The housekeeper smiled. “I’m handling some matters here. What brings Mr. Linying here?”

“What kind of matters require this attire?” It was the same outfit Tao Yu wore. Coupled with the dim lighting and gauze curtains in this room, he'd actually mistaken an old man for a woman.

Instead of answering, the housekeeper smiled and asked, “Shouldn’t Mr. Linying be at the cocktail party right now?”

Yue Linying narrowed his eyes at the housekeeper. If he couldn’t figure out what was going on at this point, he’d truly be a hopeless fool. With one hand pressed against his pocket, he inconspicuously backed away. “The party was stifling. I came out for a walk. I won’t disturb you any longer.”

He turned to leave, only to bump into two bodyguards.

He froze, realizing escape was temporarily impossible. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.

“I was just handling some confidential company matters. It seems Mr. Linying overheard quite a bit. I wonder if you made a recording. Perhaps you’d let me inspect your phone?” The housekeeper had personally donned this disguise so that if Tao Yu failed, he'd have a plausible reason to cause trouble.

Yue Linying immediately rushed to the side and dialed a number. Seeing this, the housekeeper urgently signaled the men to stop him, but the call connected. It was Zhou Yanran.

“Someone’s in my room! Catch him!” With those few words, the line went dead.

Yue Linying stared at his phone, shattered on the floor, his face hardening. The housekeeper frowned. “You’re so anxious. Could it be you really recorded confidential company information?” He nodded to the bodyguards to keep Yue Linying restrained while he hurried away.

He didn’t know if the call had gone through. He had to get over there and help Doctor Tao.

Unfortunately for the housekeeper, Yue Linying wasn't going to cooperate. Under the bodyguards' hold, he threw himself against the wall with reckless abandon. Startled, they faltered for a second, and in that instant, he wrenched free, slammed the door shut, and locked it, tossing the key out the window.

He’d moved with such speed that by the time the housekeeper and the others rushed over, he’d already finished.

“You can continue handling your ‘confidential matters’ now,” Yue Linying said with a defiant smirk.

Worried, the housekeeper called Yue Linze. Just as the call connected, his other pocket rang. He’d forgotten he had Yue Linze’s phone. He glanced at Yue Linying’s calm expression, his worry for Doctor Tao intensifying. Finally, he gritted his teeth and pointed at the window, ordering the bodyguards, “Break it!”

Meanwhile, Zhou Yanran was touching up her makeup in the restroom. After receiving Yue Linying’s call, she froze for a moment, then immediately summoned Yue Linying's confidants and headed for his room.

Knowing she couldn’t hide her emotions, she sent a maid to inform Gu Yansheng of her departure, then left through the side hall. Her expression remained grave. Yue Linying had mentioned a secret hidden in his room, a secret that held the key to their future. If discovered, they were both ruined.

Though she didn’t know the nature of this secret, she understood that after today, her fate was intertwined with Yue Linying's. This secret must remain hidden.

In the main hall, Yue Linze spoke with the Yue elders, his fingers drumming against his wheelchair as he mentally calculated the time. Tao Yu had been gone for ten minutes, Yue Linying for eight, and Zhou Yanran had gone to the restroom two minutes ago. Everything was within the controllable range.