Hua Yan had been in the Golden Triangle for two months now. Ever since that day when she won the fight, the men at Qiang Ge's armed base had looked at her with complex expressions, keeping their distance. Even the most lecherous among them, Ma Zi, avoided her, and a mere leg raise from her would send the surrounding men scattering. Seeing this, Qiang Ge was both angry and amused.

With Hua Yan at the base, there was a newfound liveliness. Jin no longer followed her around like a thief, and instead, they often sparred and bantered, much to Hua Yan's frustration.

Today, a fine drizzle fell, heralding the arrival of spring. Hua Yan had been suffering from a lack of sleep, plagued by recurring nightmares of explosions.

Qiang Ge had just returned from a meeting with a few brothers in his study when he noticed Hua Yan looking particularly unwell. He asked, "Didn't sleep well?"

Normally, Qiang Ge would only watch Hua Yan banter with others and rarely spoke to her.

"Not really. Do you have nightmares?" Hua Yan asked.

"Why do you ask?" Qiang Ge responded, puzzled and unwilling to delve into the topic.

Hua Yan, lost in thought, didn’t notice Qiang Ge's expression. Despite his outward indifference, he treated her with considerable respect, which gradually reduced her fear of him. Of course, this was only under normal circumstances. When it came to drug trafficking, Hua Yan could still see the cold gleam in his eyes. She disliked being around drugs but never let her feelings show around him.

"I've been having recurring nightmares. Every time, it's a massive explosion," she murmured.

"Do you want me to help you trace your identity based on these dreams?" Qiang Ge asked plainly, but his words carried many implications. Hua Yan picked up on this but had no regrets. From Jin and Qiang Ge's conversations, she knew he was privately investigating her identity.

"Don’t you want to?" she replied.

Qiang Ge smiled slightly and asked, "Any more information?"

"No, that's all for now," Hua Yan said, frustrated.

There wasn’t much information to go on, but despite his frustration, Qiang Ge quickly shifted his mood and half-jokingly asked, "Are you unhappy that I'm investigating you?"

"No, it's human nature. If I were in your shoes, I’d do the same," Hua Yan said with a smile. She was sincere; she bore no resentment, only gratitude. After all, Qiang Ge was engaged in illegal activities, risking his life. Keeping her around added enormous pressure, endangering the lives of many brothers at the base.

"I’ll let you know if we find anything. You can go now."

Several days later, Qiang Ge received a thick dossier of information gathered from the mainland. As he flipped through the pages, he massaged his temples in exasperation.

"This is too much," he complained, tossing the dossier on the ground.

Ma Zi, wiping sweat from his brow, said, "Boss, you know the mainland has a huge population. Events happen every minute. This is already a condensed version. Look at this one..." He pulled out an even thicker dossier from behind him.

Qiang Ge finally lost his temper and threw the dossier to the ground, yelling, "Pick out the useful information and bring it back in three days." He planned to visit the mainland soon and was considering taking Hua Yan with him.

"Boss, are you taking her with us?" Ma Zi quickly realized the implication. He had assumed Hua Yan wouldn’t leave the base until her identity was confirmed. But Qiang Ge's words indicated a decision to bring her along, suggesting these documents were just a formality. For someone as cautious and decisive as Qiang Ge, this seemed uncharacteristically rash.

"Why not?"

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Qiang Ge remained impassive, while Ma Zi, feeling uneasy, felt compelled to speak up about matters concerning the lives of their brothers. "Qiang Ge... this isn't wise. The mainland is still cracking down heavily on drugs, and the young master of the German Ko family is being closely watched there. It’s extremely risky for us to go there now. Shouldn't we reconsider this?"

"No need. Just select a few people to keep watch," Qiang Ge asserted firmly.

After leaving, Ma Zi, exhausted, rushed to find Jin to discuss Qiang Ge's decision. When he relayed the news, Jin's response only added to Ma Zi's frustration.

"Let them go if they must. Quickly get her out of here; she’s oblivious to being a third wheel every day," Jin said. She too felt uneasy about the situation but understood that Qiang Ge's decisions were final.

"It's just... if something goes wrong, it could endanger Qiang Ge's reputation..." Ma Zi’s worry was evident. Qiang Ge was the big brother he admired most, and he didn’t want to see him in danger.

"Don’t you trust Qiang Ge?" Jin asked.

"It's not that."

"Alright, get going."

