"Master, I saw your cherished pocket watch in the hands of a woman named Cheng Yunqi..."

"No wonder it couldn't be found. Retrieve the pocket watch from her, and also send her a decent piece of jewelry as a gesture of thanks... How is Huayan's injury?" When Hu Li returned to Myanmar from the United States, he discovered that his cherished pocket watch was missing. Despite sending people to search in the United States, it was never found. He lamented over this for several days. He couldn't recall who Cheng Yunqi was, but now that he knew the whereabouts of the pocket watch, he was determined to retrieve it. Women often loved jewelry, so he decided to express his gratitude in this way. While the watch might fetch only a little over five hundred thousand on the market, what he intended to gift was worth over a million. After all, the pocket watch had been with Hu Li since childhood, and the sentiment attached to it was priceless.

However, on the other end of the phone, Hu Er was in a dilemma. Seeing that Cheng Yunqi had been searching for the master for a long time, he believed that she wouldn't stop until she found him. Moreover, Miss Huayan was present, and mishandling the situation might lead her to misunderstand the relationship between the master and Cheng Yunqi, which wouldn't bode well.

"Master... Miss Huayan's forehead injury will be completely healed in another day or two... But the matter concerning Cheng Yunqi is a bit tricky."

"Why? Is she being demanding?" Hu Li's voice paused, coldly questioning.

"It seems like she's searching for you and claims to have had contact with you."

"I don't know her. If she doesn't know any better, you know what to do."

"But..."

"Speak!"

"But Cheng Yunqi claims to be your friend and has been looking for you for a long time. Miss Huayan has been present all along. I'm worried she might misunderstand."

"You mentioned that the pocket watch is mine?"

"I didn't, but I think Miss Huayan might have guessed."

"She's not dumb," Hu Li's tone, rarely changing, suddenly shifted, with a hint of pride amid his usual calmness. "You'll have to retrieve the pocket watch. Now, let her listen to the phone." Hu Li, who typically remained straightforward in his dealings, suddenly found himself entertaining the thought of explaining to Huayan, a sentiment that seemed beyond his control.

Huayan noticed a relaxed expression on Hu Er's face from afar as he approached her with the phone in hand. When he reached her, he didn't say anything, merely gesturing for her to listen to the call.

After hesitating for a moment, Huayan accepted the phone. As she had suspected, Hu Li's hoarse voice once again entered her ears. "Huayan, I want to tell you that I don't even know this Cheng Yunqi, so don't misunderstand. Also, the pocket watch went missing over twenty days ago in the United States."

Huayan couldn't help but believe Hu Li's words. The moment she learned that Hu Li had no connection with Cheng Yunqi, she felt a wave of relief. She regarded Hu Li as a friend, albeit not a close one, and she didn't want her friends to be involved with Cheng Yunqi. However, if something did happen, she would only feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but she would eventually come to terms with it.

"Yeah, I understand. But it seems like she really knows you. Are you playing around with her?" Huayan suddenly teased Hu Li.

Huayan then felt Hu Li's silence on the other end, and it seemed like he was quite unhappy with her earlier words. Sure enough, Hu Li's voice came again, low and hoarse: "You wouldn't be upset when you assume I'm doing those things with other women, would you?" After a pause, he continued, "So far, I haven't been involved with any woman... I have something to attend to, I'll hang up."

Before Huayan could say anything else, Hu Li abruptly hung up the phone. Soon after, the remnants of the phone were scattered on the floor of Hu Li's office. Sitting despondently in his chair, Hu Li fell into silence. His mind was filled with questions: Did Huayan really not care for him? Why could she say such things so casually? The recent conversation left Hu Li with a strong sense of being pushed away and given to someone else.

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It was a feeling of hopelessness, pain, and anger. For the first time in his life, aside from loneliness, exhaustion, and numbness, Hu Li experienced other emotions.

Upon reflection, it seemed like his love for her was like garbage blocking her path. She didn't like it, so she kicked it away forcefully. After a moment of calm, Hu Li touched his cold hands, feeling a deep pain in his heart. The courage he had mustered up dissipated once again.

Suddenly, he started moving, frantically rubbing his hands back and forth as if desperately trying to warm them up, to make them as warm and lively as those of a normal person.

With a voice resembling that of crying, he murmured to himself, "Master, you told me to grow up and bravely pursue my own happiness. Now, my happiness lies in the distant East, but I lack the courage. My body is still cold, and she was scared off last time. What should I do?"

