Di Yanni, of course, did not respond.

In Zhao Dailin’s words, this was a battle between an angel and a demon—one without results. Each occupied their domain, each with people they needed to protect.

Yu Hao and Di Yanni’s Weibo war of words had been going on for nearly a month. Di Yanni had many fans, and Yu Hao’s Weibo was bombarded almost daily with comments accusing her of riding Di Yanni’s popularity to gain fame. Yu Hao wasn’t particularly bothered by this. Since having Lu Huaizheng in her life, she seemed to have developed an indestructible heart—outside rumors and slander couldn’t hurt her anymore.

Meanwhile, Huo Ting’s side was about ready to close the net. After nearly a month of silence, Hu Jianming contacted “Ventilator” again. This time, the location was a small hotel next to Hu Jianming’s home, which he had booked himself. He had barely entered when police broke down the door and tackled him. The young girl who had been with Jia Mian identified him on the spot, claiming that one of her friends had contracted a sexually transmitted disease after having relations with Hu Jianming and had been too afraid to go to school for a month.

There was an immediate uproar. One of the arresting officers, probably thinking of his middle school daughter, kicked Hu Jianming hard. “You beast!”

Hu Jianming cried out in pain as he was kicked to the ground, chairs, and tables crashing around him. Still not giving up, he shouted, “I want a lawyer! I want a lawyer!” His mind was muddled, seemingly unable to comprehend the situation. He grabbed at Jia Mian’s leg, his expression panicked: “Call Huo Ting, tell him to protect me.”

Jia Mian looked at him coldly.

Hu Jianming suddenly realized the truth and gradually loosened his grip, falling back to the ground. “You two set me up? Just for those few shares?”

Jia Mian snorted, “Are you mentally ill? Do those aviation base shares even belong to you? They’re in your wife’s name—what do they have to do with you? Besides, the upright fear no crooked shadow. If you hadn’t done anything wrong, could anyone have taken you down?”

Hu Jianming seemed to understand, sitting on the ground for a long time without recovering his senses, until the police handcuffed him, pulled him up, pushed him against the wall, searched him, and escorted him out. “Take him away.”

Arrested along with Hu Jianming was “Ventilator,” who was in a mahjong parlor on the next street.

Huo Ting had people follow him for nearly two weeks before confirming that he was the contact person for all underage prostitution transactions. When the police entered, the man reacted extremely quickly, flipping over the mahjong table and turning to run. The police chased him for half a street in a chaotic pursuit before finally pinning him to the ground. The man struggled, gritting his teeth and thrashing about as he defended himself: “Why are you arresting me?!”

“Then why are you running?!”

“I didn’t see clearly. I thought it was my wife.”

The police officer, unfazed, bluffed: “Your wife is here. You’ll see her back at the station. Tidy yourself up and have a chat. This time, you’re looking at twenty years minimum.”

Despite fighting desperately, “Ventilator” eventually yielded and was pushed into the police car in handcuffs.

Later, when the police searched his home, they found it full of pornographic discs. After collecting all the evidence and bringing it back to the station, it was said that the investigating officers couldn’t eat for two days after examining everything.

They were all videos recorded by “Ventilator’s” clients during their encounters with women. Apparently, after arranging the location, someone would go to the apartment complex or hotel in advance to set up cameras. Throughout the videos, the men never showed their faces, while the girls were visible.

Sixty percent of them were minors.

This major underage prostitution case attracted significant attention on Weibo, which led to a discussion about pedophilia. Many girls shared on Weibo their experiences of being molested by acquaintances, relatives, friends, or even strangers. During this period, Yu Hao was being harassed by Di Yanni’s fans so much that she barely checked Weibo. When she occasionally heard people mention a major case cracked by the Public Security Bureau, she didn’t think much about it—her mind was occupied with wondering when Lu Huaizheng would return.

On the day Hu Jianming was arrested, Huo Ting and Jia Mian visited Yu Hao’s aunt’s home.

The woman had just finished cooking, wearing an apron, with a table full of dishes. When she opened the door, she was smiling, seemingly waiting for someone to return. Upon seeing Huo Ting and Jia Mian at the door, her smile froze.

The aunt recognized Huo Ting, after all, he had followed Yu’s grandfather for nearly ten years.

“Why are you here?”

Huo Ting politely bowed slightly. “Do you mind if we come in?”

The aunt hesitated for a moment but eventually stepped aside to let them in.

The apartment was small. When the two men entered, it became cramped with barely any room to turn around.

Huo Ting sat on the sofa and got straight to the point: “I’ll keep it brief and won’t beat around the bush.” He took out two plane tickets from his pocket, placed them on the coffee table, and pushed them forward. “There’s no point in you staying in Beijing. In all these years, Old Mrs. Yu has never even asked about you. Go to Wennan. Once you’re there, someone will contact you to arrange the rest. Don’t come back to Beijing.”

“What do you mean?”

Huo Ting leaned back. “You probably don’t know yet, but your husband has been arrested for having sexual relations with minors. Currently, we don’t know the specific sentence, but the Public Security Bureau has set up a special team to thoroughly investigate your husband’s transaction records from the past few years. The government is taking this matter very seriously, making an example—and your husband is that example.”

