The headquarters of the Chu Corporation was bustling with people.
At a glance, Lin Ye only saw the elevator doors closing near the reception desk.
“Who were you just talking to?”
Perhaps Lin Ye’s expression was a bit too fierce, because the receptionist flinched. “Ah… There was a young lady earlier looking for Assistant Xu.”
By the time Lin Ye made it upstairs, Assistant Xu was still standing frozen in place, holding a USB drive.
“Assistant Xu, did someone come to see you just now?” Lin Ye asked, slightly out of breath.
Assistant Xu, unusually, smiled. “A very pretty girl. Why don’t I have such a beautiful and talented daughter?”
Assistant Xu was a strict, no-nonsense woman in her forties, known throughout the company as an iron-willed professional.
This was the first time Lin Ye had ever heard her praise someone so highly.
And… pretty? If Assistant Xu called someone pretty, they must have been exceptionally good-looking.
Hearing this, Lin Ye let out a sigh of relief.
If that were the case, it probably wasn’t Ye Shang Chuyang.
He slumped into a nearby chair, lost in thought.
“Young Master Lin, are you alright?” Assistant Xu scrutinized him sternly.
Lin Ye shook his head. He lazily leaned back in the chair, feeling like he’d lost his mind. How could he let himself get so worked up over a voice—someone he’d never even met?
He’d already decided not to expect anything, and the fluttering feelings from before were long gone.
Yet the moment he heard her voice, he couldn’t help but react.
Was Ye Shang Chuyang some kind of drug?
“It’s just… the difference between reality and the internet is too big,” he chuckled wryly.
…
Meanwhile.
Ye Shaohua checked the time. Instead of heading straight home, she stopped by a shopping plaza to pick out a men’s watch.
Ye Qingkun had been waving that broken old watch in front of her for days.
It wasn’t until the butler privately mentioned it to her that Ye Shaohua realized what her father was hinting at.
This time, she didn’t use the card Ye Qingkun had given her. Instead, she paid with another one.
While waiting for the gift to be wrapped, she received an encrypted message.
It was from the Special Operations Team—
[The license plate has been traced. We’ve arranged protection for you and your family. Confirmed as premeditated murder. Investigating the mastermind.]
Ye Shaohua sent back a quick Thanks.
Truthfully, she already knew who was behind it. But hacking into national intelligence databases in front of the authorities wouldn’t be wise.
Besides, someone like An Xun—she was sure the Special Operations Team would figure it out soon enough.
Just then, the voice of her system, 008, chimed in mid-upgrade.
[Ding! System successfully upgraded to Level 4! Level 4 permissions unlocked!]
[Ding! Main quest completed—Protect the General’s Manor. Reward: 1,000 points. Hidden quest completed—Unify the Dynasty. Reward: 10,000 points!]
Ye Shaohua paused. “Hidden quest?”
[Correct.] 008 sounded thrilled. [From intermediate worlds onward, hidden quests may appear. But the specifics vary—some people go through hundreds of worlds without ever triggering one.]
Seemed like luck was on her side this time.
When Ye Shaohua returned to the Ye residence, Ye Qingkun wasn’t home.
She called him, but after a long pause, he answered only to hang up almost immediately.
Before she could wonder about it, two people appeared at the Ye family’s doorstep.
“Miss Ye, our family’s patriarch requests your presence,” said an elderly man in his fifties, bowing slightly.
His tone was respectful, but his demeanor was unyielding.
The moment she saw him, Ye Shaohua knew exactly who they were.
People from her biological mother’s side.
Her mother, Xu Xiaohui, had married Ye Qingkun—her college sweetheart—in her youth. But after marriage, she quickly realized how difficult life without money could be.
Cut off from the Xu family’s wealth, Xu Xiaohui was forced to live in the cheapest housing.
When the Xu family eventually found her, the patriarch demanded Ye Qingkun marry into the Xu family. Ye Qingkun refused.
Enraged, the patriarch forced them to divorce.
Xu Xiaohui, unable to endure a life of poverty, left behind the one thing the Xu family couldn’t afford to acknowledge—Ye Shaohua.
Twenty years later, they’d finally tracked her down.
…
Ye Qingkun sat across from the elegantly dressed woman and the stern, white-haired old man.
“Qingkun, you’ve raised our daughter for twenty years,” Xu Xiaohui said softly, her eyes lingering on Ye Qingkun’s still-handsome features. “Now, I want to take her back.”
“Impossible,” Ye Qingkun refused without hesitation.
Old Master Xu eyed him coldly. “You think having a bit of money now makes you worthy? Pity you’re already past your prime. Every member of the Xu family attends high school abroad—etiquette, talent, social circles—these are things ordinary people can’t even dream of.”
“Think carefully. What’s truly best for your daughter? Do you want her to end up like you, scrambling in the mud with society’s dregs, running around construction sites?”
The Xu family was an aristocratic dynasty, with connections to nearly half of Qing City’s elite.
