May 13th, evening.
Andrew Han stood in front of the security door at his home, quietly listening to his mother's whispers.
Detained?
Did Dad, William Han, do something illegal?
With the college entrance exam approaching and himself about to enter the Academy, something like this happened? In the hazy memories of his past life, there seemed to be no such serious incident.
Of course.
Maybe he just hadn't noticed it back then.
His mind was in turmoil. He took several deep breaths, and only after calming down a bit did he knock on the security door.
Knock, knock.
Linda Chen's hurried footsteps grew closer, tinged with exhaustion and anxiety.
The security door slowly opened.
Linda Chen's hair was a bit disheveled, her face pale and eyes rimmed red, yet she forced a smile at her son, Andrew Han. "You're home, son. Your dad has a gathering tonight, so he won't be staying over."
Andrew Han asked softly, "Mom, why are your eyes red?"
Linda Chen welcomed Andrew inside, not noticing he wasn't carrying his backpack. She closed the door and sighed, "An old classmate fell seriously ill. I'm just a bit emotional, it's nothing."
Andrew Han swallowed and continued, "Mom, I wanted to talk to Dad about something. When will he be home?"
"He'll be back tomorrow morning. Don't blame your dad, he's just been really busy these days." Linda Chen locked the security door, then pointed to the pork rib soup on the dining table. "Son, have some soup first. I'll go check on your sister, Lucy."
"Okay."
Andrew Han's mind was in turmoil, so he could only respond quietly and sit down on the chair.
He knew perfectly well what was going on.
His mother didn't want him to worry, unwilling to let this affect his college entrance exam, so she kindly kept the truth from him.
Perhaps it was because of this that, in my previous life, I never noticed anything, never knew a thing.
Foolish.
Heh, truly foolish.
But Mom is right. I’m just a student. Faced with laws as imposing as the heavens, all I can do is wait quietly for the outcome, worrying and praying to no avail.
But still—
Dad did business honestly. He would never break the law—absolutely never. So why has he been detained?
Andrew Han slowly sat down on the chair.
The wooden chair, which should have been at a comfortable temperature, now seemed to seep with cold; even his Third Rank body shivered slightly.
Creak.
Linda Chen opened the bedroom door to check on Lucy Han as she slept.
The entire living room was suddenly enveloped in a boundless, dead silence—a cold atmosphere that replaced the warmth and comfort of days past, as if sinking into a dark abyss.
Even in the heat of summer, a chill spread through his body.
Even the fragrant, steaming kelp and pork rib soup before him could not bring the slightest warmth.
Slurp.
Andrew Han sipped the kelp and pork rib soup absentmindedly, not knowing what he was thinking or what he could do. The smooth sailing since his rebirth was crumbling, bit by bit.
Everything was falling apart.
"So this is it."
"I am still weak, drifting with the current, battered by reality, at the mercy of fate—just an ordinary person."
"I thought that reaching Third Rank in martial arts was a symbol of success. But right now, what does Third Rank matter? I’m still just a student."
Andrew Han fell silent.
A silence as heavy as death.
Slurp.
His face showed neither sadness nor anger as he drank another mouthful of soup.
Why is it like this?
Why does it have to be this way?
Slurp.
He spoke softly, chewing a piece of pork rib.
He had no grand ambitions, only wished for his family to be together and happy. That was all he aspired to, such a simple wish.
Yet even that was so difficult.
Why is it so hard?
Crack!
Andrew Han’s fists clenched so tightly that veins bulged, blood surged, bones creaked, and his energy flooded his mind!
...
A moment later.
Andrew Han stood at the doorway of his mother and Lucy Han’s bedroom.
He could hear the honking of cars on the street, the hum of appliances at home, footsteps in the stairwell—everything was crystal clear. Sometimes he even caught Lucy Han’s murmurs.
But his mother’s voice, he could not hear.
Not a single sound.
Of course. With the entrance exam approaching, Mom would never disturb me. Even if she suffered inner turmoil and torment, she wouldn’t go out to seek answers. She would stay home, guarding my path to the exam.
She refused to do anything that might affect my exam.
Mom.
Your son will get into the Academy. I will get in.
Dad.
Your son is Third Rank in martial arts. I will get into the Academy. Why haven’t you come home?
...
Inside the bedroom.
Linda Chen’s hands trembled as she held her phone, awkwardly tapping the screen, editing a WeChat message: "Qingmei, Qingmei, I can only turn to you. Please, I beg you."
