The Maple Lake Rehabilitation Center was a place completely cut off from the world, at least for Ke Mingxuan, it was utterly isolated. His daily routine revolved around this small villa. Eating, sleeping, reading, taking walks in the yard to get some fresh air, and waiting for the medical staff to come regularly to check his body and do shoulder rehab.

After some time of rest, his right arm was nearly fully healed, and his basic daily life wasn’t much affected. His doctor said that as long as he kept up with the exercise, lifting normal weights and driving wouldn’t be a problem.

Ke Mingxuan asked, “What about fighting?”

The doctor: “…”

Ke Mingxuan asked again, “Will I be able to get back to my old speed and strength?”

Doctor: “…If you give it more time, it should be fine.”

“How long?”

“Three to five years…” The doctor noticed the expression on his face and quickly corrected himself, “Two or three years should be okay, too. The key is to stick with your training and not rush it. To get back to your old level of agility, it will definitely take some time…”

What the doctor really wanted to say was: Why do you have to fight? As long as your arm doesn’t get involved in fights, there’s no issue. But if you get injured again while fighting, it could really be the end of it.

Ke Mingxuan, of course, had his own reasons for wanting to fight. If the old gangster in his family didn’t have someone to fight with, he’d get bored.

After the doctor finished his examination and gave new instructions, he packed up his medical kit and left. Ke Mingxuan took his medicine and felt a bit drowsy. He went upstairs to his room, closing the door on the two bodyguards who followed him like shadows.

Before lying down, as usual, he casually tossed a dart at the wall from the bedside table. Eight points. The darthead skewed and stuck into the target, hanging there for less than two seconds before falling off.

His aim was off, and the throw lacked strength. In the past, he could hit a perfect ten with his eyes closed, and the darts would stick so deep that pulling them out was a hassle.

Things were different now, and this feeling was just plain frustrating. He probably wouldn’t be able to beat Bian Yiqiu again in the future. That guy would probably be over the moon when he found out.

Thinking of Boss Bian, Ke Mingxuan couldn’t help but smile, but after a while, he scratched his head and sighed.

He had been locked up here for over a month now, with no idea how much longer he’d be stuck. He heard that the two major military districts were holding joint exercises recently, and Commander Ke had been so busy he couldn’t even stay put, locking him away here without showing his face. Ke Mingxuan just hoped he wouldn’t have the time to cause trouble for Bian Yiqiu.

He had to find a way out, but forcing his way was out of the question, and sneaking away wouldn’t work either. After studying the geography for half a month, he ruled out one plan after another. In the end, he concluded that his only real option was to get to his uncle and contact his mother. After all, Mrs. Feng was much easier to persuade than Commander Ke…

The problem, however, was how to convince Director Feng. That was the real issue.

While he was pondering this, a soft “thunk” suddenly came from the balcony, as if some mischievous child had thrown a small stone in his direction. The sound wasn’t loud, and the bodyguards downstairs and at the door probably wouldn’t hear it, but he heard it clearly, and he was certain there were no mischievous kids around.

Ke Mingxuan furrowed his brows, then suddenly remembered something. He put down the dart, walked around the foot of the bed, and opened the sliding glass door to step outside.

On the balcony next door, Liang Ziyue was sitting with the old man, playing chess, not even bothering to lift his head.

Ke Mingxuan gave him a glance, bent down to pick up the note tied to the stone, and swayed back inside, tearing the note open while thinking to himself. This was almost like an underground contact meeting; his life had really become a rollercoaster lately.

However, when he saw the contents of the note, there was no joy left in him.

At the same time, in the Junlin Tianxia community.

From the moment Bian Yiqiu received He Xu’s call to being blocked at his doorstep by the police, only a little over three hours had passed.

Zuo Cheng went to open the door, and a group of police officers stood outside, fully armed, with guns drawn, giving off the impression that they would open fire if anyone inside tried to resist arrest.

