"Want to know?" Zhao Long took out a small pill. "Take this first. After that, I'll arrange for someone to restore your memories."
Lin Xuan stared at the pill.
This was definitely no good thing.
But his body contained an otherworldly antidote, so no matter what kind of drug it was, it wouldn’t affect him.
"What if I refuse to take it? Will my memories not be restored?" Lin Xuan asked.
"Correct," Zhao Long nodded.
Without hesitation, Lin Xuan swallowed the pill.
Zhao Long smirked in satisfaction.
"Ready?" he asked a subordinate nearby.
"All set," the subordinate replied respectfully. "Master Derkson is also standing by."
"Good."
Zhao Long nodded and ordered, "Take him away."
"Yes, sir."
Lin Xuan was led out.
One of Zhao Long’s subordinates frowned. "Boss, isn’t Lin Xuan being too obedient? Something feels off."
"Don’t worry," Zhao Long said confidently. "In our Shang organization, what can one man do alone?"
"True," the subordinate relaxed.
Within the Shang organization, no matter how capable Lin Xuan was, he couldn’t possibly stir up much trouble single-handedly.
"Now, we just wait for the show to begin," Zhao Long sneered.
A particularly entertaining show.
Nothing delighted him more than watching lovers turn against each other.
Last time, there had been an unexpected hiccup—but this time, nothing would go wrong.
Lin Xuan was taken to an all-white room filled with medical equipment.
Following instructions, he lay down on the bed.
A blond, blue-eyed foreign man in a white coat approached him.
"Hello, sir. I am Derkson," he said in heavily accented Chinese.
"Your memories have been sealed. Next, I will restore them for you."
"Understood," Lin Xuan nodded.
Derkson continued, "You must do exactly as I say. Otherwise, the restoration won’t proceed. Got it?"
"Fine," Lin Xuan agreed. "I’ll follow your instructions."
His sole purpose in coming here was to regain his memories, so he would comply without resistance.
Derkson pulled out a golden pocket watch and dangled it before Lin Xuan’s eyes.
In a hypnotic voice, he murmured, "Focus on it. Keep your eyes on it. Follow its movement."
"Soon, you’ll fall into a deep sleep, and then I can awaken your buried memories."
The watch swayed rhythmically in Derkson’s hand, and Lin Xuan’s gaze trailed after it.
Soft, soothing music began to play.
Two minutes passed.
Lin Xuan’s eyelids grew heavier until they finally shut.
Derkson signaled to his assistant, who switched to another instrumental track.
Time ticked by.
After completing the memory restoration process, Derkson stepped out of the medical room.
"Derkson, how much longer until Lin Xuan’s memories are fully restored?" Zhao Long asked.
"Leader Zhao, it will take approximately thirteen more hours. After restoration, he’ll remain unconscious for a while. The entire process will require at least a full day," Derkson replied.
"That’s quite a while," Zhao Long frowned. "Can’t it be faster?"
He was itching to witness the drama unfold.
A whole day was too long to wait.
Derkson bowed slightly. "I’m afraid not."
"Fine, then," Zhao Long tapped the table with his jade-ringed finger. "Where’s Ling?"
A subordinate answered, "She’s gone to the U.S."
"Perfect," Zhao Long grinned. "Once Lin Xuan wakes up, summon her immediately."
He wanted to witness the lovers’ confrontation firsthand—nothing was more thrilling than that.
Inside the medical room—
Fragmented memories flashed through Lin Xuan’s mind.
He strained to see them clearly, but the images were too fast, too blurred. He couldn’t grasp a single one.
The agony was unbearable.
"Ah—!" A hoarse scream tore from his throat.
Derkson and his assistant merely glanced at him, unfazed. Clearly, this was a routine reaction.
Once the torment subsided, Lin Xuan’s memories would be fully restored.
United States—
Jiang Qing flipped through Su Hua’s phone and frowned. "Your SIM card seems to be damaged. Since we’re abroad, replacing it will be difficult. Also, your WeChat just logged out automatically. Without a phone number, Ms. Su, you won’t be able to log back in."
Su Hua’s brows knitted together.
A broken SIM card.
WeChat logged out.
That meant she couldn’t contact Xuan in time.
"Ms. Su, I have a spare SIM card here. Why don’t you use it for now? That way, you can still reach Young Master Lin," Jiang Qing suggested.
"Fine."
Su Hua’s tense expression eased slightly.
After Jiang Qing swapped the SIM card, Su Hua immediately dialed Lin Xuan’s number.
Jiang Qing wiped sweat from her forehead.
Young Master Lin was probably still dealing with the Shang organization—there was no way he could answer.
Had he prepared for this scenario?
Cheng Da saw the incoming call—an unfamiliar number. Cautious, he answered but stayed silent.
"Xuan?"
Su Hua’s voice came through.
It really was her!
Cheng Da quickly pressed a pre-recorded voice message against the phone’s speaker.
"Hua, my throat hurts. Let’s talk on WeChat later, okay?"
Lin Xuan’s voice in the recording was hoarse, barely audible.
Jiang Qing strained to listen and faintly caught the words.
She exhaled in relief.
Seems like she’d worried for nothing.
As expected, Young Master Lin had planned for every contingency.
Su Hua’s frown deepened.
When they’d parted this morning, Xuan had been perfectly fine.
Jiang Qing noticed her suspicion and quickly explained, "Ms. Su, the weather’s been dry lately. It’s normal for Young Master Lin’s throat to feel sore. Maybe we should hang up and let him rest."
If the call continued, she feared the imposter might slip up.
Su Hua’s icy gaze snapped toward Jiang Qing.
Too preoccupied with the risk of exposure, Jiang Qing didn’t notice the frost in her eyes.
Pursing her lips, Su Hua looked away. "Alright. Xuan, get some rest."
Cheng Da sighed in relief.
Thank goodness Ms. Su didn’t suspect anything.
To all my dear readers, Fei Fei here humbly asks for your love and support—little gifts are always appreciated! Heart~
Special thanks to Lv Feng (who loves meatballs), Chairman Zhu of Purple Cloud Valley, Zhao Hui (who adores fresh squid with loofah), and all other lovely patrons for your gifts!
XOXO
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
