Before long, Hu Li came in, and Nanny Chang, leaving the ceramic pot of chicken soup, smiled and left. Hu Li nodded to Nanny Chang, appreciating her gesture to give him and Hua Yan some alone time.
Since their son was born, although his days were busier and more complicated, Nanny Chang had been increasingly kind to him. She would occasionally drag him to the kitchen to prepare delicious meals for Hua Yan together.
Moreover, Hua Fu’s cold looks and outright ignoring him had become less frequent. Occasionally, Hua Fu would even speak to him in a normal tone, reminding him not to let Hua Yan bathe alone, avoid eating cold fruits, and help soothe the baby so that Hua Yan could get a good night's sleep.
To others, these might be annoying naggings, but Hu Li liked to hear them. Hua Yan valued family ties deeply, and he hoped that through his efforts, Hua Fu would forgive him, thus easing Hua Yan's worries.
"You're getting faster at washing diapers!" Hua Yan remarked. She still remembered the first day Hu Li faced the yellow, wet little cloth diapers, looking helpless but unwilling to give up. His expression back then was as if the diapers were wild beasts, and he was the hunter, amusing everyone present at the time.
As time passed, Hu Li increasingly resembled a man adept at domestic life.
Understanding that Hua Yan was recalling his awkward moment, Hu Li no longer felt embarrassed as he used to. Acting as if nothing happened, he took the empty bowl from her, helped Hua Yan recline more comfortably against the pillow, and started to refill the small bowl with chicken soup. "Drink another bowl. There's still some time before seven or eight tonight."
"Alright, this little rascal is getting hungrier by the day," Hua Yan said, touching the nose of her babbling son beside her, a happy complaint.
"Shall we feed him goat milk? After all, the base has a meadow, and keeping a goat isn’t much trouble."
"Let's wait three more months. People say that breast milk helps strengthen the baby's immunity. Besides, feeding him makes me happy too."
"As long as you feel good, Jiucheng."
Suddenly, Hua Yan remembered something important. "Have you and Dad decided on our son's formal name yet?" She had decided long ago not to get involved in naming the baby. She planned to use one or two characters from the formal name for the nickname, as she wasn't good at naming.
"Hu Chen, hoping he will always have a bright morning light in his heart."
Being a descendant of the Hu family meant inevitably encountering the darker sides of life, an endless darkness. If not for meeting Hua Yan, Hu Li himself would be oblivious, immersing his soul in the world's shadows. Thinking back, if not for Hua Yan, even if he had known he was mired in darkness, he wouldn't have cared.
Seeing Hu Li's complex expression while looking at their son and recalling from his nightmares and sleep talking about his childhood filled with endless bloody and boring knowledge, Hua Yan understood his sorrow for their son's future challenges.
Not wanting him to dwell on it further, Hua Yan said, "Hu Chen is a good name. It's simple yet carries the blessing of those who love him. Everyone pursues different things. Maybe our Chenchen will be interested in business when he grows up!"
Years later, when Hua Yan looked back on this day, she would be proud of her foresight. From fifteen or sixteen years old, Hu Chen began managing the Hu family's business, finding joy amidst numerous challenges, commercial battles, and schemes.
"Yes, I understand what you mean."
The three of them, Hua Yan, Hu Li, and their son, napped on a big bed on a sunny afternoon. Hua Yan held Hu Chen, while Hu Li lay on the bed, embracing both mother and child.
In the quiet, the occasional breeze rustled the willow trees outside the window, and a few birds flitted about. Hua Fu, coming in to see his grandson, witnessed this heartwarming scene and unexpectedly found his eyes moist.
The retreat was peaceful, but at the Hu family estate, Hu Fu was furiously berating a group of ten men and women, all in their thirties to forties and dressed in Zhongshan suits.
This began a month ago after attending the Ko-Cai family wedding. Shortly after, Long Da, Hu Fu’s right-hand man known for his intelligence and exceptional skills, went missing.
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Initially, Hu Fu thought something had delayed Long Da’s return and paid little attention. But after a week without any sign, he realized something was seriously wrong, suspecting foul play.
Long Da wouldn't disappear on his own, leaving only one possibility: he had been ambushed.
In these turbulent times, with predators all around trying to kill him, Long Da's disappearance was alarming, indicating that the enemies might already know some of the Hu family’s secrets.
Although Long Da could withstand torture, the enemies using sinister methods was a different matter.
