Beauty in Embrace

Yang Hao glared defiantly. "Shut the fuck up! Kneel, you bastard!"

Li Yunfei shook his head. "You didn't even disengage the safety. How do you plan to shoot?"

Yang Hao froze, instinctively glancing at the gun. In that split second, Li Yunfei lunged—a single step forward, then a whip-fast kick. The pistol flew from Yang Hao's hand before he could react.

BANG!

A bullet tore diagonally into the ceiling, raining plaster dust.

Song Shiping struck next, darting to Yang Hao's side. A push-pull motion at his shoulder—crack—dislocated the joint. A stomp to the knee forced Yang Hao to collapse.

Another agent stepped forward, slapping Yang Hao's face a dozen times until teeth scattered and cheeks ballooned. "Count yourself lucky you're still breathing," he spat coldly.

The remaining thugs stood paralyzed, heads bowed—they'd clearly met their match.

Such was Beijing's law: when brutality meets greater brutality, only submission remains.

Huo Xuan freed Shen Rong's handcuffs. "You alright?"

She nodded. "Thank you. I'm fine."

Huo Xuan kicked Yang Hao's limp form. "Fucking idiot."

Song Shiping hauled Yang Hao up. "Kid, threatening State Security agents with a gun? Your career's over." He gestured for two men to drag him to the vehicle.

Li Yunfei scanned the crowd. "Anyone else want a trip to our office?"

Silence.

Li Yunfei turned to Huo Xuan. "Brother, we're done here. Let's move."

En route, Shen Rong's phone rang. Shen Wansong's voice crackled through: "Rongrong, Wei said your car's here but you're gone. What happened?"

Shen Rong's voice trembled with grievance: "Dad, I was kidnapped."

"What?!" Shen Wansong nearly leaped from his office chair. "Who dared? I'll fucking kill them!"

A former military officer who had risen through the ranks, Shen Wansong still carried a soldier's instinctive fury in his bones.

"I'm safe now. Some friends rescued me, and the perpetrator has been arrested," Shen Rong reassured him.

"Good, that's good." Shen Wansong exhaled deeply. "Rongrong, where are you? Should I come get you?"

"No need, I'll return later."

After additional paternal admonitions, the call ended—though Shen Wansong's rage simmered. His eyes glinted coldly as he ground his teeth: "Bastards. I'll skin them alive."

That evening, high-ranking Ministry of Public Security officials engaged in urgent calls, reaching a decisive resolution. By dawn, Yang Hao was expelled from the Party and slunk home in disgrace. His family connections had enabled his arrogance, but having provoked both State Security and Public Security systems, escaping criminal prosecution was mercy enough.

Huo Xuan, ensuring no further risks, escorted Shen Rong directly home before returning to Elder Li's residence.

Alone, Shen Rong found herself unsettled, drifting into reveries. Though barely acquainted with Huo Xuan, their shared ordeals felt surreal in retrospect.

When Shen Wansong returned that night, seeing his daughter unharmed eased his worries. "Invite the young man for dinner," he urged. "I must thank him properly."

Shen Rong shrugged. "Fine, I'll ask."

That evening, Huo Xuan hosted Li Yunfei's team at an upscale hotel, sparing no expense on premium liquor and delicacies like live seafood. During the revelry, Huo Xuan voiced a lingering question to Song Shiping: "Brother Song, what's with the old Taoist under the bridge? You kept watching him."

Why would State Security monitor a charlatan?

Song Shiping's face twisted wryly. "Don't ask. Initially, I'd heard of some swindler there—common enough. But later..."

Song Shiping continued, "A young man once asked the old Taoist about marriage, but the Taoist warned him against it, saying it would violate natural ethics. When pressed, the Taoist only gave cryptic mystical explanations. Weeks later, the man discovered his girlfriend was actually his long-lost biological sister."

Huo Xuan raised his eyebrows. "So his prediction was accurate?"

Song Shiping nodded. "Undeniably. The state takes special interest in such individuals, so I investigated. Days later—when we met at the hotel—I heard something even stranger."

He shook his head. "A mother brought her nine-year-old son for a reading. The Taoist claimed the boy was 'pregnant with his brother.' Furious, she stormed off without paying. The next day, hospital scans revealed an underdeveloped embryo in the child's abdomen."

Huo Xuan, familiar with such medical anomalies, understood immediately. "They must have been twin fetuses that fused during development—one absorbing the other. Another correct prediction."