The woman was stunned for a while, then suddenly covered her face and cried.

Huo Ting glanced at the table. “Is it your son’s birthday today?”

The woman sobbed, covering her face as she nodded.

Huo Ting and Jia Mian exchanged glances, and Jia Mian said: “We hope that you will not appear before Yu Hao in the future. Take your son and go live in the south. You can start a new life there. Mr. Huo has already made arrangements for you. Your husband is in prison; we can help with the divorce proceedings. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”

“You…”

Huo Ting said: “I’m afraid seeing you will always remind Yu Hao of your husband. After all, she’s about to marry my nephew. I’m very protective of my own. If someone makes my nephew unhappy, then no one gets to be happy. I think you should understand me.”

The woman smiled bitterly. “I understand. I need to talk to my son first, then give you an answer.”

“I’m not here to negotiate with you.” Huo Ting looked at his watch, showing no patience. “The flight is tomorrow morning. I’ll fax or courier any divorce papers that need your signature. Whether you go or not is up to you. I’m not insisting that you leave, but I believe it’s better for everyone if you do. Your husband will get at least ten years, in my opinion.”

Having said his piece, Huo Ting didn’t give her any space to think. He stood up, ready to leave.

“I’ll go!” The woman became anxious, clenching her hands and stammering: “Before I leave, I want to see Yu Hao, to apologize to her. If it hadn’t been for me back then…”

Huo Ting said: “That won’t be necessary. I don’t think she needs it. She’s very happy now.”

Yu Hao was indeed quite happy during that period. Apart from the overwhelming abuse online, she spent her days immersed in the happiness of missing Lu Huaizheng. No matter how bad things got, just thinking about his mischievous, naughty face could instantly dispel any negative emotions.

…

After leaving the research institute, Lu Huaizheng didn’t rush to leave. Instead, he leaned against the driver’s seat with the car door open—his usual waiting posture. One foot on the ground, half his body leaning against the seat, the other foot inside the car, his gaze casually directed outside as he called Huo Ting.

Huo Ting was quite surprised to receive his call. “Well, well, the little Weibo celebrity is back from Tusland?”

Lu Huaizheng was taken aback. “What celebrity?”

Huo Ting teased him: “You military men should occasionally go online. Your interviews in Tusland have gone viral domestically. They’re calling you the most handsome Air Force officer.”

“How trivial.”

Huo Ting: “Come on, being called handsome—aren’t you secretly pleased?”

Lu Huaizheng held the phone, glancing elsewhere, and said: “Assign me two of your men.”

Huo Ting was surprised. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Huaizheng: “Don’t you browse Weibo? Don’t you know about Yu Hao almost getting sulfuric acid thrown on her?”

Huo Ting genuinely didn’t know. He didn’t even have a Weibo account. He only knew about Lu Huaizheng because he had been so popular those few days, with young women throughout the company discussing him. He had asked out of curiosity and found out it was him.

“I didn’t know. Your wife doesn’t like being followed. After Hu Jianming was arrested, I withdrew my men.”

“He was arrested?”

“Yes, the trial is in a few days. Want to attend the hearing?”

Lu Huaizheng was currently seething with anger. Having just heard those conversations in the bathroom, he had immediately taken out his phone to search and learned what she had been through these past two months. Suddenly, he understood why Yu Hao had become so attached to him.

With her timid nature, she must have been terrified.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Every time something happened to Yu Hao, he couldn’t be by her side. This feeling of helplessness was what drove him crazy. His heart ached as if someone were gripping it tight—a pain no one could alleviate—and he had nearly lost his temper with her.

Lu Huaizheng’s heart was now both aching and angry. “I won’t go. Just let me know the sentence when it comes down. It makes me sick. Lend me your apartment at Shu Lake. I’ll have Yu Hao move there for a few days. Her parents aren’t home these days, so she’s living alone. I’m going to Hunan tomorrow and don’t feel comfortable leaving her by herself. When I’m not around, I can’t let her be bullied again.”

Huo Ting thought for a moment, then readily agreed: “Forget Shu Lake. Have her move directly to our home. Your aunt is living alone anyway. I’ll have someone drive her to and from work. We have bodyguards and housekeepers at home.”

Lu Huaizheng thought it was quite suitable, and the two men happily made the decision.

Before hanging up, Lu Huaizheng lightly coughed. Huo Ting reacted quickly: “Something else to say?”

Lu Huaizheng made an affirmative sound, looking out through the windshield. He cleared his throat and said: “Yu Hao and I… actually…”

“Actually what?”

“We’re legally married.”

Huo Ting was stunned for a moment. “Do her parents know?”

“No. So, perhaps when the time comes, you might need to…”

Lu Huaizheng picked up a cigarette and held it in his mouth without lighting it.

“You know how to give me difficult problems!” Huo Ting waved his hand and offered a six-character maxim: “Then let’s cook the raw rice into cooked rice first.”

“What?”

Huo Ting patiently instructed: “Have her move in first, then have a child to infiltrate the enemy’s rear camp!”

“Bah! What do you take my wife for?!”

He spat out the cigarette and inadvertently let slip a Beijing curse.