Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 838: Clearly it was me first

Song Haoran quickly walked to the location of "Dragon Hall," where O'Neil and Lluvia were already waiting.

Upon seeing Song Haoran come out, Lluvia immediately stood up and walked over, saying, "Strategist, about President Bai Shuitang you asked us to investigate..."

But Song Haoran waved his hand to interrupt her, saying, "We’ll talk on the way. Right now, we need to go back to the village; it's my father's order."

O'Neil asked curiously, "In such a hurry? What happened?"

Song Haoran replied, "Mobilizing troops and preparing for battle."

O'Neil, being his restless self, immediately clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles. "I like this!"

At this moment, Song Haoran said, "You drive, Lluvia. I want the report about Bai Shuitang's situation in the car. Uncle Wu has arranged the plane; we'll be back in the village by three in the afternoon."

Lluvia nodded and quickly went to start the car.

As they were leaving, a red Viper sports car slowly drove through the gate. It was Song Ying’s car. Song Haoran's car and Song Ying’s car parked next to each other.

Song Ying rolled down her car window and looked at Song Haoran curiously, "Uncle, where are you going?"Song Haoran smiled and replied, "Nothing much, just going back to the village to grab some things."

"Back to the village?" Song Ying furrowed her brows, sensing that things weren't that simple. However, she didn't intend to pry too deeply—after all, even if she asked, she might not get an answer.

The men in the Song family had always been very domineering. Even if they loved you, they wouldn't share certain things if they didn’t want you to know.

Moreover, she and Song Haoran were technically separate. She was responsible for the visible business operations of the Song Dynasty Group, and her methods were somewhat milder, while Song Haoran dealt with a different aspect.

"I'll be back soon," Song Haoran seemed to recall something, leaning out of the car window to say to Song Ying, "Be careful when you take a man out late at night. Watch the time. I won’t be around these days, and Uncle Wu might not be able to provide you with a perfect cover."

Though he spoke in a relaxed tone, Song Ying knew this was Song Haoran's warning. The smiling Song Haoran didn’t exude parental authority at that moment, but she felt a slight fear, causing her to instinctively nod without retorting.

"Oh, by the way," Song Haoran suddenly said mischievously, "Dad sent Gan Hong to Luo Qiu; you handle it."

"What do you mean I handle it?" Song Ying exclaimed, looking at Song Haoran with dissatisfaction. "It’s like you’re saying I really have something going on with him! We’ve only met for less than twenty-four hours! What are you all thinking?"

Song Haoran continued to tease, "Is that so? You abducted him in the middle of the night, and then didn’t come home until morning?"

Song Ying glared at Song Haoran. Originally, she just wanted to let Luo Qiu see some blood as a warning, so why did it take on such a strange meaning coming from Song Haoran?

Song Haoran rolled up the car window, denying her the chance to retaliate. "Oh, by the way, I feel like our Luo Qiu would prefer more obedient women."

"Why does that matter to me?!"

As Song Haoran's car drove away, Song Ying slammed her hand down on the steering wheel, hitting the horn, causing the Viper to emit a loud honk.

As the car drove out of the gate, Song Haoran heard the sound of the horn and couldn't help but smile again. He suddenly looked at Lluvia and said with a grin, “My assist was pretty good, right?”

Lluvia thought to herself... As long as you’re happy.

However, she and O'Neil already knew Luo Qiu's true identity, and witnessing Song Haoran's actions, they couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.

Could it be that the Song family would soon gain a new heir?

After the amusement, Song Haoran suddenly turned serious and looked at Lluvia, saying, “Let’s talk about the Bai Shuitang's situation.”

Lluvia nodded and gathered her scattered thoughts. “Last night, O'Neil and I infiltrated the Bai Shuitang's office and found some things…”

As she spoke, Lluvia took out a USB drive, found a laptop, and plugged it in, opening it in front of Song Haoran.

“It’s about the redevelopment project on Chinatown…” Lluvia said slowly.

…

“It seems Miss Ying has returned.”

