That very night, Fu Shenxing learned about His Yan’s attempt to find Yu Jia through Hua Jie. He had anticipated that she wouldn’t just sit idly by—but he hadn’t expected such a reckless move.

“Looking for Yu Jia through Hua Jie?” Fu Shenxing raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise crossing his face.

A-Jiang nodded. “That’s what Hua Jie said." The two of them had lunch together, and towards the end, Miss He brought it up, even showing her a photo. But since it was a casual picture, Hua Jie didn’t recognize her right away and said she’d ask around.”

A faint, mocking smile tugged at Fu Shenxing’s lips. “And how did she get to know Hua Jie?”

“Hua Jie was the one who brought Miss He back from Zui Jin Zhao that night. She said she approached her because Miss He was someone you brought in.”

A-Jiang had spoken to Hua Jie. Seeing that Fu Shenxing had come to ask personally, Hua Jie had told him everything without hesitation.

Fu Shenxing fell silent. Maybe he had overestimated her. She was ruthless, stubborn, and impressively bold—a rare and dazzling creature. But once she left his bed, she had become weak, unfit to be his opponent.

A flicker of disappointment passed through him.

A-Jiang stood quietly, awaiting further instructions. After a moment, Fu Shenxing said, “Tell Hua Jie to give her Yu Jia’s whereabouts in a few days. I’d like to see what she plans to do.”

Fu Shenxing had said “a few days,” and Hua Jie didn’t dare wait even half a day beyond that. On the third morning, she immediately reached out to He Yan.

When the call came in, He Yan was in the middle of a faculty assembly. An international economic forum was set to take place in Nanzhao, and they needed foreign language volunteers. Naturally, the task fell to His Yan’s department.

Seeing Hua Jie’s name on her screen, He Yan slipped out to answer.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Hua Jie blurted out. “That girl—she’s actually working at Zui Jin Zhao! Using a stage name, I had a lot of plastic surgery too. No wonder I didn’t recognize her from the photo!”

It was hard to tell how much of that was true, but He Yan only smiled and said, “Don’t alarm her. Let me come see for myself first.”

“Sure,” Hua Jie said eagerly. “Call me when you’re nearby—I’ll take you straight to her!”

Back in the conference room, He Yan had barely taken her seat when the dean banged his pen on the table. “Let me emphasize again: this is an international forum with major influence. We’re not just representing H University—we’re representing Nanzhao! We cannot afford a single mistake. Especially you instructors leading the student groups—if anything goes wrong, I’ll hold you personally responsible!”

While the dean ranted on, a colleague leaned over to whisper to He Yan, “They call it ‘volunteer work,’ but it’s anything but! We’re just sending our best students to work for free. What if they don’t want to go?”

He Yan replied softly, “It should be fine. It’s a great learning opportunity.”

“Fine, then you go!” the colleague muttered. Take my students too. I’m not going to wait on those VIPs' hand and foot. If you’re lucky, you get assigned to the convention center. But if it’s the airport or train station, it’ll wear you down like a dog.”

He Yan chuckled lightly and said, “We’ll see.”

As it turned out, luck was on her side this time. All twenty students in her group were assigned to receive international guests—a rare assignment. To make logistics easier, the organizers had even arranged for them to stay at the same five-star hotel as the delegates. Though it was just the most basic room type, it still thrilled the students.

Since the conference hadn’t officially begun yet, He Yan didn’t need to supervise them too closely. Once the students were settled, she drove straight to Zui Jin Zhao to meet Hua Jie.

According to her research, Fu Suizhi—Fu Shenxing’s cousin—was a narcissist who enjoyed mingling with women, and Zui Jin Zhao has been his frequent haunt since returning to the country.

He Yan’s true target had never been Yu Jia, but Fu Suizhi.

She had thought long and hard before choosing him as her breakthrough point. As the saying goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” She was already in the tiger’s den—if she wanted the tiger cub, she had to go deeper. Fu Suizhi was dangerous, but also the likeliest opening. She knew that, and had always known.

Hua Jie was waiting outside the club and quickly came up when she saw her.

“Just like you asked,” she said, “I didn’t alarm the girl. Didn’t assign her any clients today either.”

“Thank you, Hua Jie. I hate to drag you into this—after all, she works under you. I’m already grateful you helped this much.” He Yan gave a slight nod, subtly tugged at the collar of her trench coat, then walked into Zui Jin Zhao with Hua Jie.

“I need a private room,” she added. “Once I find Yu Jia, we’ll need a quiet place to talk.”

Hua Jie had already received Fu Shenxing’s instructions: whatever He Yan asked, she was to comply. So she readily agreed. “No problem. I’ll have them open a small VIP suite for you.”

Perfect. “Thank you, Hua Jie.”

Waving it off, Hua Jie personally led He Yan to a small private room, ordered fruit and wine to be served, then excused herself. “I’ll go fetch the girl.”

“I appreciate it,” He Yan said politely, looking at her at the door before returning to her seat to quietly run over her plan.

Five or six minutes later, someone knocked lightly, and the door swung open.

A young, pretty woman stepped in. Her long, straight black hair framed a fresh face with subtle makeup. At the sight of He Yan sitting calmly on the sofa, she froze. Her smile stiffened for several seconds before she forced a greeting, “Miss He.”

“Have a seat,” He Yan said coolly.

