The forum continued, but Ye Xia's focus was shattered. The system's message echoed in her mind. 97.3% probability. It wasn't a question of if, but how. How was Jin Long, one of the most powerful men in Asia, connected to her?
Her investigation began immediately. Silas, using all his resources, dug into Jin Long's past. It was a fortress of secrecy, but a few fragments emerged. Jin Long had been born into poverty, clawing his way to the top with a ferocious will. He had never been married, but there were whispers of a brief, intense affair in his youth with a woman from a well-connected family, an affair that ended abruptly.
The timeline coincided with her mother's rebellion and subsequent marriage to Ye Zhentao.
The pieces formed a horrifying, thrilling picture. What if her mother's lover had not been Ye Zhentao? What if it had been the young, ambitious Jin Long? What if Ye Zhentao was a convenient cover, a weak man her mother married to hide a pregnancy from a man who was either unwilling or unable to marry her at the time?
The implications were staggering. Her entire identity, the foundation of her resentment towards Ye Zhentao, was called into question.
Her [Qi Perception] was drawn again to the Jin contingent. This time, it wasn't the father, but the son. A young man, perhaps a year or two older than her, had joined Jin Long. He was tall and athletic, with his father's sharp features and dark amber eyes, but where Jin Long's aura was cold and deep, his son's was a contained storm—powerful, arrogant, and restless.
This was Jin Lei, the heir to the Jin empire, known in the tabloids as the "Young Dragon." His cultivation level, she sensed, was high—likely at the peak of Body Refinement, nearing Qi Condensation. He moved with the entitled confidence of someone who had never been denied anything.
During a cocktail reception, their paths crossed again. Jin Lei, surrounded by sycophants, looked her over with a lazy, appraising gaze that made her skin crawl.
"So you're the Yun family's new pet," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "I heard you put on quite a show. My father was impressed. That's a rare thing."
" I don't perform for anyone's amusement," Ye Xia replied coldly.
Jin Lei laughed, a sharp, unpleasant sound. "Everyone performs, little girl. You just have to know what stage you're on." He leaned closer, his voice dropping. "Word of advice? The big leagues are a dangerous place for orphans who got lucky. You should be careful you don't get burned."
The threat was clear. But beneath the arrogance, Ye Xia's [Qi Perception] picked up something else: a flicker of curiosity, and something that felt almost like… rivalry. Did he know? Could he sense the same genetic echo that she did?
The encounter left her more unsettled than the one with his father. Jin Long was a mystery. Jin Lei was a clear and present danger.