Ke Mingxuan pushed the car to its highest speed, racing towards the city. His phone had long been taken by Commander Ke, so there was no way to contact anyone in advance. As soon as he got onto Linghai Avenue, he ran into the evening rush hour, and it took over an hour just to reach Junlin Tianxia. During the two-minute wait for the elevator, he could hardly stand it, wishing he could grow wings and fly up.

Finally, he made it home, entered the password, and opened the door. The moment he stepped inside, four eyes were locked on him.

Zuo Cheng, his face full of worry, immediately stood up from the sofa upon seeing him, rushed over, and punched him squarely on the jaw.

“Zuo Cheng!” He Xu hurriedly lunged forward, grabbing Zuo Cheng to stop his second punch. “Calm the hell down!”

Ke Mingxuan had just spent a long time fighting with a group of special forces at the nursing home. In his anxious rush to return, his body, which hadn’t fully recovered, couldn’t withstand the punch. He was instantly struck, his vision filled with stars, feeling dizzy and nearly collapsing. He staggered to the shoe rack by the entrance to keep from falling flat on his face. Half of his face went numb, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

Zuo Cheng was strong, and several times, he nearly broke free from He Xu’s grip, ready to rush at Ke Mingxuan and fight. He Xu almost used all his strength to drag the agitated bodyguard back into the living room.

Ke Mingxuan took a moment to recover, wiped his mouth with his hand, and, ignoring the bloodstains, asked with clear intent, “Where’s Bian Yiqiu?”

“Go ask your father!” Zuo Cheng yelled, his eyes red with anger. “Ke Mingxuan, if the boss doesn’t come out, I’ll kill you!”

“You don’t have to lift a finger,” Ke Mingxuan shot him a glance. “If anything happens to him, I’ll kill myself first.” After saying that, he turned to He Xu. “Who took him?”

Maybe it was the weight of Ke Mingxuan’s words, but Zuo Cheng, who had been struggling, finally started to calm down a bit.

He Xu patted his shoulder and turned to answer, “The Anti-Organized Crime Unit. The arrest warrant came directly from the prosecutor’s office. Because of your father’s interference, it probably won’t follow normal judicial procedures. I just called around, and everyone says even the lawyers can’t see him.”

Ke Mingxuan nodded, then said, “Let me borrow your phone.”

He Xu quickly handed it over.

Ke Mingxuan entered a string of numbers with familiarity, and soon, Gu Ling’s voice came through.

“Hello, who’s this?”

“It’s me,” Ke Mingxuan replied with just two words.

Gu Ling froze for a second, then cursed, “What the hell, how come you’re only showing up now? Do you know where Bian Yiqiu—”

“I just found out. Where is he?”

“Second detention center. I just finished the handover and was heading back to the station to report to Director Feng. This is really fucked up. What are you planning to do?”

“Is there any way I can meet him over there?”

“That’s probably not possible. Your dad… and Director Feng are both keeping an eye on things.”

“Alright, I understand. Just let them know and take care of him.”

“Do I need you to tell me that? I’ve already made arrangements.”

“Thanks.”

Ke Mingxuan hung up the phone, tossed it back to He Xu, and said, “Wait for my news,” before turning and walking away.

When Ke Mingxuan drove back to the compound in Liang Ziyue’s car, it was just around dinner time. Feng Shuxian had just brought the dishes prepared by the aunt from the kitchen. As soon as she looked up, she saw her son, whom she hadn’t seen in almost two months, walking in from outside. She quickly set the dishes on the table and hurried over to him, but before she could say anything, tears were already streaming down her face.

“Mingxuan, my son, you’re back. I’ve missed you so much. Is your injury healed? How’s your body? Oh… why have you lost so much weight? My heart’s breaking…”

Normally, Ke Mingxuan would have already wrapped his arms around her, showering her with sweet words, but today, he really wasn’t in the mood. He just held her gently, patting her back, and tried to speak as softly as possible. “I’m fine. See? I’m okay.”

“Fine? Fine my foot, just listening to your voice, you sound weaker than before. I’ve been wanting to visit you, but your dad wouldn’t let me… By the way, why are you back now? Your dad didn’t say you’d be coming today.”

Because he didn’t know I could escape. But by now, he should’ve gotten the news.

Ke Mingxuan didn’t answer her. Instead, he asked, “When’s he coming back?”

“He? Who?” Feng Shuxian paused for a moment before realizing, “Oh, you silly child, when I say ‘he,’ I mean your dad.”

Ke Mingxuan gave a slight, nonchalant smile but didn’t say anything. He just wrapped his arm around his mom and walked towards the dining room. “I’d like to eat something first.” Once he was full, he’d have the energy to deal with Commander Ke.