Three days later, Hu Fu's fears came true. Several secret Hu family strongholds were attacked by unknown assailants, and many significant orders were inexplicably lost.
Long Da, as one of the key figures in their dealings, was well aware of these negotiations and profit distributions.
Negative news about the Hu family quickly spread through society. Those in the mainland who had been stirring up trouble, and were recently suppressed by Hu Fu, began to act again. This time, their momentum and resources suggested they had external backing.
A moment's negligence truly placed the Hu family in a perilous situation. Hu Fu hadn't slept for days. Even Hu Mu, abandoning her usual leisurely life of beauty treatments and shopping, stayed by Hu Fu's side, massaging his shoulders, making tea, brewing coffee, offering dreams, and being a listener.
Despite Hu Fu’s efforts, the enemy's seemingly endless methods and unlimited resources were overwhelming. They seemed determined to bring the Hu family down in one powerful strike. Indeed, the Hu family's public companies and some less hidden enterprises began to encounter problems. For instance:
- Local governments received anonymous letters demanding company shutdowns for inspections.- Some companies had significant confidential information leaked, causing irreversible damage.- There were reports of various illegal activities by the company towards its employees...
This failure severely impacted Hu Fu, and his health had deteriorated, landing him in the hospital multiple times. After his third hospitalization due to anger, Hu Li, who had been closely monitoring the situation, came up with a plan.
When Hu Chen started crawling all over the bed, Hu Li shared his idea with Hua Yan.
“Okay, don’t just focus on work when you're out, remember to eat on time. Be careful in everything.”
Hua Yan had already noticed Hu Li’s unusual demeanor in recent days. Today, hearing that he was returning to the Hu family to resolve the crisis, her reluctance and unhappiness vanished, replaced by worry and longing.
When Hua Fu learned of this, he surprisingly nodded in approval immediately. The next morning, before dawn, Hu Li kissed his sleeping wife and son on the face, stood silently for a while, and then left.
As soon as he walked out, Hua Yan, who had been pretending to sleep, opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face in both reluctance and resentment.
After leaving, Hu Li returned alone to Haibin City. That night, he had a secret meeting with Hu Da and the now-recovered Hu Er. The next day, he took Hu Da back to Germany.
Although the mainland and the Asia-Pacific region were affected, Germany was the main battleground.
With Lao Qiao’s help in the mainland, no one noticed Hu Li’s departure. Abroad, Hu Li and Hu Da acted cautiously. Within ten days of Hu Li gathering intelligence in Germany, the Ke and Cai families learned of his return.
At the same time, Hu Li completed his tasks and returned to the Hu family with the rescued Long Da.
Through Long Da’s account of what he knew and recent events, combined with the intelligence Hu Li had personally gathered, they concluded that the Ke and Cai families were involved but not the true masterminds. The identity of the real mastermind remained unknown.
After hearing Hu Li’s analysis, the high-level personnel and Hu Fu in the secret conference room fell into deep thought, their expressions far from relaxed.
Initially, they believed that defeating the enemy was only a matter of time once the Hu family utilized its real power. Now, they realized it was all a complex trap, a series of interconnected schemes. An invisible and intricate net was hanging over their heads.
As the atmosphere in the room grew tense, Hu Li spoke: “So far, there’s only one thing we can do…”
Curious, everyone asked, “What decision?” Only Hu Fu remained silent, but his bright eyes indicated he had already figured it out.
“Sacrifice.”
"Sacrifice?" The room fell silent again, and after a few seconds, everyone asked in confusion.
"Yes, sacrifice. Our true enemy is unknown at the moment, and trying to protect all our assets is impossible. If we let these small profits distract us, our Hu family's centuries-old foundation might truly be destroyed in no time."
"How much do we need to sacrifice?" an elderly man in his fifties asked strongly. This question prompted others to show their eagerness to know.
Hu Li's expression remained unchanged, as he had anticipated these questions. "It's not a real sacrifice; it's more about consolidating our personnel and temporarily halting activities. After all, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be wood to burn. We can reclaim our lost wealth and territories later.
Furthermore, you should have noticed that due to the passage of time, our reach has become too extensive. We've begun to see the effects of having too many branches, which are bringing in names but not benefits, and even dragging down our progress.
This incident does not mean the Hu family has lost. As the old saying goes: 'One must break before standing tall.' Are any of you, who have enjoyed stability for too long, lacking the courage and boldness for this?"