“Private detective? One of my buddies does exactly that! Godfather, if you need one, I can call him right now—he’ll fly over tonight to handle your business!”
Lan Huan genuinely knew a lot of people. As the only child in his family, while other parents pushed their kids with elite education, the Lan family prioritized letting their child do whatever he wanted. Growing up, Lan Huan was never pressured into academic competition, which naturally led him to make a large circle of friends—some less than reputable. It was sheer luck he hadn’t gone down the wrong path.
With ample money and free time, he attended university in Hong Kong, where he mingled with a crowd of wealthy, somewhat spoiled young heirs. Money flowed like water, and he befriended people from all walks of life.
“I have a buddy from Hong Kong who runs a private detective agency. They specialize in handling… unique situations—investigating people’s backgrounds, catching cheaters, you name it. Sometimes they even snap photos of celebrity scandals. They’ve never failed a case. Godfather, whether you want to investigate someone or find someone, he’s your guy!”
Lan Huan gave a thumbs-up, praising his friend to the skies. After all, clinging to this powerful connection alone felt risky—better to bring his buddies along to share the benefits and properly serve their godfather!
“Oh? That works too. Get in touch with him, and I’ll meet him tomorrow to discuss some matters.”
The original host had abandoned his wife and child nearly twenty years ago, and now the child had grown into a big star. Xie Tingzhou felt he should learn more about his family’s situation before returning. Showing up abruptly in front of his wife and child wouldn’t be appropriate.
“Don’t worry, Godfather! I’ll contact him right away!” Lan Huan patted his chest, having truly witnessed Xie Tingzhou’s financial power. He was wholeheartedly convinced by this godfather who looked about his own age.
Xie Tingzhou nodded and said nothing more, then headed to the presidential suite with the butler, Xiao Lin. Inside, Xiao Lin had already arranged a hot spring bath. Several outfits and accessories Xie Tingzhou had purchased earlier in the day had been cleaned, matched, and placed in the suite for him to change into.
“Mr. Xie, your expense statement for today is ready. Would you like to review it?” Butler Xiao Lin inquired thoughtfully. From morning to evening, the dining expenses alone had exceeded 400,000 yuan, and the bottles of red wine opened during dinner with Lan Huan—each costing over 100,000 yuan—were all charged to Xie Tingzhou’s account.
“No need. Just let me know when funds are running low.” Xie Tingzhou waved his hand dismissively, and Butler Xiao Lin tactfully withdrew.
Xie Tingzhou soaked in the hot spring for a while, thinking the service at the Hilton Hotel was indeed excellent. He decided to stay a few more days—until he had gathered enough information about his family.
Picking up his phone from the towel beside him, Xie Tingzhou unlocked the screen. Amid the soft mist of the hot spring, he gazed at the wallpaper photo of Xie Xinghe—his own flesh and blood. Their facial features were strikingly similar, though the eyes and dimples resembled his mother’s. And Ayue… how had Ayue been all these years?
Having inherited all the original host’s memories, Xie Tingzhou could naturally understand the once-sincere feelings between him and Huang Xinyue. A person’s character and cognition are formed through memories, and Xie Tingzhou himself was built upon countless accumulated memories. At this moment, thinking of Huang Xinyue, his fingers unconsciously dialed a series of numbers on his phone.
This phone number belonged to none other than Huang Xinyue. Back when Huang Xinyue graduated, the two had gotten married, and on their wedding day, they had gone together to apply for this couple’s phone number. Xie Tingzhou naturally hadn’t forgotten it.
In a daze, the number he dialed actually went through, and before Xie Tingzhou could react, the call had already been answered on the other end.
“Hello?” The voice on the other end was gentle and refined, just like in the past.
Xie Tingzhou froze, unable to utter a single word for a moment. He simply stared blankly at his phone, at a loss.
“Who is this? Is there something you need?” Even as the mother of two grown children, Huang Xinyue’s voice remained soft and unhurried, just as it had been years ago.
In an instant, Huang Xinyue’s delicate face flashed through his mind. Before Xie Tingzhou could react, he had already hung up the phone.
As the steam from the hot spring misted over the phone screen, Xie Xinghe’s name gradually darkened on the display. Yet Xie Tingzhou remained in a daze, somewhat bewildered. Every time he entered a new world, the memories of that world would dominate his mind. And now, his thoughts were filled with Huang Xinyue’s voice and appearance, everything so vividly fresh in his memory.
He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to go to Huang Xinyue’s side immediately, to see how his former wife was faring now.
For Huang Xinyue, this abrupt call was nothing more than a call from a stranger, but it left Xie Tingzhou somewhat sleepless for the rest of the night.
Meanwhile, in the reception hall of Hillery, Lan Huan was also brimming with excitement. He immediately called his brother Huo Feng, who answered the phone promptly. Huo Feng had been Lan Huan’s dorm roommate for all four years of university, so their relationship was naturally extraordinary.