Yu Jia sat down, but had barely touched the sofa when she blurted, “Miss He, I didn’t mean to lie to you. I had no choice—my family’s in terrible shape, and my parents are both sick…”

He Yan cut her off. “Did you know who Fu Shenxing was beforehand?”

Yu Jia blinked, then quickly defended herself. “I didn’t! I really didn’t. I hadn’t even started working here back then—I didn’t know who he was. One of the girls I roomed with said she could recommend me and help me arrange a break from school. That’s when I agreed.”

He Yan nodded slowly and handed her the glass of water on the table. “Don’t panic. Drink something and speak slowly.”

Yu Jia took a small sip, then went on, “Miss He, please believe me. I only heard his name after I got here. I was terrified. I tried asking around but didn’t dare dig too deep.”

She kept talking—nervously, repetitively. He Yan simply sat and listened, saying nothing.

After three or four minutes, Yu Jia’s speech slowed. Her gaze grew unfocused. Her body swayed, and she couldn’t even finish saying “Miss He” before slumping unconscious.

He Yan remained composed. She stood, checked her pulse, and confirmed she was genuinely out cold. Then she swiftly shrugged off her coat, revealing a form-fitting black dress beneath. Letting down her hair and smearing on bright red lipstick, she caught her reflection on the polished wall, adjusted her expression, and slipped out the door.

The hallway lighting was dim. Her steps were slow and sultry, blending in perfectly with the other women who worked there. At the corridor’s end, she spotted a waiter and pulled him aside, slipping a few pink bills into his pocket with a flirtatious smile.

“Hey handsome… Which room is Fu Suizhi in?”

The waiter hesitated for a second but didn’t question her identity. Glancing at the money in his pocket, he leaned in and told her the room number.

He Yan smiled and swayed off in that direction.

This room was a bit smaller than the one she’d been in last time, but no less luxurious. Inside, men and women mingled freely, a haze of laughter and music in the air.

No one paid her any attention as she entered—just another host, or so they thought. Not until she walked right up to Fu Suizhi, pulled away the woman sitting next to him, and took her place, did he finally look up.

The girl she’d displaced blinked in confusion, about to snap at her, but Fu Suizhi raised a hand to stop her. She backed off reluctantly, glaring at He Yan before sliding away.

Fu Suizhi leaned back and sized her up. “Miss He?”

He Yan leaned in, close enough to whisper in his ear. “Young Master Fu, I’ll be quick. I don’t have much time. If you're interested in the issue between Fu Shenxing and Shen Zhijie, come find me at this address. I’ll be there for the next few days. Don’t call—just ask a volunteer at H University.”

She slipped a note into his breast pocket.

Fu Suizhi gave her a cold, amused look. “Miss He, I think I know a lot more than you.”

“Do you?” She stood and looked back at him. “Then you’re free to ignore me. Pretend I was never here.”

With a mocking smile, she turned and left before he could react.

Back in the private room, Yu Jia was still unconscious. The coat, bag, and everything else remained untouched. He Yan let out a quiet breath of relief. She re-pinned her hair, wiped off the lipstick, and returned to her calm, composed self.

Then she stripped Yu Jia, took several seminude photos, and dumped the water from her glass, replacing it with a fresh one.

Soon enough, Yu Jia stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, dazed at first. Then, realization struck, and she sat up in alarm.

“What did you do to me?” she demanded.

“Nothing,” He Yan replied coldly. “Just took a few photos.”

She held up her phone and flashed the screen. “Don’t worry—stay obedient, and I’ll delete them.”

Yu Jia wasn’t naïve. She calmed down quickly and asked, “What do you want? And what if I don’t cooperate?”

“I can’t hurt you,” He Yan said. “At worst, I’ll send these photos to your parents, your neighbors—do my duty as your teacher. You know your family better than I do. Let’s see if they still claim you after that.”

Yu Jia clenched her teeth. “Miss He, don’t you think this is going too far? I never wronged you.”

“You don’t get to decide that,” He Yan sneered, picking up her purse. “I never wronged you either—but you still helped others lie to me.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” Yu Jia shouted.

“And that makes a difference?” He Yan scoffed, walking toward the door.

Yu Jia wasn’t about to let her go. She lunged, yanked at her bag, and tried to snatch the phone.

He Yan didn’t resist. She simply watched as Yu Jia fumbled with the phone, unable to unlock it. After a moment, she said dryly, “Don’t bother. You won’t get in.”

A flash of anger crossed Yu Jia’s face. She suddenly hurled the phone onto the floor, stomped on it several times, then grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over the shattered remains.

Looking up defiantly, she sneered, “Don’t worry, Miss He—I’ll buy you a new one.”

He Yan picked up the broken phone and walked out without a word. Her stride was fast, her expression grim—as if she were storming off in anger. But inside, she wanted to laugh out loud.

That phone had been tormenting her for too long. Even though she knew Fu Shenxing wouldn’t stop monitoring her so easily, seeing it destroyed still brought a sense of satisfaction.

In the lobby, she flagged down a passing waiter, handed him a hundred-yuan tip, and said, “Tell Hua Jie I have to leave. I’ll thank her properly next time.”

Then she hurried outside, wanting to get away before anything else could go wrong.

But Murphy’s Law never fails—if something can go wrong, it will.

Just as she stepped out the front doors, she ran straight into Fu Shenxing.