Outside the spacious office where sunlight bathed everything, the world seemed to be basking in the favor of heaven. Plants thrived, and pedestrians moved briskly in the sunshine. However, the shadowy office appeared dark, and Hu Li himself seemed isolated from both the sunshine and the shadow, as if he were living in a different world altogether. Hu Da dismissed the secretary who had rushed in upon hearing the commotion, silently guarding his vulnerable master.

After waiting for a while with no movement from the office, Hu Da became increasingly uneasy. He wasn't sure who had called just now, but he couldn't ask Hu Li. Nonetheless, Hu Da felt he should ask someone, so he picked up his phone and made a call.

Perplexed, Huayan handed the phone back to Hu Er, wondering what had gotten into Hu Li to make such a statement. She couldn't understand why he couldn't take a joke about him and other women. Even though Cheng Yunqi seemed beautiful, she was actually quite repulsive, but Hu Li's reaction was excessive.

Hu Er, relieved that Hu Li and Huayan were fine, quickly approached Huayan and spoke a few words to support his master: "Miss Huayan, the master usually doesn't talk much or use sweet words, but he never lies. He wouldn't deceive you, especially."

"Yeah, even if I don't trust your master, I'll trust you. So, you handle the matter with that woman," Huayan said, smiling at Cheng Yunqi.

"Sure, Miss Huayan. As long as everything is fine between the master and you, I'm not too concerned about Cheng Yunqi," Hu Er replied happily. As long as there were no issues between the master and Miss Huayan, he didn't care much about Cheng Yunqi.

They hadn't been happy for long before Cheng Yunqi seemed to follow them like a ghost. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she wanted to grab Hu Er's clothes, but she remembered that she had already hurt her hand three or four times. "Where is he? I just want to see him. Can you tell me?" she pleaded.

"The pocket watch belongs to someone I know, so please hand it over to me," Hu Er said sternly.

Cheng Yunqi immediately hid the pocket watch behind her, alertly saying, "I want to return it to him personally. Just take me to him, and I'll return the item."

Hu Er coldly smirked, not saying a word as he stared silently at Cheng Yunqi's stubborn appearance. After a few seconds, Cheng Yunqi was red-faced under Hu Er's gaze. Feeling uncomfortable, she lowered her head, avoiding his eyes and quickly thinking of a solution.

For a moment, Cheng Yunqi lifted her head, wearing a pitiful expression, and suddenly grabbed Huayan's hand, saying, "Sister-in-law, please, for the sake of our past relationship as family, help me. Help me say a few good words. This friend of mine is really important to me... As long as you help me today, I will definitely speak more favorably of you in front of my brother. He always listens to me, and it's uncertain whether he'll change his mind and remarry you. Sister-in-law..."

"You seem to have a short memory. I just said I'm not your sister-in-law anymore. And I don't fancy your horse brother type. Go peddle your wares elsewhere!" Huayan said as she quickly grabbed Cheng Yunqi's hand. With a "click," Cheng Yunqi screamed as if she had been killed. In a flash, she found her left hand hanging limp, as if broken. She screamed again in fear, clutching her left hand with her right, only to realize that her left wrist had been dislocated by Huayan.

Hu Er swiftly bent down to pick up the pocket watch that Cheng Yunqi had dropped, standing ready in case Cheng Yunqi went berserk.

Clapping her hands slowly and provocatively, Huayan said, "Your hands are dirty. Don't casually touch my clothes in the future, got it? If you do this again next time, I wouldn't advise you to let your hand really get broken. And don't stand so close to me, you have a stench, and I'm not used to it."

"What... What's wrong with me?" Cheng Yunqi glared angrily at Huayan, her face turning from white to red and then to a more attractive shade of green. She instinctively squeezed her right hand, feeling something wrong. She looked down and, in a panic, turned to search for the pocket watch. After a while of not finding it, Cheng Yunqi stood silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned to Hu Er and said, "You took it while I wasn't looking!"

"Things that don't belong to you are better left alone, otherwise, the consequences are not something you, a mere mortal, can bear. Originally, I was thinking of giving you one or two pieces of handmade, limited edition, red diamond jewelry from the chief jewelry designer in Paris as thanks. But now, I feel it's unnecessary. It's you who made me feel you're not worthy of such precious jewelry," Huayan said, her tone firm.