But to everyone's surprise, the bouquet landed in the hands of a foreign couple; the woman was already pregnant.

Clara was a bit discouraged, but seeing the other party was already expecting a child, she broke into a smile: "Then we’ll give this opportunity to those who need it more."

Xu Chen stood beside her and agreed: "Right, we’ll get married next time."

Clara blushed and muttered: "Who wants to marry you?"

Xu Chen smiled slightly, opened his arms to pull Clara into his embrace, and whispered in her ear: "Let me show you a magic trick."

"Hmm? What magic trick?"

As soon as Clara finished speaking, a diamond ring appeared in Xu Chen’s hand, and with the speed of a blink, he placed it on her ring finger.

"Magic finished. Now, Miss Clara belongs to me, Xu Chen, alone."

Xu Chen’s voice was very soft, but it swept over Clara’s heart like a small fan, making her feel an itch of excitement.

"Xu Chen, I suspect you’re tricking me into marriage. Be careful or I’ll call the police to arrest you." Clara deliberately stretched out her small claws like a kitten, showing a mock threat.

Xu Chen was about to tease her back when a rush of heat suddenly surged in his nose. He wiped it gently, and it was bright red blood.

The next second, Xu Chen collapsed straight to the ground.

Clara’s face turned pale instantly, and she cried out: "Help! Elena!"

Elena and Liam were still toasting guests, but as soon as they heard Clara’s cry for help, they rushed over.

"I’ll call the emergency services; Elena, you and Clara watch over him." After saying this, Liam took out his phone and turned away to make the call.

The scene was in turmoil.

Before long, the sound of an ambulance approaching could be heard.

Finally, the group boarded the ambulance and sent Xu Chen to the hospital for emergency treatment.

Outside the emergency room.

Clara sat on a chair, her face pale, her hands clasped together, her voice trembling: "Elena... he’ll be alright, right? He definitely will."

She repeated the words over and over, but her heart remained tightly wound.

Elena kept patting Clara’s back gently, comforting her softly: "He’ll be fine, Clara, don't be afraid."

Liam stood to one side, his brows furrowed tightly.

Not long after, an old man with white hair wearing a Zhongshan suit hurried over, leaning on a cane, followed by a crowd of bodyguards.

Liam saw the newcomer and greeted him politely: "Elder Xu."

Elder Xu was Xu Chen’s grandfather and the head of the Xu family.

Elder Xu’s face was grave, his voice raspy: "If I hadn't been here for a health retreat, were you planning to help that brat keep it from me?"

Liam’s gaze deepened: "Elder Xu is Chen’s grandfather; you should understand his temperament better."

Hearing this, Elder Xu fell silent.

Yes, for all these years, Xu Chen had deliberately kept his distance from the Xu family precisely because of his unbridled, rebellious nature.

After a while, Elder Xu turned his gaze toward Clara and walked over.

"You must be Chen’s girlfriend, right?"

Clara lifted her red, swollen eyes at the sound, looking at Elder Xu in a daze: "I am. May I ask who you are?"

Elder Xu stroked his white beard, gave Clara an unnoticeable look, and chuckled: "I didn't expect that brat to have decent taste."

Clara was even more bewildered. Just as she was about to ask something else, Elder Xu interrupted.

"Stop crying. He won't be in life-threatening danger now."

With that, Elder Xu turned and walked away slowly, leaning on his cane.

Chapter 37: The Mole

Not long after, the red light outside the emergency room turned green, and the doctor walked out.

Clara rushed forward and grabbed the doctor’s hand: "Doctor, how is my boyfriend?"

The doctor removed his mask: "The patient’s condition is basically stable. He just needs to be hospitalized for observation for a few days."

"Thank you! Thank you, Doctor!" Clara thanked the doctor, weeping with joy.

The doctor waved his hand and left.

It wasn't until Xu Chen was wheeled from the emergency room to a private ward that everyone finally exhaled.

Nighttime.

Clara kept watch by Xu Chen’s hospital bed, staring blankly at his sleeping face. She didn't know when she had started caring so much for this man.

