A moment later, Zhou Huaijin rushed out of the elevator.

Seeing Chi Wan’s smiling face, some of his tension finally eased. "Wanwan, thank goodness you’re okay."

Chi Wan got a pair of slippers for Zhou Huaijin and said casually, "I told you not to worry. There’s nothing He Lingfeng can do to me."

"Wanwan!" Zhou Huaijin’s tone had never been so serious. "You can’t keep facing He Lingfeng with this attitude. He’s capable of anything! Do you have any idea, I..."

’Did she have any idea how frantic he’d been when he learned what might have happened?’

But with Xiahou Yu present, the words caught in Zhou Huaijin’s throat and died there.

"Wanwan, you have a pure heart. You don’t realize how unbelievably evil some people can be. You can’t judge him by normal standards; no one knows what he’ll do when pushed into a corner. For safety’s sake, how about I hire a few bodyguards for you?"

Zhou Huaijin, who had had smooth sailing his whole life, had never felt so powerless. He saw the marks by the door and could guess what had happened. A wave of shock, fear, and anger washed over him.

Having apparently never seen Zhou Huaijin so agitated, Xiahou Yu glanced at him before speaking. "Don’t worry, I’ve already assigned people to protect Wanwan." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

’If not for his fear that their two security teams might clash, Xiahou Yu wouldn’t have wanted to ’take credit’ in front of Chi Wan.’

Zhou Huaijin froze. He thought of the building’s completely overhauled property management staff and the almost excessively professional security guards, and understanding dawned.

Before Chi Wan could speak, Li Xingye huffed softly in her ear, "My Wanwan is mine to protect. What use are they?"

Still, he knew it was for Chi Wan’s own good, so he just made a few catty remarks.

Chi Wan sighed in exasperation, ignoring Li Xingye. She turned to the others and said seriously, "Senior Brother, Xia... Brother Yu, I know you mean well. But when it comes to He Lingfeng, I really do have my own plans. I can promise you, I will not take my own safety lightly."

Regardless, their concern was genuine, and Chi Wan had no intention of betraying their goodwill.

Although she couldn’t tell them about her conversation with Captain Tan, she wanted to talk to them properly about He Lingfeng. At the very least, she had to let them know she wasn’t some reckless fool acting without a plan.

"Actually, I started making arrangements for this a long time ago. I have my own allies, and I’ve secured plenty of backup. My life is precious; I won’t clash head-on with a scumbag like He Lingfeng."

"Don’t worry. This won’t drag on for much longer. I have a feeling it’s all about to come to an end."

Xiahou Yu and Zhou Huaijin exchanged a glance. Though they still had their doubts, they didn’t voice any objections.

In their eyes, Chi Wan was shrouded in a subtle air of mystery.

There was her Jade Token, her preemptive arrangements for her parents, her confidence when facing He Lingfeng and even the He Family... Normally, a girl from her background trying to take on He Lingfeng would be like a mayfly trying to shake a great tree.

But for some reason, when Chi Wan spoke like this, she exuded an inexplicable sense of conviction. She truly did not fear He Lingfeng, nor did she fear the He Family. In fact, it seemed that in her plan, both of them were meant to be bundled up together and tossed in the trash.

This wasn’t the blind courage of ignorance, but the firm resolve of someone with a well-thought-out plan.

And yet, a Chi Wan like this was, without a doubt, all the more captivating.

The two men looked at each other, speechless. After a moment, they both broke into resigned smiles.

’Yes, it was precisely because she was such an enigma that they found their gazes drawn to her more and more.’

Zhou Huaijin sighed. "I’ve known for a long time. Once Junior Sister Wanwan decides to do something, nothing anyone says can change her mind."

’Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so decisive in setting that trap for the village chief back then.’

Xiahou Yu, on the other hand, said with sincerity, "I’m confident Wanwan will handle this well. But you do call me ’Brother,’ after all. If there’s anything you need my help with in the future, just say the word."

Chi Wan grinned. "Would I ever refuse free labor that shows up at my doorstep? But right now, there’s a much more important matter—I’m hungry. I’ve been running around ever since I got off the plane. Can we please eat first?"

The sky outside the window had, at some point, grown completely dark. The three of them belatedly realized that it was indeed time for dinner.

Zhou Huaijin, in particular, had only had an airplane meal all day. At her words, he suddenly felt the emptiness in his stomach.

Having been running around all day, Chi Wan felt tired herself. Not wanting to go out, she suggested having hot pot at home.

Xiahou Yu immediately took charge. One phone call, and in less than twenty minutes, a full spread of ingredients and soup bases was piled high on Chi Wan’s table.

During the lull, Chi Wan took a moment to soothe Li Xingye, who felt he was being "neglected."

But looking at Li Xingye’s somewhat "aggrieved" gaze, she couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of guilt, even though she clearly hadn’t done anything wrong.

’It’s just my imagination. It has to be.’

The thing was, they had both been very busy lately, so Chi Wan hadn’t had any time to visit Li Xingye at the base. Most of their recent interactions had been in their shared space at night. But they could never be affectionate for long before Chi Wan had to go to sleep, or else she wouldn’t be able to wake up the next morning.

As for Li Xingye, their intimacy was currently limited to holding hands, hugging, and kissing. It was obvious he was developing a taste for it and finding it increasingly hard to be satisfied.

Especially since Chi Wan was a total tease who liked to start fires and not put them out. Every night, during their goodnight kiss, her hands would wander restlessly over Li Xingye’s abs. Once she’d had her fill, she’d leave with a wicked smirk.

All of this left Li Xingye feeling extremely frustrated lately.

After all, he’d finally gotten a girlfriend, only to be "left all alone" just as things were getting sweet. Now he had to watch Chi Wan happily eating hot pot with her Senior Brother and that CEO guy. Li Xingye felt incredibly wronged.

During the meal, Chi Wan couldn’t stand Li Xingye’s incessant whining. Making an excuse, she left the table and hid in the master bathroom to enter their space for a moment.

When she returned to her seat, the sharp-eyed Zhou Huaijin noticed her lips seemed even more swollen than before. "Wanwan," he asked with concern, "was it too spicy for you?"

Chi Wan’s expression stiffened. ’Damn that Li Xingye, he’s not even human!’ she cursed internally. On the surface, she just waved her hand calmly. "It’s fine, I just like my hot pot spicy. I have juice and soda in the fridge, what do you guys want? I’ll go get it."

Now that he was satiated, Li Xingye put on an innocent act in her mind. "Wanwan, does it hurt? I didn’t mean to, I just missed you so much... But Qianyu’s team has developed a capsule that can store Healing Ability. I’ll help you apply it later, okay?"

Chi Wan was in no mood to deal with him, but at the mention of "Healing Ability," a thought sparked in her mind.