Ronan had barely finished vaguely reporting his itinerary when an overseas call came in. It was Yin Le, his former personal secretary and current vice chairman of Ronan and His Friends Foundation, responsible for the foundation's day-to-day operations.
Ronan took the opportunity to leave the table.
"Sir, your plans for today haven't changed?"
"Mm. I'm heading out right away."
Ronan turned back and waved to his family before going upstairs to change. Lady Luo Shuqing called after him to confirm, "You'll be home for dinner tonight, right?"
"Mm-hmm, I will."
Ronan answered casually as Yin Le spoke again from the other end. "Are you going alone, sir?"
Back in his room, Ronan adjusted his clothes as he replied, "Of course I'm going alone. It's more convenient that way."
Yin Le had called him the night before. The reason for her concern was that she had provided the coordinates of Ronan's destination today: an abandoned laboratory northwest of Spring City, at the southern end of the Hengduan Mountains—the place where Ronan's mother, Bu Qingwen, had died.
Ronan intended to go there to pay his respects. It was something he had longed to do ever since he was old enough to understand, yet had never managed to accomplish, and it had remained a constant regret.
Today was Ronan's birthday, and also Bu Qingwen's death anniversary.
No matter what, he would not delay any longer.
"It's like this, sir." Yin Le did her best to gauge Ronan's mood, speaking with great care. "As I reported to you, when I confirmed the coordinates, I found an informant who had worked at the laboratory back then. He contacted me today and said someone had hired him to guide them to the laboratory ruins. It seems they're also going there to pay their respects. He asked