In the military hospital, Assistant Feng was sweating bullets. The Chu family outside showed no signs of backing down, but their devil lord had threatened his life if anyone came in. Finally, at the end of his rope, he knocked sharply on the door of the VIP ward and entered. The patient's bed faced the door and the first thing Assistant Feng saw was Xueling lying in the ward. He paused to take a breath. What an ethereal beauty! Even lying down in a hospital ward, wounded from a messy showdown, she looked better than all the female stars out there.
Suddenly, Assitant Feng felt a chill down his back. Shuddering, he looked around to find Mo Shenyu's baleful gaze fixed on him.
"Distracted, Assistant Feng? Do you need some time off?" The Devil asked in a dangerous voice.
Assistant Feng woke up from his reverie. "N.. n..noo.." He stuttered. It's over! The Devil had caught him looking at his girl. Is he going to be buried without a trace?
"Thank you for your hard work, Assistant Feng" interrupted Xueling in her soft voice. "I am grateful for your rescue and help today" she said.
"No problem! No problem! It was the Devil… I mean the President who did it all. I was only following instructions"
"Nonetheless. Thank you!"
"Did you need anything?" Mo Shenyu was annoyed. He hated having Xueling's attention away from him. And Xueling hadn't thanked him yet. Why did Assistant Feng get her thanks? Hmmph!
"Yes sir!" Assisstant Feng recognized Mo Shenyu's gaze. If you don't get to the point soon you would be mining coal in remote areas it seemed to say. Assisstant Feng gulped and got to the point.
"Sir, young miss, the Chu family is outside and said they will barge in in ten minutes with or without permission . They seem to be really adamant about meeting the young misss."
"Me?!" said Feng Xueling surprised. "Please tell them I don't do want to be a contracted fighter.."
"Ahem.." interrupted Assistant Feng again. "I don't think they want you to fight, miss. They said this is related to your life story and are very eager to meet"
Feng Xueling was truly bewildered. She knew of the Chu family. She had heard of them in her past life. They were the most enviable family in the capital; the family that had three generations of stalwart leaders. The old master was a legend in the martial arts circle while the patriarch Chu Zhenhua was a business magnate with a Midas touch. Stern and domineering, he had a way with money and had been single handedly responsible for expanding the Chu family business abroad. Each of the three young masters were also legends in their own field. In her past life she had watched from the Sanitorium tv room, the news reels of the Chu family's splendor and might. What did they want with her?
"I think I might know why…" said Mo Shenyu slowly. "The plum blossom mark under your collarbone, that is a typical Chu family mark."
"huh??" Xueling continued to stare blankly at Mo Shenyu.
"Fifteen years ago, the Chu family had a big accident. Not many people outside their immediate circle know the details, but they lost the current head Chu Zhenhua's wife and daughter. The wife was said to be killed, and they held a big funeral for her, but the daughter… they have not mourned her or announced her death. Nobody knows what happened to her and the Chu family have been looking for her for a long time."
"So because of some red birthmark, they think I am her?" asked Xueling, her tone slightly sharper than she intended.
"I know this sounds hard to believe, especially with your parents…"
"I already know I am not blood related to the Feng family" cut off Xueling. She didn't want to pretend with Mo Shenyu. This was the first person in two lifetimes who had been the most sincere to her and she wanted to repay the sincerity with trust and honesty. Not to mention, she also felt absolutely safe him. Telling him about her non relationship with the Feng family was an easy choice.
"What?!!" This came from Assisstant Feng. He was absolutely floored by the admission. Does this mean there was a good chance their young miss was actually from the Chu family?
"I overheard the Feng family talking…." Said Xueling in a small voice, her head down as she explained her situation. "They don't know that I know, and they don't want me to know that I am not their biological daughter" she said. Sitting in the oversized hospital gown, with her pale face and soft voice, Xueling looked remarkably fragile. "They said I had been abandoned… that nobody wanted me.." Xueling's voice trailed off as she found herself unable to explain anymore.
Assistant Feng's heart went out to her "You have suffered, young miss" he said. "Shall I ask the Chu family to come in?" he said?
"No!"
"No!"
Both Mo Shenyu and Xueling looked at each other. "I am not sure if I was abandoned or lost, and I am even less sure of how I came to the Feng family" said Xueling. "Given how the Feng family treats me" Xuelings voice broke as she recollected her pain of the last two lifetimes. "Given how the Feng family treats me" she continued in a low voice "I am not sure if being 'found' now is a good thing or not, especially when I don't know if these are even my biological parents".
Looking at her wide eyes and lost expression, Mo Shenyu couldn't bear it anymore. He almost reflexively reached out his hand to smooth her hair behind her ears and caressed her face. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to" said Mo Shenyu grimly. "If you don't want to meet the Chu family, I can deal with it".
"I..I am not ready just yet" said Xueling pleadingly.
"Then you won't meet them" he said. "Take all the time you need to figure things out, I will deal with them in the meantime."
