Hua Yan was worried that the young boy might do something irreversible. She didn’t notice the potential danger. Luckily, when the boy heard Hua Yan's voice, he became half-conscious. After a moment of clarity, he saw Hua Yan's actions and was so frightened that he almost fainted.

In a fit of panic, the boy shouted angrily, "What are you doing!"

Hua Yan's hand paused for a second. The boy quickly extinguished the flame on his middle finger, stumbled to his feet, and grabbed Hua Yan's hand, scolding, "Why don't you think before you act? Don't you know that anything my flame touches turns to ashes? Do you want to worry me to death...?"

Hua Yan, also annoyed by the boy's shouting, laughed and said, "You little brat, would I have done that if you hadn’t gone crazy?" She reached out to help the boy up, and they stood to one side together.

Hu Li, seeing that Li Dong was no longer struggling, let him go and came over to Hua Yan, pulling her to his side to check if her hand was okay.

"You're getting more and more reckless," Hu Li said with a frown.

Hua Yan smiled and said, "It won’t happen again. I just forgot in the heat of the moment." She appreciated Hu Li’s concern.

"You just wait. For using your powers without permission, I'll make sure you regret it," Li Dong said before turning and leaving. The crying beauty followed him closely, seemingly unfazed by the mention of powers.

"That pest sure runs fast. You guys chat, I’m out of here too," the young boy said, about to leave, but Hua Yan grabbed him.

Li Dong had just left. If the boy intended to chase after him, he might catch up. If the two of them fought again, it would be bad.

"Why don’t you come with us?" Hua Yan suggested, turning to Hu Li. "Let’s take him back first."

Having the boy around was inconvenient, so Hu Li agreed. The boy didn’t dare to defy Hua Yan but kept glaring and picking fights with Hu Li along the way.

Hu Li wasn’t about to let the boy get away with it. He used his body to shield Hua Yan while teasing the boy.

After dropping the boy off at Section Three, Hu Li and Hua Yan got into the car. Hu Li immediately pushed Hua Yan down onto the seat. Hua Yan, with her mouth blocked, forgot to breathe. Hu Li noticed and, seeing her face turning red, lifted his head and smiled, "Silly girl, breathe through your nose." Then he pecked her lips a few more times.

Hua Yan glared at Hu Li, took a deep breath, and quickly sat up, moving away from him. Hu Li smiled smugly and shifted closer, pressing his nose against hers.

"Hu Li..." Hua Yan called out nervously, seeing the desire in Hu Li’s eyes. She noticed the driver was nowhere to be seen and feared she might end up being taken right there.

"Now you’re scared? Why didn’t you think about how I’d feel when you were playing with that brat?" Hu Li said slyly.

Hua Yan realized Hu Li was settling scores and silently cursed him for being petty. "He’s just a kid. Do you think I should avoid him?"

"Fine, you’re right. But let’s continue where we left off," Hu Li said, giving her no chance to react. He pinned her down with his arms to keep her from moving.

"Hu Li, you perverted fox..." Hua Yan cursed in a panic.

Hu Li’s body grew hotter, his breath scorching Hua Yan’s neck. She was terrified by the situation. Just when she was at her most tense, Hu Li suddenly froze, released her, and swiftly drove away.

This dramatic turn left Hua Yan bewildered. She looked out the window for Hu Li but couldn’t see him anywhere.

"What’s wrong with him?" she muttered, climbing out of the car.

At that moment, the previously missing driver reappeared, pointing to a lamppost in the distance.

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Following his direction, she saw Hu Li leaning against the post, smoking. The glow of his cigarette flickered, reflecting his mood. He must have been on the other side of the post, out of sight earlier.

Sensing Hua Yan’s gaze, Hu Li glanced over, tossed his cigarette, and stomped it out before walking back.

"Drive back to the residence," Hu Li instructed the driver, then helped Hua Yan into the car. He remained silent during the ride, leaving Hua Yan puzzled.

After dropping Hua Yan off at home, Hu Li left with a promise, "Wait for me to come back."

Hu Li came and went in a hurry, making Lao Yang and Da Pang worry they had fought. Hua Yan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, feeling something was wrong.

Sure enough, the next day, Hua Yan couldn’t reach Hu Li on his phone; it was turned off. She couldn’t contact Hu Er or Hu Da either. She was filled with anxiety and worry, but she was called in to give an account of what happened with Li Dong, as the higher-ups were very concerned about the incident involving the boy attacking Li Dong.

