Jiayi was startled, the man in front of her looked familiar, as if he was one of the bodyguards who had accompanied Xuan Yu and her daughter to China.

It seemed that Xuan Yu had known that she would come, having someone wait for her in the hotel lobby all night long.

The bodyguard stretched out his hand toward the elevator, making a gesture of invitation.

She hesitated for a few seconds but then took a half step back, "Can’t Mrs. Chu come downstairs? If she’s available, we could have a chat in the hotel lobby, so there’s no need to go upstairs and disturb. If it’s not convenient, I’ll come back tomorrow."

The bodyguard immediately said, "Then, Miss Chu Three, please wait a moment." After speaking, he took out his cellphone and made a call to Xuan Yu on the side.

Inside the hotel suite.

Xuan Yu had been awakened by the bodyguard already knowing that Jiayi was coming.

Now, receiving the call from the bodyguard and knowing that the girl wanted her to come downstairs to talk, a trace of coldness appeared on Xuan Yu’s face, yet she still went along with her wish, "Alright, inform Miss Three that I will come downstairs right away."

She didn’t expect the girl to still be very vigilant.

It seemed that although her memories of the past were not quite complete, she had somehow sensed that her relationship with the Chu family was not too amiable, thus she always maintained a certain level of wariness.

"Mommy, how is it? She won’t come upstairs?"

Chu Xinyu, having been informed of Jiayi’s arrival, had also gotten up with Nie Yixiao in the next room, and at the moment both were in Xuan Yu’s room.

"It’s ok. If she doesn’t want to come upstairs, then I’ll go down. It’s no big deal," Xuan Yu shrugged her shoulders, draping an expensive fox fur cape over herself as the hotel’s nighttime air conditioning was still a bit cold.

Chu Xinyu’s face, still swollen and not yet subsided, showed some disappointment as she pinched the corner of her clothes, "This damned girl, why won’t she just come upstairs, and even specifically asks Mommy to go down personally, that’s so rude! A bastard born from a slutty fox, indeed she’s an uncultured wretch!"

Xuan Yu saw through her daughter’s thoughts and said coldly, "You want her to come upstairs so that if she still disagrees to leave with us, we could abduct her back to S Country, don’t you?"

Chu Xinyu hadn’t expected Mommy to see through her scheme so easily; truly, she could hide nothing from Mommy and admitted with a pout, "Yes."

The entire floor of the hotel was booked by the Chu family.

The moment that damned girl stepped up here, if she didn’t agree to leave, Chu Xinyu had even prepared a strong sedative.

Just one shot for that girl would put her to sleep for twenty-four hours straight.

Xuan Yu had come on the Chu family’s private jet, which was parked at a nearby airfield close to the Shenghua Grand Hotel.

Once they got the girl on the plane, by the time she woke up, she would already be thousands of miles away in S Country.

It was just unexpected that after disappearing for a year, this damned girl had become a lot more composed and alert, no longer as easily fooled as before, and she even refused to come upstairs.

On the first floor of the hotel, there were receptionists, on-duty security guards, and a lobby manager, plus other guests coming and going. It was not a convenient place to make a move.

Xuan Yu glared at Chu Xinyu; sometimes she really could not stand her eldest daughter, who, though beautiful, lacked intelligence completely.

She was nothing like herself, not even comparable to her younger daughter Xinyue.

She gave Chu Xinyu a disparaging look. "To call you foolish is really not incorrect. Why opt for force when there are gentler methods? Kidnapping, huh, it may work, but what if you forcefully drag her back and Huo Shao finds out? Imagine how furious he would be? To kidnap someone from under his nose, on his turf, without giving him any face? You’ve never experienced Huo Shao’s temper personally, have you? Annoying him could breed endless troubles. Mommy has a more effortless way to make her follow us willingly. Even if Huo Shao finds out later, he can’t blame us because it will be her own choice."

Chu Xinyu’s spirits lifted at this, seeing Mommy neatly wrap her fox fur shawl around her shoulders before turning around and leaving.

No sooner had Xuan Yu stepped out than Nie Yixiao looked at Chu Xinyu: "Xinyu, you should stop thinking about using such crude methods."

He had also just learned that Chu Xinyu was contemplating using unconventional means to forcibly take Jiayi back.

Upon hearing Nie Yixiao say this, Chu Xinyu’s face suddenly twisted, and she clenched her silver teeth. "What, do you pity her? Are you afraid that I might accidentally hurt her while kidnapping her?"

Nie Yixiao said, "What are you talking about? I mean, you should listen to your aunt. If she has a way to make Jiayi willingly return to the Chu Family, why resort to those methods?"

Chu Xinyu stood up abruptly, "Haha, stop lying to me. You still have feelings for her in your heart!"

"Why are you jealous over such nonsense?" Nie Yixiao’s proud nose wrinkled in annoyance, and he raised his voice, which seemed more like he was covering up his guilt.

"Then tell me, what happened to the injury on your face?" Although Chu Xinyu hadn’t been at the embassy’s evening banquet, when she arrived back and saw the injury on Nie Yixiao’s face, with a few hints from Mommy, she had quickly become suspicious.

Nie Yixiao grew noticeably more agitated. "What are you going on about? Didn’t I tell you, it was an accidental bump during dinner."

Nie Yixiao was known for his genteel and refined manner, always unflustered and steady in his actions, rarely losing his temper.

Under normal circumstances, Chu Xinyu would’ve softened at such an outburst from him, and stopped her aggressive behavior.

After all, Brother Yixiao held a very significant place in her heart.

He might have been an orphan, but he had excelled academically from a young age, extraordinarily intelligent with an IQ of three hundred. By the age of ten, he had mastered several languages and had a firm grasp of science and computer knowledge, a so-called prodigy in the eyes of the world.

In middle school, Brother Yixiao was fiercely sought after by top universities around the world, and there were even rumors of various powerful nations’ governments seeking him out, offering him their citizenship to nurture elite talent for their own countries.

Some men have charms that lie in their innate background—like heirs to great names, born with silver spoons, the children of wealthy entrepreneurs, government officials, or stars.

Others are captivating due to their acquired skills—perhaps not from influential families, but capable of creating a remarkable legacy for themselves, becoming self-made wealthy individuals.

Clearly, Brother Yixiao belonged to the latter category.

Later, when he accompanied Jiayi to S Country, Nie Yixiao chose a position in S Country’s top hospital, becoming a renowned doctor in the Capital, exclusively treating the elite.

In S Country, countless high-ranking officials and nobles tried to recruit Brother Yixiao as their illustrious son-in-law.

Countless heiresses dreamt of winning this man for themselves.

Such an outstanding and handsome young man—he had captivated Chu Xinyu at first sight, or else she wouldn’t have so desperately snatched him from Jiayi.

A man like that, matched with that little wretch, was utterly wasted; naturally, he should belong to Chu Xinyu.

Actually, Chu Xinyu had thought that Nie Yixiao wouldn’t accept her seduction since he and Jiayi had grown up together in the same town and shared a deep bond.

She could see the irreplaceable tenderness in Nie Yixiao’s eyes when he looked at Jiayi, his indulgence and protection always on her side.