Gan Hong glanced thoughtfully out the window and then looked at Luo Qiu—this Young Master Qiu appeared very natural and at ease, while Gan Hong herself felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, she had only met this Young Master Qiu twice, and the impression from the first meeting was probably not very good—she still didn't know why she had fallen asleep in such a situation.

She hadn’t eaten anything beforehand—regarding food intake, those trained in the village followed a very strict regimen.

This time, Old Man Song sending her out was largely to have her act as Young Master Qiu’s bodyguard—not because she was a woman with high looks, but because she possessed outstanding skills that could surpass most people.

In the village's academy, she was at the top of her class, and in the last assessment, she received excellent evaluations—of course, as Song Haoran had told her, aside from being a bodyguard, if she could achieve some unexpected accomplishments...

But from Young Master Qiu’s demeanor, he seemed to intend to discuss her future with Old Man Song later.

So, before that, she should try to make him feel that keeping her around was worthwhile, no matter what his personality was like.

“Oh? How did you know?” Luo Qiu raised his head, looking at Gan Hong curiously. “Was it the sound of the horn just now?”

Gan Hong nodded, calmly saying, “I once protected Miss Ying for half a year, so I’m very familiar with the sound of her sports car.”

Luo Qiu replied, “I didn’t notice any difference.”

Of course, it wasn’t difficult to have that distinguishing ability... but who has the time to specifically develop such a skill? Gan Hong smiled slightly and said, “These things naturally don’t require Young Master Qiu to concern himself with.”

Luo Qiu took a sip of water, then suddenly said, “You can go meet Song Ying; there’s no need to stay here all the time. If you’re worried about others asking, you can say it was my idea.”

Gan Hong shook her head and said, “My duty is to follow you and protect you. Unless there’s something special, I won’t stray too far from you.”

Luo Qiu retorted, “Is the Cold Residence not safe?”

Gan Hong was taken aback, caught off guard. “The Cold Residence has three independent defense systems, and the estate’s security team has more than thirty members, all well-armed special forces. Unless there’s an attack with heavy weapons, no one can infiltrate... Though saying that, if this exception is broken, there will be more exceptions in the future, and I may relax because of it. That would be fatal for a bodyguard.”

Luo Qiu curiously asked, “Is this what you’ve learned?”

Gan Hong replied calmly, “That’s all I can learn. In the village, those who cannot demonstrate their abilities and value won’t get the opportunity for sustenance. We all have no past; it’s the village that gave us a new life. But the village operates on a reward system, so to gain more, we must perform more.”

Luo Qiu nodded. “I think I understand a bit.”

Gan Hong was astonished. “Young Master Qiu, you... don’t know about the village?”

“Can you tell me about it?”

Gan Hong hesitated for a moment but then nodded. Since Old Man Song had explicitly mentioned sending her to Young Master Qiu, it was a form of indication... Even though, it seemed that her new master wasn’t quite aware of this yet.

But considering that it was just the beginning, perhaps he hadn’t adapted yet, which was why he spoke in this consultative tone... Gan Hong didn’t mind this tone; after all, it was much better than being ordered around from the get-go.

“The village isn’t far from here,” Gan Hong’s voice softened. “It’s about three hundred seventy kilometers away, in a valley that has been transformed. According to the village elders, the construction of this valley is still ongoing even now.”

Luo Qiu put down the book, “The History of Ming,” as he enjoyed hearing stories from the past. Gan Hong was a good storyteller at this moment, as her expression had unconsciously become less restrained.

After pondering for a moment, Gan Hong suddenly picked up a glass of water, wet her fingers a bit, and started drawing on the table. “...It’s roughly this shape; overall, it looks like petals. But it wasn’t like this before; only after continuous construction and excavation did it end up looking this way.”

Luo Qiu smiled. “It resembles an iris a bit.”

Gan Hong moved her finger to one part of the ‘petal’ and said cheerfully, “This is where we live. Although it’s in a valley, away from the city, the facilities here are not lacking at all. Most of us live in double-occupancy dormitories, and some outstanding members can get single rooms... This area is the resting zone, specially built for retired members. They can bring their families to live here.”

