"The Coastal Asia-Pacific Branch President Hu Li and a certain high-ranking official's daughter dined together, internal sources reveal. The two appeared harmonious, displaying signs of an impending engagement." Several photos from different angles accompanied the newspaper, showing Hu Li and the woman sharing wine, with close gazes and heads tilted towards each other.

Heart racing, head spinning, chest tight, breath held—it was a moment of shock and extreme pain for Hua Yan. Yet, after a while, she suddenly calmed down.

Upon closer examination of the photos, Hua Yan noticed a few details she hadn't seen initially. Firstly, there was about half an arm's length distance between them. Moreover, Hu Li's facial muscles appeared tense; although his eyes couldn't be clearly seen, he didn't seem as willing to engage in the festivities with the beauty as the newspaper suggested.

Searching online for information about the daughter of prominent officials, Hua Yan managed to find some leads. It stated that the woman was from the Li family, though which exact Li family was unspecified, indicating her background was exceedingly prestigious.

Meanwhile, in a newly built villa in Coastal City, Hu Li threw the newspaper he was holding to the ground. Standing beside him were Hu Da and Hu Er, while a noblewoman sat on the white leather sofa in front of them.

"Mother, what is this? You've gone too far!" Hu Li's handsome face resembled that of a death god as he glared angrily at his mother.

"Is this the first time you've spoken to me so loudly? Is that woman more important to you than your own mother?" Hu Mother's voice was partly gentle, partly sorrowful, her beautiful eyes filled with tears as she reproached Hu Li.

Faced with his mother's emotional outburst, Hu Li suppressed his anger slightly and sat on the sofa beside her in silence.

Hu Mother's tears ultimately did not fall. She spoke softly, "You agreed to dine with Miss Li. Did you not consider the possibility of being caught by tabloid journalists? You're worried about being seen with her, but you shouldn't blame me unjustly."

"Let's speak frankly, Mother. If this news didn't have your approval, how could it have appeared in the newspaper? Our family rules clearly state that unnecessary matters shouldn't be publicized. Isn't it because they didn't care about their lives?" Hu Li raised his voice, anger flaring.

"If it was me, what would you do?" Hu Mother asked calmly, looking at Hu Li as if she were gambling on something.

Hu Li's cold, deep gaze startled Hu Mother. "Since Mother admits it, I will leave."

Suddenly, Hu Mother stood up abruptly, raising her voice, "No... you can't..." She seemed particularly afraid of Hu Li leaving, her composure lost.

Hu Li's lips curved in a mocking smile. "Mother, are you breaking the agreement?"

"What? No, but you haven't finished what you promised, have you?" Hu Mother feigned composure.

"I promised you no contact with the outside world for a while, and everything was arranged by you. But the premise was that you wouldn't do anything excessive." Hu Li paused, then continued, "Have you looked into Hua Yan's situation?"

Under Hu Li's scrutinizing gaze, Hu Mother's eyes narrowed. "No, I haven't... haven't..." Perhaps due to Hu Li's intimidating gaze or because she had other plans, she suddenly changed her tone, "I met her yesterday..." She smiled mysteriously, "When I found her in a standalone villa, she was with a man whose demeanor was no less than yours. Their relationship seems extraordinary."

"Hu Li's face immediately changed, and the coldness in his eyes could freeze anyone. 'What did you do, Mother?'

'I just talked to her, nothing excessive.' Hu Mother steadied herself and resumed her seat on the sofa.

Left alone, Hu Li's expression kept shifting. Minutes later, he wordlessly walked out, leaving Hu Mother in panic again. 'Where are you going?'

Ignoring her calls, Hu Li kept walking without turning back or replying.

'If you walk out again, I will immediately tell your father about Hua Yan!' Hu Mother's threat stopped Hu Li in his tracks. He turned around, unmoving.

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Silence filled the air, thick enough to cut through. Hu Li's chest heaved noticeably, his eyes closed, breath audible from a meter away.

After a while, Hu Li regained his composure, sat back on the sofa, and hoarsely said, 'I won't leave, but Mother, you must reveal the true purpose of your visit here.'

Hu Mother bowed her head in thought, her expression serious. 'An archenemy of our family has escaped to the mainland. Your father and I fear he might seek revenge against you, so I came.'

'How much does he know?' Hu Li guessed there had been another bloody purge in the family, considering the extent of his mother's fear. His thoughts immediately turned to Hua Yan's safety; this intuition sent chills down his spine, cold sweat breaking out all over his body.

'What's wrong with you? Why do you look so pale?' Concerned, Hu Mother sat beside him, holding his hand.

