Time passed. Life seemed to settle into calm, the stormy waves finally smoothing into still water.

Yet some hearts refused to quiet, unable to savor the peace.

Li Feng was like an ant on a scorching pan right now, roasted by flames of wealth until he couldn’t stand still, hopping desperately forward.

"President, we’ve tracked some movements from the House of Yu."

His secretary reported from the backseat of the luxury car during the commute, summarizing intelligence gathered through covert channels. Li Feng crushed his cigarette, pressing down hard on his trembling legs. "Cut the fluff. Spit it out."

The secretary shrank back. Lately, Li Feng had been explosively irritable. Even at night, when he demanded her service, he’d been rough and careless—so much so she could barely sit comfortably these days.

"Our intel shows most of House Yu’s people have gathered in a coastal city a hundred kilometers away. A famous summer resort spot."

"They seem to have taken over an entire hotel there. Packed with their enforcers and bodyguards."

"They’ve been stationed there for quite a while."

"But the reason? Unknown. House Yu’s locked down that info tight. Our people can’t penetrate it."

Li Feng’s face darkened as he listened. Outwardly, House Yu’s actions matched Madam Yu’s earlier account.

*So Yuchuge really did go to unwind? But why send so many guards? She’s not some priceless artifact needing an escort.*

What haunted him most was Madam Yu’s flickering expression—and her sudden shift in attitude after he’d asked to see Yuchuge. Her over-explaining had only exposed cracks in her story.

House Yu stood like an airtight wall. No matter how frantically he scrambled, he couldn’t glimpse what lay behind it. This powerlessness gnawed at him, igniting a nameless fury in his chest. He felt like a clown on stage, everyone laughing at his stupidity.

"Fuck this shit!"

"You’re all dead!"

Only after several curses did he smooth his sleeves and step out of the car.

The moment he entered his company, Li Feng donned his idol persona—radiant, untouchable. He strode into the elevator amid his subordinates’ awestruck gazes.

But the glow faded fast. Before reaching his office, another secretary intercepted him: "Someone’s waiting inside for you, President."

Li Feng eyed the plain-looking newcomer dismissively. "New hire? Don’t you know no one enters my office uninvited?"

The secretary ducked her head. "I tried to stop them, sir. But they insisted they were your business partner. I couldn’t just call security..."

*Business partner?* The words sent chills down his spine. He rushed to his office. The door swung open—and a wave of nausea climbed from his heels to his spine.

Wu Fan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a bouquet of ninety-nine roses. His eyes glowed with saccharine devotion, fixed on Li Feng’s usual chair.

Hearing the door, Wu Fan pivoted with a theatrical flourish. He batted his eyelashes, voice dripping with a forced, bubbly whisper: "Surprise, baby. Miss me?"

*Surprise?* His heart nearly stopped—from disgust.

Li Feng’s face twisted into a mask of pure venom. He snatched the roses and stomped them underfoot, grinding the petals into the carpet.

Wu Fan didn’t flinch. With a magician’s flick, he produced another bouquet from behind his back. "Stomp all you like," he cooed. "Let them think we can’t afford more."

Rage shattered Li Feng’s composure. He swatted the flowers away, grabbed Wu Fan’s collar, and yanked him upward. "What do you *want*?"

Wu Fan remained calm. "Exactly what you see."

"Would any *sane* person do this?!"

"Sexual orientation is personal. Don’t discriminate."

The more earnest Wu Fan sounded, the hotter Li Feng’s fury burned. He hurled him aside. Wu Fan staggered but straightened his suit, unruffled. "I told you: agree to be with me, and you get the permit."

"I’ll develop that school district without you!" Li Feng hissed through clenched teeth. He wanted to strangle this pest where he stood.

Wu Fan waved a hand, feigning exasperation. "You mean... through that Yu family marriage alliance?"

"So what?" Li Feng snapped. He’d leaked that rumor himself. But Wu Fan’s next words froze his blood.

"Word is the Yu heiress—Yuchuge, was it?—ran off with someone." Wu Fan dropped the bomb casually. Li Feng’s eyes turned icy, veins threading red across his sclera. "How do you know that?"

"My sources."

*(Truth: an online acquaintance had tipped him off—Yuchuge vanished days before her engagement to Li Feng. No trace since. "Use the rumor," the contact advised. "Pressure him." Wu Fan had verified enough to gamble.)*

"Didn’t the Park family also want your development rights? They said: *‘If you can’t handle porcelain, don’t grab the diamond drill.’*"

"You’ve held that plot idle too long. The fees aren’t cheap."

"Drag this out, and that land will bury you."

Wu Fan spread his hands, smiling at Li Feng’s ashen face. "So. Am I not your best option now?"