711: Chapter 76 Hidden Family?

The next morning, waves gently lapped against the beach.

A seaplane cut through the ocean's tranquility and slowly docked at the private pier.

As the cabin door opened, a slender figure dressed in a white dress stepped down.

It was Shen Ya.

Her face held the serenity of someone recovering from illness, but her eyes already showed the competence of a career woman.

"Brother!"

Seeing Shen Yan standing on the pier, Shen Ya's eyes lit up, and she ran quickly toward him.

"Run slowly."

Shen Yan laughed, opened his arms, and gave his sister a solid hug.

"Sister-in-law, Youyou!"

Shen Ya happily greeted Liu Hui and Youyou, who were coming forward to meet her.

"Little Ya, you must be tired from the journey, right?"

Liu Hui took her hand, her eyes full of affection.

"Aunt Shen Ya!"

Youyou threw herself into Shen Ya's arms, her little face full of longing.

The family walked happily along the beach toward the villa.

The sun was just right, and the breeze was gentle.

For these two days, Shen Yan had completely cast his work aside.

He accompanied Youyou to forage by the sea, filling a bucket with shells and starfish.

He sunbathed with Liu Hui and Shen Ya, listening to them chat about girls' private matters.

He even cooked personally, using the freshest ingredients from the island to prepare a proper seafood feast for everyone.

Youyou ate until her little tummy was round, letting out satisfied burps.

Shen Ya looked at the unprecedented relaxation on her brother's face, and her eyes grew a little moist.

She knew that this family had finally truly emerged from the shadows of the past.

On the night of the third day, a sudden heavy rain fell.

Raindrops hammered against the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the sea was rough with high winds and waves.

However, this did not dampen the family's good mood; they gathered around the living room fireplace, playing the Ludo game Youyou had brought.

"Dad, you're cheating! You used the remote-controlled dice again!"

Youyou pouted in protest.

Shen Yan burst out laughing and tossed his daughter high into the air.

"This is called tactics."

Laughter filled the entire villa.

The next day, the rain cleared.

The sky looked as if it had been washed, purely blue.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass.

"Dad, let's go exploring!"

Youyou held Shen Yan's hand and pointed toward the reef forest on the other side of the island.

"Okay, let's go exploring."

Shen Yan readily agreed.

Liu Hui and Shen Ya also followed with smiles, saying they were going to provide logistical support for the explorers.

The reef forest had many seaweed strands and debris washed down by the previous night's storm.

Youyou acted like a curious baby, looking around here and there.

"Huh?"

Youyou suddenly stopped and squatted down in front of a crevice in the rocks.

"Dad, listen, there's a sound."

Shen Yan also squatted down and listened closely.

Indeed, a faint cry, like that of a kitten, came from deep within the crevice.

"Meow... meow..."

The sound was so weak it seemed like it could break off at any moment.

"There's a kitten inside!"

Youyou's eyes instantly lit up.

Shen Yan observed the crevice; it was very narrow, and an adult couldn't fit inside.

He looked back at the security personnel Robert had brought.

"Carefully pry this open."

"Yes, Sir."

The security personnel took out professional tools and carefully operated around the rock crevice.

A few minutes later, the stone block was moved.

A kitten, entirely snow-white except for light gray ears, tail, and paws, was curled up in the corner, shivering.

It looked like it was newborn, soaking wet, and its sapphire-like big eyes were filled with fear and helplessness.

"Wow, what a beautiful little kitten!"

Youyou exclaimed in awe.

Liu Hui also said with pity, "It looks like it was washed here by the rain; it's completely soaked."

Shen Yan took off his coat, carefully wrapped the kitten up, and held it in his arms.

The little thing seemed to sense the warmth, snuggled against him, and its weak cries gradually subsided.

The moment his fingers touched the kitten's soft fur, the system's prompt sound rang out in his mind without any warning.

[Ding! Detected trigger medium for a special mission...]

[Scanning target information...]

[Scan complete.]

[Random mission generated: Return to Owner.]

[Mission Objective: Return the lost Ragdoll cat 'Snowball' to its owner—the eldest daughter of the Reclusive Family 'Lingnan Lin Family,' Lin Chuxue.]

[Target Information: Lin Chuxue was traveling through this sea area three days ago on the private yacht 'Chuxue' when, due to rough waves, her pet cat 'Snowball' accidentally fell into the water and was washed ashore on 'Heart of the Sea' Island.]

[Mission Deadline: 7 Days.]

[Mission Reward: One piece of advanced wealth intelligence (valued at no less than ten billion RMB).]

[Accept / Decline]

Lingnan Lin Family?

Shen Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He had never heard this name before.

But since the system labeled it a "Reclusive Family," its significance was obvious.

Such families usually implied vast, deeply rooted power that surpassed the scope of ordinary commerce.

And the mission reward made his heart skip a beat.

advanced wealth intelligence. Valued at no less than ten billion RMB.

This meant that the profit from this single mission could exceed the sum total of all his previous operations.

He had to accept this mission.

Not just for the ten-billion-level profit.

But also for that stepping stone.

A stepping stone that would allow him to glimpse the gates of a "Reclusive Family."

Before he could click "Accept" in the system, Youyou, held in his arms, already looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Dad, can we keep it?"

The little girl's voice was full of expectation.

"It's so pitiful; it looks like it can't find its mommy."

Shen Yan looked into his daughter's clear eyes, then down at the little cat already snoring softly in his arms.

He smiled.

The system's reason was profit.

His daughter's reason was compassion.

These two things perfectly coincided at this moment.

"It's not that it doesn't have a home, Youyou; it just got separated from its family,"

Shen Yan said gently to his daughter.

"Then... then can we help it find its home?"

Youyou's little hand nervously clutched Shen Yan's clothes.

"Of course."

Shen Yan stroked his daughter's hair, his tone relaxed and certain.

"Dad will help you, and help it, find its home."

[Ding! Host has accepted mission: Return to Owner.]

Back at the villa, Shen Yan immediately asked Robert to find a veterinarian.

After an examination, the kitten was fine, only slightly chilled and frightened.

Liu Hui and Shen Ya found soft towels and carefully dried its body, then gently blew it dry with the warm setting on a hairdryer.

Youyou offered her own small milk bowl, pouring warm goat's milk into it.

The little creature, named "Snowball," quickly regained its energy and began to toddle unsteadily on the soft carpet, curiously observing its new environment.