After sending Ian Song to the guest room, Cliff Foster finally couldn’t hold back and said, “Ian, don’t take what happened just now to heart. My father’s just eager to recruit talent—he didn’t mean anything else!”
"It’s fine."
Ian smiled indifferently, not taking it to heart.
“Good, then get some rest early.”
Cliff seemed to finally breathe a sigh of relief and turned to leave. But as he turned away, his face grew troubled—his dad was way too anxious. A prodigy like Ian Song wasn’t so easy to win over.
Besides, he didn’t think the Foster Family could really recruit someone like Ian Song—a dragon among men. Someone like him was destined to soar; there’s no way a small pond like the Foster Family could contain him.
But the moment Ian closed the door, his expression turned cold.
Damian Foster’s actions had really put him in a bad mood.
No matter how you looked at it, he’d saved the guy’s life. If they couldn’t recruit him, they kicked him out right away—what kind of attitude was that? If it weren’t for Cliff’s sake, Ian might’ve slapped him twice already. No wonder both his younger brothers rebelled; as a person, Damian had really failed.
For a moment, Ian almost regretted saving that guy.
Thinking of this, he muttered to himself, "Damian Foster, you’d better not do anything stupid. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to turn you into a puppet!"
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, while Ian was exercising outside the guest room, Cliff Foster arrived with a man in his fifties.
"Ian, this is Han Dongshan, the steward who manages our Foster Family’s antiques business."
Hearing this, Ian’s eyes lit up. "Hello, Mr. Han."
"Hello, Young Master Song," Han Dongshan replied with a smile.
"Let’s talk inside."
"Sure!"
Once inside, Ian took out the copper storage ring and handed it to Han Dongshan. "Mr. Han, I’d like to know who sold you this ring."
After a quick inspection, Han Dongshan returned the storage ring to Ian and said, "Last night, Young Master Cliff asked me to look into the origins of this copper ring. I had people check the surveillance footage and found that it was sold to our shop three months ago by a middle-aged man dressed like a farmer. I’ve already sent people to track him down, but I can’t guarantee we’ll find him—after all, we didn’t get his contact information back then."
"Thank you, Mr. Han. Sorry to trouble you," Ian said gratefully.
"It’s no trouble at all," Han Dongshan replied with a cheerful smile.
After Han Dongshan left, Cliff suggested, "Ian, this must be your first time in Southridge City, right? The scenery here’s pretty nice. How about letting Yvonne show you around?"
Ian gave Cliff a meaningful look. "Your dad’s idea?"
"Ahem."
Cliff looked a bit awkward. "Honestly, my little sister’s actually pretty great—she’s pretty, has a good personality. Don’t you want to consider it?"
"What do you think?" Ian shot him a teasing look.
Ian’s stare made Cliff shiver. He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, you win! I’ll be honest—my dad still hasn’t given up. He keeps pushing me to set you two up. Do me a favor for friendship’s sake, or I’ll never be able to explain it to him."
Ian laughed, joking, "Aren’t you afraid your sister’ll fall for me and I’ll steal her away?"
Cliff laughed too. "If you can win her over, that’s your skill! Anyway, having you as a brother-in-law wouldn’t be bad. You’re almost as handsome as me, and with your abilities, at least I know she won’t get bullied."
"You sure you’re better looking than me?" Ian asked seriously.
"Maybe just a tiny bit."
"Alright, I’m in."
"Thanks, Ian!" Cliff said, genuinely grateful.
Soon, Ian saw Yvonne Foster again. Maybe because she knew they were going out, she wore a sporty casual outfit that showed off her figure—a ponytail and a white sun visor made her look youthful and lively.
Especially her big, bright eyes, which sparkled with curiosity when she saw Ian.
Last night, after hearing her dad wanted to marry her off to Ian, she went to her brother to ask about him. She found out he wasn’t just a piano prodigy—he was also the ‘teen hero’ who’d made national headlines recently.
It was out of curiosity that she agreed to join Ian for a day out in the mountains.
"Hi, I’m Yvonne Foster." She reached out her hand first.
"Hi, I’m Ian Song." Ian replied with a smile and shook her delicate hand—it was so soft and smooth, almost boneless.
Yvonne looked at him curiously, her eyes holding a hint of admiration. "I looked you up online last night—teen hero, right? Can you tell me how you managed to take down those terrorists?"
"Let’s talk in the car."
Yvonne nodded. "Okay."
The Foster Family had arranged a discreet SUV—spacious, with a driver included.
"Ian, I’ll leave Yvonne in your care. Make sure to look after her!"
As they got in, Cliff winked at Ian and whispered.
"Got it," Ian nodded.
"Alright, you two go have fun!" Cliff waved them off.
Just as Cliff said, Yvonne really was easy to get along with. After hearing Ian’s story about subduing the terrorists, the admiration in her eyes grew even stronger.
Galaxy Province is located in the southwest of the Yanhuang Republic, mostly hilly terrain.
Southridge City is nestled among the mountains, and the most famous is Emerald Peak, home to Yanhuang’s national treasure—the panda.
Yvonne’s personality was gentle yet lively, and she was pretty considerate too—she kept offering him snacks as they walked around.
She also really loved animals of all kinds.
At the zoo, she had a blast playing with the alpacas.
Suddenly, Yvonne ran over and shoved her phone into Ian’s hands. "Ian, take some pictures for me!"
"Sure."
Ian took the phone and saw her making a silly face—pouting and squinting one eye. He couldn’t help but smile, opened the camera, and snapped several photos for her.
"Let me see!"
Yvonne rushed back over and started flipping through the pictures one by one.
"No need to check—they all look great," Ian said with a smile.
"Really?" Yvonne asked happily.
Ian nodded.
Hearing Ian’s praise, Yvonne’s heart melted a little. Then she said, "You go over there—I’ll take a few pictures for you."
"Sure."
Ian agreed right away.
After the photos, they played around for a while longer and were about to leave when someone called Yvonne’s name.
They turned to see a girl about Yvonne’s age—short red hair, dressed revealingly with her midriff and pale thighs exposed—clinging intimately to the arm of a tall young man.
Four others were with them—two guys and two girls, all around twenty years old.