After ninety-nine online romances, I finally met my ex in person when school started.

After the meeting, the fourth annex of the Pan family's hillside villa.

Su Mucheng took off her high heels and stepped barefoot onto the thick carpet. She threw herself into Zhu Xunchuan's arms, and the aura she had maintained in the conference room instantly dissipated.

Zhu Xun Chuan supported her waist. "Daomei Entertainment is a mess. If you want to play, I'll have Xia Wan Ying transfer 5 billion in bridge financing."

Su Mucheng shook her head and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I've seen the books at Guangying Media. The company hasn't touched the property rights of its cinemas in prime locations. I can save it by conducting a bankruptcy reorganization and divesting its non-performing assets."

She tiptoed and pressed her red lips to Zhu Xun Chuan's ear.

"Brother Chuan, don't interfere. Let me try it myself."

Zhu Xun Chuan pinched her waist with his large hand and nodded in agreement.

The bathroom door was pushed open, and steam poured out.

Jiang Yao walked out wearing a black silk bathrobe. The bathrobe's belt was tied loosely, and water droplets slid down her collarbone.

"Miss Su is going to be a powerful woman." Jiang Yao walked to the bar and poured two glasses of iced water. She handed one to Zhu Xun Chuan and leaned against the edge of the bar. "These people in Hong Kong have no business ethics. You'd better bring a few more bodyguards with you when you go out tomorrow."

Su Mucheng stepped out of Zhu Xunchuan's embrace and tidied her long hair. "Thank you for reminding me, Sister Jiang."

The two women's gazes clashed in the air.

Zhu Xun Chuan took a sip of ice water, placing the glass on the marble table with a muffled thud.

"I'll go with her tomorrow," Zhu Xunchuan decided decisively.

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow, walked over, and straddled Zhu Xunchuan's lap. She ignored Su Mucheng beside her and cupped Zhu Xunchuan's face in her hands.

"I'll accompany her to the handover, so tonight's time is mine." Jiang Yao breathed softly. "My back is aching from sleeping on that wooden plank bed in this Jiangnan town, so you'll have to give me a massage."

Su Mucheng gritted her teeth, turned around and went upstairs to the study to organize the financial documents of Daomei Entertainment.

Late at night, in the underground equipment room of the annex building.

The multi-faceted electronic screens emitted a faint blue light.

Bai He wore tactical headphones and his fingers rapidly tapped on the keyboard.

Zhu Xun Chuan walked in wearing a bathrobe. Jiang Yao followed behind him, holding a glass of red wine.

"Decoding complete." Bai He removed his headset. "Pan Shaoze's satellite phone record. One hour ago, he contacted the 'Yi On Tong,' a triad branch in Kowloon Walled City. The transaction amount was HK$30 million."

Baihe pressed the Enter key and played an audio clip.

Pan Shaoze's hoarse voice came through the loudspeaker: "Tomorrow morning at 8:30, along the coastal mountain road. Ignore the man. As long as Su Mucheng is dead, and the car is destroyed and everyone dies, I want this mess to be completely pinned on the fourth branch of the family."

The audio playback ended, and the temperature in the basement dropped to freezing.

Zhu Xun Chuan's expression remained unchanged. He turned to look at Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao swirled the wine in her glass, her narrow eyes filled with a bloodthirsty coldness. She took out her encrypted phone and dialed an overseas number.

"Notify the three branches of the Golden Triangle remaining on Hong Kong Island. Within ten minutes, locate all the branch leaders of the Yee On Tong. Before dawn, change the leader of Kowloon Walled City."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yao leaned against Zhu Xun Chuan's chest. "Brother Chuan, the blade from the North is just as sharp in Hong Kong."

Zhu Xun Chuan stroked Jiang Yao's long hair with his large hand.

"Xiaobai." Zhu Xunchuan's eyes were fixed on the mountain road route map on the screen.

"Yes." The white crane straightened up.

"Go and find out the license plate number and specific route that Pan Shaoze found. I need to see an accident tomorrow morning."

"Okay, don't worry, Brother Chuan."

The next morning.

The sea fog over Victoria Harbour has not yet dissipated.

Su Mucheng changed into a black haute couture suit dress, holding the handover documents in her hand. She sat in the back seat of the bulletproof Maybach, with Zhu Xunchuan sitting beside her.

The convoy drove out of the hillside villas and onto the winding coastal mountain road. On one side was the deep sea, and on the other side were cliffs.

The sound of the white crane, completely flat, came through Zhu Xunchuan's Bluetooth earphones.

"Brother Chuan, our informant on the coastal mountain road has sent a message. The Triads' two heavy dump trucks have started moving."