The leader was none other than Gu Ling, the head of the anti-crime unit at the city police department.

He showed his ID to Zuo Cheng and asked politely, “Is Mr. Bian at home?”

Instinctively protective of his boss, Zuo Cheng was about to say that he wasn’t, but before he could speak, Bian Yiqiu had already come out of the study.

“Got visitors?” Bian Yiqiu asked, not particularly surprised by the officers at the door, as if he had expected them. He calmly told Zuo Cheng, “Go get my coat,” before walking toward Gu Ling and greeting him, “Ah, it’s Chief Gu.”

As the notorious boss of Z City, Bian Yiqiu had clearly dealt with the anti-crime unit more than once or twice. Though Gu Ling had only become the head of the unit after Jiu’an was mostly cleared of suspicion and Bian Yiqiu was imprisoned in Tongshan, due to the previous head of the anti-crime unit, Gu Ling had heard the name “Bian Yiqiu” echo in his ears for quite a long time. The former head had suffered several defeats at Bian Yiqiu’s hands, constantly bringing him up before his transfer, leaving Gu Ling curious to visit Tongshan prison and see for himself whether this notorious gangster really had three heads and six arms.

Later, when Bian Yiqiu was released from prison, the city police were quite tense for a while, worried that there might be some major movement in the underworld. After going on full alert and keeping watch for a long time, they discovered that Bian Yiqiu had truly reformed Li Jiu’s reputation. Not only were there no black market dealings, but even the slightest shady activities were absent. He was so clean it was almost unbelievable. Still, despite this, his name remained on the police department’s watchlist and had never been removed.

They had seen each other a few times in different settings. As the head of the anti-crime unit, Gu Ling had no particular feelings toward a reformed gangster boss. As long as Bian Yiqiu didn’t break the law or cause trouble, there was no real reason for them to cross paths. But he never imagined that one day, he would urgently lead his team on a mission with the sole purpose of saving Bian Yiqiu. Especially when he saw Young Master Ke nearly losing his mind over this old boss, Gu Ling was left completely stunned, standing in the wind for a full ten minutes before he could snap out of it. Even now, he still couldn’t figure out how these two completely unrelated people had ended up together. And it certainly didn’t look like just a casual thing!

Chief Gu thought this was just too damn incredible. While he wasn’t completely unable to accept it, he definitely wasn’t optimistic about the situation—so much so that when he received the order this morning to arrest Bian Yiqiu, he actually had a feeling of “See? I knew it would turn out like this.”

The prosecutor’s office had directly issued an arrest warrant, rather than having them bring Bian Yiqiu in “for questioning,” which meant this wasn’t a sudden decision but something that had been carefully planned. The recent moves against Jiu’an Group were just a warm-up for the Ke family; now, the real move was happening. During this time, the police and the prosecutor’s office must have already gathered a lot of evidence of Bian Yiqiu’s crimes, or they wouldn’t have gone straight to the arrest. Even though he had now reformed and become a legitimate businessman, his past criminal record, if fully pursued, would definitely require more than a few years of prison time to resolve.

Gu Ling silently sighed in his heart, feeling a bit of sympathy for him.

However, the person he felt sympathy for showed no surprise or panic. Instead, Bian Yiqiu calmly asked, “Are we leaving now?”

Gu Ling replied, “Do you realize you’re in trouble?”

Bian Yiqiu shook his head. “I didn’t know, but seeing you, I do now.”

In fact, when he received He Xu’s call, he already knew things were going to go badly, but he hadn’t expected Commander Ke to act so ruthlessly.

Since taking over Jiu’an, Bian Yiqiu believed there was nothing that could be used against him. The police showing up now must mean they had dug up old cases. And those cases, every single one of them, could land him in prison for life. If the sentence were harsh, he could even face the death penalty.

