For a moment, neither of them moved.

Then she took a step forward, then another, almost running before stopping short, as if remembering where they were. Her hands hovered awkwardly at her sides.

Lin Fang’s brows drew together. “What are you doing here?” he asked, voice low but sharp. “Did Feng Xiu recruit you for the rift, too?”

She froze.

“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head. “I didn’t come for that. I came for you.”

That answer hit harder than he expected.

Lin Fang glanced around. He could already feel eyes on them. Curious. Assessing. Whispering.

He turned to Ethan. “I need privacy with my sister.”

Ethan didn’t hesitate. He replied calmly, “Your room is ready. You can talk there.”

Lin Fang nodded once, then looked back at her. “Come with me.”

She nodded immediately, relief flooding her expression.

The elevator doors slid open on the second floor with a muted chime, revealing a quiet corridor lined with warm lights and thick carpet that swallowed their footsteps. Lin Fang followed the attendant’s gesture and pushed the door open.

The room was spacious, far more than he had expected.

Two wide beds stood apart, neatly made, with a low table between them.

Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out toward the endless ocean, moonlight glimmering faintly across the waves.

A private bathroom sat to the side, its glass panels fogged from recent cleaning, and the air-conditioning hummed softly, maintaining a perfect, artificial calm.

Lin Fang glanced around once, then lost interest. He dropped onto one of the beds, elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlaced. “Jiejie, Sit,” he said, gesturing to the other bed.

His sister hesitated, then perched on the edge, hands clasped together as if afraid they might tremble if she let go.

Ethan lingered near the door for a moment, clearly reading the room. “I’ll take my leave,” he said politely. “If you need anything, the crew is on standby.”

Lin Fang nodded. The door closed behind him with a soft click.

Nebula, who had been standing near the window like a silent sentinel, finally spoke. Her voice was calm, almost neutral. “Should I step outside?” She tilted her head slightly. “Or should I stay, Master?”

Lin Fang shook his head. “Stay. You can read my memories anyway. Why bother?”

His sister stiffened. “Eh?” Her eyes darted to Nebula. “Memories?”

Lin Fang leaned back slightly. “Nebula isn’t a human. She’s my monster companion in her human transformation.”

Her mouth parted. “A dragon?”

Nebula clicked her tongue softly. “No.”

Lin Fang sighed. “She’s not a dragon. Different species. Long story.” He waved it off. “Anyway… let’s talk, Jie Jie.”

The room fell quiet again.

Lin Mei inhaled slowly, as if bracing herself against an old wound. “Master Feng told me everything he told you,” she said, her voice steady but restrained. “I figured… by now, your head must be full of questions.”

Lin Fang’s brows knitted together. “So he was telling the truth?”

She nodded once. “Yes.”

The answer came too quickly. Lin Fang leaned back against the bedframe, arms crossing over his chest. “And how am I supposed to know you’re not lying to me right now?”

The question landed heavily between them.

Lin Mei’s eyes widened, hurt flickering through them before she masked it. “You don’t trust me?”

Lin Fang let out a humorless breath. “You left. You chased your future and never looked back. Eight years, Jie Jie. Not a call. Not a message. Everything about you is different now. Your hair, your clothes, the way you talk.” His gaze hardened. “What makes you think I should just believe you?”

For a moment, Lin Mei had no words. She forced a small, awkward smile, the kind people wear when cornered by truth. Then she reached into her storage ring.

A thin, metallic-blue folder appeared in her hands.

“I figured you’d say that,” she said quietly. “So I came prepared. You might not trust me… but you should at least trust official documents.”

She held the file out toward him.

Lin Fang hesitated, then took it. “What is this?”

“A set of confidentiality agreements,” Lin Mei replied. “One signed by my mother and the other signed by me with the Southern Sky Group.”

Lin Fang’s fingers paused on the edge of the folder. His frown deepened. “Southern Sky Group?”

“Yes,” she said. “One of the largest cross-continental conglomerates. They majorly sell magical technology but hold an enormous influence in the continent…” She swallowed. “It’s a 100 trillion credit company. Compared to them, we are just some dirt. We have no chance of resisting their demands.”

Lin Fang opened the file.

His jaw tightened as he skimmed faster, reading the conditions.

Lin Mei continued to speak. “It’s true that we aren’t your blood-related family, Fang-di.”

The words hit harder than he expected, even though he had braced himself for them.

“But it’s not true,” she continued, voice trembling now, “that we abandoned you for selfish reasons.”

Lin Fang looked up sharply.

“My mother loved you,” Lin Mei said, eyes glistening. “More than anything. She loved you so much that she sent me away from her. Her own daughter. So that you wouldn’t grow…”

“Wait. Wait—wait,” Lin Fang cut in, his breath hitching as his chest tightened. He raised a hand, not in anger, but in reflex, like he needed to stop the world from moving any further without him. “I don’t understand any of this. Please.” His voice dropped, rougher now. “Start from the beginning. Clearly. Don’t skip anything.”

Lin Mei watched him for a second, then nodded. She rose from the couch and paced slowly toward the window, and began. “I was four years old when my father died.” Her voice was calm, but there was an old, brittle edge beneath it. “He didn’t leave us anything good behind. Just debts. A lot of them. Mother had no job, no skills that mattered to the world she suddenly found herself in. No backing family either.”

She stopped walking, fingers resting lightly on the glass. “That was when Southern Sky came into our lives.”

Lin Fang’s fingers curled unconsciously.

Lin Mei continued. “They came with a contract. They told my mother that if she married Lin Weiying and legally became his wife, all our debts would disappear instantly.” She turned back to him. “In exchange, she would become the mother of a baby who had just lost his mother.”

Lin Fang’s breath grew shallow.

“After that, we moved to Shen City, Eastern Han’s capital,” Lin Mei said, “A mansion so big I used to get lost inside it.” A faint, sad smile crossed her face. “That’s where I met your father.”

She exhaled slowly. “I was still young then. I didn’t understand much at first, why this man entered into our lives, why my mother had to share her love with you, why I was attending a school filled with rich people, and why I was living in a house that’s ten-twenty times bigger than our previous home. But as I grew older, things became… clearer for me.” Her gaze lowered. “Your biological parents were already divorced. Southern Sky didn’t want you moving with your biological mother, so they forced you to stay. You were important to them after all. The heir to the 100 trillion credit empire.”

Lin Fang clenched his jaw.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep