"Mr. Lin, I, Ah Hu, failed to properly discipline my men. For the offense of disturbing your ancestral home, I deserve to die ten thousand deaths!"
"I will break one of my own arms as my atonement!!!"
The moment Master Hu finished speaking, he abruptly shot out his right fist and brought it down hard on his left arm!
CRACK!
Instantly, his left arm snapped, the entire limb hanging limply and uselessly.
The immense, agonizing pain made Master Hu let out a muffled groan, cold sweat streaming down his face.
At the sight of this, the cold glint in Lin Han's eyes finally began to fade.
"If there is a next time, you will die."
Those few words were enough for Master Hu and the other thugs to let out a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just walked through the gates of hell and back.
Seeing this, a respectful smile finally appeared on Old Master Tang's face as he spoke to Lin Han:
"Mr. Lin, I have a rather presumptuous request."
"I'd like to ask for your help in treating someone."
'Treat someone?'
Lin Han frowned, on the verge of refusing.
"That person is an old acquaintance of yours, Mr. Lin. Perhaps even the one you think of day and night!"
These words from Old Master Tang made Lin Han's heart stir.
The image of a beautiful figure surfaced in Lin Han's mind, and a wave of emotion washed over him.
"I'll do it."
After saying this, Lin Han gave Aunt Xue a few instructions. Then, at the respectful invitation of Old Master Tang and the others, he got into a Rolls-Royce and sped away.
Only after they had left did Master Hu turn his gaze to his underlings.
"All of you, remember this!"
"From now on, you will treat Mr. Lin as an honored guest! If you dare to offend him, it's death!"
Hearing this, all the thugs snapped to attention.
"Yes, sir!!!"
Only then did Master Hu's gaze shift, locking onto Sang Gou and his two cronies, his expression twisting into a savage snarl.
"You three had the goddamn nerve to desecrate the graves of Mr. Lin's family! You deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
"Men! Kill them!!!"
At his words, the surrounding thugs instantly descended on Sang Gou and his two men like a pack of wolves, swallowing them in the blink of an eye.
...
「Meanwhile, at the Tang Family Manor...」
Lin Han followed Old Master Tang, arriving before a pavilion.
"Mr. Lin, before you see this old acquaintance of yours, I hope you'll first visit this room."
'Hm?'
Lin Han paused, slightly taken aback. He looked up and saw a plaque on the pavilion.
Inscribed on it were the words: Sihan Building.
Lin Han pondered this for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Inside, the pavilion was elegant and exquisitely furnished.
The moment he entered, a faint, fresh fragrance washed over him, invigorating his senses.
But that wasn't all.
The place looked more like a memorial. One after another, photo frames hung upon the walls.
Some even had captions, chronicling the moments captured within.
But...
when Lin Han saw the photos clearly...
BOOM!
Lin Han's body trembled violently, and a bittersweet pang welled up in his heart.
He saw that every single photo was of a young boy and girl.
The boy, green and callow, was none other than Lin Han himself.
And the girl was incomparably beautiful, her features so exquisite they seemed unreal, like a celestial being from a painting, with a single beauty mark beneath her lip.
"Xian... Xian'er!!!"
Lin Han caressed the girl's photograph, and the past came rushing back, a torrential flood released from the dams of his memory.
That year...
The young Lin Han was only fifteen. The Lin Family had made a powerful enemy, and as a precaution, his parents sent him away to a distant city.
But he was young and naive then. He was tricked out of all his money and ended up homeless, forced to beg for food to survive.
Snow fell thick and fast.
The wind was bone-chillingly cold.
Starving and freezing, the young Lin Han fell gravely ill, bringing him to the brink of death.
On the night of New Year's Eve, every home was alive with celebration.
But he could only drag his sick body, crawling through the snow-covered streets.
He rummaged through one garbage can after another.
He crawled down one empty street after another.
In that moment, he was sure he was going to die.
But just as he was about to lose consciousness, he saw a little girl who looked like a fairy from a painting.
She was willowy and graceful in a flowing white dress, looking utterly ethereal.
And in her hand, she held a warm, snow-white steamed bun. She smiled sweetly at Lin Han and said:
"Big brother, are you hungry?"
"Xian'er has a bun. Here, you can have it!"
To this day, it was the most delicious steamed bun Lin Han had ever eaten in his life.
From then on,
they knew each other.
Every day after that, Xian'er would sneak out to see Lin Han.
She fed him medicine.
She cooked for him.
They became confidantes who could talk about anything, and Xian'er helped him endure one difficult day after another.
Until one day...
they... fell in love.
"Brother Han, what if one day Xian'er dies? Who will take care of you? Who will keep you company?"
"Xian'er won't die! And if that day ever comes, I'll die with you!"
"No! I want you to live, Brother Han! If that day ever comes, please, promise me! Forget Xian'er..."
"Silly girl, you're talking nonsense again."
At the time, Lin Han only sensed an inexpressible sorrow clinging to Xian'er.
But every time he asked, Xian'er would avoid the subject.
She wouldn't even talk about her family, her parents, or anything else about her life.
Until one day...
she... was gone.
She left cleanly, without a single trace, as if she had never existed.
Lin Han searched for her like a madman, but he couldn't find her...
His first love, his everything, had vanished with Xian'er's departure.
Until now.
DRIP.
A single, hot tear slid from the corner of Lin Han's eye.
He didn't read any of the captions. He simply turned and left the pavilion.
"Where... is she?"
Lin Han stared intently at Old Master Tang, his voice trembling.
Seeing this, Old Master Tang couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
"Mr. Lin, Miss Xian'er came to us at the Tang Family seven years ago."
"She is not a member of the Tang Family, but in my eyes, Xian'er is no different from my own granddaughter."
'Seven years ago!'
'That means after Xian'er left all those years ago, she came straight to the Tang Family!'
'But why didn't she look for me? Why didn't she want to see me?'
'WHY!!!'
As if sensing Lin Han's turbulent emotions, a deep look of bitterness crossed Old Master Tang's face.
"The reason Xian'er left you and refused to see you again is because she's had a terminal illness since she was a child."
'Wha... What!'
Lin Han's body trembled, his mind going completely blank.
"The doctors once said she wouldn't live past twenty, so after you two fell in love, she decided to leave."
"She didn't want to see you grieve for her, nor did she want you to feel sad on her account."
"She just wanted you to be happy."
As he spoke, the corners of Old Master Tang's eyes grew moist.
"That foolish girl... after coming to the Tang Family, she's been watching over you in secret."
"When she saw you become the number one young talent in Jiang City, she was overjoyed for you."
"When she saw you get engaged to someone else, she was heartbroken."
"And then, when your Lin Family was massacred, and you were missing and presumed dead, she completely fell apart..."
"She locked herself in the Sihan Building and cried for three days and three nights. After that, she arranged for the burial of your entire family and mourned for them in secret."
Every word was like a knife twisting in Lin Han's heart, the pain so intense he couldn't breathe.
'He had never imagined it.'
'That silly girl had never truly left him. She had just been hiding in the shadows, silently watching over him all this time.'
"And Xian'er now...?" Tears shimmered in Lin Han's eyes.
Old Master Tang wiped away a tear, shook his head, and said in a voice filled with despair:
"It is hopeless."
"Her life is all but spent."