Cheung Qi raised an eyebrow.
"Everything?"
"His background. His family. His relatives. Where he works. Who he associates with."
For a moment, Cheung Qi thought he had misheard, he nearly choked on his drink.
"Cough!"
Lowering the glass, he stared at his phone.
"That's a lot of effort for someone you've only met once."
Hei Bao remained silent.
The silence itself was suspicious. A grin slowly spread across Cheung Qi's face.
"Wait a minute."
The grin on his lips widened.
"Are you interested in him?"
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Cheung Qi's grin widened even further.
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You absolutely are."
"I'm not."
"Then why investigate him?"
Hei Bao frowned.
Because he wanted answers.
Because the moment he caught that strawberry scent, something buried deep inside him had stirred awake, and because Leo had reacted far too strongly earlier.
Mate.
The word echoed through his mind again.
For the first time in decades, his wolf had shown such a violent reaction to someone.
Hei Bao's grip on the phone tightened slightly.
He needed to know, needed to be certain.
Before taking another step, he had to find out who Hao Mingyu really was.
And more importantly, whether Hao Mingyu truly was his mate.
Or whether he was merely chasing the shadow of someone he had lost long ago.
Bai Lianhua.
The name surfaced quietly in his thoughts.
A century had passed, a century of searching, and a century of disappointment.
A century of convincing himself that perhaps fate had already taken everything it intended to take.
Had he finally given up without realizing it?
Was that why Hao Mingyu's scent had shaken him so much?
Hei Bao brushed a hand through his hair.
No.
There was no point speculating, feelings alone meant nothing.
He needed facts first.
"Just do what I asked."
Cheung Qi laughed loudly.
"He's an Alpha, you know."
Hei Bao fell silent.
An Alpha?
The reminder lingered unexpectedly in his thoughts.
Strangely enough, hearing it spoken aloud brought a sense of relief he couldn't explain.
Perhaps it was because it made things simpler.
Or perhaps it was because some part of him had already begun hoping for something he wasn't ready to admit.
"...I see."
Cheung Qi narrowed his eyes.
That reaction was suspicious.
Before he could continue teasing him, Hei Bao spoke again.
"Send me the report when it's finished."
Then he added flatly,
"I'm hanging up."
"Wait, wait, wait—"
The call ended.
Cheung Qi stared at his phone, and a moment later, he burst out laughing again.
"Unbelievable."
He shook his head and took another drink.
"This old bear really hasn't changed at all."
No matter how many years passed, Hei Bao still had the same habit.
He called when he needed something.
He asked his questions.
Then he hung up before anyone could question him back.
Meanwhile, on the balcony, Hei Bao lowered his phone.
The night air had grown colder.
The city lights glittered in the distance beneath the dark sky.
For a long moment, he stood there in silence.
Then he rubbed the bridge of his nose, while thinking deeply.
Perhaps Cheung Qi was right.
This was strange. He had met Hao Mingyu only once.
Exchanged only a handful of words. Yet the man's face kept resurfacing in his mind.
The realization irritated him more than he cared to admit.
With a quiet sigh, Hei Bao pushed himself away from the railing.
Whatever this was, he could think about it tomorrow.
For now, there was something more important.
Turning around, he headed back inside.
Gou Feng was still sick.
And making sure Gou Feng's fever didn't worsen mattered far more than some mysterious stranger from a café.
The next morning arrived quietly. After the heat of the previous day, the air felt noticeably cooler.
Outside, the city was already awake.
Vehicles moved steadily along the roads. Street vendors arranged their stalls while the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted from nearby cafés, mingling with the aroma of warm bread and breakfast rice from restaurants opening for the day.
Above it all, the morning sun slowly climbed over the skyline, casting a golden glow across the city.
Meanwhile, the headquarters of Hento Entertainment and Trading Crops Companywas already bustling with activity.
Employees hurried toward the office building carrying briefcases, laptops, and steaming paper cups of coffee.
Others moved through the lobby with tablets and documents tucked under their arms
Meetings were being prepared, schedules were reviewed, and phones rang without pause.
The steady rhythm of another workday had already begun.
Employees flowed in and out through the main entrance while security personnel maintained their posts around the premises.
Today, however, the atmosphere felt noticeably different.
The top floor had been completely sealed off.
Additional security personnel had been deployed throughout the executive level.
No visitors were permitted without prior authorization.
Even senior employees found themselves double-checking their identification cards before entering restricted areas.
Everyone understood that something important was happening.
No one knew the details, but they knew enough not to ask questions.
