Hu Er swiftly and firmly pulled the still-crying and shouting Li Jiaojiao out of the office. Her cries stopped abruptly as soon as they exited the door, as Hu Er must have silenced her. Hu Li slumped back in his chair, retrieving Hua Yan's photo from the bottom of the cabinet. He gently caressed the small image repeatedly.

"Hua Yan, where have you hidden... Hurry back, or else someone might take me away..."

Li Jiaojiao, escorted downstairs by Hu Er, had tears hanging from her eyelashes. Her hands and feet trembled violently, and she felt so stifled that she could barely stand. But she did not head home. Her father had asked her about her engagement to Hu Li. She had assured him that she must marry Hu Li, even if it meant suffering, and she had promised to make Hu Li fall in love with her.

After being humiliated by Hu Li, like a shameless stray dog, she had no face to return home to face her father, who had always treated her like a princess, or her caring older brother.

Cai Cai and Hu's mother were having a lively conversation in the living room when a servant announced Li Jiaojiao's visit. A flash of excitement, jealousy, and a bit of sarcasm crossed Cai Cai's eyes.

Hu's mother had just mentioned how Hu Li had readily agreed to this engagement, which made her very happy, thinking her son had finally understood her well-intentioned efforts.

Hu's mother’s talk had a dual purpose: to boast about having a filial son and to express her genuine happiness. However, Hu Li's true intentions remained to be seen.

He had set the future direction of the Hu family's development on the mainland, thereby breaking the biggest guarantee of bringing Cai Cai and him together.

The plan changed, and the next generation head of the Hu family, Hu Li's wife, would now be chosen from among the mainland's official and wealthy families. This was how Li Jiaojiao had found her opportunity.

Cai Cai didn't believe that Hu Li was the type to easily abandon old affections. His agreement to the engagement with Li Jiaojiao seemed strange to her. From what she knew about Hu Li, the Li family was likely to suffer greatly in the future. The more they reveled in their current situation, the harder their fall would be.

Lost in thought, Cai Cai saw Hu's mother rise to greet Li Jiaojiao. Snapping back to reality, Cai Cai noticed Li Jiaojiao standing by Hu's mother's side, her eyes red and swollen, and her light dulled, indicating she was far from as happy as she appeared.

Li Jiaojiao forced a smile and exchanged pleasantries with Hu's mother, thinking about how to bring up her recent humiliation. When she looked up, she saw a handsome woman staring at her with either pity or mockery.

Once again feeling looked down upon, her anger flared, and she glanced unhappily at Cai Cai before asking Hu's mother with a smile, "Auntie, who is this lady?"

"Oh, I'm so excited to see you, Jiaojiao, that I forgot to introduce you. Jiaojiao, this is Cai, who grew up with our Hu Li. Cai, this is Hu Li's fiancée. I think you two look equally charming. You young people will surely get along. Please, have a seat."

Hearing the phrase "grew up with" made Li Jiaojiao very uncomfortable. She couldn't understand why Hu's mother would say such a thing. Was she trying to make her misunderstand, or was she just talking casually?

Hu's mother asked if Li Jiaojiao had any urgent matters. With Cai Cai present, Li Jiaojiao didn't want to discuss her troubles, so she smiled and brushed it off. Eventually, Hu's mother had to leave for a while, leaving Cai Cai and Li Jiaojiao to face each other.

After a moment, Cai Cai spoke first, "It seems your engagement isn't going very smoothly?" She bluntly exposed the mask Li Jiaojiao was struggling to maintain.

Li Jiaojiao didn't expect Cai Cai to be so straightforward. It reminded her of Hua Yan's similar habit, making her even more unhappy. She lifted her chin and said, "Miss Cai seems particularly interested in my marriage. From your tone, it sounds like sour grapes."

Cai Cai chuckled, "We're both in the same boat. There's nothing for you to be smug about. At least I've never had the experience of being made to cry by my fiancé."

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"You speak lightly, Miss Cai, but I feel your heart is bleeding. Even teeth and tongues sometimes fight. It’s normal for Hu Li and me to have spats."

"But Miss Cai, you're not young anymore and still unmarried. More importantly, even if I can't have Hu Li's heart, I will have him as a person. I will be the one walking side by side with him, being addressed as Mrs. Hu. Can you?"

"You can talk all you want," Cai Cai said, "but I don't care to hear it." She turned away from Li Jiaojiao, unwilling to show weakness.

For some reason, she didn't want to appear vulnerable in front of this so-called winner. Hu's mother had witnessed their entire conversation. Seeing them silent, she approached with a fruit tray.

