Hong Yi took the pen.
The entire ballroom leaned forward.
Xiamen's heart hammered in her chest as she watched him lift the papers.
Her father smiled—confident, arrogant.
He believed he had already won.
"Sign it," Chairman Lin said calmly.
"Then I'll tell you the truth."
Hong Yi's secretary rushed forward, panicked.
"Chairman Hong! Please—don't do this! You can't sign everything away for a child who isn't—"
Hong Yi cut him off with a cold glare.
But just as he lowered the pen…
The secretary moved again, blocking the documents with his hand.
"Sir! At least confirm—"
Hong Yi subtly pressed two fingers to the secretary's wrist.
A signal.
A message.
Play along.
Understanding flashed in the secretary's eyes.
He stepped back.
Hong Yi lowered the pen again.
Everyone held their breath.
Chairman Lin's smile widened.
Ink touched the page—
Or so it seemed.
In truth, Hong Yi's hand hovered a hair above the paper, moving as if he were signing.
A perfect performance.
Enough to fool the man who wanted to be fooled.
Chairman Lin exhaled in triumph.
"Good," he said.
"Very good."
He snatched the papers without checking them.
Now certain he had won, he straightened and turned toward the crowd.
"Then I will say it," he declared proudly.
"Hong Yi… Haoyu is your son."
The world froze.
Gasps erupted.
Hong Yi's breath stopped.
"My… son?" he whispered.
He turned to Xiamen—eyes burning, voice shaking with disbelief and something deeper.
"Xiamen… is it true?"
Her lips trembled.
She looked down, ashamed, terrified, but unable to hide anymore.
"Yes," she whispered.
"He… Haoyu… he is your son."
The entire ballroom erupted—
"What?!"
"He hid the child?"
"She lied?"
"How—?"
But Hong Yi saw none of it.
Only Xiamen.
Only the truth.
He opened his mouth to speak—
but his phone buzzed sharply in his pocket.
He answered instantly.
"Sir," his head of security reported, "we found the boy."
Xiamen choked.
Her father stiffened.
Hong Yi's voice lowered dangerously.
"Is he safe?"
"Yes, sir. We rescued him. Haoyu is with our team now."
Chairman Lin's face drained of color.
Xiamen's hand flew to her mouth in relief as tears fell.
"My baby…!"
Hong Yi turned slowly toward Chairman Lin.
His eyes were no longer calm.
They were lethal.
"You kidnapped my son," Hong Yi said quietly.
"And you thought you could bargain with me for property."
Chairman Lin swallowed hard.
He forced a trembling smile.
"Well… at least the agreement is—"
He stopped.
His eyes fell to the paper.
His smile died.
There was no signature.
Just a blank line.
Hong Yi stepped closer, expression unreadable.
"I said I was willing," he murmured.
"I never said I signed."
Chairman Lin's face went white.
The crowd gasped again.
He looked from the paper
to Hong Yi
to Xiamen
to the guards closing in.
"No… no… this can't—"
Hong Yi leaned in.
His voice was ice.
"You lose."
Xiamen's father stumbled back, panic finally hitting him.
Xiamen clung to Hong Yi's arm, tears streaming—but this time from relief, not fear.
And Hong Yi said one more thing, loud enough for the entire ballroom to hear:
"And now that I know the truth—
No one will ever take my son away again.