Yuan Han had heard of the South Sea Hotel.

It was currently the most luxurious five-star hotel in Pengcheng.

Yuan Han hadn’t yet reached a level where he could afford to patronize it – he’d only seen the hotel from afar while passing by.

Both the South Sea Hotel and HK Meihua Company were verifiable entities. How wealthy must the Meihua Company be to invest in such a grand hotel?

And for the He family to have arranged an engagement with Meihua’s boss – they must be extraordinary indeed.

Yuan Han’s curiosity was piqued, but just as he hoped to hear more gossip, his colleague seemed to realize he’d said too much and fell silent.

The comment about complicated relationships in wealthy Hong Kong families wasn’t elaborated upon. Instead, another gossip-monger chuckled:

“That’s just how Hong Kong’s rich are. I read in a magazine about the Du family of the Chengrong Group – their chairman is old enough to be a grandfather, but he recently took another young wife. If this was on the mainland, such a person would be arrested and executed! I don’t think much of Hong Kong – their morals are twisted. Men can have multiple wives, and women fool around…”

These words provoked Yuan Han’s male colleague so much that they nearly came to blows in the bathroom.

Yuan Han felt contempt – the man wasn’t wrong, He Shiyuan indeed wasn’t a good woman.

What decent woman would flirt so freely and jump into bed with men so quickly?

He’d never seen such a desperate woman.

Yuan Han felt both disdain and regret. He Shiyuan was such an easy target – if he’d known earlier, he might have… After all, men had nothing to lose.

Sometimes a spark ignites in an instant, and those who have been repressed the longest are most tempted to walk the tightrope.

Yuan Han would never forget the Zhou family’s humiliation – he wasn’t magnanimous, he kept everything firmly locked in his heart. It wasn’t yet time for him to turn the tables; he still needed to use the Zhou family’s influence to climb higher.

A fight broke out in the bathroom, and Yuan Han quietly slipped away.

That afternoon, He Shiyuan came to the office in her fire-red convertible to pick someone up.

Yuan Han looked down from the window, his gaze meeting He Shiyuan’s.

She sat in the driver’s seat of her convertible, her hair in big waves, sunglasses perched atop her head like a hairband rather than properly worn. This woman knew how to dress – she had a certain allure.

Her lips were painted bright red. As Yuan Han’s colleague got into the car, He Shiyuan threw Yuan Han a flirtatious glance.

How could this woman be so brazen!

The spark in Yuan Han’s heart burst into flames.

With women, he was always the one in control – he’d never been challenged like this… What did He Shiyuan take him for? Did she think he was like that fool of a colleague, who could be bought with some new clothes and a watch, becoming her puppet?

Whether driven by anger or something else, Yuan Han called He Shiyuan that evening.

He Shiyuan laughed frivolously:

“I thought you had the desire but lacked the courage. What’s this? Changed your mind?”

“Miss He, I’m married.”

“Heh, it’s just casual fun between willing adults… Do you think I want something serious? Is your wife prettier than me?”

She truly wasn’t.

Zhou Yi had been pretty too, but hers was the beauty of a proper lady.

He Shiyuan was simply seductive.

Even as Yuan Han cursed He Shiyuan’s loose morals, he couldn’t help but call her.

He Shiyuan suggested meeting at a hotel, but Yuan Han was hesitant.

Having He Shiyuan come to him was impossible – he lived in the unit’s dormitory and feared being discovered.

True to her experienced nature, He Shiyuan had Yuan Han wait at a deserted intersection, then quickly picked him up in her car. She drove him through various streets and alleys, going increasingly remote, never actually heading to any hotel… Well, the convertible was a bit small.

The thrill of secrecy exceeded the pleasure of the act itself.

No, the whole process was pleasurable – Yuan Han had never encountered such an initiative-taking woman with so many tricks up her sleeve.

After one taste with He Shiyuan, Yuan Han was hooked.

This woman was too wild.

Afterward, seeing him looking almost out-of-body, she left a lipstick mark on his face:

“Well? Was it worth your while?”

The excitement had been too intense; Yuan Han couldn’t speak.

He Shiyuan giggled, “…Section Chief Yuan, let’s keep in touch by phone.”

…

In the days since Xia Xiaolan left Pengcheng, Yuan Han and He Shiyuan had become very intimate.

With such things, once leads to twice.

Getting away with it once made Yuan Han bolder.

Xia Xiaolan had Ge Jian arrange for people to watch Yuan Han.

It wasn’t that she distrusted Ye Xiaoqiong, but their positions were different now, and she didn’t know Ye Xiaoqiong’s true intentions.

Yuan Han was like a cockroach – dealing with him wasn’t a problem.

But he was still Zhou Wenbing’s son-in-law, and if Ye Xiaoqiong’s methods were too extreme, the Zhou family might lose face again.

Xia Xiaolan never placed her hopes in others. To keep things under control, it was best to keep watch herself.

The person Ge Jian assigned to watch Yuan Han surprised Xia Xiaolan – it was that coward Luo Yaozong.

“Can we trust this coward?”

“Director Xia, I’ve been observing him for a long time. I promised him the position of security team leader if he handles this well.”

“…!”

This was a typical case of position obsession.

Luo Yaozong’s grandfather had been a village chief, his father too, and he had his ambitions. But with his abilities, what promotion could he hope for? So becoming security team leader was the most Luo Yaozong could aspire to.

It was still a position of authority, able to command the security team.

Every snake and rat has its path. Not only was Luo Yaozong a Pengcheng native, but he was also someone who, while incompetent at most things, excelled at underhanded methods. When Ge Jian gave him this task, Luo Yaozong guaranteed he’d handle it beautifully.

Yuan Han thought his affair with He Shiyuan was secret, but after several meetings, Luo Yaozong mapped out their times and locations.

Luo Yaozong even brought back some photos. Ge Jian selected two of the less explicit ones to show Xia Xiaolan, setting aside the more compromising ones.

Xia Xiaolan looked at them – the female lead was indeed that woman from the entertainment industry who claimed to have attended TVB’s training class.

Xia Xiaolan tossed the photos aside:

“These are enough. Hold onto the photos for now, and mail them to America at the right time.”

What right time?

Of course, when Zhou Yi finished her language school.

Two days after Xia Xiaolan returned to China, Zhou Yi passed the level 109 test. Qi Wei had convinced her not to apply for community college – she wanted to continue studying to reach level 111!

Zhou Yi’s psychological resilience was too fragile. Shocking her too early might make her abandon the remaining two levels and possibly interrupt her studies to return home – wait, could this be Ye Xiaoqiong’s plan?

Now that this mess was finally taking shape, if Ye Xiaoqiong kicked Zhou Yi down, she definitely wouldn’t be able to get back up.

Xia Xiaolan muttered, “I hope she doesn’t do that.”

Having different positions was one thing, becoming mortal enemies was another.

It was fine for Ye Xiaoqiong to deal with Zhou Yi, but Zhou Yi’s studies shouldn’t be touched. No matter how annoying Xia Xiaolan found Zhou Yi, she was still Zhou Cheng’s cousin.

Moreover, how much effort had Xia Xiaolan spent behind the scenes molding Zhou Yi into what she is today? In a sense, Zhou Yi had become Xia Xiaolan’s “work of art.”