Mrs. Hu was reading the overwhelming entertainment reports about Li Jiao Jiao, sipping tea and sighing at how infuriatingly superior others could be. She had once secretly leaked photos of Hu Li having dinner with Li Jiao Jiao, which had displeased Hu Li. She then investigated how Hu Li handled media reports on the mainland.

What she discovered shocked her. It turned out her son wasn't lacking media coverage of his romantic affairs because no one wanted to report on him, but because he had prepared for it in advance.

He had openly gone shopping, dined, and picked up Hua Yan at H University. It turned out he had done all this to create a normal living environment for Hua Yan.

Comparing his complete disregard for Li Jiao Jiao's situation, Mrs. Hu couldn't help but feel a rare moment of sympathy for Li Jiao Jiao. However, she still wanted them to give her a grandchild. After that, no matter how Hu Li acted out, she and his father wouldn't interfere. They would just compensate Li Jiao Jiao with more benefits as an apology.

With her mind troubled, Li Jiao Jiao had a sleepless night. Her face was pale, and dark circles were prominent. Having made up her mind, she went to the beauty salon for a complete treatment.

Around ten o'clock, she appeared once again in front of the magnificent office building of Asia Pacific. The receptionist, upon seeing Li Jiao Jiao, immediately called the arbitration top floor in jest.

"Why are they letting me in so easily today? They used to give me a hard time," thought Li Jiao Jiao, who felt relieved by the receptionist's change in attitude. She rehearsed her speech in her mind again.

When the elevator stopped on the arbitration office floor, Li Jiao Jiao felt her whole body tense up. The unpleasant experiences she had here before instinctively made her fearful.

Thinking of her brother and father at home, she dismissed her thoughts of backing out.

Standing outside Hu Li's office, Hu Er saw Li Jiao Jiao and, unlike before, greeted her politely but said no more, acting like a silent soldier.

Li Jiao Jiao knew that Hu Li's close associates looked down on her, especially Hu Er. She didn't care much for him, but being ignored every time annoyed her.

After knocking, she heard Hu Li's hoarse voice respond. When she entered, she was surprised to find the desk empty. She then heard voices coming from the spacious viewing platform, where two people were drinking tea.

One of them was Hu Li, whom she was looking for. The other was someone she had never seen before but could tell from his appearance and demeanor that he was German. It was the first time she had seen Hu Li not working and relaxing like this.

The fact that Hu Li could set aside his work meant he valued this person highly. With her mind racing, she decided to try to get to know this person better.

As soon as Li Jiao Jiao entered, Reid began observing her unobtrusively. He had known about Hu Li's fiancée for a long time and had a general idea of what Hu Li thought about her.

Seeing her in person today, setting aside emotional factors, Li Jiao Jiao was top-notch in terms of temperament, appearance, and background, capable of arousing any man's desire to conquer.

However, it was limited to not being disliked. While pleasing to the eye, Reid knew that Hu Li's true favorite was Hua Yan, the only woman capable of standing beside his friend.

In contrast to Hu Li's indifference, Reid was courteous and displayed his gentlemanly demeanor towards Li Jiao Jiao. Reid had a particular fondness for women, especially those of high status, exhibiting a natural chivalrous instinct. As for what he truly thought, it was hard to say.

Watching Li Jiao Jiao's initial nervousness fade as she got into the swing of things and her cautiousness around Reid, Hu Li felt contempt but didn't show it.

Reid had come from Germany, and with Hu Li busy, he visited the company to see him. Unexpectedly, Li Jiao Jiao arrived today.

Letting her show up here had its considerations. The previous reprimands had shown initial results. Now, finding an opportunity to ease the situation between him and Li Jiao Jiao was essentially to ease the friction between the Hu and Li families. Today was the perfect chance.

Following Hu Li's signal, Reid engaged in a lively conversation with Li Jiao Jiao, who was delighted. She and Hu Li had been at odds for a long time, unable to understand each other.

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With Reid as a mutual friend, it felt like a bridge was being built between her and Hu Li.

"Hu Li, I'm very sorry for my reckless behavior before." Li Jiao Jiao, with seven parts sincerity and three parts softness, apologized to Hu Li, also watching Reid's reaction from the corner of her eye.

Hu Li didn't respond for a second. Reid, with a teasing look at Hu Li, then at Li Jiao Jiao, joked, "Isn't there a saying that hitting means affection and scolding means love? So, Miss Li, you don't have to be so cautious. Hu Li is just a reserved person."

Li Jiao Jiao's earlier embarrassment vanished. She smiled gracefully and looked at Hu Li with a meaningful gaze, hoping he wouldn't embarrass her in front of others and would take Reid's words to heart.

Hu Li, having watched the show long enough, finally spoke, "You've learned your lesson. Be careful with your words and actions in the future."

“I'm sorry,” Li Jiao Jiao said, somewhat excitedly. After all, this was the first time Hu Li had spoken to her so kindly.

