712: Chapter 77 Finding a Mother for Snowball

It seemed to really like Youyou, constantly nudging her ankles with its fluffy little head.

Youyou laughed happily, carefully picking it up as if holding the world's most precious treasure.

Watching this scene, the smile on Shen Yan's lips deepened.

He walked onto the balcony and dialed Ning Ke's number.

"Brother Ning, are you awake?"

"Brother Shen? You're a rare visitor," Ning Ke's hearty laughter came from the other end of the line. "What's wrong, is the vacation uncomfortable, do you miss me?"

"It's very comfortable," Shen Yan also laughed. "I just need you to help me check something."

"Oh? Tell me about it, what could warrant the attention of the great Boss Shen?"

Ning Ke's tone carried a hint of curiosity.

He knew very well that with Shen Yan's current capabilities, ordinary matters wouldn't require him at all.

"Help me investigate a family."

Shen Yan looked at the distant horizon where the sea met the sky and spoke slowly.

"The Lin Family of Lingnan."

Ning Ke's breathing paused for half a second on the other end of the line.

Then, his voice became grave in an unprecedented manner.

"Shen Yan, where did you hear that name?"

"Why, is this family very special?" Shen Yan pretended ignorance.

"More than special." Ning Ke's voice was lowered, as if he was wary of something. "Let's put it this way, in Country H, once money reaches a certain level, it's no longer just money; it becomes 'assets.' Those referred to as 'families' are all behemoths holding massive assets."

"And there are only four that can be called 'Hidden Families.'"

"East, West, South, North, each occupying one direction."

"The Lin Family of Lingnan you mentioned is the 'Southern Lin.'"

"Their influence is beyond your imagination."

Ning Ke's tone was filled with deep apprehension.

"I know," Shen Yan's tone remained calm. "I only need the contact information for their Eldest Miss, Lin Chuxue."

"You want the Lin Family's Eldest Miss?" Ning Ke's voice hitched. "Did you provoke them?"

"No," Shen Yan smiled. "I picked up the cat she lost."

"..."

The other end of the line fell into a long silence.

Ning Ke seemed to be digesting that overly bizarre reason.

After a long while, he finally spoke with a wry smile.

"You fellow... Fine, I'll ask for you."

"But I can't guarantee I'll get an answer. The Lin Family never communicates with the outside world."

"Just try your best."

After hanging up, Shen Yan looked at Youyou, who was playing enthusiastically with Snowball in the living room, his gaze becoming profound.

An accidental encounter sparked by a small cat.

An opportunity to enter another echelon of the world.

This game seemed to be getting more and more interesting.

Ning Ke's reply came back much faster than Shen Yan had anticipated.

So fast that it was almost abnormal.

Less than half an hour had passed since the last call.

"Brother Shen," Ning Ke's voice came through the receiver, carrying an unprecedented dryness and fatigue. "You've given me a monumental problem this time."

Shen Yan held the phone and walked to the other side of the balcony, distancing himself from the cheerful laughter in the living room.

"Oh? You couldn't find anything?"

His tone was as calm as still water, as if he were asking about the weather.

"More than just couldn't find anything."

Ning Ke gave a bitter laugh, his voice revealing a deep sense of powerlessness.

"I mobilized every contact I could use with this face. I even asked my family's elder to inquire with an old friend holding a high position in the capital."

"The result was like punching cotton—no impact whatsoever."

"All information regarding the 'Lin Family of Lingnan' has been shielded by an invisible barrier. What we can see is only the irrelevant surface information they want us to see."

"No address, no commercial footprint, and certainly no contact information for the Lin Eldest Miss you wanted."

"This family seems to be living in another dimension."

Ning Ke's description gave Shen Yan a clearer understanding of this Hidden Family's strength.

This wasn't influence that could be bought with money.

This was a power forged by the sedimentation of time and foundation, something close to a rule.

The fact that even someone like Ning Ke felt powerless explained a great deal.

"Not a single clue?" Shen Yan asked.

"There is one, but saying it is the same as saying nothing," Ning Ke sighed. "I only know that the Lin Family's ancestral home is in the area of 'Wuyin Mountain' within Lingnan City. But that's an entire mountain range, hundreds of kilometers wide. Finding a specific estate there is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"And," Ning Ke's tone grew serious. "My elder specifically warned me that Wuyin Mountain is a restricted zone. No one is allowed to enter without an invitation from the Lin Family. In the past, some wealthy people who weren't aware of the danger tried to develop a resort there, and the next day, both the people and their companies completely vanished from the world."

A brief silence fell over the line.

Ning Ke thought Shen Yan would be deterred by the inherent danger.

However, Shen Yan only let out a soft, "Mm."

"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Ning."

"This information is enough for me."

"...Enough?"

Ning Ke suspected he had misheard.

What kind of information was this? A location so vague it couldn't be vaguer, plus a fatal warning.

"Yes, enough," Shen Yan's voice held a hint of a smile.

What the system provided was never a precise map, but a compass pointing toward treasure.

As for the path, he had to forge it himself.

"You kid..." Ning Ke was completely speechless, finally letting out a sigh. "I truly cannot see through you anymore. In any case, be careful. The logic of how that kind of family operates is not on the same track as ours."

"I understand."

Hanging up, Shen Yan turned and walked back into the living room.

Youyou was lying on the carpet, clumsily teasing Snowball with a feather wand.

The kitten was full of energy, tumbling around on the rug, trying to pounce on the cluster of colorful feathers, its soft meows filling the entire space.

Liu Hui sat to the side, watching the girl and the cat gently, a happy smile gracing her face.

This scene was so heartwarming it could melt anyone's heart.

Shen Yan walked over, sat down on the carpet, and gently hugged his daughter from behind.

"Youyou."

"Hmm? Daddy."

Youyou turned her head, her small face flushed with happiness.

"Daddy will take you to a new place to play, okay?" Shen Yan's voice was very gentle.

Youyou blinked her big eyes, glanced at Snowball struggling in her arms, and seemed to understand something instantly.

A flicker of reluctance crossed her small face, but it was overshadowed by an understanding expectation.

"Are... are we going to find Snowball's mother?"

"Yes," Shen Yan looked into his daughter's eyes and nodded seriously. "Snowball's mother must be very anxious and sad right now. If we take it home, its mother will be happy, right?"

Youyou nodded vigorously.

She stretched out her small hand and stroked Snowball's fluffy head.

"Then... then can we see Snowball again in the future?"