Although the Hu family had no plans to marry Cai Cai into the family, ensuring her lingering feelings for Hu Li might make her more likely to assist him in the future. As for Li Jiaojiao, Hu's mother knew her son too well. He was stubborn, and Li Jiaojiao would undoubtedly suffer many grievances.

To prevent her from giving up, she wanted to stir up some rivalry and ignite her fighting spirit. Today's encounter was an unexpected opportunity, one she wouldn't let slip away.

Even though her husband had always been faithful, with no affairs, no mistresses, not even half of one, when it came to Hu Li, she instead actively hoped her son would be flirtatious without becoming emotionally involved. Using some tactics to gain benefits—why not? She didn't want her son to be looked down upon by the family, nor did she want him to suffer too much due to stubbornness.

As for Li Jiaojiao's odd behavior, she noticed it at a glance. She had already inquired with her spies in the company. She didn’t expect Li Jiaojiao to be so impulsive, running to Hu Li and stirring things up about that woman Hua Yan, crying and making a fuss—young people just lacked patience.

Take her own decades-long loving marriage, for example. Part of it was because her husband loved her and wasn't interested in other women. Another part was because she knew how to manage things: patience, rationality, and showing weakness were her key strategies for happiness. Li Jiaojiao came from a good family, but her stubborn character needed some polishing.

After seeing off the guests, each harboring their own thoughts, Hu's mother dropped her smile and muttered angrily to herself, "Stupid boy, you agreed so readily back then, and now you’re acting like this. If it weren't for his capabilities and Li Jiaojiao's deep affection for him, their effort to draw the Li family close would be ruined."

At Yatai Company, Hu Er was informed that the madam had arrived. He wanted to alert his master, but hearing no sound from the office, he hesitated whether to interrupt.

Eventually, Hu's mother emerged from the elevator. Hu Er sighed, dutifully greeted her, and waited outside the door.

"Ahem... ahem..." Although she walked silently, it shouldn't be that her son had no reaction upon her entering. She noticed Hu Li’s despondence and felt displeased, sitting heavily on the sofa, frowning as she stared at him.

"Mother, what brings you here?" Hu Li asked, surprised to see her.

"If I didn't come, I wouldn't know my son is missing a loved one and hurting his fiancée's feelings. Your father, since our engagement, has been focused solely on me. Why can't you learn from him?"

Hu Li sneered at her, saying, "That's because you are the one my father truly loves. My love and care are reserved for Hua Yan; no other woman will get anything.

Today, let me make it clear: Li Jiaojiao can only have the status of a fiancée, and that status is temporary. When the time is up, she will mean nothing to me." His tone was chilling at the end.

Even Hu's mother, seasoned as she was, shivered and felt thankful she never encountered a man like her son; it would be worse than death.

"You agreed to this marriage alliance with the Li family. Acting like this now only brings harm and, if not handled properly, could attract a formidable enemy to Yatai. You must realize that. You are thirty now; you can't behave recklessly like a teenager!"

"Precisely because I'm not a teenager, do you think I haven't considered the consequences of every step I take? Li Jiaojiao didn’t go home to cry but came to you, didn't she?" In truth, Hu Li's outburst and subsequent harsh treatment of Li Jiaojiao were impulsive actions without considering the repercussions.

Hu's mother was momentarily speechless. Her son’s capabilities surpassed even her husband’s in some aspects. Given a few more years, her husband might have to show deference to him.

"I don't care what you think, but what you did today was over the line. Tonight, apologize to Jiaojiao. Say a few sweet words, and this will blow over."

"Well, I have a meeting soon, so I won’t keep you." Dining with Li Jiaojiao was less appealing than staying here, looking at Hua Yan's photo, and reading documents.

All of this conversation reached Hu Er’s ears. After work, he dutifully asked, "Master, should I make a reservation for tonight?"

"You’re asking this now? Isn't it a bit too late?" Hu Li teased.

Hu Li knew Hu Er had probably heard the afternoon's conversation. But he hadn't asked about it all afternoon, and now it was the weekend. By this time, finding a place would be difficult.

He understood Hu Er's personal motives. He just wanted to tease his subordinate, who had been influenced by Hua Yan.

Hu Er didn’t hide it and admitted openly, "Master, you know the reason and still tease me." He didn't like seeing other women taking the place of Hua Yan. During Hua Yan's absence, he wanted to do his utmost to prevent any other woman from taking advantage.

Seeing Hu Er wearing his emotions on his sleeve, Hu Li felt a sudden warmth in his heart. It seemed everyone believed Hua Yan was alive and would return one day. For the first time in a while, his eyes showed a hint of a smile. "You and your chatter. Looks like we’ll have to buy dinner again tonight. Go ahead and order the food."