“Yes, yes, yes, eat first.” Feng Shuxian, her face still wet with tears, immediately brightened up upon hearing this, her joy blooming like a flower. She cheerfully pushed him into the chair, serving him a bowl of old duck soup. “I didn’t know you were coming back, so I didn’t make your favorite dishes. Tomorrow, I’ll personally go buy the ingredients and cook for you. For today, you’ll have to make do with this…”

To be honest, Ke Mingxuan wasn’t very interested in the food. Even with the steaming hot bowl of fragrant duck soup in his hands, he couldn’t taste much. His mind was consumed with how to get Bian Yiqiu out of the detention center as quickly as possible. He didn’t want him staying there for even a minute longer.

Halfway through the meal, Commander Ke came back. From a distance, the sound of a military vehicle grinding over the ground could be heard, followed by the sound of the guard getting out of the car to open the door for the leader.

Feng Shuxian instructed the aunt to set an extra place at the table, then walked out of the dining room and hung Commander Ke’s jacket on the coat rack in the living room, casually asking, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t be back for dinner today?”

“Finished what I had to do and came back.”

Ke Mingxuan heard Commander Ke’s response and started walking toward them.

He didn’t lift his head, didn’t call anyone, and didn’t even change his usual way of eating, focusing intently on his food.

Commander Ke merely glanced at him, said nothing, then went to the kitchen to wash his hands. Afterward, he sat at the head of the table and began eating.

“I’m full.” Ke Mingxuan put down his bowl and chopsticks, saying, “I’ll be waiting for you in the study,” before standing up and leaving the dining room. He simply couldn’t bring himself to sit down calmly and eat with Commander Ke at that moment.

Though Ke Mingxuan’s words were abrupt and without address, Ke Zhenshan knew they were meant for him.

Feng Shuxian called her son’s name twice but received no response, so she turned to look at her husband, her expression clearly displeased. “You’re hiding something from me.”

Ke Zhenshan didn’t even glance at her as he picked up a piece of cold beef tongue. “No, stop overthinking it.”

Feng Shuxian slammed her chopsticks onto the wooden table. “Ke Zhenshan, do you think I’m easy to fool? Ever since you wouldn’t let me visit our son when he was injured, I knew something was wrong. I didn’t ask because I wanted to wait until our son recovered, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.”

Ke Mingxuan twisted the door of the study open and walked straight out to the balcony to smoke. He had been so caught up in the fight with the special forces soldiers in the afternoon, followed by two hours of driving, that his shoulder muscles had remained tense without him noticing. After eating, he finally relaxed a bit, only to realize that his entire arm had gone a bit numb. It even took some effort to light a cigarette.

However, once lit, he barely smoked it. The cigarette hung from his mouth, and in the end, it burned out on its own.

Feeling somewhat unsatisfied, he put the butt out in the ashtray and lit another one.

By the time the second cigarette was halfway through, footsteps approached the door.

As for his son Ke Mingxuan, Ke Zhenshan believed he had given him the most freedom possible. When he wanted him to apply to the military academy, Ke Mingxuan chose instead to go to the University of Media. After graduation, he refused to join the government departments Ke Zhenshan had arranged for him, insisting on starting his own business. Even with the string of young lovers his son had, he chose to turn a blind eye, regardless of whether they were men or women. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

In his mind, it was all just play, and whether it was a man or a woman didn’t matter much. In fact, men were safer; at least he didn’t have to worry about some unknown woman showing up at the gate of the compound with a child, blocking his car. The Ke family couldn’t afford that kind of scandal.

He had never worried about his son getting emotionally involved or playing with fire, because Ke Mingxuan had always been very clear about his identity and the responsibilities that came with it. He knew what he should do and what he shouldn’t. As long as he didn’t cross that line, when the time came for marriage and settling down, he could fulfill his duties honestly. As a father, he would never interfere with his son’s personal matters.

But never in his life did he imagine his son would truly fall in love with a man, even to the point of being willing to sacrifice his life for him. Even now, when he recalled the moment of the car accident, with Ke Mingxuan throwing himself onto Bian Yiqiu, the image of him impaled by rebar still haunted his mind, leaving him unable to shake off the shock.

He couldn’t bring himself to imagine what would have happened if the rebar had been just an inch closer, piercing his left chest. The fear of nearly losing his son and the anger at his son risking his life for a man drove him to make a decision in that moment—these two must be separated.

Of course, after uncovering Bian Yiqiu’s past, he was even more convinced that his decision was right. A gang leader with a long criminal history, no matter the gender, could never be allowed into the Ke family, let alone a man.

It was clear that the father-son negotiation was never going to end well. After just a few words, the discussion was over.

