In the presidential suite on the top floor of a five-star hotel in central Wuhan, the night wind whispered through the open terrace. Soft lights shimmered over the surface of the private infinity pool, blurring the boundary between sky and water.
By the edge of the pool, a man sat reclined on a lounge chair, one leg lazily propped up, the other stretched out. His white shirt, sleeves casually rolled to his forearms, clung to his lean frame in the evening breeze. A pair of dark green trousers, tailored perfectly, emphasized the quiet strength in his long legs.
He held a flawless Imperial Green jade in his hands—the same one Li Ziqing had uncovered mere hours ago. The stone, warm to his touch, reflected the moonlight in translucent glows. His fingers ran slowly over its smooth surface, but his eyes were distant, thoughtful.
He was handsome in the most unmistakable way. High, aristocratic cheekbones. A straight, defined nose. A sharp jawline slightly shadowed with stubble that somehow only enhanced his allure. His lips—narrow but expressive—curved faintly, as if amused by a private thought. One might have called his features too precise, too sharply cut, if not for the perpetual hint of mischief resting in his expression.
His sleek black hair was casually tousled, like he'd just run a hand through it—stylish, but not too deliberate. Under the hotel's dim golden lights, the half-mask he wore earlier had been discarded, revealing a pair of clear, penetrating eyes. They were a rare shade—dark, but not dull, like obsidian laced with frost. Eyes that didn't miss a thing, and didn't often show emotion.
He turned the jade once more in his palm, and a smile pulled at the corner of his lips—not a smile of joy, but of intrigue.
From the terrace doors, another figure emerged—clean-cut, sharply dressed, glasses perched on his nose. He approached without a word, stopping at the edge of the open space.
The man in white didn't look over. He simply asked, voice calm, "Did you safely drop the girl and her uncle?"
The man in glasses nodded. "Yes. It's been over an hour now. But the girl was... careful. She got off somewhere in the central district and walked away. Alone."
That finally earned him a glance. "Alone? In the middle of the night?"
"She was fast," came the even reply. "Our men tried to follow her, but she slipped away before they could react."
The man in white chuckled softly, spinning the jade once more between his fingers. "A fifteen-year-old girl and a twenty-five-year-old man vanished into the night... with five large jade roughs in tow. Impressive."
The other man remained silent, waiting.
"Did you find out who she is?" came the next question, casual in tone but sharp beneath the surface.
"That's the tricky part," the man in glasses admitted. "Nothing came up. It's as if someone's actively wiping or hiding her records. We couldn't find a trace."
The jade stilled in the reclining man's palm. His gaze sharpened. "And the bank account?"
"The money went through China Construction Bank. I didn't trace further. If we poke into it, your location could be compromised."
A dry laugh broke the stillness.
"I think you're getting old Adrian Lim," the man in white said suddenly. "Maybe it's time for you to go back to Singapore and retire."
Adrian didn't even blink. He looked the other man in the eye, unwavering.
After a long pause, the one seated sighed and waved his hand lazily, the irritation gone as quickly as it came. "You're always so stern. No sense of humor. Sometimes I think my son picked up that cold face from you. He's fifteen and already looks like a disappointed father. I'm the one raising him, yet sometimes I feel like the child."
Meanwhile, in a courtyard villa in Beijing, a boy dressed in a black pajamas suddenly sneezed—twice. He frowned, rubbed his nose, then looked toward the window, a strange glint in his eyes.
Back on the terrace, the two men sat side by side on matching recliners. The tension had faded, replaced by a strange camaraderie.
"That girl," Adrian said after a moment, voice lower now, "wasn't ordinary."
The one in white made a faint sound of agreement.
"She accepted two hundred million yuan without blinking. No excitement, no surprise. Like it meant nothing to her. And when that second stone opened up, revealing green... her expression didn't even shift. It was as if she already knew."
The man in white turned the jade in his palm again, eyes gleaming. "I wish she had sold me the rainbow one."
