Far away in a private castle estate in Italy, Ivan and Barlow were discussing the upcoming banquet under the moonlight.

"I'm just afraid that our master won't understand what we've done in the future," Barlow said, his tone filled with worry. After all, Hu Li had endured a horrifying and bloody event at such a young age solely by willpower. How could someone like that tolerate any provocation, even if it was well-intentioned?

Even though these were things they had to do, the branches of the Hu family were too widespread. If Hu Li's special identity were ever exposed, these branches would become burdens for him. So they had thought of this method.

Ivan's usually cheerful face also darkened. Without a master, they couldn't stand against the Pope. Welcoming their new master as soon as possible was imperative, especially since there were other clansmen unwilling to become the Pope's lapdogs who needed someone to lead them.

Suddenly, a smile appeared on Ivan's pale face. Seeing Barlow’s confusion, he joked, "For safety, we need to curry favor with the mistress."

Barlow, however, looked rather grim. "I'm just afraid that once everything is out in the open, the master and the mistress's relationship will face a cruel challenge. I fear that one day, the mistress might no longer be our mistress."

"Let's hope it won't come to that..." Ivan could only hope for the best. The previous master had willingly died for love. Could the tragedy continue? Seeing the future master love the mistress more than himself made Ivan's heart tremble. He then decided on something he had been pondering for a while.

"Right now, only you and I know who the master is. We need to keep this secret well; otherwise, the master might survive, but the mistress and the child might not. Those old guys have been rigid and rule-bound for too long."

"Don't worry, I'm quite clever... Ah, I really wish I could personally attend the future master's banquet."

"The Pope and those old guys are still watching us." Even though Ivan understood, Barlow couldn't help but remind him.

For some reason, he felt a deep-seated fear towards Hu Li, who hadn't fully awakened yet. He had previously asked Ivan if he felt the same, but Ivan didn't seem to share that feeling. This made Barlow inexplicably reluctant to go against Hu Li's wishes.

"Pour me a glass too," Ivan said, his eyes gleaming green as he looked at the red liquid in Barlow's hand, licking his lips hungrily.

Ivan and Barlow had been together for countless years. Sometimes, Ivan was as capricious as a child, while Barlow was like a silent old housekeeper. The housekeeper, Barlow, brought the red liquid, but Ivan was no longer by the window.

A small sigh escaped Barlow's lips as he gazed eastward, mumbling, "You couldn't resist going. I hope you don't anger that extraordinary woman. And her blood is the most enticing in the world. Don’t lose control…”

At that moment, the banquet for Hu Li had already begun.

Although the Hu family had suffered many losses during the recent crisis, today’s banquet was still attended by many high-ranking officials and business magnates in their finest attire.

Those with insight could see that while the Hu family appeared weaker than before, they were actually stronger internally.

Some admired Hu Li and his father's resourcefulness; some saw potential in the Hu family's future; some wanted to show support while the Hu family was down to avoid future retaliation; and some were simply there to enjoy the Hu family's misfortune.

These various intentions were all present among the attendees from the Ke and Cai families.

Ke Shaozheng was there partly to see the Hu family's misfortune and partly to keep an avenue open for his family. Even Cai Cai, who was heavily pregnant, had come. Many in her family disagreed and didn't understand her decision, but she insisted.

In the end, Ke Shaozheng couldn't resist her rare pleading look and agreed. Cai Cai had come today to tell Hu Li what she had heard from Ke Shaozheng.

She wasn't acting out of old feelings but rather to secure a prosperous and complete home for her unborn child. Human beings are not without emotions, and despite Ke Shaozheng's usual behavior, his care and honesty since their marriage had touched her.

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Even though those behind the scenes had great and unfathomable power, as a woman, Cai Cai hoped that by talking to Hu Li, people would believe she was discussing personal matters rather than business.

Cai Cai's brother, the legitimate heir of the Cai family, was there to represent their family. He disliked socializing and stood protectively on either side of Cai Cai with Ke Shaozheng. Even his female companion had been sent away.

"Feeling tired? There's an empty spot over there. Let's go sit for a while," Ke Shaozheng, noticing the sweat on Cai Cai's forehead, said considerately.

Her brother smiled at Ke Shaozheng, saying, "Brother-in-law, you sure care for my sister. I feel more and more inadequate as a brother."

"You're just teasing me," Ke Shaozheng replied with a chuckle.

Ke Shaozheng accompanied Cai Cai for a while before Hu Li appeared in a sharply tailored black suit, wearing a faint smile that no one could tell how genuine it was.

