Chapter 173 Welcome Home, My Master

After a flight where nothing but the ocean could be seen, traces of a city finally came into view.

The city below was built upon rolling mountains, and beneath those mountains lay the boundless, azure sea.

As the plane began its descent, it gradually drew closer to the city.

The colorful buildings of the town of Portofino, nestled within the lush forest, poked their heads out like mischievous spring bamboo shoots.

And the sea, like a massive and profound blue gemstone embedded in the earth's surface, shimmered with sparkling radiance under the sunlight—mysterious and beautiful.

Ling Yue rested her chin in her hand, quietly gazing out the window.

Lost in thought, she whispered, "So beautiful."

Even Song Xinyao, that chatterbox, was rendered speechless by the beauty, watching quietly as the plane landed.

This was a private cliffside cave villa complex that occupied the entire hilltop.

It featured a private airport with five runways.

The reason there were only five runways was that there were only five villas in this complex.

Currently, this place only hosted politicians, nobility, socialites, and the ultra-wealthy.

Ling Yue couldn't exactly be called top-tier yet, but she was certainly ultra-wealthy.

Thanks to the arrangements made by the local tourism board, she had successfully unlocked this hidden level.

Before disembarking.

The crew laid out a brand new red carpet on the gangway.

The moment Ling Yue stepped out of the cabin.

She was greeted not only by the dry, warm sunshine and the moist, briny sea breeze...

...but also by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, performing Johann Strauss II's "The Blue Danube" live.

The melodious, sprightly tune sounded like waves crashing against the reef, welcoming and applauding the guests who had come from afar.

On both sides stood several rows of staff in professional attire, watching with respectful postures as the villa's temporary owner slowly walked down the stairs.

Just when Ling Yue thought they were about to recite a long string of incomprehensible Italian...

...they instead said in slightly clumsy Chinese, "Welcome home, my master."

With that, they all bowed in unison.

The villa butler then stepped forward to place a floral wreath around Ling Yue's neck, while maids on either side scattered rose petals into the air.

This reception was on par with welcoming a head of state.

Ling Yue took only a second to adjust and accept it.

Using the Italian she had learned on the plane, she said, "Thank you."

Behind her.

Shen Qingxue and Song Xinyao helped each other out of the cabin. Standing on the gangway, the two were completely dumbfounded.

Song Xinyao gripped Shen Qingxue's arm and whispered, "They didn't say there would be so many people lined up to welcome us. This is such a huge scene; I'm a little nervous."

"Can you believe it? I've never even seen this many extras while filming," Shen Qingxue muttered.

Song Xinyao swallowed hard. "They didn't pick up the wrong person, did they?"

"We're already wearing the wreaths, don't be afraid..." Shen Qingxue feigned calmness. "Just stick close to me."

Song Xinyao replied, "Then start walking."

After struggling for a long time, they finally advanced 30 centimeters.

After waiting for a while and seeing no one following, Ling Yue looked back and spotted the two of them dawdling at the cabin door.

She helplessly waved them over.

Upon being summoned, Song Xinyao and Shen Qingxue stepped forward as if liberated, coming to her side.

Ling Yue was speechless. They were usually so glib, yet they folded at the critical moment.

She comforted them, "What are you afraid of? We paid for this."

If this had happened before, she probably would have been intimidated too.

That's why they say money makes the person.

No matter how grand the spectacle, it was just a service she had paid for.

Shen Qingxue cleared her throat and straightened her back. "That's right! As daughters of Huaxia, we should walk with confidence wherever we go!"

"Exactly! We paid for this, sisters! It's just a small scene, don't be nervous!" Hearing this, Song Xinyao perked up as well.

Ling Yue almost laughed.

On the way to the motorcade, the villa butler provided some introductions.

Cheng Jiao translated simultaneously, "Welcome to your private palace. During your stay, the villa will be under a complete lockdown; no outsiders are permitted to enter..."

"...A security team consisting of 60 top international former special forces members will conduct 24-hour, three-shift patrols of the villa to ensure your personal safety..."

"...A service team of 118 people will provide you with round-the-clock service. The chefs, specialized in Chinese, Western, and Italian cuisines, have been selected to cater to your tastes and satisfy your every need..."

"...A top-tier medical team is on standby 24/7... The villa complex has a medical suite equipped with the world's most advanced medical instruments and equipment to safeguard your health."

"...During your stay, a temporary no-fly zone has been established over Portofino, prohibiting all private aircraft flights... to ensure your safety..."