Commander Ke’s methods were decisive and efficient, leaving no room for delay or indecision. His ruthless tactics were no less fierce than any mafia boss’s. He didn’t negotiate, nor did he listen to any defenses. Instead, he chose the most effective, quickest, and least troublesome way to achieve his goals.

From the moment he silently took Ke Mingxuan away and erased all traces, cutting off any possible contact with the outside world, he spent over a month slowly gathering evidence of Bian Yiqiu’s crimes, while using his power to suppress the Jiu’an Group.

If Bian Yiqiu had recognized the situation and left Z City when things went wrong at the company, avoiding any further contact with Ke Mingxuan, the evidence would have been meaningless. After all, Commander Ke had never planned to completely destroy him. But Bian Yiqiu didn’t leave. Instead, he continued living in Ke Mingxuan’s house, treating it as his own. To Commander Ke, this felt like a direct challenge. As for the reason Bian Yiqiu stayed, which was because of his son, Commander Ke dismissed it with a scornful attitude and completely ignored it.

“Since he’s not leaving, let him go to where he belongs.”

This was what Commander Ke said to Director Feng.

And this was how Director Feng carried it out.

Gu Ling was the one who came to execute the order.

Just before leaving, Bian Yiqiu suddenly paused and asked Gu Ling, “Can I go back to my room to make a phone call?”

Gu Ling glanced at him and nodded, agreeing, “Go ahead.”

“Thank you,” Bian Yiqiu said, then turned and walked toward the bedroom.

“Team Leader, this isn’t according to protocol,” one of the team members quietly said.

Gu Ling replied, “Are you going to report me?”

The team member silently shut his mouth.

Bian Yiqiu returned to the bedroom, took out his phone, but wasn’t sure who to call. He scrolled through his contacts, pausing for a long time on Ke Mingxuan’s name, then swiped it away and found He Xu’s number, dialing it.

He Xu was driving when he answered the call, his tone far from pleasant. “Figured it out now? Ready to leave?”

“I can’t leave,” Bian Yiqiu replied with a smile.

“What?” He Xu slammed on the brakes, causing the car to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. The car behind him nearly slammed into his bumper, honking loudly and followed by a string of curses as it swerved around He Xu’s BMW.

With time running out, Bian Yiqiu didn’t want to waste words. “You’ll take care of Jiu’an for me. It’s Master Jiu’s hard work—don’t let it fall apart. Uncle Shi is getting older, his health isn’t great. When you have time, go to Yuelu Villa and check on him for me…”

“Bian Yiqiu, wait a minute…”

“If he asks where I went, just tell him I went abroad and won’t be back for a while.”

“Where are you now? What the hell is the Ke family planning?”

“If Zhou Ming is found, hand him over to Ke Mingxuan… if you can still see him.”

“Bian Yiqiu, goddamn it, answer my question! Where are you!”

“If you want to keep the Celebrity Club, keep it. If you don’t have the energy to manage it, just shut it down.”

“Bian Yiqiu…”

“One last thing.” Bian Yiqiu glanced at the door and lowered his voice slightly. “Keep an eye on Zuo Cheng. He’s single-minded, you know that.”

Just as He Xu was about to say something, a traffic officer knocked on his car window. He had parked right in the middle of a busy street, which made it stand out quite awkwardly.

Bian Yiqiu said something else, but He Xu didn’t catch it clearly. By the time he tried to ask again, Bian Yiqiu had already hung up. When he called back, the phone was off.

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel in frustration, not caring whether the traffic officer would issue a ticket. He shifted gears and floored the accelerator, speeding toward Junlin Tianxia.

Bian Yiqiu opened the door and saw Zuo Cheng standing at attention like a loyal dog. He patted his shoulder and said, “I’ll be fine. He Xu is a lawyer; he’ll figure out a way to get me out. Wait for him to come. Don’t do anything stupid, understood?”

Zuo Cheng stared at him for a long time before replying dryly, “Got it.” But deep down, he knew that He Xu was just a lawyer. If the Ke family chose not to follow the normal legal procedures, a lawyer wouldn’t be able to do anything.

