And the Shura field will begin!

The next morning dawned bright and full of promise as the entire Smith family prepared for their trip to the new resort. Hirvan, initially overshadowed by a gloomy mood, couldn't help but be influenced by the bubbling excitement of his siblings. It was contagious, and anticipation began to replace his earlier melancholy.

As they waited for Mr. Zhong, their driver, to arrive, Hirvan checked his phone, a habitual act of passing the time. Two unread messages glared at him from the screen. One was from Mara, full of exuberant details about her date with Hannah, coupled with a scolding for him bailing out on them the previous day. Chuckling, Hirvan responded with a depressed emoji, amused by her relentless teasing. The other message was from Fu Yan, casually inquiring about his plans for the day. 

Hirvan raised an eyebrow, suspicion creeping into his thoughts.

"This boy screams deception! You're not interested in me, so why the sudden curiosity? Are you angling for a date?" He mused, knowing that Fu Yan, with his charisma, had no shortage of friends vying for his attention. So why this sudden, ambitious interest?

His motivation for sticking to him was really a mystery. 

"Spending quality time with my family," Hirvan typed back, deliberately keeping the message curt and not inviting further conversation.

"Finally! Let's go!" Sheryl's voice pierced the morning air, drawing everyone's attention to the van that had just pulled up outside.

As they clambered into the spacious minivan, a realization struck Hirvan. He hadn't asked where the resort was or what it was called. "Is it far from here?" he inquired.

"No, but since it's built at the foot of a mountain, it's a two-hour ride," his mother replied.

"What's its name?"

"It's called Azure Bliss. They named it after the clear water spring there," Mrs. Smith explained.

Hirvan's pupils dilated slightly at the name. 'It can't be his resort, can it?' He thought, his mind racing. That psychopath had an obsessive tendency to name everything with the word 'Azure' or in other languages with the same meaning.

"Do you know which company constructed it?" Hirvan asked, his anxiety mounting.

"I'm not sure. Who was it?" Mrs. Smith pondered aloud.

"It was Lu Construction, a subdivision of the Lu Tian Lan enterprise," Mr. Zhong interjected from the driver's seat.

"Shit!" Hirvan blurted out, unable to contain his shock.

"What? Young man! Why are you swearing?" Mrs. Smith reprimanded them, glaring at him.

"Sorry..." Hirvan laughed awkwardly, trying to mask his unease. 'Why? Why can't I escape him and his influence? Well, it's okay! he wouldn't show up at a remote project like this. I'll just have fun and get out of there,' he reassured himself, though his palms were clammy with sweat for the next two hours.

Mrs Smith noticed his discomfort. "Are you hot? Should I turn off the heating? Do you want some water? Or maybe we should stop at a gas station?"

"Yes, thank you. I think I have motion sickness or something," Hirvan lied, eager for a break from the enclosed space.

Mr. Zhong pulled over, and Hirvan stepped out hurriedly, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. 

He needed to mentally prepare himself in case he ran into Lu Hanbing. His twisted personality still haunted him. 

Their first encounter was around ten years ago, he was around 30 years of age and Lu Hanbing was a twenty-year-old university student. At that time Hirvan had no idea that he was also an heir to Lu's enterprise and had treated him like a usual drunk young man. 

But their fate had been entangled after that. To Hirvan's dismay, Lu Hanbing was a lunatic who placed all his possessiveness and obsession on him. 

After calming his nerves, Hirvan rejoined his family in the van. Worrying wouldn't change anything. He doubted even Lu Hanbing could recognize him now, reborn in a different body. There was no need to overthink it.

Upon arriving at Azure Bliss, the Smith family settled into their quarters, changing into swimsuits or bathrobes, ready to explore the spa and open bath sections. Bradly, eager to hit the entertainment and game area, was persuaded to wait until the afternoon when the weather would cool down and would be perfect to stay inside.

Hirvan and Bradly leisurely made their way to the men's public bath. "Oh, isn't that Uncle Elian?" Bradly pointed to a man leaning against a wall.

Hirvan turned sharply, his eyes narrowing at Elian. 'How shameless! He has the audacity to follow us to the resort!' he thought, irritated.

Hearing Bradly's voice, Elian looked up and met Hirvan's gaze. His cold, gloomy expression softened into a warm smile. "What a coincidence! You're here too!"

Hirvan nodded to the man expressionlessly.

"Are you also here with your family?" Bradly asked, glancing around. 

"Unfortunately, no. I'm here for work. There's this gathering of some old, boring men who only talk about making more money, and I have to attend. Otherwise, I'd be with my lovely son," Elian explained, his tone light and joking, though his eyes flickered towards Hirvan.

Feigning disinterest, Hirvan rolled his eyes. "Oh, what a bummer. Well, we won't take up any more of your time. Come on, Bradly, let's go in," he said, his voice dripping with pretence.

Hirvan's nerves were jerky and was not in the mood to behave in front of Elian. 

Confused by his brother's sudden change in attitude, Bradly complied without question. 

Elian, smirking, watched them go.

He could guess what Hirvan was thinking upon seeing him here. But his presence was purely coincidental; this gathering had been arranged a month ago, and attending it personally was just a matter of convenience.

"How odd! What made our Mr. Elite Ashford smile like that?" A deep voice, laced with mockery, sounded behind Elian.

Elian's smile vanished as he turned to face the speaker. "Mr. Lu."

' Why is this son of bitch here? He never had an interest in his collateral industry or their business meetings.' Elian thought to himself.

"Mr. Ashford. You have honoured us with your presence this time. I assume you decided to reconsider my offer?"

Lu Hanbing's tone was polite, but his eyes held a glint of ruthless curiosity.

Elian, despite being older, felt the weight of Lu Hanbing's scrutiny. Elian was wary of him who was more ruthless and cunning than himself and the former president of Ren's group. 

He couldn't let this man suspect anything about his connection to Hirvan. Silently apologizing to Anna, he lied smoothly. "Don't get too excited. I'm here to make amends with my angry ex-girlfriend."

Given that the resort was under Lu Hanbing's name, Elian was certain he had access to security footage and would eventually notice his interactions with the Smith family. His story would hold up, though; his college girlfriend was a well-known fact.

"That's a pity. I hope you won't come to regret it. I'll see you in a private room later," Lu Hanbing said dismissively.

As Elian watched him walk away, a chill ran down his spine. The game of deception had just begun, and he needed to stay vigilant if he was to protect his son.