Hu Li treated Hua Yan with such care and affection that even the slightest hint of trouble would make him nervous. The servants in the villa were all very shrewd; although they couldn’t predict how long Hua Yan would be favored, they were all extremely attentive to her for now.
With Hu Li's company, Hua Yan's days were very comfortable, and she had gained some weight. Occasionally, Hu Li would joke that she looked even fairer with the added weight.
Living so comfortably, Hua Yan didn’t even notice the changes. Hu Li's affection extended to her gaining weight, and he didn't mind at all. Hu Da and the others, seeing their master’s attitude, certainly wouldn't say anything, and the servants pretended to be blind, never revealing a hint of it in front of her.
"Have I really gained weight?" Hua Yan asked in surprise.
Hu Li realized he might have said too much and, worried that Hua Yan would want to lose weight, quickly changed his tune, "No, no, you're not fat at all."
"Hmph, liar," Hua Yan glared at him and ran to a mirror. She twisted and turned, examining herself for a long time, finally pouting even more.
"I'm skipping dinner," she declared, then dashed off to the gym. Hu Li was full of regret, blaming himself for talking too much. Women are naturally worried about gaining weight. Seeing the cook waiting for his response, he left a note to continue as usual and went to the gym.
But when he opened the door, Hu Li was shocked. There was no sign of Hua Yan on any of the workout equipment. Confused, he walked further in and found her asleep in a simple resting area.
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Hu Li gently carried her back to her bedroom. He went downstairs to ask the kitchen to prepare some ginger soup. Returning to Hua Yan's room, he noticed her hair was dry, indicating she had fallen asleep without exercising.
He lay down beside her, holding her and dozing off. Around eight or nine o'clock, a servant came to call them for dinner. Hu Li, propped on one arm, gently shook Hua Yan, but she was sound asleep and wouldn't wake.
Although he felt bad waking her, he remembered she had eaten little at lunch and was in the gym’s cold air in the afternoon. To prevent her from catching a cold, he decided to wake her for some ginger soup and a bit of food.
"What are you doing?" Hua Yan grumbled, half-awake.
"It's my fault. You don’t have to open your eyes. I’ll help you get dressed. Let's go downstairs to eat," Hu Li said, carefully helping her into some clothes and supporting her out of bed.
Still half-asleep, Hua Yan felt lazy and wanted to punish Hu Li a little. She mumbled, "I don’t want to walk."
Hu Li, who was just about to put a coat on her, smiled and agreed, "Okay, I’ll carry you down."
"Mm. Good boy," Hua Yan mumbled, the last words barely audible. But Hu Li, being well-trained, heard her clearly. He thought of scolding her but decided to indulge her instead.
Downstairs, Hu Da, Hu Er, and the other servants saw their master carrying someone and, upon closer look, realized it was Hua Yan. They were filled with a mix of joy and bemusement. Especially Hu Da and Hu Er, who couldn't help but smile. They often felt oppressed by Hu Li, so they enjoyed seeing Hua Yan tease him.
Hu Da, influenced by Hu Er, had become quite involved in these matters. Sometimes, he would chat with Hu San in Germany, sharing these little perks and making Hu San envious.
Hu San was the most tormented. With Hu Li away and the tension with Hu's father, he, Hu Li’s loyal subordinate, found it challenging to operate. Not only did he have to keep an eye on the company daily, but he also had to deal with young ladies from various families asking about Hu Li and occasionally endure scoldings from Hu's father at the old house.
He was now Hu Li's shadow, bearing all the blame. Hearing about the fun Hu Da and Hu Er were having, he longed to be transferred back to the mainland. But his outstanding abilities meant Hu Li hadn't yet considered bringing him back.
Drowsily, Hua Yan drank the ginger soup. Her appetite whetted, she was coaxed and cajoled by Hu Li into eating half a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup. In the days that followed, under Hu Li's gentle interference, Hua Yan’s plans to lose weight were inevitably pushed aside.
Hua Yan had nearly a month of peace when the Cheng family sold their company and left Haibin City for the northernmost region. Hu’s mother, who had not been seen for a while, finally stepped into the villa one morning.
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Just as Hu Li was out, everyone in the villa had already started treating Hua Yan as the mistress. Thus, Hua Yan, who was still sleeping in, was woken up by a servant. Learning that Hu’s mother had arrived, she sighed and muttered to herself, "Can't she give me a few more days of peace? In a few days, I’ll be gone, and she can do as she pleases." Despite her complaints, she freshened up and went downstairs.
“What kind of tea would you like?” Hua Yan asked politely. As long as Hu’s mother didn’t cause trouble, she couldn’t be bothered to put on a stern face and just offered polite hospitality.
“I prefer coffee,” Hu’s mother replied indifferently, her expression betraying no emotion. However, the lack of consideration for Hua Yan was still obvious.
Hua Yan lazily glanced at Hu’s mother. Seeing the resemblance to Hu Li, especially in her inscrutable eyes, she thought of Hu Li and decided not to bother confronting her. She instructed a servant to prepare the coffee and stared at a spot on the coffee table without speaking further.