If word got out that Ye Shaohua had returned, both the Xu and An families would become laughingstocks.
But Xu Xiaohui was Old Master Xu’s most beloved daughter—the only girl in her generation.
So when she pleaded, he relented.
Old Master Xu crushed Ye Qingkun’s decades of effort underfoot without a second thought.
He had always despised Ye Qingkun’s rural origins and didn’t bother hiding it. “I’ve already summoned your daughter. The Xu family has arranged for her to study abroad, along with her post-graduation plans. Let her choose for herself. She’s an adult—she’ll know what’s best.”
“You—!” Ye Qingkun’s face paled.
He knew Old Master Xu had always looked down on him.
The Ye family had been farmers for generations.
But he never expected the old man to go this far.
He was well aware that, despite his success, he couldn’t compare to the Xu family’s centuries-old influence.
“And let’s not forget the nature of your current business,” Old Master Xu warned darkly. “Do you really believe a man like you has no skeletons in his closet? One word from me, and the authorities will be at your door tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to make this difficult. Surely you don’t want your daughter to watch you get dragged away in handcuffs?”
He smirked as Ye Qingkun’s face drained of color.
Just then, the private room’s door swung open.
“Sh-Shaohua?” Ye Qingkun shot to his feet, his voice unsteady.
Even fearful.
Xu Xiaohui also stood, her eyes widening at the sight of the girl.
The young woman’s features bore a striking resemblance to hers, though hers were softer, whereas Ye Shaohua’s carried a sharp edge.
Perhaps it was maternal instinct, but the moment she saw Ye Shaohua, Xu Xiaohui couldn’t hide her joy.
Old Master Xu scrutinized Ye Shaohua with a critical eye. From her hair to her nails, not a single flaw could be found. His dissatisfaction lessened slightly.
She carried herself like a true lady of nobility.
That kind of innate composure couldn’t be faked without real substance.
When Xu Xiaohui had first begged him to come, he’d been reluctant. Now, he was slightly less so.
Confident that this intelligent girl would make the right choice, he repeated what he’d told Ye Qingkun.
Ye Qingkun opened his mouth, but no words came out. His smile was more of a grimace. “Shaohua, she’s… she’s the mother you’ve always wanted to find. You… you should go with her.”
He remembered how, as a child, Ye Shaohua would curl up in his arms, asking for her mother.
That tiny face looking up at him, asking why other children had moms when she didn’t.
Ye Qingkun fought back tears.
If the Xu family was determined to take her, he couldn’t stop them.
Their power was undeniable.
Ye Shaohua handed the watch box to Ye Qingkun, then slid one hand into her pocket and turned toward the door without so much as glancing at the Xu family.
Her expression was cool, almost indifferent. The light from the window cast an almost ethereal glow on her striking features.
Old Master Xu’s eyes hardened. “Do you have any idea what you’re giving up?”
“Shaohua, I’m your mother!” Xu Xiaohui cried, covering her mouth in disbelief.
Ye Qingkun looked conflicted. “Didn’t you always… want to find your mom?”
“What mom?” The girl tilted her head slightly, her gaze icy and dismissive. “Dad, have you forgotten? My mother’s grave has weeds taller than a tree by now.”
“R-Right! I almost forgot!” Ye Qingkun’s face lit up as he noticed the watch in the box. “You bought this? You shouldn’t have—I don’t need a new watch. Why spend so much?”
“Exactly,” Ye Shaohua rolled her eyes. Seeing him still frozen, she lazily jerked her chin toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Her tone was languid, almost teasing.
“O-Oh! Right!” Ye Qingkun hurried after her, practically bouncing with joy.
Watching them leave just like that, Old Master Xu’s face darkened.
In all his years, no one had ever dared ignore him like this.
Xu Xiaohui was devastated. “Shaohua, are you really willing to live an ordinary, hard life forever? You’re so smart—a top-scoring student admitted to S University! You could have such a bright future! Why would you make the same mistake as your father?!”
Ye Qingkun had had a chance at a better life too.
But he’d refused, choosing to struggle and suffer, running himself ragged at construction sites.
When there was a better option, why insist on this?
She knew Ye Shaohua and Ye Qingkun were just being stubborn, clinging to pride.
“Dad, please,” Xu Xiaohui begged Old Master Xu. “Talk some sense into her. I’m her mother—I can’t just abandon her.”
Old Master Xu motioned for someone to restrain her. Staring at Ye Shaohua’s retreating figure, he said coldly, “You’ll regret this decision.”
Ye Shaohua smirked.
A lazy, defiant curl of her lips.
Tch. Bring it on.
Her phone buzzed—a message from Chang Fa Ji Yao (Long Hair Down to the Waist):
[Xiao Ye, Sword Hero is hosting a big cosplay meetup! I heard a lot of top players are invited—most importantly, that Xian Hua Nong Ying is going. You in?]