A look of disapproval flickered across the Adrian's face. "You're being disgusting, do you know that Shen Waiyuan?"
"Hm?" Shen Waiyuan raised an eyebrow, amused.
Adrian crossed one leg over the other. "You already got the Imperial Green. Be content."
"But rainbows are prettier," Shen Waiyuan said with a grin, mischief glinting in his eyes.
Adrian rolled his eyes.
Suddenly, Shen Waiyuan's smile faded and he turned serious. "Stop looking into her."
Adrian blinked.
"To think that we, with all our resources, couldn't track her down—it can only mean one thing. She doesn't want to be found. People like that... they prefer to stay low-key. Quiet until they strike again."
Adrian looked away, thoughtful. "Understood."
Just then, his phone buzzed on the table beside him.
Adrian picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID. His spine immediately straightened, and he cleared his throat before answering with utmost respect,
"Old Master Shen."
A loud, booming voice thundered from the other end,
"Where's that scoundrel? Hand him the phone!"
Adrian's eyes flicked toward Shen Waiyuan who was reclining beside the infinity pool. Despite the intensity of the voice, he looked utterly unbothered, swirling the jade lazily in his palm. He tilted his head slightly, a silent signal for Adrian to come up with an excuse.
Adrian hesitated. "That… um… Old Master Shen, he's out handling some matters. I'll have him call you the moment he returns to the hotel."
There was a sharp snort of derision from the other end.
"Oh, how loyal of you, Adrian Lim," the voice drawled, thick with sarcasm. "Then do me a favor—just put the phone on speaker. I'm sure my voice can travel well enough across the hotel to reach that bastard's ears."
Adrian nearly dropped the phone in panic.
Shen Waiyuan beside him—still lounging beside the pool—froze for a moment, then abruptly stood and scanned the rooftop, eyes sharp and voice icy.
"Who the hell is here? Who's the rat spying on me? Come out now—because once I catch you, don't expect to walk away."
The voice on the other end chuckled.
With a resigned sigh, Adrian tapped the speaker icon, and Old Master Shen's voice came through loud and clear, vibrating with fury and mock indignation.
"You bastard! You really planned to keep that Imperial Green jade to yourself? You won't even let your own father take a look at it?"
Shen Waiyuan, now visibly annoyed, rolled his eyes.
"Why are you acting like you've never seen Imperial Green before? You already have that ring, don't you? And mother's jewelry is made from Imperial Green too."
Old Master Shen immediately barked, "Those are tiny, pitiful pieces! I can't even get a proper feel for them. The one you just got is the size of a damn football! That's perfect! You better haul yourself back to Hong Kong and Gift it to me—personally!"
Shen Waiyuan sighed in exasperation. He knew resistance was pointless. His father's obsession with jade bordered on insanity. If he didn't hand over the stone, there was no doubt the old man would hop on a flight to the mainland overnight—and his sudden arrival would cause a national commotion.
"Fine," he said dismissively. "I'll come back the day after tomorrow. Anything else?"
There was a brief pause on the other end. Then, Old Master Shen's tone changed—lower, more cautious.
"I tried looking into that girl…"
"What?!" Shen Waiyuan snapped, visibly flustered now. "Dad, why would you do that? Don't tell me you're eyeing the Rainbow Jade now. Don't even think about it. That girl must not be disturbed."
Old Master Shen huffed indignantly. "You ungrateful brat! Why would I snatch something from a young girl? Do you take me for a heartless beast? I just wanted to take a look at the jade, that's all. Something like that—so mythical, so flawless—who knows if I'll ever get to see it in my lifetime again?"
Shen Waiyuan slowly exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders.
"Did you find anything?"
There was a long silence. Then, Old Master Shen muttered, his voice heavy,
"No. And that's exactly why I'm telling you—don't look into her. Forget it. Let her be."
"I know," Shen Waiyuan replied, tone subdued. "You should get some rest."