When Hua Yan arrived at Section Three, she saw Li Dong's father, Li Jiayuan, already with Old Qiao. She nodded at him in greeting and then sat down next to Lao Yang, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Li Jiayuan was still looking at her with an approving gaze, like a father-in-law evaluating his daughter-in-law. Feeling uncomfortable, she shifted closer to Lao Yang, using his body to block Li Jiayuan's view.

Li Jiayuan, seeing Hua Yan’s movement, smiled and turned his attention back to Old Qiao. Shortly after, the young boy was brought in, looking sullen, presumably after being reprimanded.

As soon as he entered the room, the boy scanned the faces until he saw Hua Yan. His expression relaxed, and he quietly took a seat, eyes downcast.

Soon, a few other leaders arrived, two of whom had been present during the last inspection of the ability users. Hua Yan’s anxiety spiked; the presence of so many important figures indicated the seriousness of the situation.

The young boy was questioned extensively, and Hua Yan was also asked several questions, with someone taking notes throughout. The room was so quiet it felt like a police interrogation.

Both the boy and Hua Yan told the truth, though they both exaggerated Li Dong’s offensive remarks and softened the boy’s responses.

Once everything was clarified, everyone looked at Li Jiayuan. As Li Dong's father, he had the primary say in how to handle the situation. Apart from him, everyone else present was from Section Three. The boy's ability to create flames that could incinerate anything was extremely valuable. They all hoped to minimize the conflict and resolve it quietly.

Unexpectedly, Li Jiayuan burst into laughter, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Good lad, you've got guts! To think you could make my son so angry." As everyone began to relax, he added, "But, in the future, try not to be so impulsive. A man should be full of vigor, but you can’t go around solving everything with your fists. Don’t you agree?"

The boy originally disdained Li Jiayuan's lecture but, seeing the dangerous glances from Old Qiao and the other leaders, he nodded silently.

Seeing the boy was taking his advice, Li Jiayuan downplayed the incident as a minor altercation between young people. Everyone was finally at ease, and Hua Yan thought Li Jiayuan was much more likable than Li Dong. However, she quickly scolded herself for being too quick to judge.

"You don’t need to see me off. Let Hua Yan do it. I quite like this girl," Li Jiayuan said, looking at Hua Yan.

Old Qiao and Lao Yang exchanged complex glances. The other leaders, unaware of Hua Yan’s history with the Li family, were delighted, their looks suggesting Hua Yan should oblige.

Left with no choice, Hua Yan walked Li Jiayuan out. She remained silent, but Li Jiayuan chatted incessantly, "Little Yan, don’t mind my son. He’s just a stubborn boy. He keeps things to himself and likes to provoke others to get attention. But, young people’s matters are not for us old folks to meddle in. Just remember, our whole family likes you. Do come over and visit us sometime."

His words were ambiguous enough to leave room for misinterpretation. Was he implying that Li Dong's hostility was because he liked her? Hua Yan touched her face, wondering why so many people seemed to be fond of her. If it were true, it must be a mistake by the matchmaker tying the wrong red threads.

Having finally sent Li Jiayuan off, the young boy pulled Hua Yan aside and wouldn’t let her leave.

"Hua Yan, I'll take you to a special place. You've definitely never been there before."

"I'm not going." Hua Yan's mind was preoccupied with worry over Hu Li's hasty departure last night and his unreachable phone today. She had no interest in playing.

The young boy looked hurt and didn't say a word for a while, like a puppy feeling wronged. Hua Yan softened and said with a serious tone, "I'll come another time when I have the chance. Right now, I really have something important to attend to."

"Can you at least tell me what's going on?" The boy's expression improved somewhat as he asked.

"No, this is my private matter. Alright, I have to go now." Hua Yan patted his head and walked away.

Once Hua Yan was out of sight, the boy's expression turned serious, and he dashed out as well. He bought a phone card and found a public phone booth, dialing a string of numbers.

"Hello, who is this?" The voice on the other end was impatient.

"It's me, Jiucheng." The boy frowned displeasedly and said coldly.

There was silence for a few seconds, then suddenly the tone changed to respectful, surprised, and excited. "Young Master Jiucheng, it's really you! I didn't recognize your voice earlier. Please forgive me!" His tone wasn't just polite; he seemed genuinely worried about his own life if he had failed to recognize Jiucheng's voice earlier.

"Enough with the nonsense. I need you to check something for me." Jiucheng impatiently interrupted.