Ding.
A faint sound signaled the message was sent.
The white WeChat chat interface glowed, illuminating her suddenly haggard face.
...
Andrew Han had no idea how he got through the night.
He wasn’t sure if he’d slept.
He had no idea what he’d been thinking about.
All in all, it was the longest night since his rebirth. More than once, he nearly rushed out of his room to reveal the truth about being Third Rank in martial arts.
But he didn’t.
Impulsiveness would only add to their troubles, only make his mother’s burden heavier.
“No matter what, no matter who—”
“If my father truly suffers injustice, I, Andrew Han, will make them pay in blood.”
This thought was like a vicious thunderbolt from the heavens, shattering his joy and excitement, crushing his hopes and dreams, and silently taking root deep in his heart, his mind, his very soul.
He vaguely understood.
The most important problem since his rebirth had suddenly appeared. If he couldn’t find out the truth and solve it, what right did he have to face demons and monsters?
This life, he would never bow his head, never surrender to fate.
Click.
The security door made a sound.
"Dad!"
"Dad’s back!!"
Half-awake, Andrew Han’s ears twitched. He suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes, leaped from the bed, but landed softly.
He stood at the bedroom door, hand resting on the doorknob, unmoving.
Voices came from outside the door.
"Wenzhi, are you alright? Are you okay?"
"It’s nothing, just some minor business and tax issues. Luckily you know Lin Qingmei, otherwise I might’ve been held for twenty-four hours."
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Please click next page to continue reading!
...
"What happened exactly? What’s wrong with the supermarket? All the licenses are in order!"
"It’s mainly because of Jack Wu and his people. It’s a small matter, let’s not talk about it now. Last night, did you show any signs? Don’t let Andrew notice anything—he’s about to take his martial arts exam, probably preparing a surprise for us."
...
"Don’t worry. Let’s go inside. You haven’t slept all night—get some rest."
"Mm, I’m fine, I can’t let it affect our child. That rascal hid it for so many days, he must’ve worked hard and worn himself out. But Andrew swears he’ll get into a top university, probably has Fifth Rank in martial arts. If we hadn’t quietly gone to the school, we wouldn’t have known he switched to martial arts..."
Creak.
With the sound of doors opening and closing, silence returned.
In the bedroom, around five in the morning.
Drip.
A drop of liquid slid down his cheek and landed on the metal doorknob.
Andrew Han stared with bloodshot eyes, his lips twisted, mouth slightly open, his mind numb.
...
May 14th, in the morning.
Andrew Han carried his blue-and-white school uniform, wore a plain T-shirt, his expression calm, as he walked into a small supermarket.
At the front desk was a middle-aged woman cashier, three young women stocking shelves, and a few customers browsing and shopping.
The cashier saw Andrew and called out, "Hey, Andrew, you’re here."
Andrew greeted her and headed to the computer room at the back of the store.
This was the small supermarket run by his father, William Han. It was really just a convenience store, but in a prefecture-level city, calling it a supermarket sounded grander.
The income from the small supermarket was just enough. He’d been here countless times, both in his past and present life.
Tap tap.
Andrew Han expertly clicked the mouse, pulling up the surveillance footage.
Based on what he overheard at the security door last night and the few words his father said that morning, Andrew understood—the problem happened here.
So.
What exactly happened?
Andrew Han silently watched the surveillance footage, playing it at double speed, starting from yesterday morning’s recording, not minding the trouble.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
After half an hour, Andrew suddenly frowned, quickly stopped the fast-forward, rewound the footage, then his eyes widened and he leaned forward.
The video was blurry, but still clear enough.
The supermarket was about to close. The staff had left, only William Han remained outside the cashier’s counter.
Two middle-aged men in short sleeves—one carrying a briefcase, the other pressing down William Han’s head, occasionally slapping his face.
No physical fight broke out.
Nor was there any harsh shouting.
After the two men left, about five minutes later, two or three people in official uniforms entered. They spoke with William Han, exchanged a few words, then took him away.
About twenty minutes of silent footage slowly passed.
Andrew Han sat in silence.
Silent.
Until the next second—or was it a minute—crack!
Andrew’s expression remained calm, but his eyes blazed with fury, his lips twisted with anger. His right hand squeezed, crushing the plastic mouse to pieces!
The thousand-jin strength of a Third Rank martial artist was fully revealed.
"Wu Jie? Jack Wu?"
"Whoever you are, I will make you—pay! The! Price!"