Gan Hong appeared quite animated as she spoke, becoming increasingly lighthearted. “This is the hospital, this is the cafeteria, and this is the entertainment area... This spot is the school. The village children have the right to go to school, and it’s free. After completing their primary education, students are further categorized based on their potential. For example, those like me receive rigorous combat training, while those without combat talent can learn various subjects and serve in different departments under the Song Dynasty Group... By the way, this is where we usually train.”

Gan Hong pointed to another corner of the ‘petal.’ “This area is mainly for forest training, developing our wilderness combat skills... This is the shooting range, this is the team combat area... and this area is for driving. We need to learn how to operate various types of vehicles.”

“Are you happy?” Luo Qiu suddenly interrupted Gan Hong’s narration.

This caught Gan Hong off guard, and she instinctively replied, “Those days... at least they gave me a goal to live for.”

“And now?” Luo Qiu asked again.

Gan Hong slowly said, “What I need to do now is to stay by your side and ensure your safety.”

Luo Qiu didn’t intend to say anything; he simply smiled casually. But at that moment, another voice interrupted—Song Ying.

Her tone was not very pleasant.

“Oh? It seems I returned just in time; I seem to have heard something interesting.” Song Ying walked in as if she were the only one present—still wearing what she had on last night.

“Miss Ying,” Gan Hong quickly nodded toward her.

Song Ying squinted and scrutinized Gan Hong before suddenly saying, “So eager to pledge your loyalty so soon? Aren’t you going to see things more clearly? Gan Hong, it seems you’re regressing.”

Gan Hong didn’t argue or show any anger.

Song Ying frowned slightly and said, “I have something to discuss with him privately. You can step outside for a moment.”

This time, Gan Hong shook her head and calmly replied, “Sorry, Miss Ying, but I am Young Master Qiu’s bodyguard. I cannot allow Young Master Qiu to leave my sight.”

Song Ying sneered, “Do you need to watch him even when he’s taking a shower or using the bathroom?”

Gan Hong replied expressionlessly, “If there’s a need for it.”

“I’m telling you to step outside first,” Song Ying said, taking a deep breath.

But Gan Hong remained unmoved.

“The water is finished. Can you get me some more?”

At that moment, Luo Qiu suddenly spoke up, picking up his cup and shaking it toward Gan Hong. After hesitating for a moment, Gan Hong took the cup and nodded without saying anything, then quickly walked out.

As Song Ying watched Gan Hong leave, Luo Qiu casually asked, “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Song Ying walked up to Luo Qiu and said coldly, “I don’t know why Grandfather wants to give Gan Hong to you... but you better not have any intentions towards her, and definitely don’t think about playing with her; otherwise... I won’t let you off!”

“Wha—” Luo Qiu began to speak, but Song Ying snorted coldly, as if she had come specifically to drop this warning, and then turned to leave. Luo Qiu had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words.

Luo Qiu shook his head. Shortly after, Gan Hong returned quickly with a cup of warm water. Seeing that Song Ying had already left, Gan Hong didn’t say anything.

Luo Qiu said, “You and Song Ying seem to get along well.”

Gan Hong replied calmly, “During the time I protected Miss Ying, she indeed treated me quite well.”

“Besides that?” Luo Qiu smiled slightly.

Gan Hong opened her mouth, but then she noticed Luo Qiu pointing at her wrist. She instinctively looked at her wrist.

“It seems Miss Song has one just like it,” Luo Qiu said softly.

It was a silver bracelet.

Gan Hong shook her head, quickly removing the bracelet from her wrist and placing it directly on the table. She said calmly, “That’s already in the past.”

Luo Qiu picked up the bracelet and examined it before looking at Gan Hong and saying, “Since you don’t want it, why not give it to me?”

Gan Hong hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.

Luo Qiu directly put the bracelet on his wrist and chuckled, “It looks quite nice.”