"Hello, Brother Qi, it's Ji Kai!"

In the car, Qi Yun listened to the voice coming through the phone, letting out a long sigh of relief.

The little brother is still alive.

"Where are you now? Are you safe?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Safe! I'm in Riyadh!" Ji Kai's voice was filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.

Finding out the other was in Riyadh, Qi Yun completely relaxed his mind: "That's good, have you contacted your family? Your father personally came to see me this morning."

"I've already contacted them. I'm calling to say thank you. It feels like I've regained my life."

"I heard them say that it was you, Brother Qi, who found a friend to figure out where we were being held. Anyway, thank you very much; I will fight for you in this life!"

Qi Yun shook his head with a smile: "Let's not talk about fighting for this life just yet. That place is likely to become quite chaotic afterward, so you'd better come back quickly. I'll arrange a plane to send you back in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Qi Yun relaxedly lit a cigarette, feeling a bit sentimental.

If this guy had really had an accident over there, it would definitely be difficult to handle.

Moreover, his relationship with Salaman might suffer as a result.

Because before Ji Kai set off, he had specifically called the counterpart to look after him, not knowing how it turned out like this.

However, since the person was safely rescued, it was a blessing in disguise.

The moment that call ended, another unknown number came in, and Qi Yun saw it was from Shanghai, then pressed the answer button.

"Hello, is this Xiao Qi?" A gentle voice of a middle-aged woman came from the receiver.

"Yes, I'm Qi Yun. And you are..."

"Oh, I'm Xiao Kai's mother."

Upon hearing it was Ji Kai's mother, Qi Yun could roughly guess her intention.

Sure enough, after a round of gratitude, Ji's mother invited him to their house that evening to thank him in person.

Originally, Qi Yun planned to fly to Beijing to meet the "First Man Beyond the Pass," but Ji's mother spoke so earnestly, coupled with Ji's father's distinguished status.

The person, such a big hand, personally invites you, if you refuse, it would be somewhat disrespectful.

So Qi Yun accepted the invitation.

...

A curved moon illuminated the Yellow River surface, the shimmering water rippling softly with the evening breeze.

When Qi Yun arrived at the large courtyard, a young man he had seen in the morning was already waiting at the door.

"Mr. Qi, the landlord asked me to pick you up. Please follow me."

Qi Yun nodded slightly, sitting in the Jeep that the other had driven over.

Ji's family abode was a two-story small building, looking fairly ordinary from the outside.

Several green vines climbed the aging walls, and there were a few old locust trees planted in the yard, whose leaves rustled in the evening breeze, exuding a low-key solid vibe.

Lights were bright inside, Ji Hongwei, dressed casually, was sitting on the sofa making tea, and upon seeing Qi Yun enter, immediately stood up to greet him: "Xiao Qi, you've had a tiring journey, come sit!"

Qi Yun placed the basket of fruits he bought for over two hundred yuan down, and smilingly greeted, "Uncle."

Knowing that Ji Kai was safe, Ji Hongwei's condition was much better than in the morning, losing the imposing, sharp aura he had earlier, now seeming as amiable as a neighborhood elder.

"This must be Xiao Qi!"

Hearing the movement outside, Ji's mother came out of the kitchen holding a tray of washed cherries, her face full of cheerful smiles, "Ah, so young indeed. Truly distinguished-looking!"

"Here, have some fruit first, chat with your uncle for a bit, dinner will be ready soon."

Ji's mother maintained herself well, appearing much younger than Ji's father, speaking with a slight local accent.

"Hehe, thank you, Auntie." Qi Yun thanked with a smile, sitting on the sofa.

Ji Hongwei poured Qi Yun a cup of freshly brewed tea, the aroma lingering: "Try it, my treasured tea leaves, tastes pretty good."

Qi Yun picked up the teacup and took a sip, couldn't tell the difference from the inexpensive tea leaves, but still praised: "Yes! Indeed nice! Uncle is certainly someone who appreciates tea."

Ji Hongwei laughed heartily, patting his thigh, sighed: "Xiao Qi, thank you for your help with the matters over there."

"I have only this one child, if something really happened to him, your Auntie and I would probably regret it for the rest of our lives."

"If you need any help in the future, you can call me directly."

He spoke less cautiously than he did in the morning, frankly expressing his intentions, perhaps because he was at home, now just being a father rather than a leader.

Qi Yun didn't intend to exploit past favors for future gains, but the attitude displayed by the other still satisfied him.

With Ji Hongwei's status, such a promise was worth a fortune.

More importantly, through this incident, the ties between both parties had grown closer, Ji Hongwei and Ji Hongzhang would become his future support.

Qi Yun put down the teacup, sincerely replied: "Uncle, you don't have to say that, Xiao Kai and I are good friends, when he encounters danger, I certainly won't stand by idly."

"Moreover, the Oil Country places considerable importance on the affairs concerning our people; even without my intervention, I believe they also could have turned misfortune into fortune."

Ji Hongwei waved his hand, increasingly appreciating this young man in his heart.

Modest, stable, competent, unsurprising that he gained the favor of those in Beijing.

"By the way, you should know what's happening over there now, right?"

Qi Yun nodded: "Yes, I'm aware of some."

Earlier Salaman had contacted him, mentioning plans to take retaliatory actions down south and also sharing some speculations.

Ji Hongwei took another sip of tea, slowly said: "I don't know whether you usually pay attention to the situation over there, but I wish to remind you that you should best not get entangled in subsequent matters."