Chen Yan drove onto the expressway leading toward the Capital.
Throughout the long journey, he remained silent, his eyes fixed steadily on the endless stretch of road ahead.
But beneath that calm exterior, memories surged relentlessly through his mind.
The Capital.
He had not returned to this city in ten years.
That vast metropolis carried the entirety of his past.
Every joy.
Every sorrow.
Every warm memory.
Every scar he had tried to bury.
He remembered being a child, following his father through the towering company headquarters while learning how to read financial reports and understand the world of business.
He remembered his mother waiting for him after school, preparing meals with her own hands and smiling gently as she stroked his hair.
Then he remembered that terrible night.
The night his father returned home pale and silent.
The man had stood before the window for hours, staring into the darkness without speaking a single word.
And afterward came the dawn that changed everything.
His father jumped from the top of the company building.
At the time, Chen Yan had only been sixteen years old.
Standing beneath the skyscraper, staring at the shattered body lying on the cold pavement, he had been unable to make a sound.
A month later, unable to endure the grief and pressure, his mother followed the same path.
From that moment onward, he became completely alone.
The people who had once desperately tried to curry favor with the Chen Family vanished overnight.
The friends who once called him brother shut their doors the moment he needed help.
Only the Wen Family had been willing to shelter him.
But they were ordinary people with no power to stand against families like the Zhou Family.
In the end, Chen Yan quietly left the Capital alone.
For ten years, he wandered from place to place.
And now, after a decade away, he had finally returned to the center of everything.
By the time his car entered the Capital, night had already fallen.
Without hesitation, he drove toward a specific address.
It was a secluded luxury estate hidden deep within the outskirts of the city.
The owner of the villa had once been one of his father’s closest friends.
He was also the only person who had secretly helped Chen Yan after the fall of the Chen Family.
Chen Yan stopped the car before the gate and pressed the doorbell.
After a long silence, the heavy doors slowly opened.
An elderly man with silver hair stood at the entrance.
The moment he saw Chen Yan, he froze.
“You are…”
Chen Yan looked at him quietly, his voice softening slightly.
“Uncle Li. It’s me.”
The old man’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Xiao Yan? Is it really you?”
Chen Yan nodded once.
The elderly man immediately stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace.
“My child… you finally came back.”
Chen Yan gently patted his back.
“Yes, Uncle Li. I’m back.”
The two entered the villa and sat down in the living room.
Uncle Li carefully examined him, his eyes gradually reddening.
“Where have you been all these years? Why didn’t you contact anyone?”
Chen Yan smiled faintly.
“I traveled around and lived an ordinary life. I worked different jobs in different places.”
The old man sighed heavily.
“You’ve suffered too much.”
Chen Yan shook his head calmly.
“It wasn’t suffering. Compared to this city, those years were much more peaceful.”
Uncle Li looked at him silently before finally asking:
“You came back because of the Zhou Family, didn’t you?”
Chen Yan nodded.
“They’ve started moving again. This time, they targeted the company of the person I work for.”
Uncle Li frowned deeply.
“You work for someone now?”
Chen Yan chuckled softly.
“I’m her personal assistant. I cook, clean the house, and wake her up every morning.”
The old man stared at him blankly for two seconds before bursting into loud laughter.
“If your father knew the only heir of the Chen Family became a housekeeper, he’d probably climb out of his grave from anger.”
Chen Yan smiled slightly wider.
“No, he wouldn’t. He would say adapting to circumstances is what makes a real man.”
Uncle Li nodded approvingly.
“Exactly like your father.”
The old man stood and walked toward a large bookshelf against the wall. After opening a hidden compartment, he pulled out a thick stack of confidential files.
“These are the documents you asked for,” he said seriously. “Every illegal deal and criminal activity the Zhou Family has committed over the past ten years is recorded here.”
Chen Yan accepted the files and briefly flipped through them.
“Thank you, Uncle Li.”
The old man placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You must be careful. The Zhou Family is far more powerful now than they were back then.”
Chen Yan nodded calmly.
“I know.”
He stood and prepared to leave.
But just as he reached the doorway, Uncle Li suddenly called out to him.
“Xiao Yan.”
Chen Yan turned back.
The old man hesitated for a moment before asking softly:
“Have you found someone you truly care about?”
Chen Yan paused.
Almost instantly, Su Qingyuan’s face appeared in his mind.
He remembered her standing outside his room late at night, hugging a pillow as she quietly searched for him.
He remembered her voice saying firmly:
“As long as you’re beside me, I’m not afraid of anything.”
He remembered her standing outside the villa that morning, watching his car disappear into the distance while the wind blew through her hair.
A faint warmth surfaced in his eyes.
“Yes,” he answered quietly. “I have.”
A relieved smile spread across Uncle Li’s face.
“That’s good,” he said softly. “That’s truly good.”
Chen Yan left the villa and returned to his car.
He glanced at the confidential files resting safely on the passenger seat before taking out his phone.
Opening the encrypted messaging app, he sent Su Qingyuan a short message.
【Everything is going smoothly. Wait for me to come back.】
Only a few seconds later, a reply appeared.
【Understood. I’ll wait for you.】
Just a few simple words.
Yet Chen Yan stared at the screen for a very long time.