The police officers at the station were exasperated.

They couldn’t ignore the case – it involved kidnapping, fraud, and intentional injury.

But handling it seemed surreal.

After quickly taking statements from the Yuan sisters, the officers urged them to take Mother Yuan to the hospital.

Mother Yuan looked sickly – if they kept her there any longer, she might collapse right in the station!

“We’ll look into the situation.”

“Get to the hospital first, and have your injuries treated too.”

“Nobody can escape punishment for breaking the law, not even Hong Kong merchants.”

The Yuan women were skeptical.

Could they arrest He Shiyuan?

That He Shiyuan was too arrogant!

“Officer, she’s not an ordinary person – she’s the daughter of the He family from Hong Kong…”

The second Yuan sister repeatedly emphasized what she’d heard from Yuan Han. The police officers couldn’t understand – a Hong Kong merchant’s daughter having an affair with a minor section chief just to swindle him out of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, then having his entire family beaten up?

Since when were merchant’s daughters so idle!

Behind the Yuan women’s backs, the officers discussed amongst themselves, with an older colleague revealing the truth:

“I bet they encountered scammers – this has all the marks of a honey trap.”

“A honey trap this elaborate?”

“Who knows? If we try to catch the scammers now, they’re long gone, but we can try.”

The veteran officer meant they should find He Shiyuan first, following standard procedure.

They knew the Yuan family had likely encountered scammers, who were their targets to arrest, so they had to pursue the case. The police weren’t familiar with Hong Kong’s He family, but the Yuans mentioned that the South Sea Hotel’s shareholder, Director Tang from Meihua Company, had previously been engaged to the He family’s daughter.

They could ask Director Tang.

The police went to Meihua Company, where staff were cooperative, saying Director Tang was in a meeting and asking them to wait.

The wait stretched to two hours – Tang wasn’t deliberately keeping them waiting, he was genuinely busy.

When they finally met Director Tang, the police found this Hong Kong merchant wasn’t arrogant at all, just very surprised by their questions:

“The He family’s second daughter?”

“Yes, Director Tang, do you know He Shiyuan, the He family’s second daughter?”

Tang Yuanyue had almost become the He family’s son-in-law, and the families had been friends for years. He knew them extremely well.

“If you’re talking about the Hong Kong He family I know, I can tell you with certainty – they don’t have any daughter named He Shiyuan.”

“She’s said to be illegitimate.”

“That’s impossible too. Hong Kong used to allow concubines, and for the children’s sake, they wouldn’t let them live with an illegitimate status.”

Don’t be ridiculous – if it were a son, the main wife might fear inheritance disputes.

But for a daughter, regardless of who bore her, they’d likely raise her in the family, give her a dowry when she grew up, and use her for building family alliances! As far as Tang Yuanyue knew, the He family had no daughter named “He Shiyuan.”

The scammer was clever – the name “He Shiyuan” was obviously modeled after He Zhitong’s brother He Shi’en.

The police weren’t surprised – they’d suspected a honey trap, and Tang Yuanyue just confirmed their theory.

Tang Yuanyue didn’t dwell on the matter.

It was just a minor incident – should he inform the He family?

Better not – his broken engagement with He Zhitong had ended unpleasantly. Though business relations between the families hadn’t stopped, and he and He Zhitong still exchanged greetings in public, they had no private contact anymore.

Tang Yuanyue was worried about something else.

A few days ago, Du Zhaoji had sent him a business plan about launching a chain of department stores on the mainland.

The project was called the “Asia Plan.”

The first store was already under construction in Yunan Province, with Du Zhaoji as the major shareholder.

The second largest shareholder was Xia Xiaolan.

This was what troubled Tang Yuanyue.

After the American trip, Tang Yuanyue felt uncomfortable realizing Xia Xiaolan had no interest in him whatsoever.

Even knowing Xia Xiaolan and Du Zhaohui were jointly planning “Chengrong Plaza,” Du Zhaohui might not succeed either.

Should he persist?

His former fiancée He Zhitong was engaged again, so why was he still hanging between two options? He couldn’t spend his whole life fixated on Xia Xiaolan, getting no response while avoiding other women.

Was it worth it?

Since when had he, Tang Yuanyue, sunk so low as to play the lovelorn fool?

After leaving America, Tang Yuanyue had started dating again.

Someone of his status couldn’t stay celibate for anyone. During this time, he’d dated three women, both brief and longer relationships: an intellectual female TV host, a capable female official, and a sexy model… They’d done everything adults do, and Tang Yuanyue had enjoyed himself.

Yet after the enjoyment, of waking up next to his girlfriend the next day, Tang Yuanyue still felt empty.

He’d thought he was almost over Xia Xiaolan.

Until Du Zhaoji sent the project plan, wanting to bring him in as a partner, forcing Tang Yuanyue to face “Xia Xiaolan” again.

Should he join?

Du Zhaoji had just lost 5% of shares, falling behind Du Zhaohui in the fight for the Du family inheritance.

If he were to cooperate, shouldn’t it be with the winner?

Back when everyone looked down on Du Zhaohui, Tang Yuanyue had at least formed a friendship with him.

Now, wouldn’t it be foolish to switch sides and align with Du Zhaoji?

But Xia Xiaolan held shares in the Asia Mall.

What was Xia Xiaolan’s intention, swaying between the Du brothers?

Tang Yuanyue couldn’t read these winds.

After seeing the police out, Tang Yuanyue instructed his assistant: “Set up a meeting with Young Master Du from Chengrong, I need to see him!”

Having won 5% of shares, surely Du Zhaohui hadn’t become complacent? Did he realize the second young master Du hadn’t given up on turning things around?

The police reported back to the Yuan sisters, and the second sister nearly broke down:

“He Shiyuan is a scammer?!”

“The He family has no daughter named He Shiyuan. Based on your account, she is indeed a scammer.”

The second Yuan sister couldn’t believe it.

She thought the police had been bought by He Shiyuan.

Who’d ever seen such an arrogant scammer?

If not a merchant’s daughter, how could she be so high-profile, confident, and wealthy?

The police also found it strange. For a honey trap, the investment versus return seemed unbalanced – living luxuriously, driving sports cars, all just to swindle 100,000 Hong Kong dollars? It seemed they needed to find this He Shiyuan, and Ye Xiaoqiong too.

They should also question Yuan Han and Zhou Yi.

Yuan Han had been taken by the Municipal Disciplinary Committee, while Zhou Yi was hospitalized.

Yuan Han’s investigation by the Disciplinary Committee was separate from the Yuan family’s police report – these were two different matters.

But as another victim, the police needed to question Zhou Yi.

Xia Xiaolan received the police first:

“Officers, this incident has caused Zhou Yi severe psychological trauma. Learning that her husband was stripped and tied up at his workplace, their marriage clearly can’t continue. I hope you’ll be considerate of Zhou Yi’s emotional state during questioning.”