Early morning. Sunlight streams through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hillside villa's annex, illuminating the thick wool carpet in the bedroom.

Su Mucheng stood in front of the full-length mirror. Today, she wore an extremely tailored black business suit. The pencil skirt just past her knees, and her legs, encased in pure black haute couture stockings, were straight and long. She awkwardly adjusted the collar of her white shirt, a hint of nervousness in her peach blossom eyes. Today was her first day taking over the mess at Daomei Entertainment.

Zhu Xun Chuan sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a dark gray shirt. He walked over, reached out and brushed the stray hairs behind her ear, his thumb tracing the crimson mole.

Su Mucheng obediently tilted her head back and naturally hooked her arms around his neck.

"The buttons are on wrong." Zhu Xun Chuan lowered his gaze.

He unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, which had been buttoned incorrectly, and then buttoned it back up. His slender fingers inadvertently touched the skin of her collarbone, bringing a warm sensation.

Su Mucheng's cheeks flushed. She didn't flinch, but instead moved even closer, resting her chin on his chest.

"Are you worried about not being able to handle the situation since it's your first time at the company?" Zhu Xun Chuan casually put his arm around her waist.

"With you behind me, I'm not afraid," Su Mucheng said softly. She took out a well-wrapped orange candy from a hidden compartment in her handbag, unwrapped it, and put it into Zhu Xunchuan's mouth.

The door lock clicked softly.

Jiang Yao leaned against the open bedroom doorway. This powerful woman from the North was only wearing a noticeably oversized men's white shirt, the collar open and the hem barely covering her thighs. She was barefoot on the carpet, holding a cup of freshly ground black coffee in her hand.

"Feeding someone sugary first thing in the morning, isn't that cloying?" Jiang Yao took a sip of coffee, her narrow eyes sweeping between the two of them, full of provocation.

Su Mucheng quickly pulled away from Zhu Xunchuan's embrace, straightening her not-too-rumpled skirt. She turned her head, retorting without backing down, "Brother Chuan loves the candy I give him. Sister Jiang, are you up so early because you weren't used to sleeping alone last night?"

Jiang Yao snorted coldly. She walked closer with cat-like steps and placed the coffee cup on the bedside table next to her. She then reached out and wrapped her arms around Zhu Xun Chuan's other arm, pressing her entire body against him.

"It's a bit cold sleeping alone." Jiang Yao raised her head, her red lips only centimeters away from Zhu Xun Chuan's cheek. "Brother Chuan, it's my turn tomorrow night, right? In the Northern Border, it's customary to treat everyone equally."

The smell of gunpowder in the air quickly rose.

Zhu Xun Chuan finished the orange candy in his mouth. He put his left arm around Su Mu Cheng's waist and pinched Jiang Yao's chin with his right hand, gently shaking it twice.

"I'm going out on business today," Zhu Xun Chuan said calmly. "When I get back tonight, I'll let you decide how you want me to sleep."

They treated each other fairly. Both women blushed simultaneously, their sharp edges softened, and they obediently went to tidy their belongings.

At eight o'clock sharp, the three walked out of the annex building side by side. Xiao Bai, dressed in an inconspicuous black tracksuit, waited quietly at the bottom of the steps.

Three black sedans were parked in the fountain plaza in front of the main building. The most conspicuous of them was a bulletproof Rolls-Royce Phantom. Its body armor was thick, and its bulletproof glass gleamed with a deep luster in the morning light.

A young man in a silver-gray suit stood beside the car. He wore rimless gold-rimmed glasses and had a gentle smile on his lips.

This is Pan Shaoyu, the eldest grandson of the third branch of the Pan family and the elder brother of Pan Shaoze.

"Good morning, brother-in-law." Pan Shaoyu greeted him warmly, without any airs of a young master from a prominent family.

"Good morning, cousin." Zhu Xun Chuan stopped in his tracks.

Pan Shaoyu handed over a metal car key, his gaze turning to Su Mucheng. "Hong Kong Island has been rather unsettled lately, especially with some disturbances in Kowloon Walled City. Grandpa was worried about my sister's safety, so I pulled this specially made bulletproof car from the warehouse last night. The chassis has been fitted with blast-proof steel plates, and the windows can withstand sniper fire. My sister will be riding in this car from now on."

These words were perfectly succinct. The image of a caring and considerate older brother who looks after his younger sister leaps off the page.

Zhu Xun Chuan reached out and took the car keys. His gaze lingered on Pan Shao Yu's sincere face for two seconds. Last night, Pan Shao Ze called to hire someone, and today this good brother delivered a bulletproof car.

His armored car never locked off bullets from the outside, but rather the people inside.