It was at that moment, when they converged unexpectedly in the grand lobby of the hotel's Cloud Hall, that Wang Guan instantly froze, causing the others to pause naturally as well, sensing something amiss.

“What is it?” Cai Peng asked, confused, scanning the surroundings but failing to notice anything out of the ordinary.

“Sister-in-law…”

At the same time, Pi Qiushi looked up, his face instantly registering shock. He darted a quick glance at Wang Guan, a mixture of worry and utter bewilderment on his features; after all, he had no experience in such matters and didn't know how to proceed.

Hearing Pi Qiushi’s exclamation, Bei Ye seemed to try and pull away from the arm holding her, but the grip was firm. Bei Ye’s expression held a touch of helplessness, yet the smile on her face remained gentle and sweet.

“Brother Pi, who are you calling?”

Sensing Pi Qiushi’s unusual reaction, Old Meng and Sha Qingfeng, standing nearby, also felt something was wrong. They naturally looked forward and noticed Bei Ye and the person beside her. However, since Bei Ye had been taken away by Qiao Yu upon their arrival in Hong Kong, neither of them recognized her, though they instinctively felt the situation involved her somehow.

Pi Qiushi shook his head, offering no explanation. Instead, he looked toward Wang Guan with palpable concern, wanting to speak but unsure what words to use, clearly struggling internally.

Wang Guan, however, seemed unbothered, even managing a smile before retorting with feigned annoyance, “Qiao Yu, have you played enough? Setting up this whole charade just to watch me make a fool of myself?”

“Hey, how did you know it was me?”

Just then, the gentlemanly figure became very curious. He casually removed the low-brimmed hat he was wearing, revealing Qiao Yu’s pretty and captivating face. She looked utterly bewildered, glancing at Wang Guan before turning sharply to stare at Bei Ye, unable to help but reproach, “Little Ye, I told you not to give him hints…”

“I didn’t hint at anything,” Bei Ye replied, her bright eyes sparkling with unconcealed amusement. “You were right there watching. I’ve been like this the whole time, I didn’t speak, nor did I make any other gesture. How was that a hint?”

“There’s no reason,” Qiao Yu murmured, perplexed. “Then how did he see through it?”

“Because I trust Bei Ye,” Wang Guan stated firmly, which elicited a happy smile from Bei Ye.

“Tch, stop with the sweet talk.”

However, Qiao Yu wasn’t falling for it, dismissing him with contempt. “That kind of honeyed talk to cheer someone up is long outdated. Hurry up and tell me, where exactly did I slip up?”

“What do you mean, cheering you up? These are words straight from my heart,” Wang Guan declared righteously. “Don’t use your narrow mind to judge my gentlemanly intentions.”

“The ‘heart’ of a schemer—gentlemen are just high-level fakers,” Qiao Yu pouted. “Are you going to tell me or not? If you don’t, I’m taking Little Ye away, leaving you to suffer another night of sleepless loneliness.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Wang Guan didn’t mind this remark; in fact, he rather enjoyed the implication. But Bei Ye became flushed with embarrassment and couldn’t help but chide Qiao Yu profusely.

“Sorry, a momentary slip-up, my tongue got ahead of itself,” Qiao Yu said with a sly grin, but as Bei Ye wasn't looking, she winked mischievously at Wang Guan—it was clear she had done it on purpose.

Wang Guan was caught between laughter and exasperation. He waved a hand. “Stop fooling around. Come over here; I need to introduce you to some friends.”

“This is Brother Pi, whom you’ve met, and Brother Meng, Brother Sha…” Wang Guan introduced them one by one, finally pointing to Cai Peng with a smile. “And this gentleman is Young Master Cai, from Taiwan.”

“What Young Master Cai? Brother, you’re deliberately making fun of me,” Cai Peng quickly laughed. “My name is Cai Peng; just call me by my name.”

“Hello, everyone,” Bei Ye offered her greetings, receiving a chorus of warm welcomes in return.

Wang Guan glanced around, noticing they were blocking the hotel entrance, which might inconvenience others. He ushered them along. “Let’s go for tea.”

This hotel was comprehensive, offering not only lodging but also restaurants, cafés, card rooms, and gyms—naturally, a teahouse was included. A short while later, the group arrived at the teahouse, secured a large private room, and soon had servers preparing tea and serving accompanying snacks.

Once seated, Wang Guan looked at Qiao Yu curiously. “For no reason at all, why are you dressed like this? You’re not exactly a child anymore; you’re not so immature as to try and intentionally scare me, are you?”

“What do you mean, not a child? And what do you mean, immature!” Qiao Yu’s bright eyes widened dramatically, looking as if she might snap at Wang Guan over the slightest disagreement.

Seeing this, Wang Guan offered a helpless smile and turned to Bei Ye. “Bei Ye, you tell him.”

“This morning, someone from the Han family delivered a banquet invitation to Little Qiao,” Bei Ye replied with a slight smile. “Then, I don’t know what she was thinking, but she went to the mall, bought this whole outfit, and dressed herself up like this.”

“What?” Wang Guan was completely stunned. “Little Qiao, you plan to wear that to the Han family banquet? Aren’t you afraid Fourth Master will come charging over from Jinyang with a long pipe to smack you on the head?”

“I’m not that stupid,” Qiao Yu scoffed. “The clothes aren’t for me to wear…”

“If not for you, then who?” Wang Guan was puzzled. “The clothes are quite close-fitting, almost custom-made. Who else could wear them besides you?”

