“Nian Nian, do I have the same kind of information on me as you and Gu Wanqing?”
Liu Menghan wanted to confirm whether she carried the same mark.
“Yes, Aunt. You should have felt it too. It’s like your thoughts and soul are merging together. At the same time, other memories appear in your mind. Those things truly happened.”
Liu Nian explained everything she knew to Liu Menghan.
“So that means you were involved in the siege against Lin Ao before? What role did you play? Why didn’t I know about it?”
Liu Menghan was confused. After Ye Chen sent Liu Nian back years ago, she had arranged for her to attend school. During that time, Liu Nian had never mentioned being involved in anything related to Lin Ao.
Back then, Liu Nian said she had been adopted by a kind couple and treated as their daughter. Liu Menghan had even verified it herself. There had been no problems.
Was there something she didn’t know?
“Aunt, I am ‘Night Heron.’”
Liu Nian said the name calmly. Liu Menghan thought she had misheard.
“What did you say? Aunt didn’t hear clearly.”
Liu Nian repeated, “Aunt, I said I am ‘Night Heron,’ the youngest female assassin of Yama Hall. At 15, I already killed—”
Before she could finish, Liu Menghan covered her mouth.
“Nian Nian, wait. Let Aunt process this first.”
Shock and heartbreak filled Liu Menghan’s face.
She knew exactly what Yama Hall was. It was Ye Chen’s power, the number one assassin organization in China, hidden in the shadows.
Any assassin in Yama Hall with even a little fame had endured inhuman training beyond imagination.
Liu Menghan pulled Liu Nian tightly into her arms. Her eyes reddened, and tears slowly streamed down her face.
“Nian Nian, so the adoptive parents you mentioned were fake? All those years you disappeared, you were in Yama Hall? It was all Ye Chen’s doing?”
Liu Menghan had figured it out. Liu Nian would never lie to her. If that was the truth, then it must be connected to Ye Chen.
“Yes. Ye Chen knew long ago that I was a child of the Liu Family. Yet he still sent me to Yama Hall for brainwashing. He sent me back to the Liu Family as a hidden pawn, to gather internal information, to push the Liu Family into conflict with the Lin Family, and then let him swallow the Liu Family smoothly.”
“He also sent me to assassinate Uncle Lin Ao countless times. Only during those assassination missions did I gain even a trace of freedom and warmth.”
Liu Nian muttered softly in Liu Menghan’s arms, revealing everything little by little.
Liu Menghan cried as she gently patted Liu Nian’s back, soothing her emotions. Cold light flashed in her eyes. Ye Chen, I will never let you go.
Ye Chen first appeared at the Liu Family elders’ birthday banquet several months later. The entire city had been invited to celebrate. After Liu Nian went missing, the two elders’ health had worsened day by day. So they held a grand banquet to bring them good fortune.
It was at that banquet that Liu Menghan met Lin Ao. Later, Lin Ao began pursuing her. He hid his engagement with Gu Wanqing and pursued her passionately. Liu Menghan’s heart wavered. Then came the scenes of Lin Ao’s engagement or marriage being disrupted by Xiao Fan.
When Liu Menghan asked Lin Ao out to talk, he behaved like a madman and tried to possess her. At that exact moment, Ye Chen would appear.
Ye Chen beat Lin Ao brutally. From then on, Ye Chen constantly appeared before her. He revealed his identity as a member of Yama Hall. Soon after, the Liu Family began facing business crises. He produced evidence claiming Lin Ao was behind it and repeatedly helped the Liu Family.
Now that she thought about it, were those crises truly caused by Lin Ao?
Could it not have been Ye Chen deliberately orchestrating everything?
And now she had learned that Ye Chen had even thrown Nian Nian into Yama Hall to be trained as an assassin.
The fury in her heart grew impossible to suppress.
“Aunt, I want to become stronger. I want to protect the Liu Family, protect you, and protect Uncle Lin Ao.”
Liu Nian lifted her head and looked at Liu Menghan seriously, her small hands gently wiping away her tears.
“This time Aunt is here. Nian Nian, you just need to live your life well. Leave it to Aunt.”
Liu Nian shook her head. “Aunt, I understand Yama Hall’s power and Ye Chen better than you. I must become stronger.”
“By the way, Aunt, I only knew that you hated Uncle Lin Ao very much back then. Why?”
Liu Nian finally voiced the biggest doubt in her heart.
Liu Menghan paused. She had indeed never told Liu Nian about it.
“Well… Lin Ao pursued me back then… and then…”
Liu Menghan explained the entire sequence of events.
“So I want to ask you, Aunt. Was it sincere? Or were you being controlled? Did you truly fall in love with Uncle Lin Ao?”
After hearing everything, Liu Nian felt that Liu Menghan might have been like her, compelled to do certain things against her will.
Liu Menghan fell silent, her eyes slightly confused.
She carefully recalled each encounter.
The first time, she felt her thoughts and actions were being controlled.
But from the second time onward, things changed.
Starting from the second encounter, Lin Ao seemed different. At times he was like a completely different person, just like that night he secretly entered her room.
From that night on, she became aware of her own “existence.”
By the third and fourth meetings, she realized she had genuinely fallen in love with Lin Ao.
Liu Menghan smiled brightly, her mind clear.
“I truly like Lin Ao.”
She took a deep breath.
“I’ve decided. This time, I’ll be the one to launch the attack first. I will definitely win Lin Ao over.”
Her eyes sparkled with determination. She could already imagine Lin Ao surrendering under her charm.
In her arms, Liu Nian pressed a hand to her forehead.
Gu Wanqing’s offensive was already fierce, and now her own aunt was joining the fight.
Should she say Uncle Lin Ao was blessed, or doomed?
When the time came, who should she help?
Of course her aunt. After all, she felt her aunt was no match for Sister Wanqing.
She had seen firsthand at the amusement park just how intense Gu Wanqing could be.
…
At this moment, Lin Ao had no idea that Liu Menghan had already sworn to win him.
Events were once again spiraling in directions he could never have imagined.
Meanwhile, Lin Ao was busy at home.
“Uncle Zhang, help me custom-make this kind of steel plate. The kind even missiles can’t penetrate.”
“Yes, yes, reinforce every door with several layers of this steel inside.”
“For this bulletproof glass, install multiple layers. Yes, multiple layers.”
“Isn’t there some kind of laser detection system? Use the Lin Family’s resources to get some Gatling guns and precise detection and targeting systems.”
“Go all out.”
“And build me an underground air-raid shelter.”
“Budget? As long as the Lin Group doesn’t collapse, stack the budget to the limit!”
Ever since returning from the hospital, Lin Ao had been busy planning renovations to turn Lin Family Estate into a fortress.
On the way back, he had been thinking about how to effectively guard against Xiao Fan.
He had already experienced multiple assassination attempts at home. How could anyone just walk into the Lin Family Estate as if it were their own house? What kind of joke was that?
He suddenly slapped his forehead. He was so rich. Why not solve it with money?
So he decided to transform the estate into a steel fortress using the best materials in the world.
Why hadn’t he thought of this before?
Once finished, even dozens of Grandmasters would only be able to shake their heads and leave.
He refused to believe otherwise.
Xiao Fan, just wait.
You’d better not resort to dirty tricks. If you dare sneak into Lin Family Estate, you’ll regret ever stepping inside.
…
Did Lin Ao not realize that he himself had also gone off track?