As soon as he appeared, many people, both men and women, started to move about energetically. Of course, there were also those who stood at a distance, craning their necks to get a better look at Hu Li, their eager eyes seemingly hoping for the Hu family to make a fool of themselves.

Sharp-eyed observers quickly noticed that Hu Li's father was accompanied by the elegantly dressed Hu mother, while Hu Li himself stood alone without any female companion after long observation and waiting.

"The new head of the Hu family is truly special, attending his first banquet alone. What do you think tomorrow's headlines will say? Hu family head likes men? Impotent? Or..." Male Guest A said cynically.

"Everyone knows that this young master of the Hu family has never shown interest in women," Female Guest A said with an ambiguous tone.

However, she was immediately contradicted: "That's not true. I heard that this young master, no, now the head of the Hu family, caused quite a stir with his family over a common woman while he was in the mainland. And I heard that the woman was divorced. I just can't understand how such a woman caught his eye. It breaks my heart..." said Female Guest B, who was the most outstanding in appearance and demeanor among the group, half-teasing and half-jealous, drawing the envy of many women and the admiration of many men.

"You can't just focus on the head of the Hu family. We men here aren't too bad either. Just give us a chance, and we won't disappoint you," Male Guest B said with a smile.

This remark made all the men look at the beautiful woman with starry eyes.

This woman, Alice, had some connection with Hua Yan. She had been very close to Hua Yan's previous incarnation. At first, Alice could still get information about Hua Yan, but after Hua Yan moved from Changle City to Haibin City, she couldn't find out anything about her anymore.

This was because Hua Yan had joined the team of special ability warriors, and Old Qiao and the others had sealed off any information about her. So, Alice didn't know that the common woman she mentioned was Hua Yan, whom she missed.

Given Alice's family background and personal abilities, it wasn't surprising that she attracted the admiration of these elite men, though she had no intention of getting involved with any of them. She conversed with them politely yet distantly, her eyes constantly drifting towards Hu Li.

Soon, she noticed that several women, no less attractive than herself, dressed appropriately and charmingly, stood a step away from Hu Li. Sometimes two or three of them gathered near Hu Li, making Alice's beautiful eyes fill with disappointment.

This scene surprised many people.

"Hu Li is indeed remarkable," Ke Shaozheng said, sipping his wine and laughing as he spoke to Cai Cai and her brother.

"Hypocrite," Cai Cai's brother said disdainfully, casting a cold glance at Hu Li. Since Cai Cai got married, her brother still harbored deep resentment towards Hu Li.

Cai Cai glanced at her brother helplessly and said calmly, "Didn't you notice that these women are all standing a step away from Hu Li?"

"You mean these aren't Hu Li's intended companions..." Ke Shaozheng asked in surprise. He had been too busy watching the spectacle to notice the details.

"Pretending not to want a companion, yet putting on a show..." Cai Cai's brother muttered softly.

Cai Cai and Ke Shaozheng heard him clearly but didn't reprimand him for his narrow-mindedness.

"Yes, I recognize those women as the most outstanding among the Hu family's collateral branches. If they agree never to marry out and only take in a husband, they can become collateral branch heirs," Cai Cai said. She had often visited the Hu family and seen these women before. She never expected Hu Li, usually so calm and unrestrained by worldly matters, to come up with such a plan.

However, the result was satisfactory. By tomorrow, everyone would forget that Hu Li didn't have a companion and instead focus on the fact that he was accompanied by several beautiful women at the banquet.

Hu Li himself, at this moment, no longer felt his initial displeasure. He appreciated that Hu Can and the others had come up with this plan to help him maintain his reputation.

Even though he didn't think it was necessary, at least they had managed to fend off those eligible women from the collateral branches.

Meanwhile, Hu Li was already thinking about how he would tell her about this banquet after it was over to avoid making her unhappy.

With the Hu family in trouble and their business impeded, Hu mother, who had always been the darling of the high society ladies, found herself subjected to subtle hostility and exclusion. She couldn't bear it and returned to Hu father's side with a look of anger in her eyes.

Hu father's situation was much better. Many people had experienced his methods and were still wary of him. The conversations were amiable, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Ke Shaozheng noticed a few business magnates he needed to network with and asked Cai Cai's brother to take care of Cai Cai before leaving. Cai Cai, despite her brother's confusion and disapproval, stood up and made her way towards Hu Li, who had found a moment of peace.