At the center of it all stood the man responsible for overseeing the entire corporation.
Hei Bao.
Dressed in a dark formal suit, he stepped out of the elevator and strode through the executive floor.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever, cold, and unapproachable.
The employees he passed immediately straightened up.
"Good morning, sir."
Hei Bao merely nodded.
Without stopping, he continued toward the conference hall reserved for today's gathering.
The moment the doors opened, the atmosphere changed.
The room was already occupied.
Representatives of the three major races sat around the enormous conference table.
Humans.
Vampires.
Lycans.
At the center sat the President of the country and several senior government officials.
Today's meeting had only one purpose.
Fei Nian.
More specifically, why a vampire operative had been secretly monitoring one of the Lycan leaders, Hei Bao.
The incident remained unresolved, and nobody was happy about it.
Hei Bao took his seat without a word.
Across from him sat several high-ranking vampire nobles.
Among them was Rong Qiqiang.
The atmosphere seemed to grow even colder.
A few moments later, the President cleared his throat.
"Let's begin."
Immediately, one of the Lycan elders slammed his palm onto the table.
The loud bang echoed throughout the conference room, causing several human officials to flinch.
"Begin?"
His eyes burned with anger.
"A vampire spy was caught stalking one of our own."
He pointed directly at Hei Bao.
"And we're expected to sit here calmly while being told nobody knows why she was sent?"
The elder's voice rose with every word.
"Fei Nian wasn't some low-level operative wandering around by accident."
His gaze swept toward the vampire representatives.
"She was trained."
Several vampire nobles frowned.
One of them immediately leaned forward.
"The Vampire Council never authorized such an operation."
"You expect us to believe that?"
Another Lycan leader scoffed.
"If that's true, then explain the vampire crest carved into her identification seal."
The room grew noticeably quieter.
The Lycan leader's gaze swept across the vampire delegation.
"That wasn't forged."
His voice hardened.
"And neither was the mark she carried. So tell us this. If Fei Nian wasn't acting under someone's authority, why was she carrying one of your faction's marks?"
A brief pause followed, before the elder added,
"And why was she approaching one of our leaders?"
The accusation landed heavily across the room.
Several vampire representatives breathe deeply, looking to be in deep thoughts now.
Others exchanged uneasy glances.
Because unlike speculation, those were facts that had already been confirmed.
"That proves nothing."
A vampire noble coldly replied.
One of the Lycan elder leaders quickly backfired.
"Then explain clearly to us why the spy belonged to your faction."
Neither side blinked.
Neither side backed down.
The discussion quickly deteriorated.
Voices rose.
Accusations followed.
Several human officials exchanged exhausted looks.
The mundane President quietly rubbed his temple.
The discussion was already moving toward the direction he had hoped to avoid.
Several security personnel subtly shifted positions.
Meanwhile, Hei Bao remained completely silent.
As if the entire discussion had nothing to do with him.
The President raised his hand.
"Gentlemen."
His voice wasn't loud.
Yet it immediately drew attention.
"We are here to find answers. Not create additional problems."
He looked toward the Lycan elder, then toward the vampire elder.
"If either of you wishes to settle this through violence, I suggest you resign your positions first."
Neither spoke.
The President continued.
"We are not here to assign blame. We are here to establish facts."
The room remained silent.
Gradually, both elders returned to their seats.
The immediate crisis passed.
Across the table sat Rong Qiqiang, the fourth leader of the Vampire clans.
Unlike the older representatives around him, he appeared remarkably relaxed.
Almost amused.
His fingers lazily tapped against the armrest of his chair until his eyes shifted.
Meeting Hei Bao's gaze directly.
A faint smirk appeared on Rong Qiqiang's face.
It was subtle.
The kind of expression carrying a message only the other person would understand.
In the past, Hei Bao would have reacted. At minimum, there would have been irritation.
Perhaps even hostility, but instead Hei Bao simply looked at him, expression unmoved, and uninterested.
Then gave a small nod before turning his attention back toward the discussion.
As though Rong Qiqiang was no more important than any other person in the room.
The smirk on Rong Qiqiang's face immediately froze.
For the first time that morning, genuine surprise appeared in his eyes.
That wasn't the reaction he expected.
Not from Hei Bao, who is easily triggered by his temper.
Beside him, his younger brother Yun He yawned openly.
The sound was completely out of place.
Several people turned to look at him.
Yun He blinked unbothered.
"What?"
Nobody answered.
The young vampire only shrugged, looking bored among others that were taking this situation seriously.