“Hehe…” Qiao Yu laughed, suddenly throwing her arms around Bei Ye next to her, a fox-like cunning glinting in the corner of her mouth. “Don’t you think my figure and Little Ye’s are quite similar?”

“Hmm?” Wang Guan paused, then realized, his surprise mounting. “You plan to have Bei Ye pretend to be your ‘boyfriend’?”

“Hehe, you’re not that slow after all. You guessed exactly right,” Qiao Yu said with a smirk. “Isn’t it a brilliant idea?”

“Brilliant my foot,” Wang Guan retorted, annoyed. “I think you’ve simply caught a fever, or maybe you’ve got water in your brain. Do you really think everyone’s eyes are blind? Bei Ye isn’t Brother Chun—even if she wore men’s clothing, she’d be recognizable at a glance.”

Everyone looked at Bei Ye and nodded in agreement. The only time cross-dressing doesn’t get noticed is either in a movie plot or if the person has an extremely androgynous appearance. But Bei Ye didn't fit that description. Even with short hair, her skin was as white as jade, her features exquisitely delicate and beautiful, and her eyes, fluid and bright as water—these feminine traits could simply not be hidden.

Furthermore, this idea surprised not only Wang Guan but also caused some dissatisfaction in Bei Ye. “Little Qiao, why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“Aren’t we talking about it now?” Qiao Yu said sweetly. “Besides, even if everyone sees through it, so what? It’s the statement I want to make. If the Han family is smart, they’ll understand my intention.”

“You really are ruthless,” Wang Guan said, instantly grasping Qiao Yu’s deeper meaning, his brow furrowing. “Aren’t you afraid of killing a thousand enemies while sacrificing eight hundred of your own, damaging your own reputation?”

“Afraid of what? I’m not staying in Hong Kong anyway,” Qiao Yu declared proudly. “In chaotic times, you use severe measures. When the sickness is critical, you give potent medicine. This situation calls for an immediate, total eradication to make certain people give up this notion.”

“If it were just you, I wouldn't worry,” Wang Guan rolled his eyes. “I’m concerned about Bei Ye. If they can’t get to you, they might start targeting her.”

“Don’t you have you?” Qiao Yu grinned. “As her boyfriend, protecting her from storms is your duty. What else would I keep you around for? It’s your responsibility.”

“So you calculated everything out, did you? Stop calling yourself Little Qiao; you should be called Zhuge Liang the Female,” Wang Guan muttered, feeling utterly speechless.

“High praise, high praise,” Qiao Yu beamed. “Mostly, I’m worried about the Old Master at home disagreeing, otherwise, I would have changed my surname long ago.”

“Hey, have you asked me yet?”

At this point, Bei Ye showed some reluctance. “You’re playing so wildly; I haven’t even decided if I want to agree yet.”

“Little Ye, my sweet darling,” Qiao Yu’s voice dripped like oil as she spoke sweetly. “Your sister is in trouble, surely you can’t stand by and watch me sink? For the sake of living under the same roof for so many years, pull Little Sister out of this mess!”

“What ‘so many years’? It’s barely two years at most,” Bei Ye retorted testily. “If I pull you out, and you drag me down with you, who’s going to pull me out then?”

“He will!” Qiao Yu said cheerfully. “Why don’t we just run with the mistake and pull each other out together!”

For a moment, Bei Ye was speechless. Wang Guan couldn't help but laugh and scold, “You female rogue, trying to steal my corner right in front of me! Don’t expect me to help you.”

“I wasn’t counting on you for any real help anyway,” Qiao Yu huffed, then proceeded to relentlessly plead and cajole Bei Ye into cooperation.

However, Bei Ye was not going to agree to something like this easily, remaining unmoved no matter how Qiao Yu begged.

“Actually, that…”

It was then that Cai Peng, for reasons known only to him, volunteered. “I can help.”

“You?”

Qiao Yu’s gaze flickered over him. Cai Peng immediately straightened his posture, an unconsciously charming smile gracing his face. Then, Qiao Yu’s next sentence utterly shattered his confidence and severely wounded his pride.

“You should just forget it. You haven’t even fully grown your hair yet; don’t try to play at picking up girls,” Qiao Yu said dismissively, completely unaware of the massive damage such a tone and language could inflict on a man.

“I’m twenty-two,” Cai Peng snapped back, feeling aggrieved. At that age, both in Taiwan and on the mainland, he was legally old enough to marry and have children.

“I’m not referring to your biological age, but your psychological age. Saying things like that proves you’re genuinely immature,” Qiao Yu stated calmly, landing a double blow that pulverized Cai Peng into dust.

Wang Guan and Bei Ye were accustomed to Qiao Yu’s ferocity, but Pi Qiushi and Old Meng were not. Hearing that exchange, they couldn’t help but suck in their breath, lamenting that they were out of touch with the current times as they drifted into nostalgic reflection.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yu was no longer paying attention to the crestfallen Cai Peng. She returned to persuading Bei Ye. Seeing her continued reluctance, Qiao Yu finally deployed her ultimate weapon, whispering something secretively into Bei Ye’s ear. Instantly, Bei Ye’s attitude shifted; she became visibly hesitant, and after serious consideration, finally nodded her reluctant agreement.

Seeing this development, Wang Guan frowned, a hint of suspicion in his eyes. “Bei Ye, what did she say? I’m right here; you absolutely don't need to bow to this evil influence…”

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