Hua Yusen burst in, anxious and dust-covered from his journey. He had just arrived at the train station and happened to run into Chen Lei, so he asked if anyone had been looking for him.

Chen Lei said that a man and a woman had come looking for him yesterday, but he had been on a train at the time, not at the station. A colleague had told him about it.

As soon as he heard this, Hua Yusen knew something was wrong. Zhao Nuanyue must be in trouble. The nightmare he’d had was actually coming true.

But this was one dream he wished had never come true!

It was always the bad omens that came true, never the good ones!

When he went to the salvage station, Station Chief Liu wasn’t there either, which only strengthened Hua Yusen’s suspicion that something had definitely happened to Zhao Nuanyue.

"Mr. Hua, you’ve come at the perfect time. What on earth is going on with Zhao Nuanyue?" Station Chief Liu asked. "She came to me for help buying train tickets. I had just bought them and hadn’t even had a chance to give them to her when her stepfather took her and her brother away. In her haste, she stuffed three letters and a note into my hand. Take a look!"

Hua Yusen took them and scanned the contents, his eyes flying across the lines. When he read that Zhao Jinghai was actually planning to marry Zhao Nuanyue off to a fool, his fury surged, and he wished he could just go and kill Zhao Jinghai right then and there!

"This Zhao Jinghai has gone too far!" Hua Yusen cursed. "To think such a wonderful young lady would be ruined by a beast like him. Huh? Li Jianfeng is involved in this too?"

"Correct," Mr. Yang nodded. "If it were only Zhao Jinghai, this would be simple. Director Hao could step in and resolve the issue. But Li Jianfeng’s involvement complicates things."

Hearing this, Hua Yusen was privately delighted. He quickly said, "We’ve been trying to gain control of the Du Xi Unit for a long time without success. If something happens to this Li Jianfeng, it’s bound to fall into our hands."

"I understand the principle," Mr. Yang said. "But right now, I can’t be certain if what Zhao Nuanyue claims is happening to her is actually true."

"It’s true. It’s absolutely true," Hua Yusen hastily assured him. "I can swear on my life that what’s happening to Zhao Nuanyue is real. She was on edge ever since she received the train tickets from her family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have asked me for help and written those three letters as a precaution. Besides, the only reason Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang volunteered to go to the countryside in the first place was because they were having a hard time at home and being bullied by their stepfather’s family."

At this, delighted expressions appeared on the faces of both Mr. Yang and Station Chief Liu.

"Since you’re so certain, we’ll skip the investigation. This opportunity is rare and fleeting; we must act now. We’ll rescue Zhao Nuanyue immediately," Mr. Yang said, pleasantly surprised. "And then we’ll seize control of the Du Xi Unit. We have to succeed this time."

"Yes, sir!" Station Chief Liu replied, preparing to head out with Mr. Yang. An opportunity like this was too good to miss.

Hua Yusen moved to follow them but was stopped by Station Chief Liu, who asked, "Aren’t you supposed to be in Nianqiao Village protecting him? What are you doing here?"

Hua Yusen froze. After Zhao Nuanyue had left, he’d had nightmares for two nights in a row. He couldn’t eat or sleep, so he’d told Guo Datou to take over protecting the target in secret and had snuck away.

This was a clear dereliction of duty.

"When I learned of Zhao Nuanyue’s identity, I realized what a golden opportunity this was, so I came to report it in person. As for the old gentleman, Datou is there watching over him," Hua Yusen said quickly. He didn’t dare reveal his true reasons, not wanting Mr. Yang and Station Chief Liu to think he was being driven by emotion.

Mr. Yang nodded. "Hmm, this intelligence is very useful. Your task here is done. Go back at once and ensure his safety. If anything happens to Elder Gu, all of our painstaking efforts will have been for nothing."

Hua Yusen looked conflicted. He hesitated before asking, "Can... can I go with you to rescue them?"

"You may not," Mr. Yang refused, his eyes sizing up Hua Yusen. "Although Zhao Nuanyue is a very important witness, for you to go to such lengths... I have to wonder if you have an ulterior motive."

"N-No, not at all..." Hua Yusen stammered in reply. "I... I’ll head back right now! I just hope you can rescue Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang as soon as possible."

Mr. Yang nodded. "We will. We are determined to take the Du Xi Unit. As for you, you shouldn’t be seen in Jincheng City. Leave. Immediately. If anything happens to him, I will hold you personally responsible!"

"Yes, sir!" Hua Yusen snapped to attention and saluted.

’With Mr. Yang taking charge, the outcome would surely be more effective than if I acted alone. Besides, I abandoned my post, which will undoubtedly infuriate my superiors.’

However, when Hua Yusen reached the train station, he was still uneasy. He boarded the train, only to slip off again before it departed. After a quick disguise, he emerged looking like a completely different person and headed for Du Xi.

Meanwhile, Zhao Jinghai had taken them to the location arranged by Mrs. Li. He waited less than half an hour before Mrs. Li arrived.

"Good, very good," Mrs. Li said with a smile. "Where did you find her?"

"At the train station," Zhao Jinghai replied, his face grim. "She somehow figured out my plan and left early. Luckily, we found and intercepted them just in time."

"Good, good. I do like a clever girl," Mrs. Li chuckled, looking the unconscious Zhao Nuanyue up and down. "Alright, you can go now. The rest has nothing to do with you. Oh, and don’t forget to take that Zhao Nuanyang with you when you leave!"

"Understood." Zhao Jinghai breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid Mrs. Li would keep Zhao Nuanyang, which would have deprived him of his leverage over Zhao Nuanyue.

Zhao Jinghai left with Zhao Nuanyang, but he hesitated. Should he take the boy home, or should he leave him somewhere else?

He eventually decided against it, remembering that Zhao Nuanyang could talk now. If he took him home, his wife, Xia Yingyu, would inevitably find out about his scheme. So, he arranged for Zhao Nuanyang to be kept somewhere else. As for his wife, Zhao Jinghai would just make up an excuse to placate her for now. He would tell her the truth later, after the deed was done and couldn’t be undone.

When Zhao Jinghai returned home, he found Xia Yingyu looking haggard. Her eyes were red, swollen, and bloodshot, and her hair was a mess. The moment she saw him, she rushed over and asked, "Where is Nuanyue? And Nuanyang? Didn’t you go look for them? How come you haven’t found them yet? Did something happen to them?"

Zhao Jinghai quickly took Xia Yingyu by the shoulders to steady her. "Don’t panic, just listen to me! They’re fine!"

"Then tell me! Hurry up and tell me!" Xia Yingyu was practically hopping with anxiety. "If you don’t say something soon, I’m going to die of worry."

"Nuanyang and Nuanyue ran off to Jincheng City. They did something they shouldn’t have, there was a misunderstanding, and now they’re being held by some... unsavory characters. But I’ve already gone and smoothed things over. The people there won’t make things hard for them. As long as they behave, admit their mistake, and stay put for a few days, they’ll be released very soon." It had taken Zhao Jinghai a long time to come up with this excuse.

He didn’t dare say that Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang had gotten into trouble nearby, as Xia Yingyu could easily look into it and would not have believed him.