Ke Zhenshan asked him, “Are you serious about Bian Yiqiu?”

Ke Mingxuan replied, “Yes.”

Ke Zhenshan asked, “Can you break up with him?”

Ke Mingxuan answered, “No.”

Ke Zhenshan pressed, “No matter what?”

Ke Mingxuan firmly said, “No matter what.”

Ke Zhenshan nodded, bent down, and pulled a file from the drawer, placing it in front of him. “You might want to look at these before answering my question again.”

Ke Mingxuan knew his father had leverage, but he was still shocked when he saw the documents. Ke Zhenshan had almost investigated every detail of Bian Yiqiu’s past, from his mother and how she died, to the age when he ran away from the orphanage, the things he did while living on the streets, the businesses he ran with Li Jiu, the people he had dealt with, and even which inmates and prison guards in Tongshan Prison were his lovers or hookups.

Some of this information Bian Yiqiu had mentioned to him before, but much of it was new, especially the years when Li Jiu had taken him in, a period Bian Yiqiu had always avoided discussing. Even when it came up in conversation, it was brushed over in just a few words, never delved into.

Back then, Jiu’an hadn’t been cleansed of its criminal activities, and Bian Yiqiu was deeply involved in illicit dealings—smuggling, drug trafficking, murder, robbery, violent brawls, illegal gambling, underground money lending… The further Ke Mingxuan read, the more horrified he became. He could even imagine what it was like when Bian Yiqiu had held a gun to someone’s head and pulled the trigger—arrogant, dismissive, indifferent. In fact, even if someone had pointed a gun at his own head, he would likely have reacted the same way. Since the moment he escaped the orphanage at six years old, Bian Yiqiu had never valued his own life, and, of course, he never valued anyone else’s life either.

Ke Mingxuan’s hands trembled uncontrollably as he turned the pages, his mind reeling. It wasn’t clear whether it was the aftermath of the fight earlier or the weight of these revelations bearing down on him, but he felt as though his world had tilted. Since the moment he’d met Bian Yiqiu, all he knew was the Jiu’an Group’s respectable front, the man who had seemingly washed his hands of his past. He had always known that a person involved in gangs couldn’t have clean hands, but seeing the raw, unfiltered truth—blood, violence, the depths of human depravity—laid bare in these documents shattered him in a way he hadn’t imagined.

The further he went, the more his heart ached. He felt as if the pain from Bian Yiqiu’s past was ripping through him, stabbing at his chest. What Bian Yiqiu had endured in those years, the unimaginable darkness he had lived through, it tore at Ke Mingxuan’s soul. There were details—unspeakable moments—when Bian Yiqiu had no choice but to survive by becoming the very monster he fought against. Ke Mingxuan could see it so clearly: the boy who’d had no hope, no one to protect him, whose only escape was to bury his humanity in blood and violence.

“At that young age, could anyone not be afraid?”

Suddenly, he remembered their first night living together, on the rooftop of Junlin Tianxia. He had asked Bian Yiqiu that very question.

“Of course I was afraid. How could I not be?”

That was Bian Yiqiu’s answer back then.

Even Boss Bian, who feared nothing in this world, had known fear at one time.

When his mother overdosed and died in front of him, when he was alone in a cold, dark shack almost freezing to death, when he was forced to endure abuse from the orphanage director, when he was so hungry that he had to fight wild dogs for scraps, when he had to risk his life against opponents stronger than him just to survive… he must have been terrified. But that fear, in the unending, hopeless darkness, was slowly worn away, bit by bit. Old Master Jiu saved his life, and in return, he sold his life for him. In his own way, he repaid that kindness, preserving the faintest trace of softness in his heart that hadn’t been completely extinguished.

Ke Mingxuan gripped the file so tightly that his hand was nearly crushing the papers. Slowly, he lifted his head, staring at his father, Ke Zhenshan, and hoarsely asked, “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t want to do anything. I just want to save my son.”

“Do you care about your son, or do you care more about the reputation of the Ke family?” Ke Mingxuan raised his hand, and dozens of documents scattered across the room, falling everywhere.

The father and son stood in silence, surrounded by the fluttering papers. The last sheet spun a few times before gently drifting into the corner. Ke Zhenshan’s voice soon broke the silence.

“I care about my son, and I care about the Ke family. That’s why I can’t just watch my son go down the wrong path. To get him back on the right one, I will stop at nothing, no matter the cost.”

“What is the right path?”

“Marriage, children, continuing the Ke family’s bloodline.”

“What if I don’t agree?”

“If you agree, Bian Yiqiu will live.” Ke Zhenshan pointed to the scattered files on the floor. “These charges are enough to sentence him to death ten times over.”