Ma Zi and his most trusted men spent a day and night sorting through several dossiers.

Two days later, Ma Zi, sporting a full beard and dark circles under his eyes, knocked wearily on Qiang Ge's bedroom door. However, he was met with a cold scolding from Qiang Ge, who slammed the door shut behind him.

Half an hour later, Qiang Ge emerged revitalized, but the lingering scent of musk in the room made Ma Zi realize his earlier misunderstanding.

When he tried to look around to see who it was, maybe Hua Yan, as soon as he moved, his buttocks were kicked. Qiang Ge said grimly, "Want to die!"

"Qiang Ge, you didn't press that woman on the bed and finish eating?" Ma Zi asked in a sycophantic tone, his expression begging for a beating. Qiang Ge kicked him a few more times before calming down.

Back in the study, Qiang Ge asked solemnly, "Did you find out anything?"

"No, over fifty leads match Hua Yan's profile, but none of them confirm it further."

It wasn't because Ma Zi and the others weren't doing their job well; it was because of an explosion in the overseas market during the New Year when there were fewer people around. Lao Qiao and the others tried to protect Hua Yan and deliberately suppressed the incident. Not even their confidants knew that there had been a fatality in the market that day.

Qiang Ge suddenly fell silent. Ma Zi cautiously asked, "Qiang Ge, are you canceling the decision to send Hua Yan to the mainland?"

"Yeah, let's cancel it."

Ma Zi was overjoyed and almost jumped for joy.

Soon after, the mainland held its first Spring Festival World Trade Expo in the overseas market. Renowned entrepreneurs from home and abroad gathered here, including Hu Li.

After admonishing Li Jiao Jiao, he did not call her, knowing he would go out to the market. Li Jiao Jiao just want with him she to the public.

At the trade summit, Hu Li, exuding confidence and stature as a wealthy scion and business magnate, mingled with other industry leaders and arbitrated several major targets for the Asia-Pacific region. After concluding discussions and agreements, he relaxed on a sofa.

Suddenly, he recalled how Hua Yan used to discreetly observe others from shadowy corners at such gatherings, finding solace in her quiet enjoyment, which now seemed to infect him. The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became. Seeing a group resembling a cartel approaching, Hu Li avoided direct contact, exchanging only nods as they passed.

Recognizing the cartel as none other than Qiang Ge and Ma Zi’s group, Hu Li felt that if he were present, he could glean valuable information from their conversations.

"Have you contacted Jin?" Hu Li asked.

"Qiang Ge, I just called Jin when I went out earlier. She said that since we left, Hua Yan has been very quiet and there's been nothing unusual."

"A waste," Qiang Ge muttered. In truth, he had hoped Hua Yan would make a move so he could discern whether she was friend or foe. Now it seemed the task of uncovering her identity would be delayed further.

Ma Zi, perplexed, knowing Qiang Ge was in a sour mood, immediately tried various ways to cheer him up. Despite Ma Zi's slight lasciviousness, his loyalty and sharp mind made him indispensable to Qiang Ge, despite his eccentricities. Over several years, Ma Zi had become Qiang Ge's right-hand man, earning him many accolades.

Meanwhile, not only Hu Li but also Cheng Cheng from the Cheng family had never given up on searching for Hua Yan. Cheng Wei, upon learning of his son's intentions, immediately supported him and called Hu's father, offering enticing conditions to persuade him to send Hu Yan's whereabouts.

A week later, when Hu Li learned of Hu's father's intervention, instead of calling him to inquire, he instructed Hu San to secretly have Germany's trusted allies, who had not been activated, closely monitor the activities of several of Hu's father's trusted aides, watching their every move.

Once Hua Yan was discovered, she had to be located immediately to prevent her from being taken away by Hu's father's men.

"Master, your plan is: mantis hunts cicada, yellow bird lurks behind," Hu Er asked happily. His actions must have certainty. Although it might not be feasible to retrieve Miss Hua Yan.

Today's nutrition supplements for Hu's father, the special products brought back by the master himself from the foreign market, fresh seafood, but the things have not been put down, just by the black-faced Lei Gongs, Hu's father's broom was swept out.

The people around the shop knew that they were all around to see their own jokes. Just thinking about this, it is both angry and speechless.

When did he suffer so much over the years, but who let him be Miss Hua Yan's father, he had to eat Huang Lian, and he couldn't say anything bitter.