Wu Yang stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette underfoot with a sigh, then flagged down a taxi. "Master, please take me to Emerald Garden. Thanks."

The contents of Huolei’s final, vague request still lingered in his mind—just the name of a little girl and an orphanage. But for a man like Wu Yang, that was more than enough. After securing his passport and returning to China, it had taken him just half a month to uncover everything about the girl’s current life.

The destination he was heading to now—Emerald Garden—was the address of the family that had adopted Xiaoling, the girl Huolei had spoken of.

"Li Tong, 47, Organization Department Minister of Guangcheng. Wife: Liu Lan, 42, Marketing Manager at Tianyu Media. Daughter: Li Xiaoling, 20, sophomore majoring in Business Administration at Hengdong University..."

As the details of Xiaoling’s new family flashed through his mind, Wu Yang’s mood darkened once again.

Though he was a mercenary king feared across the underworld, his experience with women was admittedly limited. And now, traveling under his brother’s name? The tension was undeniable.

"Ah, screw it. Huolei just wanted me to show up, tie up some loose ends from fifteen years ago... a childish childhood crush. I’ve charged into battlefields against entire armies—how bad can this be?"

After psyching himself up, his nerves settled slightly. Just then, the taxi pulled to a stop.

"So this is Emerald Garden? Looks like she’s been living well."

Standing before the gated community’s imposing entrance, Wu Yang allowed himself a small moment of reflection. Though he’d traveled the world, seen the opulent palaces of Middle Eastern oil sheikhs, this middle-class Chinese residential complex hardly impressed him.

Vroom!!! sleek, midnight-blue Aston Martin screeched to a halt right beside him, its tires kicking up a dramatic spray of gravel as it executed a perfect drift. The door swung open, and a tall, fair-skinned woman stepped out. She tossed the keys to the waiting security guard before striding into the complex without a backward glance.

"Huh? That’s..."

Even though their encounter had lasted only a second, and the woman in person looked nothing like the ID photo in his files, Wu Yang recognized her instantly—Li Xiaoling, the girl Huolei had died thinking about.

"Jackpot. Guess my luck’s holding up."

Heart pounding, he hurried forward and blocked her path. "Wait!"

"Who are you...?" The fashionable woman blinked, her expressive eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Wu Yang rubbed his hands together, scratched his head, and after an awkward pause, grinned sheepishly. "Xiaoling, right? Remember the big brother from the orphanage—Huolei?"

"Psycho!"

She spun on her heel and stalked away—but after only two steps, she froze mid-stride, as if struck by a spell. Time seemed to stop.

Wu Yang felt a pang of awkwardness. Despite his good intentions, he was an imposter, and seeing her react this strongly left him uneasy.

Thankfully, the tension didn’t last. Her voice trembled as she whispered, "L-Lei... Lei Ge? Is it really you? You came back?"

She whirled around and sprinted toward him, her eyes glistening with tears.

But perhaps due to lingering shyness, despite her obvious agitation, she came to an abrupt halt three meters away. No tearful embrace à la a cheesy romance movie—instead, she slowed her pace, lifting her gaze to study him intently. strange discomfort settled in Wu Yang’s chest—not because she hadn’t thrown herself into his arms, but because he sensed something off. Her reaction wasn’t as joyous as he’d expected.

In her tear-blurred eyes, he saw surprise, shock... but not a trace of happiness.

"Xiaoling, I..."

"Lei Ge, how have you been all these years?" she interrupted before he could finish.

"Not bad. What about you? How’ve you been these past fifteen years?" Wu Yang forced a smile.

She pulled a tissue from her purse, dabbed at her red eyes, and beamed. "I’m doing well too. Hey, Lei Ge, do you have time? Let’s grab a meal to celebrate our reunion."

"Sure!"

He agreed readily, though a quiet sigh escaped him.

... black Audi A6 glided out of the community’s gates. In the passenger seat, Li Tong—just raising his head—caught sight of his daughter inviting Wu Yang into the car. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes.

"Secretary Zhang, pull over and ask what’s going on," Li Tong ordered, adjusting his glasses as he spoke to his driver.

"Understood, sir."

Two minutes later, Zhang returned with an apologetic look. "Sir, I asked the security guard, but they were too far away to hear clearly. They only caught fragments—something about ‘fifteen years ago,’ ‘orphanage,’ and ‘Lei Ge.’"

Li Tong’s expression didn’t change, but after a ten-second silence, he said coolly, "I have an emergency meeting in the city. Before I leave, there’s something you need to handle for me..."

... few minutes later, the flashy Aston Martin pulled up to the entrance of an extravagant Western restaurant.

Throughout the ride, Li Xiaoling had been unusually warm—helping Wu Yang with his seatbelt, opening the car door for him.

"Come on, I’ve been to this place, Manhattan Elegance, a few times with classmates. Their Wellington steak is amazing—it’s all imported. You’re in for a treat!"

She chattered excitedly, and Wu Yang played along, occasionally nodding in agreement. The atmosphere was pleasantly relaxed.

Soon, as they stepped inside, their entrance drew curious glances—mostly because of Wu Yang’s conspicuous attire.

"Huh?"

Li Xiaoling stole a glance at his face, noting his complete lack of discomfort, and couldn’t help but respect him a little more.