"Why do you think it’s inconvenient to deal with that woman?" asked Hu Li’s father, sitting in his office. He was surprised and puzzled by his wife's report, knowing well how much she disliked Hua Yan.
"Although I dislike her, I need to confirm that she’s truly harmless before making any moves. Anyone who can casually take out a jade thumb ring that ethereal must not be simple," Hu Li’s mother replied.
Hu Li’s father chuckled and said, "Can you tolerate Hu Li marrying her?"
"Old man, I don’t care who Hu Li wants to marry. The real question is whether you can truly tolerate it?" Although she truly didn’t want Hua Yan to marry into the family, she knew that her husband's attitude was the most crucial factor.
"I’ll take some time to go back and see for myself. Until then, it’s up to you," said Hu Li’s father, despite his age, showing genuine love and concern for his wife.
"Got it," Hu Li’s mother replied. In that moment, she was no longer the strong woman she usually appeared to be. Her cheeks flushed, revealing a shy, girlish side.
After the call, Hu Li’s mother went downstairs, only to find that Hu Li and Hua Yan were no longer there. Upon inquiry, she learned that they had left shortly after noticing her descent.
Back at the villa, Hua Yan was exhausted, her legs nearly giving out from wearing heels over ten centimeters high—something she wasn’t used to.
Having just finished her bath, Hua Yan was rubbing her legs while drying her hair when Hu Li, with wet hair, entered the bedroom. Seeing her in discomfort, he took the towel from her, letting her lean into his arms as he gently dried her hair.
Once her hair was dry, Hua Yan was half-asleep.
Watching her sleepy, adorable face, Hu Li almost couldn’t resist pouncing on her. Instead, he laid her gently on the pillow and began massaging her legs.
In a short time, Hua Yan’s leg pain subsided, replaced by a tingling sensation. As her nerves relaxed, she quickly fell asleep.
After half an hour, Hu Er, waiting outside, assumed his master wouldn’t come out tonight. Just then, Hu Li opened the door.
"Master, why are you out?" Hu Er asked, his first reaction upon seeing Hu Li.
Hu Li gave Hu Er a look and asked, "Do you think I shouldn’t come out?"
"Ah? No, not at all," Hu Er realized his thoughtlessness, unsure if Hu Li was upset.
"Follow me," Hu Li commanded. Though he was tired, Hua Yan’s safety was paramount now that so many knew about her.
In the study, Hu Li leaned back in his chair, gesturing for Hu Er to sit. "Report on Madam’s actions."
"Madam has sent someone to investigate Miss Hua Yan again and had a half-hour conversation with the master. No other actions were taken," Hu Er reported.
"Oh? It seems this jade ring has had quite an impact on them. Keep a close watch and don’t be careless," Hu Li instructed.
"Yes, master," Hu Er acknowledged, understanding the importance Hu Li placed on Hua Yan’s safety and the cunning nature of the Hu family elders. Constant vigilance was essential to prevent them from exploiting any weaknesses.
"Dismissed," Hu Li said. After Hu Er left, Hu Li touched the jade ring, deep in thought. One phrase kept surfacing in his mind: "rebirth from desperation."
Fortunately, he acted swiftly by developing in the mainland, where the Hu family had little influence, unlike their deep roots in other countries. This situation worked in his favor, placing him and the Hu family on equal footing. It gave him the boldness to take actions such as mobilizing unusual resources to find Hua Yan and publicly proposing to her tonight.
Hu Li’s mother might have relented a little, but Hu Li knew this was only temporary. If his father and the others wanted to take action, their means and destructiveness would be worrying, prompting him to plan ahead.
After sitting down to review many documents and going over future plans in his mind, Hu Li noticed the sky had brightened, with many different birds chirping happily outside.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Rubbing his temples, Hu Li looked at the documents for a while longer before heading back to his bedroom to freshen up. He then went downstairs to the living room and read the newspaper. As expected, the newspaper featured extensive coverage of his proposal to Hua Yan. Hua Yan’s face was shown in profile, making her unrecognizable to those who didn’t know her.
This coverage was something Hu Li had approved and expected. He also noticed a small section reporting an incident involving the Cheng family’s jade materials. The report stated that the Cheng family’s current troubles were no less severe than their recent entanglement in a drug scandal.
Although Hua Yan had asked him not to intervene, Hu Li decided that while he couldn’t make big moves, he could still make small ones. He whispered a few instructions to Hu Er, telling him to muddy the waters around the Cheng family further.
When Hua Yan woke up again, it was almost noon. Thinking that Hu Li had already gone to the office, she took her time getting ready. As she came downstairs, she saw Hu Li lounging on the sofa in a loose white long-sleeve shirt, lazily flipping through the newspaper. The sight of this handsome man in the morning light stirred Hua Yan’s romantic feelings. She happily dashed into Hu Li’s arms and stole a kiss from his face.