“Crazy, is your private detective agency still open?”
Huo Feng wasn’t pleased to hear this and retorted with a pout.
“Lan Huan, can’t you wish me well? Are you hoping for your brother’s company to go bankrupt? My detective agency is doing just fine. If you have something to say, spit it out. If not, stop wasting my time!”
As brothers, they spoke bluntly to each other. Hearing this, Lan Huan chuckled.
“How could I not wish you well? I’ve got a big job for you. You haven’t checked WeChat today, have you? Take a look at the pictures I sent you.”
He cheekily sent Huo Feng several photos from various angles. Huo Feng, who was checking WeChat while on the call, was instantly stunned.
“Holy crap! Lan Huan, did you strike it rich? Did you buy yourself a Rolls-Royce? Are influencers really making that much money these days? Won’t your parents chase you down and beat you for buying such an expensive supercar?”
Shocked by the sleek blue Rolls-Royce, Huo Feng also loved luxury cars, but vehicles costing five to six million yuan weren’t something you could just buy on a whim.
“Hehehe! I didn’t buy this myself—it was a gift from my godfather. I just recognized a big shot as my godfather today, and I immediately thought of you, my brother! My godfather wants to find a private investigator, so I recommended you right away. Right now, I’m with my godfather in Daxi City. Hurry up and take a flight overnight. I’ll take you to meet him tomorrow morning. From now on… there’ll be plenty of benefits!”
Having witnessed his godfather’s immense wealth and generosity, Lan Huan naturally wanted to cling tightly to this powerful connection.
“…I’m saying, you haven’t been scammed, have you? Lan Huan, these days scammers are willing to invest heavily. Is that car maybe just rented?” Huo Feng was still worried Lan Huan might have been tricked. After all, wealthy second-generation heirs like them had all been swindled to some extent—who hadn’t been taken for a ride at some point?
Plenty of people had lost millions just to learn a lesson.
“Bullshit! This car was sold right in front of me at the 4S dealership in my hometown. I signed the contract myself—it’s mine, okay? And just today, my godfather bought three more cars: a Bugatti, a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and a Ferrari. Together with my Rolls-Royce, he spent a hundred million! He swiped his card right on the spot—a black card, you get it?”
Lan Huan was so angry he wanted to smack his friend. Here he was, bringing such an amazing opportunity, and his buddy just didn’t get it?
Hearing about the black card, Huo Feng began to think it might be real. After all, other things could be faked, but not a black card. In wealthy circles, those who held black cards had assets of at least hundreds of millions. If someone could swipe a hundred million in one go, they had to be a major player!
“Alright then, I’ll head over tonight. If I book a flight now, I’ll probably arrive at your place around six in the morning. You drive that Rolls-Royce of yours to pick me up—let me have a taste of the luxury too.”
Who doesn’t love a luxury car? Huo Feng was still giving his friend face.
“Fine, I’ll pick you up! Just hurry up! And you’d better bring your whole work team with you at once. If you delay my godfather’s business, I’ll be pissed!”
Lan Huan kept chattering away, but the more he talked, the more curious Huo Feng became about this so-called godfather. Huo Feng had been in Hong Kong all along and didn’t pay attention to the internet, so he had no idea his friend had already made it onto the trending searches.
After hanging up the phone, Lan Huan hummed a cheerful tune, feeling utterly pleased. It was already past ten o’clock, but he wasn’t sleepy at all. So, he went down to the underground garage to admire his beloved new car, taking plenty of photos to post on his social media. In no time, his entire circle of friends knew Lan Huan had acquired a blue Rolls-Royce.
Lan Huan even took a call from his father about it. Without holding back, he bluntly said he had recognized a godfather who had gifted him a six-million-yuan car. His father naturally scolded him fiercely, but after the rant, he still respected his son’s decision, telling him to handle things carefully and avoid offending anyone.
Lan Huan had always had a silver tongue since childhood—otherwise, he wouldn’t have navigated Hong Kong’s wealthy circles so smoothly or become an internet celebrity without anyone looking down on him. Now, he readily agreed to everything.
Too excited to sleep, Lan Huan stayed up until five in the morning, then eagerly drove his beloved car to pick up his friend.
When Huo Feng stepped out of the airport, he immediately spotted Lan Huan’s strikingly cool blue supercar. Its sleek lines and body, even just parked there, drew the attention of many onlookers.
“See, I didn’t lie to you, right? This was bought for me by my godfather! If you serve my godfather well, he’ll definitely be generous with you too.”
Patting his car, Lan Huan wore an expression of proud satisfaction, leaving Huo Feng to sigh inwardly—sometimes fools really do have the best luck.
“Alright, alright, I get it. I know how capable your godfather is. Let’s go, I’ll come with you to meet him.”
