198: Chapter 199 The devastating power of the phrase "our mom"!

As the glitz and glamour faded, the night felt like water.

The seven-hundred-billion-dollar carnival and clamor inside Yonglu Tingquan Pavilion had been completely shut off from the rest of the world by the heavy, explosion-proof doors.

It was two in the morning.

In the Magic City, on the top floor of the Jiyuan Technology headquarters building, inside the CEO's office.

"Click."

Shen Du pushed open the heavy double mahogany doors, his footsteps making no sound.

He didn't turn on the overhead lights; there was only the dappled neon light filtering in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, along with a dim wall lamp left on in the lounge area.

It carved the vast, empty office into silent patches of varying light and shadow.

Curled up on the expansive Italian leather sofa was a slender, weary figure.

It was Hong Yun.

This was the "Shadow Queen," a woman feared by countless financial brokers in the overseas offshore capital circles, who remotely controlled a massive forty-billion-dollar cash flow for Shen Du.

Right now, however, she looked like a cat that had exhausted all its energy.

She hadn't even bothered to remove her high heels, having fallen into a deep slumber on the sofa just as she was.

Shen Du held his breath, slowly walked up to the sofa, and stood there, gazing down at her in silence.

The faint glow from outside the window fell upon Hong Yun's beautiful yet haggard face.

Shen Du could even clearly see the dark, heavy shadows beneath her eyes that no amount of makeup could conceal.

This thrilling, month-long battle involving hundreds of billions in the Hong Kong Stock Market.

Shen Du had been strategizing in the open, weathering the overt and covert attacks from all sides.

Meanwhile, Hong Yun had been in the deepest, darkest shadows, keeping a death grip on the flow of funds across thousands of offshore accounts for him.

Sleeping only two or three hours a day, the immense pressure of managing tens of billions of dollars had nearly drained her of all her vitality.

Within Shen Du's deep eyes—the same eyes that had just been looking down upon the titans at the round table, masterfully manipulating their every move—

all the coldness and calculation had quietly faded, replaced by a complex, hidden softness.

He watched her in silence, his mind drifting back to his original intention for keeping this woman by his side.

Back then, regarding this woman who had clawed her way up on the fringes of the vanity fair and was known for her slick maneuvering,

his attitude had been more about the wariness and control of a superior.

Of course, one could not deny

the trace of guilt that arose from a twist of fate, when he had taken the "first night" she had carefully guarded for over twenty years.

Yet time is often the cruelest, most accurate touchstone for the human heart.

Having gone through the ups and downs of these nearly one thousand days and nights, and having experienced several life-and-death gambles on the precipice of the capital markets,

Shen Du had placed his most core asset—his one-hundred-billion-dollar offshore wealth, which would spell absolute ruin if exposed—entirely upon her shoulders.

And the answer Hong Yun had delivered was absolute, unreserved loyalty.

It was an execution that never faltered, even when facing the abyss of liquidation.

More importantly, it was her unwavering devotion over nearly a thousand days and nights, never once overstepping her bounds or demanding any title.

Shen Du stood where he was, gazing at her for a long time in the faint glow.

This man, who was ruthless and decisive in the capital markets, capable of turning clouds to rain with a flick of his hand, rarely sighed in his heart.

He knew better than anyone that with the resources and authority Hong Yun now controlled,

all she had to do was harbor the slightest bit of selfishness.

Even if it were just scraping off an insignificant dusting from the edge of that massive pool of capital,

it would be enough for her to squander for several lifetimes and live any extravagant life she desired.

But she hadn't.

In routine capital audits, her personal offshore accounts were so clean that even Shen Du found it unbelievable.

She was like a believer guarding a world-shattering treasure, yet lacking any sense of security.

All her faith and reliance stemmed solely from the two words: "Shen Du."

"Silly woman..."

Shen Du murmured softly.

The corners of his mouth, usually set in a cold, hard line, now involuntarily curled into a gentle arc.

This Chinese New Year, it was time.

Shen Du silently made a decision in his heart.

It was time to give this woman—who was a few years his senior and had weathered so many hardships,

yet had dedicated her entire life and all her cards to him without reservation—

a true, proper "status."

The night breeze outside brushed through the slats of the blinds, carrying in the faint, distinct chill of the early morning.

Shen Du did not wake her.

He knew that after more than a month of being tightly wound, her nerves had finally relaxed.

This "cat," exhausted to the extreme,

needed nothing more right now than a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

He slowly removed his custom-made, hand-stitched suit jacket, which still held the warmth of his body.

With soft footsteps, he walked to the edge of the sofa.

Shen Du leaned down slightly and carefully draped the jacket, which carried a rich, woody scent, over Hong Yun's slender frame.

He even meticulously tucked in the corner of the jacket that had slipped to the edge.

His movements were as gentle as if he were handling a rare, priceless treasure.

After doing all this, Shen Du pulled over a leather armchair from nearby and sat down beside the sofa.

He didn't turn on his computer, nor did he check the post-war data that would have sent shockwaves through the global financial community.

This titan, who had just stirred up a storm in the Hong Kong Stock Market and achieved legendary status in a single battle,

now sat with his hands crossed in front of him.

Leaning back against the wide chair, he kept a silent vigil by her side, bathed in the dappled neon light.

In this cutthroat, top-tier vanity fair,

such companionship, where all defenses were let down, was often a greater luxury than a hundred-billion-dollar fortune.

I don't know how much time had passed.

The night was deep; most of the bustling neon lights outside the floor-to-ceiling windows had dimmed, and the city had plunged into the deepest darkness before dawn.

The weary Hong Yun finally stirred, waking from her long-overdue, deep slumber.

She didn't get up immediately, but subconsciously rubbed her cheek against the warm wrapping.

Lingering at the tip of her nose was the rich, woody scent she knew so well, along with the warm heat radiating from that man.

The sensation of being enveloped in absolute security brought an involuntary, peaceful, and happy smile to Hong Yun's lips.

She slowly opened her eyes, aided by the dim light of the wall lamp.

The first thing she saw was the man sitting in the leather armchair, his eyes closed, seemingly having drifted into a light sleep.

Hong Yun's breath hitched.

The softest part of her heart was struck by something, instantly melting into a pool of spring water.

This titan, who had just been turning the world upside down and slaughtering countless financial moguls,

was now curled up in a single armchair like the most ordinary of men, just to keep watch over her while she slept?

Perhaps it was the subtle change in Hong Yun's breathing that disturbed Shen Du, who was always a light and alert sleeper.

His long eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened those deep eyes.

Their eyes met.

There was no ruthlessness or calculation from the business world, no sharp edge or intimidation of a superior.

In Shen Du's eyes now, there was only a gentleness and calm that could melt anyone completely.

"Awake?"

Shen Du's voice, still thick with sleep, was low and raspy, yet incredibly pleasing to the ear.

Hong Yun's eyes grew warm, and she just started to prop herself up.

But Shen Du leaned forward, his warm hand gently pressing down on her shoulder to signal that she didn't need to get up.

"Hong Yun."

Shen Du looked quietly into her eyes. Without any unnecessary pleasantries, he spoke in a tone that was calm yet incredibly solemn:

"This Chinese New Year, come home with me."

Hong Yun froze instantly, as if paralyzed by a spell, staring at the man before her in utter disbelief.

Come home?

Before her heart, which had almost stopped beating from shock, could resume its rhythm,

Shen Du's warm palm moved upward, naturally tucking away the stray locks of hair that had fallen against her cheek.

He then added the words that possessed enough lethality to destroy all her psychological defenses:

"Come back with me to meet our mom."