already decided what to say to Ying Li.

"I never expected to have the opportunity to treat Her Highness the Princess. It is truly an honor," Lin Ye suddenly said.

Ying Jie stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression.

Lin Ye ignored Ying Jie's gaze, looked only at Ying Li, then bowed slightly and said, word by word, "Please keep a good mood, because everything will be alright... I promise."

……

……

The author's rant: I took two days off this month. On the first day, the editor-in-chief came to ask why I hadn't updated, and on the second day, the editor in charge came to ask why I hadn't updated. These days, even slacking off is so difficult.

Chapter 572 Stealing the Wedding Car and Kidnapping the Bride

Lin Ye knew that saying those words to Ying Li was a huge risk, as it contradicted his desire to be a mere background figure. If he attracted the attention or displeasure of the Second Prince Ying Jie, who might demand he remove his mask to verify his identity, he would likely not be able to leave this business conference alive. After all, Messiah and Skadi weren't around, and he and Grani alone couldn't possibly handle the Second Prince Ying Jie and his Imperial Guards.

However, he still spoke. Perhaps he was provoked by Ying Li's gaze, or perhaps for some other reason; Lin Ye himself couldn't say for sure. But some things don't need to be understood too clearly. After saying that, Lin Ye felt the knot that had been troubling him for a long time suddenly untied, allowing him to sit back down peacefully under the gazes of Ying Jie, Ying Li, and Hao Guangzhuqing, as if nothing had happened.

Lin Ye's composure didn't mean Ying Li was indifferent; her mind was a complete mess. She didn't know if Lin Ye had remembered anything, but she didn't dare ask, because Ying Jie and Hao Guangzhuqing were right beside her. She could only pretend nothing had happened and say in as calm and arrogant a tone as possible, "Then thank you for your kind words, Doctor."

Anyone who knew her even slightly could sense the suppressed unease in her tone and infer something else from it. However, neither Ying Jie nor Hao Guangzhuqing were among those who understood her, so they couldn't discern anything. Ying Jie, completely disregarding Lin Ye, didn't think much of it either, only feeling that it was an insult to the dignity of the Yan Kingdom's royal family for Ying Li, a princess of the royal family, to seek treatment from a third-rate foreign doctor.

This displeased him greatly, and he thought he would have to teach his disobedient sister a lesson later.

Then they left with Ying Li.

Grani immediately sat down next to Lin Ye, looking at him intently: "Dr. Lin, you're so brave!"

Lin Ye glanced at Grani: "Why do you say that?"

"Aren't you afraid of being recognized by the Second Prince?" Grani said. "My palms were sweating with nervousness just now. I was even thinking about which door I should take you out of if the Second Prince recognized you."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly as he said, "You've considered things quite thoroughly."

“Of course, after all, I’m a police officer.” Grani crossed her arms, her two erect ears swaying slightly. “You always have to have a few backup plans, otherwise why would Dr. Kal’tsit send me to protect you? Ah, should I address you as ‘you’ now? After all, you’re from Yan Kingdom… um.”

Lin Ye had to cover her mouth to prevent her from saying anything inappropriate.

It has to be said that Grani is great in every way, except that she talks too much. Once she starts talking about a topic that interests her, she can't stop, just like a galloping pony, which is a headache.

Lin Ye glanced around and, finding no one paying attention to them, sighed and released their hand: "Please watch your tone when you speak, okay? Can you say those things here?"

Grani realized she had said the wrong thing. As a police officer, she was able to admit her mistake and correct it, so she nodded repeatedly: "I understand, I understand. I won't say anything wrong again."

However, she couldn't help herself for more than two minutes.