\When Feng Rui Li's mother died of illness, he had already been around ten years old—old enough to understand things.
Roughly a year later, his father, Feng Kang, married Chen Cai and brought her home.
Feng Kang's standards were high.
The women he chose might not have been virtuous, but they were always beautiful.
Feng Rui Li had witnessed Chen Cai at her peak.
From childhood, he had harbored a fascination for this woman.
But unlike Feng Jian, Feng Rui Li knew well that there were lines one must never cross.
For years, he kept his thoughts to himself—never acting on them.
Now, though, things were different.
He knew his father's temper too well—Chen Cai would surely be thrown out of the house.
And once that happened, she would no longer be a member of the Feng family.
"Rui Li, please save me! As long as you help me, I'll do anything!"
Hearing that there was still a chance, Chen Cai wept and clung to his leg.
Once, she'd even dreamed of competing with him for the family fortune—but now, she only wanted to survive.
She understood that her connection with Dai Xiao had been purely transactional.
Before, he might have shielded her, but now the tables had turned.
The Feng family had their own ancient martial artist partners, so Dai Xiao wouldn't dare act rashly.
Of course, the Fengs weren't as strong as the Dais—after all, the Dais' martial artists were their own clan members.
Yet as Rui Li himself had said earlier, they had enough power to make Dai Xiao disappear.
And for that alone, Dai Xiao would never take the risk.
"You just stay here for now," Feng Rui Li said with a small smirk. "I'll see how my father decides to handle you."
He turned and walked out.
Downstairs, Feng Kang and Feng Jian were not in the living room—but there were voices coming from the study.
He went over and opened the door.
Inside were Feng Kang, Feng Jian, and five or six bodyguards.
"Master, we found it!" one of the guards announced as he pried open an electrical socket—revealing a pinhole camera hidden inside.
The filming angle had already suggested roughly where it had been placed.
"You're sure you didn't install it?" Feng Kang asked coldly, eyes narrowing at Feng Jian.
"Father, I swear! If I had gotten that footage earlier, I would've brought it straight to you. Family shame should never be shown to outsiders!"
Feng Jian raised three fingers in oath.
Feng Kang rubbed at the corner of his eye, then said tiredly, "Rui Li, I'm putting this matter in your hands. Find out when someone sneaked into our home."
Then he turned and left the room, pulling out his phone as he went.
When the line connected, his face darkened.
"Mr. Lin, I'm coming to see you now."
Meanwhile, Xu Mu and his group had returned to the Yang City branch office.
Xu Shou grinned, throwing an arm around his son's shoulder. "Kid, how did you even get that footage?"
"I'd investigated before—Feng Kang likes to hold meetings in his study. So I had someone secretly install surveillance equipment there. I didn't expect such a lucky find."
Xu Mu of course couldn't tell the truth.
If he said he already knew the story—that Chen Cai and Dai Xiao had been using that very study for their trysts—Xu Shou would never believe him.
"The Feng estate's security is so tight, and your people still managed to sneak in?" Xu Shou chuckled.
"I have my ways," Xu Mu said with a shrug.
They entered the main office hall, where Li Yun hurried up to greet them. "Xiao Mu!"
"Auntie, let me introduce you—this is my dad, and this is my sister."
Xu Mu gestured toward Xu Shou and Xu Ningbing.
Li Yun froze for a moment. Xu Mu was the chairman's son… then the man before her—
"Chairman!" she gasped, flustered. Looking closer, she saw the resemblance was unmistakable. "I'll notify Manager Liu right away!"
"No need," Xu Shou said with a smile. "I'll go up myself."
He was in excellent spirits today. His son had given him quite the show—
The Feng family had tried to display dominance, and ended up becoming a national laughingstock.
Xu Ningbing, composed as ever, gave Li Yun a polite nod before following her father upstairs.
"I'll stay down here," Xu Mu said.
"Alright, get back to work," Xu Shou replied with a wave, stepping into the elevator.
After saying goodbye to Li Yun, Xu Mu headed outside.
He took out his phone, intending to call Ye Tong, to ask what she and the others were doing that day.
But then he noticed a black Rolls-Royce Phantom parked just outside their company.
Frowning, he looked at the license plate—it wasn't his father's car.
Extending his perception, he sensed that the driver was a foreigner—and in the backseat sat Isabella Russell, the very same woman from the Feng family banquet.
Xu Mu's brow furrowed. What's she doing here?
The car rolled forward and stopped before him. The rear window slid down, revealing Isabella's flawless face.
Her blue eyes were like a deep, tranquil lake as she asked, "Is Chairman Xu here? He should know me—I'm Isabella Russell."
"You're looking for my dad? What's this about?" Xu Mu asked, genuinely curious.
She was Lin Yan's lover—why had she come to their company?
Isabella opened the door and stepped out gracefully.
Xu Mu hadn't paid much attention to her looks at the banquet, but seeing her up close—she was stunning.
Her beauty wasn't the wild, seductive kind common to Western women; it carried a restrained, dignified charm.
And her figure was remarkable—not quite on par with Xu Ningbing's, perhaps, but easily in the D range.
"I was curious," Isabella said evenly. "About what's so special about the companies Feng Kang was trying to suppress."
"I looked into it just now—and I'm quite interested in your company's weight-loss medicine."
Xu Mu blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that instead of crushing them, the Feng family had accidentally advertised for them.
"My father's inside. Please, come in," Xu Mu said, sending a message to Xu Shou.
He remembered that his father had long wanted to expand into overseas markets.
Well—here was the opportunity, delivered right to their doorstep.
He ought to help his father win this woman over.
"Alright," Isabella nodded lightly.
"Our company doesn't only make weight-loss medicine," Xu Mu added with a smile. "We've got several strong products. I even studied medicine myself."
Isabella merely gave a polite nod. She'd met plenty of people who loved to brag about their "skills."
"Miss Isabella," Xu Mu said suddenly, "I'd advise you to stop staying up late. If you keep this up, your afternoon headaches will only worsen."
Her expression froze.
He hadn't said she was unhealthy—he'd pinpointed the time of her symptoms.
How could he know that?
"You… investigated me?" Isabella asked incredulously.
"We first met today at the Feng manor," Xu Mu said, spreading his hands. "I just know a little medicine, that's all."
"Painkillers won't help—it's treating the symptom, not the cause. Long-term use will harm your body."
Isabella's eyes widened in shock. He even knew that?
"It's nothing serious," Xu Mu continued warmly. "You just need to relax more. Don't carry so much pressure all the time."
[Favorability +10]
Isabella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint warmth rising in her chest.
This man… was surprisingly gentle.
"Hahaha! Welcome, welcome!"
At that moment, Xu Shou walked over from afar, laughing heartily.
But as he looked at Isabella, something in her expression caught his eye.
This woman wasn't bad at all, he thought. If she could one day give him a half-foreign grandchild, that wouldn't be bad either.
He shook his head slightly. One step at a time.
First, he had to sort out Xu Ningbing's situation.