CH 1

“Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay.” That was what Han Yi’s father told him when he was young.

And that trip to China was precisely for the purpose of repaying a favor he owed in the past.

The flight from Sydney to Xiangshan would take about ten hours. Han Yi asked the flight attendant for a cup of hot milk, drank about a third of it, and gradually felt a bit tired. His consciousness began to blur as he drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, he once again returned to the scene of the fire five years ago.

To ensure the safe evacuation of all the horses trapped in the stable, he raced against time, risking his life as he moved around the fire.

The cries of people for help mixed with the neighing of horses, like the chaotic times of war, confusing his senses to the point where he didn’t even notice the collapsing roof.

When he looked up again, a dark mass came crashing down on him like an avalanche.

The thick smoke choked him, and the stones buried him completely. It was too late…

His hands instinctively struggled as he woke up from his sleep, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

He calmly looked down at his right leg, and after a while, he patted his knee.

The movement was light, but it produced a distinct sound, different from the sound of skin slapping.

It wasn’t a dream. The fire five years ago had consumed a part of his body. His right leg, below the thigh, had long been replaced by a mechanical prosthetic.

The imperfect body occasionally encountered inconveniences in daily life, such as going through airport security being a bit troublesome, or attracting curious gazes when wearing shorts in summer.

But it didn’t matter much. He had gotten used to it.

Recalling scattered memories of the past, Han Yi heard music playing over the cabin’s speakers.

The flight attendant, with her sweet and gentle professional voice, reminded the passengers about landing precautions. Unbeknownst to him, they had already arrived at their destination.

The seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres were opposite. Xiangshan was in the midst of summer, and as soon as the plane landed, a faint sense of heat came from all directions.

Han Yi took off his sweater, leaving only a white short-sleeved T-shirt on his upper body.

He didn’t have much luggage. He brought a 20-inch suitcase for his journey. When he passed through the security checkpoint, his younger brother, Han Qianjing, was already waiting at the arrival area.

Han Qianjing took the luggage from Han Yi and led him to the parking lot, asking, “Brother, when are you going to report to the university over there?”

“I’m waiting for a notification, probably in the next couple of days.” Han Yi replied while taking out his phone and sending an email to the president of Xiangshan University, informing him that he had already arrived in China.

“Did they arrange accommodation for you?”

“Don’t know yet.” After sending the message, Han Yi turned the camera towards the street outside and took a photo, posting it on his Moments (social media).

He had only downloaded WeChat the day before, and currently, Han Qianjing was his only friend in his contact list. No one liked his post, so Han Yi gave himself a like.

“Let’s go to my apartment, there’s a guest room there.”

“Okay,” Han Yi agreed. But before that, he felt a bit hungry and needed to find a place to eat first.

It was dinner time, and many restaurants outside were crowded.

The two brothers weren’t picky and randomly found a restaurant that didn’t require waiting for a table.

“You go inside and sit down, I’ll go find a parking spot.” Considering that they would discuss important work matters later and to prevent external interference, Han Qianjing added, “Get a private room.”

As Han Yi pushed the door, the silver bells hanging on the door tinkled, and a waitress approached warmly, asking, “Hello, how many people?”

“Two.” Han Yi planned to ask for a private room but was apologetically informed that all the private rooms in the restaurant were already full.

The main dining area had plenty of available seats, so be it, they would just have to sit there.

Han Yi found a well-lit spot and sat down, burying himself in the menu.

He was starving, and all his attention was focused on the various dish names on the menu, completely unaware of the sound of the doorbell ringing again.

A tall and sturdy man entered the restaurant in a hurry.

Wearing a trendy sportswear set and a deep blue duckbill cap, he held his phone to his ear, in the middle of a phone call.

“Cuz, I’ve arrived.” Yan Jiwen quickly scanned the surroundings, finally locking his gaze on Han Yi.

“I see him… Hmm, he’s alone… Wearing a white T-shirt, black hair, and a face that looks like it deserves a beating.”

Looking around the entire restaurant, there was only one person who matched the description. Yan Jiwen became even more certain that he hadn’t found the wrong person.

He hung up the phone and walked up to Han Yi, striking the table with the back of his hand clenched into a fist.

Initially, Han Yi thought it was his younger brother returning after parking the car. When he looked up, however, he saw a stranger—a handsome young man with an arrogant aura between his brows.

Under Han Yi’s gaze, the man directly pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, showing no intention of introducing himself.

Han Yi was a bit puzzled, “Excuse me, may I ask who you are?”

Yan Jiwen, with a tone of disgust, didn’t bother being polite, “It doesn’t matter who I am. I’m here today on behalf of my cousin to make things clear to you. You two are done. Don’t ever think of approaching her again.”

Han Yi curiously looked at the person in front of him and couldn’t help but find it amusing, “I think we probably don’t know each other. Did you mistake me for someone else?”

“What’s with the pretense? Don’t dare deny it,” Yan Jiwen struggled to contain his anger, ” I’m telling you this, if I ever see you bothering her again, things will not look so good for you!”

He intentionally raised his voice, attracting the attention of the diners around them, determined to make that cheating scum feel ashamed.

After delivering his harsh words, Yan Jiwen didn’t stay for long. He came in fiercely and left gracefully.

On his way back, he took out his phone and called his cousin to report the situation.

“Hey, cuz, I talked to that scum… No, I didn’t hit him, really, I didn’t. I managed to control my anger… But if he dares to harass you again, I can’t promise anything…”

As he was speaking, Yan Jiwen suddenly noticed that it became quiet on the other end of the call. Thinking it was a signal issue, he called out to the other person a couple more times.

After a while, the girl on the other end of the phone asked, “Did you really go to see him just now? How come he messaged me saying he waited for a long time but didn’t see anyone?”

How is that possible?

A white T-shirt, black hair, a natural playboy look. There were only a few tables in the restaurant, so there was no way he could have mistaken it.

His cousin confirmed again, “Were you really at Haiyue Restaurant just now?”

“Yes…” Yan Jiwen suddenly fell silent.

The restaurant he had just entered was called… Kaiyue?

The names of the two restaurants were only one character apart, and they were located on the same street.

Damn it, he cursed at the wrong person…

Han Qianjing, who had just parked the car and returned, had no idea about what had happened in the restaurant. As soon as he came in and before he could even sit down, he heard Han Yi saying inexplicably, “Brother, I just met Laozi.”

“What?” Han Qianjing couldn’t understand what he was saying at all.

“I was sitting here waiting for you, and I met Laozi. I think he must have mistaken me for someone else, but it’s nothing.”