After reading the note, Ke Mingxuan immediately threw open the door and rushed out, sprinting toward the stairs.

Perhaps because he had been obedient for so long, his sudden outburst caught the bodyguards off guard. They were a beat too slow in reacting, and by the time they caught up, Ke Mingxuan had already reached the middle of the stairs. Other bodyguards, alerted by the noise, blocked his path.

Ke Mingxuan didn’t pause for a moment. He immediately landed a punch on the first guard’s eye, then kicked the second one in the stomach.

Because of the angle from above, the guard had just climbed two steps when Ke Mingxuan’s kick sent him flying backward, crashing into the others and knocking over two more.

Ke Mingxuan immediately flipped off the stairs, landing on the floor before leaping onto the couch and stepping over the coffee table, heading toward the door. Hearing the commotion inside, the bodyguards in the yard rushed in and surrounded the young master in the living room.

It’s hard to say whether it’s a person’s hidden potential that awakens in desperate situations, but in the midst of the chaos, Ke Mingxuan charged left and right, not saying a single unnecessary word. His mind was focused entirely on the fact that he had to get out today, not even noticing the discomfort in his right arm. His punches and kicks landed without mercy, the dull thuds of skin and flesh colliding echoing in his ears.

However, taking down over twenty special forces soldiers and escaping in his current condition was nothing short of a fantasy. So, he couldn’t charge through it forcefully—he’d have to outwit them instead.

Ke Mingxuan yanked one of the bodyguards’ arms, swinging a punch straight at his armpit tendons. The guard let out a muffled grunt, his knee coming up, but Ke Mingxuan swiftly dodged and twisted his arm, not letting go. He crouched low, slipping past him at an angle that left no room for counterattack.

In the next instant, every movement froze, as if someone had hit the pause button, and the remote control was in Ke Mingxuan’s hands.

The bodyguard, who had just come dangerously close to having his arm twisted off, glanced at the holster on his waist. It was empty.

Ke Mingxuan quickly flicked off the safety on the gun, pointing it at the group of bodyguards, their faces bruised and battered.

The captain, expressionless, stared at him. “Unless you kill us all, you’re not getting out that door.”

“Is that so?” Ke Mingxuan half-smiled, shifting the gun’s aim to his own temple. “What about now?”

Captain: “…”

Ke Mingxuan: “My father told you to keep an eye on me. If I die, what do you think he’ll do?”

Captain: “…”

Ke Mingxuan maintained his stance, stepping steadily toward the door.

Though everyone knew he was making an exaggerated threat, no one dared to make a move. He was the only son of Commander Ke, and the most cherished grandson of Old Master Feng. Whether it was a bullet to the head or a finger, they knew it would bring serious consequences for anyone involved.

The armed guards didn’t stop him either. They all understood the identity of the people living here. The family drama that could rival a soap opera wasn’t their concern. When it came to playing dumb, they stuck to the principle—stay out of trouble. Worst case scenario, Commander Ke would reprimand them, but if anything happened to his son, who would be able to explain it?

Ke Mingxuan successfully walked out of the courtyard with the gun pressed to his own head, shouting toward the neighboring villa, “Liang Ziyue!”

Liang Ziyue sprang to his feet in shock, nearly dropping his jaw at the sight. “Fuck, you’re crazy!”

“Car keys!”

Seeing what was happening, Liang Ziyue quickly pulled out the keys and tossed them over.

Ke Mingxuan swiftly caught them with his left hand, unlocked the car, and drove off with lightning speed, leaving a group of bodyguards, who were left speechless and utterly helpless, watching him as he sped away from the sanatorium.

Liang Ziyue watched as his car disappeared down the tree-lined path of Maple Lake, and then suddenly realized something was wrong. “Hey, Ke, how am I supposed to get back now that you’ve taken my car?!”