Hu Li was amused by Hua Yan’s sudden liveliness and playful demeanor. He took the opportunity to hold her in his lap, asking if she had slept well and if there was anything she wanted for breakfast.
Leaning against Hu Li like a cushion, Hua Yan pondered what to eat. Last night’s meal had been too bland, so she craved something flavorful for breakfast today. She looked at Hu Li and said, “Something with flavor.”
“Oh? Did you go hungry last night?”
“I only had a few of the sweet cakes that Reed brought at the banquet,” Hua Yan replied.
Hu Li chuckled and said, “Let’s have something flavorful then.” He called for the maid and gave instructions.
“Why didn’t you go to the office today?” Hua Yan asked curiously.
Hu Li replied with a sly smile, “Of course, it’s because there’s a beautiful lady at home, making me uninterested in work!”
Hua Yan was taken aback, then playfully punched Hu Li a few times, complaining, “You’re becoming more and more smooth-talking. One shouldn’t judge a book by its cover!”
“This is just for you,” Hu Li said, tapping her nose with a smile.
For breakfast, the table was laid with thin-skinned spring rolls, high-tide egg custard, purple sweet potato dumplings, tender pork patties, steamed three-color eggs, and more. The sight of these delicious foods made Hua Yan’s mouth water. Hu Li asked her which one she wanted to try first, and Hua Yan decided to start with the high-tide egg custard. Hu Li had the same.
Since Hua Yan moved into the villa, Hu Li’s diet had completely adapted to hers. Although it took some getting used to at first, he had grown accustomed to it. He now found it uncomfortable to eat Western food occasionally.
After breakfast, Hu Li took Hua Yan for a walk in the greenhouse in the backyard, which was filled with spring and summer flowers. The spacious area inside made it feel neither oppressive nor cramped.
While strolling and digesting their meal, Hu Li said, “You’ve heard about the Cheng family’s troubles, haven’t you?”
"I know, and I’ve had a hand in it. The Cheng family probably didn’t expect that at all," Hua Yan replied without hiding anything.
"So, you hold grudges. I thought you had ignored the Cheng family for so long because you were letting them off the hook." After walking for a while, Hu Li pulled Hua Yan to sit on a bamboo chair with a goose feather cushion.
Hua Yan laughed at Hu Li's comment and said, "How could I? The Cheng family didn’t appreciate kindness. How could I let them off? They brought this on themselves with their excessive behavior."
Cheng Jie and Cheng Yunqi had given her infertility drugs, and she didn't believe the Cheng family’s parents were unaware. Even if they didn’t know everything, they must have heard something. Since they didn’t stop it, they deserved the hardship they were facing now.
Hu Li felt a pang of heartache listening to Hua Yan’s harsh tone about the Cheng family, thinking about how much she had suffered. "I also plan to take some action."
"Yes, that's good. It would be nice to see the Cheng family fail quickly."
With Hua Yan’s words, Hu Li instructed Hu Er to turn up the heat on the Cheng family. Internally, the Cheng family was already unstable both financially and in terms of morale. Externally, not only was Hu Li’s relentless pressure causing them trouble, but even Secretary Xian Sheng had been making things difficult for them.
The sun was shining brightly, with no wind or snow, an exceptionally sunny day. Hua Yan and Hu Li spent a pleasant and carefree day together. In contrast, the Cheng family was under immense pressure, with a dark cloud hanging over them. Even the usually resilient Cheng Jie was now unkempt, his face covered with stubble, and deep lines of worry etched on his forehead, making him look years older.
Cheng father and son sat in the study, silent. Finally, the elder Cheng spoke, "Are we really not going to get through this?"
Cheng Jie, not daring to look up, shook his head in pain. Despite sensing that the recent events were not simple, his extensive efforts had yielded no clues about who was behind it.
"Sigh, it’s karma, karma!"
Cheng Jie, now more despondent, said, "This is the fate of our Cheng family. We initially hoped to rely on the Shangguan family, but that fell through. Then we managed to latch onto the Cheng family, only for them to have their own problems and flee abroad.
"Originally, we could have continued to prosper if the jade materials hadn’t been faulty. But things didn’t go our way, and there was an issue with the jade."
"Have you checked what Xiaoyan has been up to lately?" Cheng's father suddenly asked.
Cheng Jie didn’t understand why his father brought up Hua Yan but answered honestly, "I haven’t seen her for a long time and am not sure about her situation."
"Well, go check on her," Cheng's father waved his hand, dismissing Cheng Jie.
Though puzzled, Cheng Jie obeyed and left the room, immediately instructing someone to investigate Hua Yan.