From the information He Juan had discerned through the map, the south entrance was the exact opposite of the harbor’s main entrance where the ships were docked. And sure enough, as he swept his gaze over the surroundings, all he saw was large shipping containers lining up around the perimeter, making the path seem more like a maze. The further he walked, the ocean waves echoed louder and so did the salty scent in the air.

He Juan took a deep breath, intending to inhale more of this fresh and crisp air, and he suddenly paused midway before he could let out an exhale.

A strange smell lingered on the tip of his nose, almost diluted by the oceanic salt. He Juan had no idea whether it was because his entire person had entered the highest alert state, but he caught it nonetheless. Faint, unobtrusive. Yet the Alpha within him grew visibly restless, warning him to proceed with utmost caution.

He Juan’s jaws tensed. ’What’s wrong?’ he asked. But no answer came to him. He had no idea where this unease came from – or to be exact, he had forgotten. But his instinct had it carved deep inside his soul. Be careful, it warned him.

The middle-aged man continued to lead him down the narrow path with nary a person in sight. He Juan had been keeping at least two meters between them, his senses on the lookout to detect the slightest hint of activity around. But so far, everything was absolutely quiet and serene. Yet the calmer it looked on the surface, the more uneasy he became. He felt like countless gazes were landing on his body, but no matter where he looked, all he saw was still containers that resembled a massive and cold fortress.

He Juan could no longer bear the silence. "Where are they?"

The other man almost jumped out in shock by that sudden question. He hastily turned around and plastered an ingratiating smile on his face. "It’s just... just past this road! One more turn and we will be there!"

He Juan gave a light hum, "Walk faster." Then he added after a second thought. "...please."

"Oh yes, yes! As you wish, Boss!" This time, the man indeed picked up his pace, almost jogging, and the speed was just right for He Juan’s long legs to catch up with him. What the man said turned out to be true. Once they approached the end of this path, He Juan’s ears picked up a faint sound of activity nearby. It seemed like two or more people were talking in a hushed voice.

In front of He Juan, a large open area was revealed with the ocean only a few meters ahead. In that split second, a powerful déjà vu jolted his entire body and he abruptly recalled — the harbor, the large body of water and the cargo ships docked in the far distance...

If... if the sun was still up, then wouldn’t this scenery be the same as in the photo he had kept all this time?! That’s right, it was precisely the photo found in Miss Zhao’s lacquered box where He Juan was standing together with a blue-eyed foreigner! Could it be... had that shot been taken in Jingnan Harbor?!

He Juan fell into a momentary trance as he stared at the ocean and it was not until the loud greeting of ’Boss XIU!’ rang close by that he snapped back to his senses. He turned sideways and caught sight of five additional men who were bowing to him almost ninety degrees, every inch of their body was oozing with reverence and submission.

He Juan strived to keep his surprise under a tight lid. Goodness, no amount of mental preparation could get him accustomed to such a treatment. It made every inch of his skin crawl and he almost stepped forward to help them up. However, he reminded himself again and again that they were enemies. He could not afford to let his guard down. Not now.

So he hardened his expression and demanded, "Where is Jia Molei? Bring him out. I want to see him first."

The men glanced at each other, clearly hesitating. He Juan felt his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach when he noticed their exchange. What was going on? Could it be that Jia Molei was not here?!

From the start, He Juan was fully aware that this could be a trap. The imposter had not explicitly stated that he would bring Jia Molei to this place. All he did was send He Juan a video that was veiled with a subtle threat – if you want this person safe and sound, then you have to fulfill our agreement – and it worked. Gods, it was working better than any other threat could.

He had noticed this little loophole and had dreaded it. He dreaded to discover that he had indeed been fooled, that this was all a trap for him, that under their hands, Jia Molei had—

He Juan’s knuckles cracked and the wind picked up around him, carrying the alarming scent of a furious Alpha. Alas, before he could make a move and let his instinct take over, the door to the large container behind the men creaked open and someone stepped out, humming leisurely.

"Look at who’s here!" A bright voice sounded – the voice that had He Juan’s Alpha raging in fury. And there the imposter was, slowly striding out of the dark container while holding someone in his arm. "Ckckck, why are you guys so incompetent? How many minutes has it been since XIU arrived again? And you guys already made him angry?" He shook his head in mock pity.

Then, his gaze landed on He Juan, and his smile grew wider. "XIU, long time no see~" Unfortunately, He Juan did not even spare him a glance as all of his attention was focused on the pale man beside him. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Molei..." His voice came out more like a gasp as if punched out from his chest. The rims of his eyes instantly reddened as he raked his gaze all over Jia Molei.

He Juan noticed something was wrong right away when he saw that Jia Molei did not struggle out of the imposter’s grasp. His complexion was ashen, his eyes listless and it looked more like he was going to collapse had someone not been supporting him. Even after hearing He Juan’s call, he struggled to lift his eyelids and his colorless lips parted.

’Run...’ he mouthed toward He Juan.

As soon as he perceived the silent plea, He Juan felt the well-tucked fury explode out of him to the point where the air around him vibrated along. Killing intent colored his eyes crimson. He shifted his gaze toward the smiling imposter and seethed, his voice shaking in extreme rage. "What have you done to him."