Chapter 391: Chapter 391: Can’t Help Getting Closer

"Take care!" Wu Qiaoqiao said with concern. "I’ll wait for you to return safely."

Hua Yusen left with a blank expression, as if he hadn’t heard Wu Qiaoqiao’s words of concern.

Even someone as unperceptive as Hua Yusen could tell something was off about the way Wu Qiaoqiao looked at him. ’I need to keep my distance from her from now on,’ he thought. ’I’m a married man, after all. I can’t get too close to other women and cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.’

’My Nuanyue has been wronged so much and endured so many hardships for my sake.’

’If I ever did anything to betray Nuanyue,’ Hua Yusen thought, ’I’d have to be tired of living. I’d deserve to be struck by lightning!’

That night, Hua Yusen took two of his men to the Liu family residence. Through reconnaissance, he discovered that every key position was guarded. Getting inside smoothly to see Liu Zhongjun was practically impossible.

If they were discovered, they would alert all the bodyguards. That would inevitably lead to casualties, and they still wouldn’t accomplish their goal of meeting Liu Zhongjun.

So, Hua Yusen changed the plan and ordered a temporary withdrawal to regroup and discuss their next move.

Liu Jian said softly, "Sen, we can’t get into the Liu family residence or near Liu Zhongjun, so we’re at a dead end. But we could go after Wu Yongqiang."

Hearing Liu Jian’s suggestion, Hua Yusen’s eyes lit up. ’That’s right. Since we can’t get to Liu Zhongjun, we can tackle the problem from the other end—by going after Wu Yongqiang.’

’Once we have Wu Yongqiang, everything else will fall into place.’

However, Hua Yusen and Liu Jian weren’t the only ones who could figure this out. As the man at the center of it all, how could Wu Yongqiang not have anticipated this? He had already increased the number of bodyguards around him.

But that didn’t deter Hua Yusen. Wu Yongqiang had to go out every day. Hua Yusen just needed to track his movements and formulate a plan. That would make capturing him much less difficult.

To ensure the mission’s success, Hua Yusen even activated their deepest-cover agent—the mole planted closest to Wu Yongqiang—to get information on his movements.

These preparations took more than two weeks.

This was one of the main reasons why Hua Yusen had yet to complete his mission and return.

Hua Yusen’s plan was meticulous. He had a primary and a secondary plan ready. If Plan A failed, Plan B would be activated immediately, ensuring the mission would be completed without a single hitch.

All this time, Wu Qiaoqiao had remained by Hua Yusen’s side, helping him strategize.

Wu Qiaoqiao gradually became familiar with Hua Yusen, and even the men at his side started treating her with warmth and kindness.

In front of others, Wu Qiaoqiao never behaved frivolously. But when she and Hua Yusen were alone, she would always find a way to touch him. Even though it was just his arm or other non-sensitive areas, it still made Hua Yusen uncomfortable.

Because of this, whenever Hua Yusen saw Wu Qiaoqiao approaching, he always made sure to have one of his men with him, avoiding being alone with her.

How could a woman as sharp as Wu Qiaoqiao not sense Hua Yusen’s deliberate distance?

But Wu Qiaoqiao’s way of thinking was different from most. An ordinary woman, seeing a man distance himself like that, would probably give up on trying to get close. Wu Qiaoqiao, however, was delighted. It meant Hua Yusen had registered her inappropriate advances and was now warier, deliberately keeping his distance.

This was a sign of Hua Yusen’s integrity and righteousness, so unlike Li Gongming’s philandering ways or Li Gongde’s despicable vulgarity.

This was precisely what Wu Qiaoqiao found so attractive about him. It was why, even though she knew he was legally married, she couldn’t help but draw closer, hoping to secure a place by his side.

Hua Yusen was growing anxious, but he understood that some things couldn’t be rushed. Haste makes waste. For now, all he could do was wait for the right moment to take down Wu Yongqiang in one fell swoop.

He had left on a mission right before his wedding, leaving his beloved wife, Zhao Nuanyue, at home. Hua Yusen felt incredibly guilty and wished for nothing more than to complete his task and return to her side.

Although Wu Qiaoqiao wanted to spend more time with Hua Yusen, she also knew that dragging things out could cause the situation to spiral out of her control. Besides, she had already achieved her primary goal: Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue hadn’t held their wedding as planned. Even when Hua Yusen returned, a wedding was unlikely to happen anytime soon. This meant that in the eyes of high society, Nuanyue would not be officially recognized as his wife.

Then, finally, on the weekend of the third week, Wu Yongqiang planned to go horseback riding in the suburbs.

Hua Yusen and his men seized the opportunity. After making meticulous arrangements, they captured Wu Yongqiang in one decisive move. They proceeded to bring several of his key supporters under control and then successfully rescued Liu Zhongjun.

After a month of imprisonment, Liu Zhongjun had become dispirited and lethargic. Seeing Hua Yusen and his men enter, he was overcome with joy.

"Mr. Hua, you’re finally here! Thank you all so much. If it weren’t for you, who knows how much longer that bastard Wu Yongqiang would have kept me locked up!" Liu Zhongjun said bitterly. ’That Wu Yongqiang is such a born traitor. Wu Jianxiong was always reluctant to associate with him, and I just brushed it off. Now I see that Wu Jianxiong was right all along.’

’It doesn’t matter how well you treat that Wu Yongqiang; he’s just an ungrateful and insatiably greedy man.’

During his month of confinement, Wu Yongqiang hadn’t mistreated him in terms of living conditions, but he had been stripped of his freedom.

A month had passed. If he hadn’t been freed—if not for Hua Yusen’s rescue—the military in Lu State might have descended into chaos. The resulting fallout would have been far more than he, Liu Zhongjun, could handle on his own. One wrong move and the situation would have been irreparable.

Now, Liu Zhongjun was incredibly thankful that he had cooperated with Gu Qingyu. It was through him that he had come to see the Li family’s true colors—that they would actually incite Wu Yongqiang to commit such a treasonous act.

"Wu Yongqiang wrote many treasonous letters," Hua Yusen explained. "At the time, Elder Gu didn’t believe them. He felt something was fishy, so he sent me to investigate. My investigation uncovered some irregularities, which led me to deduce that you were in a bad situation. But Wu Yongqiang is an extremely cunning man, which is why it took us so long to finally capture him. As for the men who followed him, we have them under control. How to deal with them, Mr. Liu, is for you to decide."

Hearing Hua Yusen’s words, Liu Zhongjun understood that he was being given the chance to settle accounts. Although those men had once followed him, they had chosen Wu Yongqiang at the critical moment, which was tantamount to betrayal. That being the case, Liu Zhongjun had no intention of protecting them.

Besides, if he let these traitors go, how could he ever face the men who had remained loyal to him?

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