CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 209: LI TIANYAO IS GOING ON A BUSINESS TRIP

Once he confirmed she wasn’t there for Lin Shang, Li Tianyao’s mood improved somewhat. He lifted his hand and gently pinched her earlobe.

"Fine, I understand. I’ll take care of this; you don’t need to get involved."

No matter what this little girl thinks of Lin Shang, she’ll never have the chance to see that scumbag again in her life, he thought.

Li Tianyao made a call in front of her to a subordinate named Luolie.

After hanging up, his gaze shifted to An Yan’s face, his expression growing serious.

"I’m going to be away for a while, traveling abroad!"

An Yan was extremely surprised.

"You’re going abroad? Why?"

What could be so important that it required his personal presence overseas? she wondered. I had thought that since I’d agreed to stay with him until his condition acted up again, he would remain at home for the time being.

"Are you that reluctant to see me go?"

Amusement crinkled the corners of the man’s eyes.

"We have phones. Call me if you miss me. Hmm... not just anytime, though. Let’s make it ten o’clock every night."

"Every night?" An Yan looked up in surprise. "Are you going to be gone for several days this time?"

"Yes. I’m not sure exactly how many days, but I’ll be back as soon as possible!"

"What about your health?" An Yan frowned.

Although the steam treatment for his eyes didn’t seem to be having any immediate effect, it was better than nothing! It was also good for easing his worries, she thought.

"Do you want to come with me?"

A hint of a smile touched his eyes.

This little girl must have truly fallen for me; she’s even getting clingy, Li Tianyao mused.

An Yan fell silent.

I actually hadn’t thought about accompanying him on his business trip, she considered. There’s just too much to do. First, there’s the analysis and research of the various samples from Tian Zhongren’s amputated limbs. Second, Xiao Xiaojun, although he regained consciousness for a while, still isn’t completely out of danger. Besides, I need to stay in the country to find those stones. What exactly is the Clairvoyance Technique? Can it see souls and spirits, or can it penetrate obstacles to view objects behind them? Either way, I’m full of anticipation. Then there are the analysis results of my cell samples, Li Tianyao’s blood cell analysis, and so on.

But since he’d asked, if she bluntly said she didn’t want to go, who knew what Li Tianyao would think?

Seeing the little girl hang her head silently, the man’s mood became even more cheerful. He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything as quickly as possible!"

"Okay."

An Yan stepped back a few centimeters, putting a little distance between them.

"Then I’ll prepare the medicine for you. I can teach Lin Ling how to grind it for you each night, okay?"

"Good."

Watching the little girl busily pack the medicine pouches while explaining the specific steps to Lin Ling, an even wider smile spread across Li Tianyao’s face.

So, this is what home feels like, he thought. It’s not the house itself, but the person inside it who cares about you.

Once she confirmed Lin Ling had noted everything down, An Yan turned to him.

"When are you leaving?"

"The plane takes off in an hour!"

"I’ll see you off!"

Li Tianyao refused.

"No need. Shouldn’t you be heading to the hospital? I heard that drug trafficker woke up. Without you there, Zhang Xuebin and the others don’t dare to interrogate him too aggressively!"

I don’t want her to watch me leave; I know how awful that feels,

he thought. What if she cries? I’d rather watch her go.

"Are you sure you don’t want me to see you off?"

"Yes. Go to the hospital. Once you’re done there, focus on researching the poison in your system, and don’t pin all your hopes on the Golden Thread Worm."

An Yan nodded.

She also knew not to put all her hopes on one worm. Her mother’s notebook recorded many different Poisonous Insects, but the Golden Thread Worm wasn’t among them. That meant it had to be incredibly rare.

Li Tianyao held her hand and walked her to the door.

"Little girl, do you know why I made a special trip back?"

An Yan looked at him, puzzled.

"Because we’re husband and wife. If I didn’t tell you in person, I was afraid you’d worry about me!"

An Yan’s heart skipped a beat. She turned and hugged his waist.

"Be careful out there!"

The man lifted her chin with satisfaction, leaned down, and kissed her lips fiercely. It was a dominant, powerful kiss, as if he wanted to merge her completely into himself.

An Yan gradually fell into his rhythm, her hands climbing to his shoulders, returning his deep affection.

"Call me every night at ten o’clock! Don’t forget."

"Okay!"

"If there’s an emergency, call Lin Ling or Lu Feng; they can find me!"

"Alright."

"Little girl, remember to behave at home and stay away from danger. If you run into anything you can’t handle, just wait for me to get back, and we’ll deal with it then."

"Okay!"

The man happily nibbled her earlobe.

"Good girl!"

He took her hand and helped her into the car Wen Ya was driving.

He watched until her car was out of sight before turning, getting into his own car, and heading for the airport.

As soon as An Yan entered the hospital, Zhang Xuebin hurried over.

"Little Master, that Xiao Xiaojun regained consciousness for about ten minutes at four o’clock this morning, and then he’s shown no signs of movement since!"

Could the surgery have been a failure? Zhang Xuebin’s heart was in knots. If Xiao Xiaojun died, it meant the police might have to spend a long time finding another clue! It meant that countless more people could be harmed by these venomous individuals!

He had already made a bet with Director Xiao that An Yan could definitely save Xiao Xiaojun; he’d even gotten his dress uniform ready for the commendation ceremony. I want to show off my full head of black hair at the ceremony, he thought.

"Let me check the situation first!"

An Yan changed into her scrubs and entered the intensive care unit.

All his vital signs were within the normal range. If so, there’s only one reason he hasn’t woken up, An Yan concluded.

"It’s not time yet," An Yan explained. "After correcting and clearing the blood clots in the brain, the brain itself needs a certain recovery period."

"How much longer will he be in a coma then? Little Master, can you make him wake up sooner? Every minute he’s out, more people could get hurt!"

"I can!"

An Yan took out her acupuncture needles.

Ya Zhuo, whose foot had fully recovered, hurried over.

An Yan accurately located the acupuncture points and inserted a few needles. Soon after, Xiao Xiaojun woke up.

Simultaneously, the Bai Wu in An Yan’s mind stirred even more intensely.

An Yan felt a surge of elation and turned to ask,

"Does this person have any stones on him?"

Ya Zhuo shook his head.

"No, he didn’t have anything on him when he was brought to the hospital."

Zhang Xuebin added,

"When we caught him, we didn’t find any stones on him either. Just some everyday items like a mobile phone and such."

An Yan was baffled. If he doesn’t have any stones, then why is the Bai Wu so agitated?

"Professor An, what kind of stone are you looking for?" Zhang Xuebin asked.

I don’t know either! An Yan thought. In my opinion, Lin Shang’s Stone Carving was just ordinary granite. If there was anything truly unusual about it, perhaps it was how the small figure carved from the stone seemed to resemble Lin Shang more and more over time? Grandpa said that Stone Carving carries the Lin Family’s fortune! It’s precisely because of Lin Shang that I suspect the Stone Carving might be some kind of Spirit Stone. After all, how could an ordinary stone carry someone else’s fortune?

"The stone I’m looking for is..."