Reid, however, was inwardly disdainful. If this small gesture made Li Jiao Jiao so ecstatic, she might jump into the Huangpu River in anger if she ever saw how Hu Li doted on Hua Yan, always smiling and constantly being teased by her.

“Just be more careful in the future. Let’s go have lunch together to welcome Reid properly.”

Upon hearing this, Li Jiao Jiao was even happier. He was willing to introduce his friend to her and, for the first time, invited her to lunch. It felt like a divine favor had finally shone upon her.

All the way, Li Jiao Jiao chattered excitedly. Hu Li remained silent with his eyes closed, while Reid engaged in lively conversation with her.

In the afternoon, after seeing Li Jiao Jiao off, Reid dropped his gentlemanly demeanor and jokingly interrogated Hu Li about his situation with her.

“I did pretty well, didn’t I?” Reid asked, seeking praise from Hu Li, who continued reading his documents without acknowledging him.

“Say something! And be careful with that Li Jiao Jiao. You might end up falling for her for real.”

Finally, Hu Li looked up, his gaze reproachful. “Do I seem that desperate to you? Watch out for yourself. Don’t let your guard down and get overtaken.”

“I won’t. Don’t underestimate me,” Reid said, looking down on Hu Li’s arrogance. He had never been enchanted by a woman. His friendly behavior earlier was just following Hu Li’s instructions. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have bothered with a woman so blinded by love.

Suddenly, Hu Li put down his documents and said seriously, “But if I asked you to have a one-night stand with that woman, would you be willing?”

“What? No way. If her family found out, they’d devour me. Plus, once you’re out of the picture, I’d be stuck with her.”

“Hmm, I didn’t think that through. I’ll come up with another plan.”

Hu Li had already briefed Reid on Li Jiao Jiao’s situation and his attitude towards her before she came upstairs. That’s why Reid was so friendly with her.

Returning home, Li Jiao Jiao walked with joy. Her family noticed and asked what good news she had. Learning that her relationship with Hu Li had improved, the family was delighted.

A few days later, as Hu Li was leaving work to visit Hua Yan’s father at Muyun Pavilion, despite always being scolded and mocked, he persisted. Suddenly, Hu Er came in, looking worried, with something to report. Hu Li’s first reaction was to think there was news about Hua Yan, but then he felt disappointed upon learning otherwise.

“You’re saying my father has come to the mainland?”

“Yes, it’s confirmed by the people we have stationed with your mother.”

Why would that old man suddenly come to the mainland without any prior notice? It seemed he wanted to catch him off guard. Annoyed, Hu Li realized his father’s arrival disrupted his plans.

“Your mother just called, asking you to go to Xianhailou immediately.”

“Find out who else is there,” Hu Li instructed. He didn’t believe his parents would come all this way just to see him.

After a short while, Hu Er returned. “Master, we found out. The Li family is also dining there tonight.”

Hu Li’s face darkened as he snorted and headed straight to Xianhailou with Hu Er.

The father-son meeting lacked warmth. The Li family, upon seeing them, couldn’t help but marvel. They had always wondered where Hu Li’s cold demeanor came from; now they saw it was from Hu Fu. Although Hu Fu appeared amiable, the coldness in his eyes betrayed their supposedly close father-son relationship.

After Hu Li arrived, only his mother made any effort. An empty seat was left beside Li Jiao Jiao. Hu Li’s eyes mocked whoever had this boring idea of seating him next to her.

Despite this, he didn’t ignore Li Jiao Jiao’s shy questions. Hu Fu and Li Fu talked, with Li Dong occasionally adding his opinion. Hu Mu held Li Mu’s hand, their laughter intertwining. Seeing Hu Li and Li Jiao Jiao interact made them even happier.

Hu Li watched coldly as Hu Mu presented Li Jiao Jiao with a set of diamond jewelry worth millions and a set of jade jewelry valued at tens of thousands per piece.

When Li Jiao Jiao opened the jewelry boxes, she was stunned by the orderly, dazzling pieces, each a masterpiece of craftsmanship. Her family, including her mother, father, and brother, were equally impressed by the value of the gifts.

Hu Li’s mother worried that Hu Li might ruin the presentation, thus losing face for the Hu family and leaving the Li family discontented. Fortunately, Hu Li maintained a stoic expression, treating himself like a mere decoration. However, upon seeing the jewelry, his disdain deepened. These items weren’t top-tier in the Hu family, but they were more than sufficient for a first meeting gift between the two families.

Compared to the top-quality jade jewelry sets made by Gao Ruqing for Hua Yan, these pieces were far inferior. Yet, these people treated these subpar items like treasures.

In truth, what the Li family, especially Li Jiao Jiao, coveted most was the purple-gold diamond ring. But since her relationship with Hu Li had only just improved, she didn’t dare to bring it up.

“May I ask a presumptuous question? Will the wedding ring be the purple-gold crown diamond ring when Jiao Jiao gets married?” Li Dong knew his sister loved that purple-gold crown diamond ring. If the Hu family were willing to use it as her wedding ring, it would make her even happier.