The butler spoke at length.

As the group walked on, they arrived at a motorcade consisting of 15 Ferraris.

The vehicles drove slowly along the villa complex's driveway.

Trees receded, and the music grew faint.

To the right, one could see steep cliffs and a stunning, crystal-clear turquoise sea. Opening the car window, sunlight brushed against her face, the sea breeze stirred her hair, and the air carried the scent of freedom.

At this moment.

Vacation mode was officially activated—

The villa featured a sunken design, as if embedded into the cliffs like a carved-out cave, blending seamlessly with the natural boulders and landscape.

Its novel, avant-garde interior design possessed a strong sense of nature.

Due to its unique geographical location, when Ling Yue arrived at the infinity-edge living room and gazed out at the distant seascape, the building felt level with the water, as if she were in the center of the ocean. If a wave were to crash over now, the seawater might just flood the building, sweeping away all the luxury.

This sense of awe and the unprecedented scenery gripped Ling Yue's heart tightly.

She walked toward the edge of the living room. The ceiling above vanished, and as she stepped onto the observation platform, she clearly realized the distance between herself and the sea level.

It seemed to hang on the edge, but it was actually embedded deep within the massive rock, quite far from the sea itself.

The villa butler had intended to introduce the rooms one by one.

But Ling Yue only wanted to return to the bedroom as quickly as possible.

Thus, they arrived at the corridor connecting the living room and the bedroom. The corridor featured an open-air design; looking up, one could see the sky, and looking down, one could see the distant, level mountain peaks. Trees were planted along the stone walls, lush and thriving.

To reach the bedroom, one had to first enter a spacious stone passageway.

At the end of the passageway lay a massive bedroom, far exceeding a thousand square meters in size.

Five-meter high, 180-degree floor-to-ceiling windows offered panoramic views, allowing one to see the ocean while lying in bed.

Furthermore, the front of the bedroom featured a sunken living room and a bar. Not to mention the rows of wine cabinets displaying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of red wine and whiskey.

Just the atmosphere alone was absolutely incredible!

The collision of stone walls and modern decor blended nature with luxury. The primitive space was filled with smart technology, while the floor-to-ceiling windows brought the sea and the room closer together.

At sunset, facing the sea, listening to music, drinking wine, soaking in a hot spring, and taking in the view...

...just imagining it was enough to make one's heart race.

Even without considering the others, both Ling Yue and Cheng Jiao, who had seen their fair share of the world, were left stunned by the scenery before them for a full five seconds!

It wasn't until a maid pushed in a dining cart that the sound of the wheels rubbing against the floor snapped everyone back to reality.

Ling Yue took a deep breath.

Turning around, she saw Song Xinyao and Shen Qingxue completely dumbfounded, their mouths hanging open.

She cleared her throat and turned to look at Cheng Jiao.

Cheng Jiao understood Ling Yue's look in half a second, then turned and said to the others, "Put the luggage down and you may all leave."

Except for Zang Lanyi, the villa butler and the others filed out of the bedroom.

Once everyone had left, Ling Yue said to Cheng Jiao, "Everyone must be tired after such a long flight. Take them down to get settled and let them rest. From now until dinner time, I'll have the villa staff take care of me here."

"Dinner is scheduled for seven o'clock today, so I'll come to pick you up for the restaurant at 6:30," Cheng Jiao said, opening her backpack and taking out three mobile phones. "These three phones have local SIM cards inserted with plenty of data and call credit. The villa has full Wi-Fi coverage, and no password is required to connect."

With that, she took a black bank card from her bag. "There is 100 million euros on this for your expenses."

Ling Yue put away the phones and the card.

She then watched as Cheng Jiao walked over to the console beside the bedroom desk and introduced it, "This is the call platform. Press 1 to call, and only our internal staff will hear it. Press 2 to call, and all personnel within the villa complex will receive the signal."

"This is a portable call device you can wear when you go out. It contains a dual GPS and BDS positioning system. Wherever you go, you only need to press the red button, and we will immediately receive your location information and arrive at the fastest speed. Double-tap and hold the red button for five seconds, and both local police and the tourism board will receive your request for help and dispatch helicopters and police cars for search and rescue."

"If you encounter danger, you can also show the emblem on the back of the device. This is the family crest of the villa's owner, and no one in Portofino would dare to provoke it. Of course, this area is very safe, so you will likely never need it." With that, she handed Ling Yue a necklace with a tracking device.

After giving a long list of instructions and ensuring Ling Yue had no other requests, she exited the room.