"Exactly. I intensified surveillance, but..." Song Shiping sighed bitterly.

Li Yunfei interjected, "Dead. By the time Shiping found him, the body was cold."

Huo Xuan stiffened. Dead?

Song Shiping shrugged. "No further investigation needed now."

Huo Xuan gave a wry smile. This defied all expectations.

Over the next three days, Li Yunfei took Huo Xuan to various venues and introduced trusted friends, making for an unexpectedly fulfilling interlude.

On the fourth day, Huo Xuan bid farewell to Elder Li's family and prepared to return to Jiangzhou. By sheer coincidence, as he boarded the plane, he unexpectedly found himself seated next to Liu Ling—the woman often seen with Liu Ziguang.

"What a coincidence," he remarked.

Liu Ling was equally surprised. "It's you!"

Huo Xuan chuckled. "How's Uncle Liu doing?"

"He's well, thank you," she replied.

After a few strained pleasantries, conversation lapsed. Only after takeoff did Liu Ling break the silence: "Haozi's life is ruined because of you."

"He brought it on himself," Huo Xuan said, his expression cooling.

Liu Ling sighed. "There was no need to go so far. No one here has irreconcilable grudges."

"True," Huo Xuan countered. "But someone tried to kill me. He's lucky to be breathing."

She exhaled, clearly unwilling to press further, and changed the subject: "I'm visiting Jiangzhou to retrieve a painting. I'd planned to bring an expert, but he canceled last minute. Could you help me find a connoisseur there to authenticate it?"

Huo Xuan smirked. "I can handle that myself."

Surprised, she asked, "You know art?"

"No," he admitted frankly. "But I can distinguish real from fake."

Though skeptical, she nodded. "Then I'll trouble you for help later."

The flight passed amiably with her company. Upon landing in Jiangzhou, Liu Ling left to visit relatives, parting ways with Huo Xuan.

Upon returning to Jiangzhou, Huo Xuan's first priority was buying a car. Dragging Lin Yue along, he visited several dealerships before settling on a crimson Volvo C70—a hardtop convertible costing over 600,000 yuan fully equipped.

That afternoon, he took the car for a spin on Jiangzhou's outer ring road with Lin Yue riding shotgun. Though initially rusty, he quickly regained his driving rhythm.

Lin Yue watched his profile with an amused smile. "Little brother, Uncle Liu from Beijing called my father today."

Huo Xuan kept his eyes on the road. "Oh? What'd he say?"

"Father agreed to respect my personal choices." She grinned. "Thanks to you."

"Good." Huo Xuan nodded. "Now you can marry me."

She rolled her eyes. "Who said I'd marry you? I don't even love you yet."

Chuckling, Huo Xuan stealthily reached over and seized her jade-smooth hand, refusing to let go despite her halfhearted struggle.

With a sigh, Lin Yue relented. "Truthfully, I've no interest in business. Building empires is men's work—I'd rather tend home and family."

Gently stroking her cool, silken skin, Huo Xuan murmured, "Sister Yue, a country boy like me is lucky to have your regard. Whatever you choose, I'll support you."

She swatted him. "Country boy? You own half of Tianxing Jewelry!"

He feigned distress. "But if you marry me, won't it all be yours anyway?"

Lin Yue pinched his arm, biting her lip. "Dream on!"

A sudden warmth flooded Huo Xuan's chest—the same tender feeling from his first love. Parking by the river, he threw open the convertible top and shouted across the water: "I'm marrying Lin Yue! Hahaha!"

Mortified, Lin Yue gaped before clamping a hand over his mouth. "Stop that!"

Instead, he pulled her close. As her soft curves pressed against him, his "second boss" stiffened unmistakably against her waist. Blushing furiously, she trembled: "You're incorrigible."

Huo Xuan restrained himself to just holding her—though he desperately wanted to grope her breasts. He believed in gradual escalation; anything more would've been disrespectful.

With the beauty nestled in his arms, Huo Xuan reveled in contentment. Inhaling the fragrance of her hair, he mused, "Ah, to hold Jiangzhou University's most legendary campus belle—what an achievement."

Lin Yue giggled softly, her jade-like arms encircling his waist. "Why don't we visit the university? It's been ages since we last went back."

Huo Xuan brightened. "Perfect! Most of my college buddies are still there for grad school. Let's give them something to seethe over!"

The Volvo raced toward Jiangzhou University, its passengers giddy with nostalgia, as if transported back to their golden youth.