"Assistant Feng" said Mo Shenyu, as he straightened up. The softness drained from his face and his voice. The devil CEO who dominated the boardroom and the military agent who had accomplished numerous counterattacks was in full force. "Bring the Chu family to the docto's office one floor below. Don't give them access to this level. Tell them I will meet them on behalf of fighter XL."
"Yes sir!" said Assisstant Feng barely stopping himself from saluting as he ran outside to do what he was told. Phew! Their CEO was scary Thank god he didn't have to negotiate with him.
The corridor on the level below Xueling rested was a battlefield in everything but name. Rows of black-suited guards from both sides lined the hall, their gazes sharp, hands resting near concealed weapons. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and adrenaline. Old Master Chu sat rigidly on the waiting bench, his cane planted between his knees. Even streaked with dust and blood, his bearing was unmistakably regal. Beside him stood Chu Zhenhua, his son—his face drawn tight with exhaustion and barely leashed urgency.
When the elevator door finally opened, every head turned.
Mo Shenyu stepped out, tall and composed in his dark shirt, the blood at his cuff already drying to rust. The fluorescent lights carved cold shadows across the hard planes of his face.
"President Mo," Old Master Chu said first, his voice gravel over stone. "You had us waiting long enough."
"Old Master Chu" greeted Mo Shenyu evenly. "I was ensuring the well-being of my savior, surely you can understand that?
Chu Zhenhua surged to his feet. "The girl inside that room—is she the one who fought at Dragon Gate?" his voice was urgent, his face conveying yearing and anxiety. "How is she doing now?"
Mo Shenyu's gaze didn't flicker. "She's the one who saved my life there, yes. Her wounds have been treated, and she is resting"
Chu Zhenhua took one step forward, emotion breaking through his restraint. "Then, let us meet her. You saw it too. The mark."His hand went instinctively to his own chest, over his heart. "The plum blossom. Our family's crest by blood. Tell me, President Mo—did you see it clearly?"
"I saw it," Mo Shenyu said evenly.
"Then you understand why we must see her." Zhenhua's voice roughened. "For fifteen years we've searched—through hospitals, orphanages, graves. My daughter was taken in the chaos of that year. And now, for the first time, there's proof she might be alive."
Old Master Chu struck his cane once on the floor. "I don't care what name she uses now. If she carries that mark, she's of the Chu line. Bring me to her."
The hallway went silent. The only sound was the slow, rhythmic click of Mo Shenyu's boots as he closed the distance between them.
"With all due respect," he said quietly, "she's barely regained consciousness. She was shot protecting me. She needs rest—not an interrogation by half the capital."
Zhenhua's jaw tightened. "We're not strangers, President Mo. You know the Chu family's reputation. We would never harm her."
"I also know," Mo Shenyu countered, voice like tempered steel, "that every great family in this city has its ghosts. She's already endured enough of one."
"We are likely her family! You have no right to stand between us!" exclaimed Zhenhua, his fists clenched and his face twisted in both anxiety and anger.
"I have every right" said Mo Shenyu evenly. "My benefactor personally said she doesn't want to meet you. It is my duty to protect her and I will not budge".
Zhenhua took a step forward. "And if we insist on going in?"
Mo Shenyu didn't blink. His voice dropped to a deadly whisper."If she really is your daughter," he said, "do you want her first sight of you to be your men hurting the one she risked her life to save?"
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
Zhenhua's anger faltered, twisting into pain. "You think I wouldn't die for her if it brought her back to me? Do you understand what it's like to wake up every morning wondering if your child is dead or alive?"
Mo Shenyu's face softened. "No I don't" he admitted. "I feel your pain, President Chu. I hear what you are saying. But I also heard what she had been through all these years, and I will never force her to make a choice she doesn't want to."
He nodded to Xia Feng, who produced a sealed envelope. "Inside is her blood sample. Do the paternity test. If the results confirm what you believe, then when she's ready, she'll decide if she wants to see you."
For a long moment, three generations of power stared one another down. Guards shifted, the faint creak of leather echoing under the cold hospital lights.
Then Old Master Chu rose slowly to his feet and reached out to collect the sample. "You're a bold man, President Mo," he said at last. "Few would stand against the Chu family."
Mo Shenyu met his gaze unflinchingly. "Few have her courage. I only follow her lead."
Old Master Chu exhaled, the sound brittle. "Very well. We will wait for the results."
Zhenhua's fists tightened at his sides, but he nodded reluctantly.
"But you need to swear to us, Mo Shenyu, swear you'll protect her until she's ready to face us. That you won't let her vanish again."
Mo Shenyu met his eyes and inclined his head. "You have my word. No harm will reach her—no one touches her unless she asks for it herself."
For the first time that night, Old Master Chu exhaled. "Very well," he murmured. "We'll wait. But remember, President Mo—if she truly is our blood, nothing on this earth will stop the Chu family from bringing her home."
Mo Shenyu's lips curved, not in mockery but in promise."Then I suggest you prepare your home well," he said softly. "Because when she's ready, she'll choose where she belongs."