Impulsively, she reached out and touched his brows, trying to smooth out the frown between them.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn't smooth it out. Just as she was about to pull her hand back, her wrist was suddenly caught by a force.

Clara was startled and looked down to see Xu Chen’s eyes open, looking at her.

"Why didn't you make a sound when you woke up?" Clara pouted, annoyed.

A faint smile appeared on Xu Chen’s handsome face: "You’re acting like only the officials are allowed to burn down houses, while the commoners aren't allowed to light lamps." (A Chinese idiom meaning double standards).

Clara scoffed: "I didn't!"

As soon as she finished, she was pulled down by a force, and Xu Chen leaned in to kiss her.

The kiss was incredibly gentle, like a dragonfly skimming the water.

If one asked what marriage brought to a woman, Elena would definitely answer: it meant having an incredibly clingy Liam by her side.

Every morning upon waking up.

Early in the morning, Liam would face Elena with an incredibly handsome face and soften his tone.

"Give your wife a kiss."

Elena shielded her chest with both hands, wary: "What else do you want? I’m really exhausted and sore; I have no strength left."

As soon as she spoke, she felt something wasn't quite right.

Seeing the mischievous smirk on Liam’s lips, she realized her mistake and was secretly annoyed at having said something so provocative.

"I just wanted to get some strength from my wife before work. Is that wrong?" Liam put on a wounded expression.

Paired with that handsome face, it was practically cheating.

Elena raised the white flag, sat up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him lightly.

Liam’s large hand rested on Elena’s waist, his breathing gradually becoming unsteady.

Just as sparks were about to fly, Elena pushed Liam away, dove into the bed, and covered her head with the quilt.

Liam curled his lips in resignation, straightened his tie, and turned to walk out of the bedroom and downstairs.

Because the wedding was held abroad, apart from a few people, others remained unaware.

So, Elena and Liam went to the company at different times every day.

And she no longer worked as a secretary, but was promoted directly to the position of Public Relations Director.

Days passed at an unhurried pace, until one morning, the calm was completely shattered.

A subordinate rushed into the office, panting, and stood before Liam.

"President Liam, it’s bad! One of our projects in Northern Europe has been snatched by the Shi Group."

Liam’s brows furrowed.

The Northern European project—the group had been preparing for it for a month; how could it suddenly be snatched by the Shi Group?

"Isn't the Shi Group having trouble with capital turnover lately? How do they have money for projects?" Liam asked coldly.

"It’s like this: a mysterious person provided the funding to inject capital into the Shi Group." The subordinate trembled, fearful of Liam’s blame.

"Got it. You can go down now. Tell the secretary to come in." Liam waved his hand.

Not long after, Elena arrived with a stack of documents.

"Liam, I’ve looked into it. For the Northern European project, the plan and results provided by the Shi Group share significant similarities with ours." Elena said while handing the relevant information to Liam.

Liam looked at the information in his hands—the Shi Group’s plan, the signing date, the mysterious investor.

With so many coincidences, it was undoubtedly artificial.

"It seems we have a traitor among our high-level executives." Liam said the words slowly.

"Don't alert the enemy just yet. As it happens, we have several more projects coming up. Let’s see if this mole strikes again." Liam prepared to cast a long line to catch a big fish.

Chapter 38: This Day

Three days later.

Shi Qing happened to be face-to-face with Liam.

"The once-thriving Liam Group also has its day, I see."

Shi Qing’s face was filled with mockery.

Seeing Liam silent with a cold face.

"Heh, the Liam Group—nothing but this." After saying that, Shi Qing walked away triumphantly.

Liam’s gaze was deep. In his heart, he had already roughly guessed the culprit behind the incident.

Afterward, Liam threw out several related projects one after another, and as expected, the Shi Group snatched them up just like before.

Liam gradually narrowed the scope of those "in the know" regarding these projects to weed out the mole.

Finally, seeing the fish had taken the bait, Liam pulled the net.

The Shi Group snatched an international trade project in South America, but this project required a massive amount of capital—coincidentally, almost exactly the amount of liquid capital the Shi Group currently had.