In truth, Hua Yan didn’t know what to say to Hu’s mother. Hu’s mother, observing Hua Yan's lazy and calm demeanor, felt annoyed but knew she couldn’t start a quarrel. Otherwise, she, as the mother, would be in the wrong.
“Have you and Hu Li set a date for the wedding? When is your father coming back?” Hu’s mother asked.
Though staring at the coffee table, Hua Yan heard the question clearly. She didn’t raise her head but pondered Hu’s mother’s intentions. Could it be that she couldn’t get through to her and was trying to use her father instead? Finding this thought amusing, Hua Yan remembered that her father’s current residence wasn’t easy to meddle with. Even the Hu family’s influence couldn’t reach him.
That day, despite her father’s worries, he had implicitly encouraged her, making her feel happy. With her father, old Yang, and old Qiao all supporting her, she felt warm inside. Looking at Hu’s mother, who seemed to be playing a solo act, she felt less inclined to deal with her.
“My father is aware of the situation, but I’m not sure when he’ll be back,” Hua Yan replied coolly.
“It's almost New Year. We should buy some New Year’s goods. I’ve been abroad for so long and there’s so much I don't know,” Hu’s mother said.
“Oh.” Hearing Hu’s mother’s 180-degree change in tone, Hua Yan realized that she was switching tactics. Rather than confronting her directly, she was now trying to use softer methods. Hua Yan decided to play dumb, seeing no reason to comply when Hu’s mother wasn’t genuinely trying to reconcile.
Hu’s mother continued talking to her, but Hua Yan remained noncommittal. As noon approached and Hu’s mother showed no sign of leaving, Hua Yan invited her to stay for lunch.
Their interactions were filled with undercurrents, but Hua Yan’s laziness and nonchalance deflected Hu’s mother’s maneuvers.
Meanwhile, Hu Li, busy with urgent matters, was unsettled upon hearing from Hu Er that his mother had gone to the villa. He hastily wrapped up his work and rushed back.
He arrived just in time for lunch, where the three of them sat down to eat together.
Throughout the meal, Hu Li couldn’t make sense of the situation between his mother and Hua Yan. They seemed to get along, but also appeared to have little to say to each other.
During the meal, Hu’s mother mentioned again about wanting to buy New Year’s goods but not knowing much about it, glancing at Hua Yan frequently. It was clear she wanted Hua Yan to accompany her.
Seeing his mother trying to get him to agree to her request, Hu Li’s mouth twitched. Some mothers-in-law in ancient times would make their daughters-in-law suffer in silence in front of their sons. Hu’s mother seemed to have perfected this tactic.
However, Hua Yan knew well that Hu Li had a sharp eye for these matters. Not only was he decisive in business, but he also understood the intricacies of women’s schemes. Hu’s mother’s tactics and acting skills needed much more practice to deceive Hu Li.
Hua Yan was lost in her thoughts, oblivious to Hu Li's reaction. Upon hearing Hu's mother's words, Hu Li glanced at Hua Yan with amusement. Without coldness or warmth in his tone, he said emotionlessly to his mother, who was waiting for his response, "I'll leave it to someone else to accompany you shopping for New Year's goods. Whenever you decide to go, it's up to you."
Hu Li indeed refused her. Hu's mother felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. After carrying him for ten months and giving birth to him, her son was drifting further and further away from her. With these thoughts, she lost interest in plotting against Hua Yan, finished her meal, and left. Hu Li spent a little more time with Hua Yan, reassured that his mother hadn't caused any trouble, before returning to the company.
Just as Hua Yan was about to take a nap, she was abruptly summoned back to the capital by a call from Lao Yang. It concerned a confidential item stolen by Cheng's patriarch, scheduled to be smuggled out of the country amidst the peak holiday travel.
Intelligence from the Third Department had identified three suspicious individuals possibly carrying the sensitive item. Lao Yang wanted her to use her abilities to systematically investigate and locate the item.
According to reliable sources, the password for this confidential file had not been cracked yet. Cheng's clandestine network was moving the item now because the decryption expert who was supposed to decode it in China had been arrested by the police.
Faced with no other option, they were risking everything to smuggle the item out and find a decoder abroad. If the confidential document were to leave the country, it would be like a grain of sand lost in the vast ocean—gone without a trace.
The implications of this confidential information being known to foreign nations would be enormous for the mainland. As Old Qiao put it, it could set the mainland's economy back by ten years or more; it must not fall into foreign hands.
After a brief call with Hu Li, Hua Yan hurriedly flew back to the capital. Without resting that day, she was immediately taken to an undisclosed location. Using her abilities, Hua Yan sensed the faint scent of the replicated password for the confidential document.
Lao Yang joked that Hua Yan could detect anything like a dog's nose. Hua Yan agreed inwardly; the more she used her clairvoyant abilities, the more she understood that everything in the world had its unique aura, akin to DNA.