"Hu Li's face filled with sorrow softened Huayan's heart, and she weakly said, 'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay.' Hu Li tried to relax his muscles so as not to scare Huayan. Uncertainly, he asked, 'Are you afraid of me, Xiaoyan?'

Hearing such an affectionate nickname from a man she had only met once before and now twice, Huayan's forehead broke into a sweat. 'We seem unfamiliar; you can still call me Huayan.' She accidentally touched his body earlier and found it cold. Could he really be a zombie? Saying she wasn't scared would be a lie.

'Ah...' Hu Li sighed softly, distancing himself from Huayan. They remained silent for the rest of the journey. When they arrived at the Twilight Cloud Pavilion, raindrops the size of beans were falling from the sky. As soon as she got out of the car, Huayan hastily returned the coat she was wearing to Hu Li.

'Cover your head and hurry back,' Hu Li said, covering her head with the coat. His white shirt had already been dampened by the raindrops, and the contours of his chest were faintly visible.

The rain outside grew denser and denser, occasionally swirling around their bodies when the wind blew. Huayan, dressed lightly, was shivering from the cold. Clutching her clothes tightly, she turned back and said, 'Thank you.'

'I hope someday you won't need to thank me anymore.' The left hand never thanks the right. They are inherently one. After speaking, Hu Li turned and walked towards the black sports car opposite. After a moment, Hu Da got out of the car and ran towards his master, holding an umbrella. Watching Hu Li walk away step by step, Huayan thought to herself that he must have a story too.

'Master, by being like this, you'll get sick. When you go back, the master and madam will blame me.'

Spitting out the rainwater that had seeped into his mouth, Hu Li said discontentedly, 'Am I your master, or are they? Do you need to undergo training again?'

'The master I serve is only you!' Hu Da's entire body was exposed to the rain, and his resolute voice seemed to pierce through the heavy rain. In his mind, Hu Li was the master he was loyal to.

'Well, let's go.'

'When will the master return to Germany?' Sitting in the driving car, Hu Da asked. Hu Li had finished handling matters in Myanmar, then hastily went to the United States to wrap up other matters. He could have returned to Germany earlier, but ended up staying because of Huayan.

Moreover, he had followed from Myanmar to the seaside city.

'Just book the evening flight.' Hu Li ordered with his eyes closed, his hoarse voice sounding weary. Hearing this, Hu Da felt a pang of discomfort. It was hard enough to find someone who could pique the master's interest, but in the end, it was short-lived. He wondered what kind of woman would enter the master's cold heart.

Hu Da thought that Hu Li was probably tired of Huayan's indecisiveness, but the next sentence from Hu Li almost made him scream in shock.

'Let Hu Er stay in the seaside city,' Hu Li continued suddenly.

Hu Da turned his head abruptly and asked, 'Master, do you want him to stay to take care of Miss Huayan?' Hu Da was Hu Li's visible bodyguard, while Hu Er, who had always been in the shadows, was the one with formidable skills. Hu Li wanted to keep such an important person by Huayan's side, but Hu Da dared not voice his thoughts. Having a woman around was also troublesome.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

'Too many words. Let him find me tonight.'

As soon as Shangguan Ning returned home, he received a call from Cheng Cheng. 'Do you also have feelings for Huayan?'

'So what?' Shangguan Ning retorted.

'Huayan used to be Yunqi's sister-in-law. You must know that. Yunqi is about to return. If you get involved with Huayan, how do you think Yunqi will feel?'

'She's not my girlfriend anymore. It's none of her business who I'm with,' Shangguan Ning said irritably. Suddenly, Yunqi felt like a nightmare haunting him, with people constantly mentioning her in his ear.

'We grew up together. You know what Yunqi's personality is like. I'm worried you'll regret it later,' Cheng Cheng said, sounding helpless at the end.

"I understand." Shangguan Ning understood Cheng Cheng's feelings. After the last sentence, he hung up the phone and pounded on the wall in his bedroom. His elder brother, Shangguan Liu, passing by, heard the noise from inside the room and asked, "Xiaoning, why was there such a loud noise in your room? Do you need help?"

"No, it's fine. I accidentally knocked over a glass of water just now."

Shangguan Liu hesitated for a moment before returning to his own room.

"Xiaoning seemed off when he came back tonight, and there was a loud noise in his room again just now. I wonder what's wrong with him?" Su Kong'er looked at her husband with a worried expression. She didn't want to say what she originally didn't want to say, but she had to: "Do you know that Yunqi's girl is coming back?"

"I didn't know. Does Xiaoning know?" Shangguan Liu took a deep breath, widened his eyes in disbelief, or perhaps unwillingness, and asked.

"He should know that the girl is coming back, but the fact that she was injured and hospitalized in the United States is still being kept secret."

"Does Yunqi's family know about her injury?"

"Of course, her family knows." Su Kong'er gently rubbed Shangguan Liu's temples as she spoke.

"This is strange. Yunqi's family would be eager for Xiaoning to be with Yunqi, to climb up to our family. Why are they keeping quiet now that there's such a good opportunity?" Shangguan Liu turned to Su Kong'er and asked.

Su Kong'er smiled slightly, adjusted his head, and continued massaging, somewhat sarcastically saying, "It's because Yunqi met a prince charming in the United States and fell in love at first sight, so she instructed her family not to speak out. Otherwise, with Yunqi's scheming, how could she miss the chance to make Xiaoning feel sorry for her?"

"What kind of person has she set her eyes on that's even more eye-catching than Xiaoning?"

"I don't know who that person is, but would the person she's interested in be an ordinary person?"

"The people from Yunqi's family are getting more and more scheming. Why is Xiaoning still so obsessed with Yunqi? I'll have a good talk with him when I find the time. Where did you hear this news from?" Wasn't it said that Yunqi had instructed her family?

"It was from Li Meier, who was abandoned by Cheng Jie, from the servants in the Cheng family. She hates being abandoned by Cheng Jie, so she chose the time when Xiaoning was with me to spill the beans." Su Kong'er added, "I've shut her up so she won't talk nonsense."

"That's good. Otherwise, Xiaoning will be troubled again."

"You can rest assured about this. I also don't want that girl Yunqi to enter our Shangguan family's door. Otherwise, this family won't be peaceful."

Shangguan Liu laughed and scolded, "You're so calculating."

"Tch, even if I'm calculating, what's wrong with not having a bad heart?" Su Kong'er scolded her husband coquettishly. As her gaze swept over Shangguan Liu, she displayed a charming demeanor, causing Shangguan Liu to couldn't help but pounce on her, and in the end, the two rolled around laughing together.

The next day, after breakfast, Huayan sat alone in a chair on the second floor, watching the crowds outside the floor-to-ceiling windows and the vehicles speeding by. She constantly rubbed the black suit on her lap.

Why did that zombie-like man called Hu Li come looking for her? Why did he look at her with so much emotion in his eyes?

Just then, Chang Ma came up from downstairs. Huayan asked, "Chang Ma, have you ever seen or heard of people whose bodies are cold? What could be the reason?"