Chapter 102: Principal Plus Interest

Yang Jiekai grabbed the assailant's wrist, twisted it hard, and with a sharp tug, pulled the fake flight attendant onto his lap. He snatched her knife and pressed it against her throat, smiling, "Tell me who sent you, and perhaps I might spare your life."

The fake flight attendant, though held at knifepoint, remained defiant. "How did you see through me?"

Yang Jiekai chuckled. "As an assassin, you made an unforgivable mistake: your persona. If you are going to pose as a flight attendant, you should have studied their etiquette. Your technique when pouring water was clumsy, and I have never seen anyone fill a coffee cup that full. A simple test was all it took for you to reveal yourself."

"Who are you, and why are you stopping me?" the fake attendant asked.

Yang Jiekai shook his head slightly. "That is not important. I am just a passerby. Now, tell Miss Liu Yan who sent you."

"Since you know my true identity, you should know our rules," the fake attendant said.

Yang Jiekai paused, then laughed. He released her and casually placed the knife on the tray. "I understand. I won't violate your rules. Go and finish your business."

After she left, Liu Yan, who had been frozen in fear, finally regained her composure and hurried to alert the rest of the crew, but Yang Jiekai stopped her.

"Why did you let her go?" Liu Yan asked anxiously.

Yang Jiekai exhaled softly. "Everything has its rules. Don't worry; she won't be alive for much longer."

Sure enough, news arrived shortly after that a flight attendant had suddenly fallen ill and died.

Yang Jiekai understood the rules of the assassin trade: if an assassination fails and escape is impossible, one must commit suicide to avoid revealing the employer's identity. It was a strict taboo in their world.

Had they been outside, Yang Jiekai would never have let the assassin go, but they were on a plane. If she hadn't taken her own life before landing, he would have had to handle it himself.

"Why... why did she want to kill me?" Liu Yan asked in shock.

Yang Jiekai gave a wry smile. "Who am I to say? You must have offended someone." He offered no further explanation; to him, it had been a mere trifle.

In this seemingly peaceful society, many assassins hid behind various identities. That flight attendant was one of them; he did not know how she had managed to infiltrate the airline, but she had been ready to strike the moment she received her orders.

She had actually hidden her identity well. The comments Yang Jiekai made about her shaking hands while pouring coffee were pure fabrications; having grown up on the battlefield, he possessed a nearly pathological sensitivity to danger.

It was a skill honed through years of living in the shadow of death—an indescribable intuition. From the moment she approached him, he had caught a different scent. A simple test had confirmed his suspicions immediately.

"Miss Liu, I need a favor," Yang Jiekai said.

Having survived the ordeal, Liu Yan nodded. "Just call me Liu Yan. What is it?"

"Don't mention what happened to anyone. Only the two of us were in first class, and I don't want a third person to know about this." He added, "Don't ask why. Sometimes, the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes."

Liu Yan pondered for a moment. Despite being full of questions, she nodded. "Thank you for earlier. If it's convenient, let's exchange contact information."

They exchanged numbers, and after landing, Liu Yan kept her word, telling no one. Yang Jiekai caught a connecting flight to Anhai City. This leg of the journey was smooth and trouble-free. Upon arrival, he hailed a taxi straight home.

"Wife, I'm home!"

Yang Jiekai opened the door to find Auntie Wang eating alone. She froze, staring at him blankly.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Yang Jiekai asked, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Young master, you're finally back! Where have you been all these days? We couldn't reach you by phone!" Auntie Wang set down her chopsticks and hurried toward him, sighing with relief once she saw he was unharmed.

"Where is my wife?" Yang Jiekai scanned the room but saw no sign of Han Ning.

At the mention of Han Ning, Auntie Wang’s expression clouded over. "Miss went to file for bankruptcy," she sighed.

"What? Bankruptcy?" Yang Jiekai was stunned.

Auntie Wang nodded. "Her company can't hold on any longer..."

"When did she leave?" Yang Jiekai interrupted.

"Just a moment ago..."

Without another word, Yang Jiekai pulled out his phone and dialed Han Ning. "Wife, come back immediately. I have incredible news."

Han Ning was driving, her face full of gloom. Hearing Yang Jiekai’s voice, her mood inexplicably brightened. She had been worried about him these past few days, as he had vanished without a word.

"Where have you been? Your phone was off!" she asked, frowning, before quickly adding, "I wasn't worried about you. I was just asking."

"Stop talking nonsense. Come back now; I have a gift for you. Hurry back, or I'll come and pester you in your room tonight." He hung up.

"What a rogue!" Han Ning muttered, but she turned the car around and headed home.

As soon as she entered, she saw Yang Jiekai’s beaming face. He shoved a bank card into her hand.

"What is this?" she asked, confused.

"Remember when I... oh, wait, borrowed five million from you? This is the principal plus interest. I hope it helps the company."

"This..." Han Ning looked at the card and sighed, preparing to leave again.

"Where are you going?" Yang Jiekai asked.

"To finalize the bankruptcy," she replied.

"But you have the money now, why file for bankruptcy?"

Han Ning turned back, sighing. "Five million isn't nearly enough. The company really can't be saved this time."

Yang Jiekai paused. "Did you not hear what I said?"

"What did you say?"

"I said principal plus interest," Yang Jiekai replied. "The card doesn't just have the five million principal; it has 195 million in interest. That makes exactly 200 million."

Han Ning froze. Seeing her disbelief, Yang Jiekai pulled up his mobile banking app to show her. Only then did she realize he wasn't joking.

"Where did you get so much money?" she asked, bewildered.

Yang Jiekai scratched his head and grinned. "Don't worry about that. It's what I owed you. Go save your company." He then remembered something, pulled out his phone, and dialed Wang Xiang’s number. "Apprentice, how did the task I gave you go?"

"Don't worry, Master, it's all done!"

"Good." Yang Jiekai hung up and looked at Han Ning. "With 200 million in capital and partnerships with over a dozen corporations, including the Yongcheng Group, can Ziyu Company be saved?"

Han Ning's jaw dropped.

Thanks to his help, Ziyu Company was back on track within three days, its development surging as it secured several major projects.

Yang Jiekai went back to his carefree life. Han Ning had wanted to thank him, but she couldn't find the words, and with the company's recent trauma, she was too busy.

Yang Jiekai didn't mention his whereabouts; the past few days had exhausted him, so he didn't contact Qin Feng and the others, choosing to rest at home.

That night, just as he was about to sleep, he received a text from Han Ning.

He was surprised. His wife was sleeping upstairs—why text?

He opened it out of curiosity: "I don't know how to thank you. 'Thank you' feels too shallow. From now on, I will try to accept you, but please, give me some time, okay?"

Yang Jiekai smiled and quickly replied: "No need to thank me. It's what I owed you. If not for my arrival, you wouldn't be in this situation. As for accepting me, I think you've misunderstood. I never had those kinds of thoughts."

Han Ning’s phone buzzed. She read the reply, and her face turned as red as an apple.

*Right,* she thought, *he never said he liked me. Why did I say I'd try to accept him?*

She regretted it instantly. She had agonized over that text for a long time before sending it, only to be met with this. Of course, she hadn't sent it because of the money, but because she realized during his absence that he had already found a place in her heart.

Just then, her phone buzzed again. It was another text from him.

It was short: "Wife, can I come up and sleep with you?"