And so, Lan Huan drove his good friend Huo Feng over, casually mentioning along the way how Xie Tingzhou had spent over a hundred million shopping at Xingyun Tower the day before. This gave Huo Feng even more curiosity about this Mr. Xie.
Although everyone these days seems to be wealthy, casually spending nearly two hundred million in cash is something only the top tier of the rich can do. After all, most wealthy people have their money tied up in investments—how could they just pull out that much cash?
The two arrived just in time. At seven o’clock, Xie Tingzhou was already up, and breakfast had been arranged in the dining room. Hearing that his godfather was in the dining room, Lan Huan immediately brought his friend over.
“Godfather!”
Lan Huan bounded over enthusiastically like a little puppy. Huo Feng, however, was taken aback when he saw this “incredibly young” godfather. He had assumed Mr. Xie would be at least in his forties, but he looked barely in his twenties.
Standing next to Lan Huan, Mr. Xie seemed like a peer, except for the faint trace of kindness in his eyes.
“Godfather, this is my friend. He’s a private investigator named Huo Feng. You can just call him Xiao Feng.”
Lan Huan eagerly introduced his friend to his godfather. Xie Tingzhou glanced up at Huo Feng, who looked somewhat reliable in his suit, and nodded.
“Have a seat and eat first. We can discuss matters later.”
Xie Tingzhou seemed to be in a somewhat low mood, so Lan Huan didn’t dare say more. He pulled his friend to sit down, and then it was time for the chefs to showcase their skills. Although it was breakfast, each chef brought out their own specialty dishes suitable for the morning, served one after another with impeccable service.
Plate after plate of exquisite delicacies, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, were presented. Xie Tingzhou would taste a few bites of each. If he liked something, he would glance at Xiao Lin, and the butler, Xiao Lin, already understood Mr. Xie’s intention: any chef whose dish Mr. Xie enjoyed would receive a bonus of ten thousand yuan.
With money so easily earned, the chefs naturally brought out their best skills. The entire kitchen staff had received this ten-thousand-yuan tip the day before.
Lan Huan and Huo Feng were also served attentively. With people standing by their sides, the overly eager service made even these two accustomed-to-luxury rich kids feel a bit uncomfortable. Xie Tingzhou, however, calmly finished his breakfast.
After breakfast, the three moved to the conference room to discuss business.
“Take a seat. No need to be so formal.”
Xie Tingzhou sat in the main seat. Only after he spoke did Lan Huan pull Huo Feng to sit in a chair on the side, both sitting upright and proper.
“Huo Feng, right? I heard from Lan Huan that you run a private investigation agency. The reason I asked you here is to help investigate someone. You know the celebrity Xie Xinghe, right? I want you to investigate the current situation of Xie Xinghe’s family, as well as everything about his family from the time he was born up to now.”
Huo Feng had been somewhat nervous, but upon hearing it was about investigating a celebrity, he immediately relaxed.
“Mr. Xie, that’s no problem. I’ve brought my entire team with me this time. Investigating a celebrity’s family background is easy, but if we start from birth, it will likely take at least seven days at the fastest. What do you think?”
After all, when serving important clients, thoroughness is essential. Huo Feng was very meticulous.
“Seven days is fine, but remember to provide me with some information daily. I want to review it first.”
Xie Tingzhou nodded. Last night, he dreamed of his youth and the time when he fell in love with his wife. He couldn’t wait to see his wife and daughter again. His son resembled him, but he wondered if his daughter would look like him too…
Lan Huan sat there quietly, thinking to himself that his godfather was quite trendy—chasing celebrities and even investigating their family backgrounds. Was it because there had been too many scandals in the entertainment industry lately, making him afraid of supporting the wrong person?
As he pondered this, Lan Huan couldn’t quite grasp his godfather’s intentions. Then, he heard his godfather speak again.
“I hope your team will not disturb the normal lives of Xie Xinghe and his family during the investigation. The investigation must be thorough. I want to know clearly who has bullied or helped them over the years. Understand?”
Xie Tingzhou wanted to compensate his family in every way possible, so he needed to know every detail of Huang Xinyue and her family’s life over the past twenty years.
“Of course, we will investigate everything thoroughly.”
Huo Feng was just a bit unclear about the relationship between this wealthy Mr. Xie and the celebrity Xie Xinghe. Lan Huan, with his slow-witted nature, hadn’t noticed that both shared the surname Xie. But Huo Feng, as a private investigator with years of experience in digging up gossip, already had his suspicions.
Xie Tingzhou wanted Huo Feng to take this matter even more seriously, so he didn’t hide the truth and added, “I won’t keep it from you. I hope you can provide me with a fast and detailed result for this investigation because I am Xie Xinghe’s biological father—Xie Xinghe’s dad.”