With that, he ended the call.
----
"Brother Jianping why did you bring such a heavy stones at home? That too from so far away?" The Taxi driver who is Li Jianping's friend said in exasperation, as he put final stone in the house.
Both Li Jianping and the man were sweating profusely. Li Ziqing suddenly laughed and said, "Brother Bao, it was me who liked this stones and collected it."
Brother Bao looked at the stones but found nothing impressive but he didn't say anything more and turned to look and Li Ziqing and Li Jianping and said, "Ok, than I'll get going."
Li Ziqing immediately stopped him and said, "Brother Bao, thank you so much, if not for you we would still be stock in central district along with this stones"
Brother Bao smiled and said, "A Qing don't worry, you can call me anytime, anywhere, it's my duty after all, I'm a Taxi driver. Now I'll get going"
"Bye" Li Jianping finally Saud catching his breath.
It was all planned, When Li Ziqing and Li Jianping got out of the car arranged by the people from night market in central district, they immediately hide the stones near dump, and stayed hidden for almost twenty minutes. During that time Li Ziqing with the help of System erased all of her traces for today. Than once she was sure no one was looking for them anymore, she asked Li Jianping to call Brother Bao and immediately loaded the stones and reached home.
[Ding... Host this was the last time System helped you with such things, next time you'll have to take care of such matters. System is not for handling such a trivial matters.]
"Ok my dear system" Li Ziqing said playfully. She still rememberd how she argued with system for long time to get this done. If system was a human being he would have banged his head at her feets by than. She chuckled.
Suddenly, Li Ziqing felt a pair of eyes watching her intently. She turned instinctively, only to find Li Jianping quietly observing her from across the room. His gaze was deep, warm, and searching.
She smiled gently and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Li Jianping shook his head slowly but didn't look away. He continued to study her for a long moment, his brows slightly furrowed as if trying to read something invisible.
"A'Qing… you've changed," he said at last, his voice low and filled with quiet emotion.
Li Ziqing's smile froze on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Changed? What do you mean, Uncle? I'm still the same," she replied, trying to sound lighthearted, but her voice came out slightly strained.
He reached out and gently stroked her head, his fingers lingering with affection.
"A'Qing," he said softly, "I know you're hiding something from us. But it's alright. I won't pry into it. Just remember—no matter what happens, your uncle will always be here for you."
His words, spoken with such unshakable warmth and quiet strength, pierced through the walls around her heart. Li Ziqing's chest tightened as a sudden rush of emotion surged within her. For a fleeting moment, she wanted nothing more than to cry and tell him everything—everything she had endured in her previous life. The betrayals, the pain, the loneliness.
But she held it back.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced a smile and replied with quiet conviction, "I know, Uncle. Don't worry. If anything ever happens, you'll be the first person I turn to."
A brief silence followed, heavy with unsaid words and emotions. Then, as if the mood had grown too solemn, she quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, Uncle," she said, brightening her tone, "you said you wanted to show me something? What is it?"
Li Jianping blinked, as if waking from a dream, and then a broad smile lit up his face. "Ah, yes! I almost forgot."
He stood up and strode into his bedroom with purposeful excitement. Moments later, he returned, holding a thick, slightly worn sketchbook in his hands. The cover was plain, but the way he cradled it hinted at something deeply personal.
"A'Qing," he said, handing it to her carefully, "today, I want to share something very close to my heart. Something I've never shown anyone else."
She looked at him, eyes curious.
"This," he continued, "is what I love doing—what makes me feel most at home. If there's anything in this world I love after sis, you, and AnAn… it's this."
He paused, then added almost sheepishly, "But promise me you won't laugh or judge your old uncle?"
Li Ziqing placed her hand on her heart, grinning. "Cross my heart, I won't. Now, show me!"
He chuckled and passed her the sketchbook.
The moment she opened the first page, her breath caught in her throat.
What lay before her was nothing short of extraordinary.