Hu Li withdrew from her touch on his forehead and said, 'It's nothing. Mother, tell me how much this person knows about our family.'

'A lot... He knows everything about our public affairs, and it's because of this that your father ordered the hit.'

Upon hearing this, Hu Li couldn't sit still any longer. He grabbed Hu Mother's hand and said, 'Mother, give me my phone. I have an urgent matter. If you don't give it to me, I'll leave immediately.'

Hu Mother cursed Hua Yan a thousand times in her heart, knowing exactly why Hu Li was in such a hurry without asking. Reluctantly, she stood up, went to the second-floor safe, and retrieved Hu Li's phone.

Hu Li took the phone and immediately dialed Hua Yan's number from the balcony. However, no one answered. Frowning, he checked the time on his watch, and a smile formed on his face.

It was well past noon, the time when Hua Yan usually took her nap. Hu Li decided to end the call because he remembered how much she hated being disturbed during her sleep; it was as bad as killing her. After pondering for a while, Hu Li opened the messaging app and quickly typed out a message.

Just as he sent the message, Hu Mother's voice rang out from behind, 'Done with it. Give me the phone.'

Hu Li clenched his fist, unwilling to surrender the phone. In his heart, he longed to hear Hua Yan's voice—a craving akin to thirsting for water in the desert, a feeling language couldn't fully capture.

'Give it here. Haven't you learned to stop when it's enough?' These were the words every Hu family member heard daily during their training. The Hu family didn't fear those who were ruthless, but they couldn't tolerate greed and insatiability.

Considering this, Hu Li hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly handed the phone to Hu Mother. 'Give me a dossier on this person,' he demanded.

Hu Mother hesitated briefly, took the phone, nodded, and replied in agreement.

At this moment, hidden in an alley around the capital's airport, was a disheveled man. His body, clad in what seemed like tattered remnants of a suit, revealed patches of pale skin marked with dark bloodstains. Despite the worn appearance, his exposed skin remained remarkably fair, a testament to his past life of wealth and privilege. Over his shoulders draped a brand-new coat.

His eyes were bloodshot, and the deep, silent darkness within them resembled death itself, exuding an aura of imminent violence. This man was the formidable adversary Hu Mother had mentioned—escaped and pursued her all the way to Haibin City. Initially intent on seizing the opportunity to exact revenge on her and Hu Li, he found Hu Mother had gone into hiding as soon as she arrived, and Hu Li had disappeared as well.

Stripped of power and resources, he seethed with impotent rage. Unfamiliar with the mainland and having exhausted his funds, his pursuit of Hu Mother and Hu Li proved futile. Reduced to begging, he lingered in Haibin City, awaiting news from the Hu family.

He had followed Hu Mother closely the day she accompanied Hua Yan. He had contemplated attacking Hu Mother but found her surrounded by too many plainclothes protectors, leaving him no opportunity. Thus, he waited patiently for the right moment.

At a distance where their conversation was unintelligible, he relied on lip-reading skills. Translating Hu Mother's words, he focused his attention on Hua Yan.

Just as Hu Mother and Hua Yan parted ways, something unclear and ambiguous occurred. In the moment before Hu Mother departed, she glanced in his direction, a smile tinged with irony or perhaps conveying a message.

Just as he began to speculate, a brand-new coat and several hundred yuan suddenly dropped in front of him. He didn't see who had thrown them, but without further thought, he donned the coat and bought a ticket on the same flight as Hua Yan to the capital.

From Hu Mother's words, he gleaned that Hua Yan held significant importance to Hu Li. Unable to find any flaws in the defenses of Hu Li and Hu Mother, he saw great potential in exploiting this woman, Hua Yan.

Upon exiting the airport, he hailed a cab and followed closely behind Hua Yan. However, after circling around a few times, within half an hour, he had lost sight of her vehicle. The taxi fares alone had drained what little money he had left.

Furious, he cursed Hu Mother vehemently, realizing he had been outmaneuvered by her meticulous planning regarding the coat and the money she had given him.

Subsequently, he decided to remain temporarily in the capital, determined to search for Hua Yan at a leisurely pace. He remained convinced that Hua Yan was no more difficult to handle than the members of the Hu family.

Meanwhile, Hua Yan woke from her nap and saw a missed call from Hu Li on her phone, causing her considerable vexation. She immediately dialed him back, but his phone was switched off. Disappointed, she noticed there was also a text message.

Opening it, she started to smile happily upon seeing it was from Hu Li. However, halfway through reading the message, her smile faded. She hadn't anticipated the complexity of the situation.