Chapter 74: His Fear

Her blindfold was removed, and her handcuffs unlocked.

The first thing she saw was Fu Yanyan, his eyes bloodshot. His usually immaculate coat was, for once, in disarray, and his white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar as if undone by anxiety. His hands trembled as he hastily worked at the cuffs, his gaze sweeping over her, his eyes nearly brimming with tears.

He dropped to his knees, almost involuntarily, and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. His icy, jade-like hands gripped the black cloth that had covered her eyes. She could feel the wild, uncontrollable tremor in his fingers.

His hands only shook like this when his heart ached unbearably.

Outside, hurried footsteps crisscrossed in confusion—a crowd, moving anxiously back and forth.

How odd...

Why had the room been soundproof just a moment ago, yet now every noise seeped in?

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, it's my fault, I didn't protect you... Ah-Hua, did they do anything to you?"

When he spoke, his usually cool voice carried a dangerous edge.

There was a fresh scar on Fu Yanyan's palm—obviously recent, and not easily missed.

"You're hurt?"

"It's nothing," he replied, dismissive of his own suffering, only concerned for her.

When she had vanished that day, his throat had closed with shock; it was only after the numbness faded that he began smashing things, a shard of antique porcelain accidentally slicing his hand.

When he discovered the assistant's delay had indirectly caused this, Fu Yanyan was consumed with murderous rage. The assistant, standing nearby, had, for the first time in his career, been slapped ten times by his employer—hard enough to loosen his teeth.

Knowing he had committed a grave mistake, the assistant had not slept in days, working frantically to redeem himself by tracking her down as quickly as possible.

"Xu Yaoxuan, where are they?"

"Sir, the mercenaries have searched the entire villa. Aside from Miss Li, no one remains. They must have withdrawn through the back before we arrived, likely planning to escape by water."

"Pursue them."

"Yes, sir."

Fu Yanyan tossed a card to his assistant, who hurried off with it to handle matters.

"Hide-and-seek?"

"What's wrong, Ah-Hua?"

"Nothing. I just remembered something someone once said."

Fu Yanyan draped his expensive coat over her shoulders. After the doctor examined her, he reported, "Sir, Miss Li is in perfect health, no external injuries, and... she remains untouched."

It was only then that some of the wildness faded from Fu Yanyan's eyes. The red veins in his gaze clashed with his cool aura, casting him in the fallen light of a man on the edge of the abyss.

He was her anchor. As long as he was there, Zhong Huayan felt as if nothing had happened at all—she was still the passionate, resilient, and respected heiress of the Zhong family she had always been. Only he could summon that familiarity, only his presence could bridge time, returning her to their childhood together, to the verdant years that belonged to her alone.

"Ah-Hua... I was so afraid, so afraid you'd leave me alone again."

She stroked his hair gently.

He appeared tall and composed, but was always secretly anxious and afraid.

"What did you do to the Xu family? Why did Xu Yaoxuan resort to kidnapping me out of humiliation?"

"I pinned the debts on Xu Shun, took over their projects, swallowed their subsidiaries, and had my people steal confidential files from Xu Group, the largest of their companies in the country. I only wanted to warn them, but the authorities went after Xu Shun in earnest, thoroughly investigating and freezing most of Xu Group's assets, and filing lawsuits in court. This time, Xu Group has no chance of recovery."

Zhong Huayan recalled the password the Xu brothers had demanded. "If they were planning to run, got hold of the password, and kept me here, what were they after? Money?"

"Exactly. The Xu family may have fallen, but Xu Yaoxuan seemed to know everything in advance. He took Xu Chuyin with him, arranged everything ahead of time, and used special means to siphon off nearly a hundred billion in loans from Xu Group. All their luxury cars, homes, and stocks have been seized, but the money is in his pocket now. They'll have to cancel their IDs and stay overseas indefinitely."

Xu Yaoxuan and Xu Chuyin had spirited away a hundred billion yuan in illicit loans! Officially, Xu Group had collapsed, losing at least half its assets. The two brothers had fled abroad, their identities erased, unable to return to the country without documents—and now, there was no place for them at home.

"Sir, a call for you."

Fu Yanyan stood, turned his back, and answered the phone.

Even his back seemed cold as ice—utterly unapproachable—except when he looked at her, and then his gaze softened with a gentle warmth.

He spoke to the person on the other end with meticulous care, the entire conversation conducted in fluent English, likely about the Xu family.

After about two minutes, Fu Yanyan hung up, his fingers idly toying with a thumb ring as if lost in thought.

"Help me up. Give me a phone," Zhong Huayan said as she stood.

Fu Yanyan, always composed, supported her with a steady hand, though she could sense his underlying tension.

As they stepped out the door, a group of mercenaries turned to look at her.

Their proud commander was personally supporting a frail, gracefully cold woman with a face as gentle as jade.

They had heard tales from Assistant Li about the woman their superior loved, but hadn’t believed it—how could a man who had clawed his way to the top through cold calculation possibly harbor such feelings?

Only today did they realize that fate cannot be denied.

The woman in question was not conventionally beautiful, but she radiated an undeniable allure—like a priceless work of art, her every movement filled with grace, a deeper, more refined sensuality than any young girl could possess.

This reserved, elegant presence, distinctly Chinese, lost nothing standing beside one of the most powerful men in the capital. She was like the streak of green in white jade, the gentle breeze of spring after the heat of summer—a beauty that only time could bestow.

"Assistant Li, we've just discovered the Xu family cut the power to the villa before escaping by water. Based on their route, it's likely they're headed for the nearest border. They purchased a private flight path years ago; we suspect their jet will use that route."

So there had been a power outage at the villa?

When?

Was it when Xu Chuyin blindfolded her?

Suddenly, she understood! She finally realized why Xu Chuyin had covered her eyes—was it because he knew she was afraid of the dark? Was he playing hide-and-seek with her?

One had to admit, though the Xu family’s genes were rotten, they had a certain talent for romance.

Fu Yanyan leaned close, as if whispering a secret.

"Ah-Hua, though the Xu brothers have fled, the old master and Xu Shun—the head of the family—are still within my grasp, at your disposal."