Tianhai City's Ninth Ring.
Xiu Ying Street.
Mu Chen arrived here.
"Boss, any other orders?" Long Ying, seated in the car, asked.
"Have you prepared the things I asked for?"
"Prepared. All sorts of supplements, guaranteed green and healthy, pollution-free, all in the trunk," Long Ying said.
"Bring them out."
"Yes."
Long Ying then handed over all the supplements to Mu Chen.
"Boss, when did you ever mention having relatives here?" Long Ying asked curiously, having never heard Mu Chen speak of any relatives before.
"I was an orphan when I was little. A family here took me in. They're not blood relatives, but they're more than that to me."
"That's all you're bringing for them, boss?"
"They're different from others. If I bring too much, they'd actually refuse."
"I see. But boss, do you want me to come in with you?"
"No need, I'll be fine on my own."
"Okay, then I'll be leaving."
"Mhm."
…
"Ten years and I never thought I'd come back to this place, they probably think I'm dead!" Mu Chen sighed as he walked in.
Along the way, memories surged, stirring countless emotions in his heart.
"Aunt Wang, Uncle Wang, and Xiao Xuan, how have you been?"
Soon, Mu Chen quickly reached a rather new house, a standard courtyard with large grounds, where lively voices of playing children could be heard, housing quite a few people.
Mu Chen wasn't surprised, since he used to live here in this courtyard which housed several families, creating quite a lively atmosphere.
Mu Chen had just arrived and knocked on the door eagerly.
The door soon opened, revealing a middle-aged woman whose face bore the signs of time.
"Who are you looking for?" the middle-aged woman asked.
"Is the Wang Lihua family here?"
"Yes, but only the woman and her daughter. Her husband is in prison," the middle-aged woman said.
"Uncle Wang is in prison? What happened?" Mu Chen asked, his pupils contracting, anger climbing.
"Who are you?" the woman was curious why Mu Chen was so concerned.
"I am his son," Mu Chen replied.
"Son? I've never heard of you."
"I was overseas before."
"I see."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"Three years ago Wang Long was doing business and was badly betrayed, accruing huge losses. Unable to pay back his debts, he was sued and ended up in prison. Since then, Wang Lihua has been alone, striving to support her daughter and pay off the debt. That's what happened," the middle-aged woman explained.
"Who was it?" Mu Chen's eyes moistened.
"A local thug known as Scarface," said the middle-aged woman.
"Scarface, huh? I'll make sure he dies," declared Mu Chen like an executioner.
"Young man, I advise you not to mess with Scarface. He has money and power, and those who offend him meet dire consequences."
"I'm not afraid. By the way, where is Wang Lihua now?"
"She's selling vegetables at the market."
"Thanks for the information. This is for you," said Mu Chen, handing a bag of supplements worth thousands to the middle-aged woman.
"Young man, what is this? I can't accept this," the woman refused.
"You deserve it," Mu Chen insisted, walking away despite the woman's protests.
Soon, Mu Chen arrived at the market of the Ninth Ring, more down-to-earth than he imagined, bustling with the sounds of hawkers.
In just a short while.
Mu Chen's gaze fell upon a middle-aged woman, thin and pale-faced but still retaining her beauty.
At that moment, Mu Chen felt as if his heart was cut open. He had thought they were living a happy life, but now, their reality was heart-wrenching.
"Aunt Wang, I'm back," Mu Chen said with a slight smile as he approached her.
Wang Lihua looked at Mu Chen with a hint of confusion, unable to remember him at first.
"Who are you?"
"It's me, Mu Chen."
"Mu Chen? Chen'er? Is it really you?" Wang Lihua's eyes welled up.
"It's really me."
"Let me see, have you lost weight?" Wang Lihua went to Mu Chen's side, excited.
"No, I'm fine."
"I thought you were dead! But you're alive, and that's good. And you've grown taller, now almost 1.8 meters, I couldn't even recognize you..."
"Aunt Wang, I'm sorry for what you've gone through. I came back too late," Mu Chen said apologetically.
"What are you talking about! It's alright as long as you're safe and sound. Seeing you safe makes me happy."
"Aunt Wang, I know everything," Mu Chen suddenly said sternly.
"Let's not talk about it, it's in the past," Wang Lihua sounded a bit defeated.
"I'm back now, everything will be okay. Leave it all to me."
"The other party is a bully, Chen'er, don't be rash," Wang Lihua warned.
"Aunt Wang, do you trust me?"
"Of course, I trust you."
"Then leave it all to me to handle. I'll take care of everything."
"But... but..."
"Aunt Wang, leave everything to me."
"Chen'er, you've really grown up," Wang Lihua said as she hugged Mu Chen, bursting into tears.
At this moment, Mu Chen's heart trembled, filled with a sensation that was a hundred times, a thousand times more painful than Mad Demon Syndrome.
However, as they reunited.
Several people appeared.
Intimidating and fierce-looking.
"Wang Lihua, when will you pay back what you owe us?"
Mu Chen looked up to see a middle-aged man and a few young men, all cocky and clearly up to no good.
Wang Lihua said to them, "Didn't I just give you two thousand last month?"
"Humph, you owe us tens of thousands, and a month's payment isn't even enough to cover the interest. Pay up now, or we'll smash up this place. And since you and your daughter look pretty decent, if all else fails, spend the night entertaining us, and we'll let you off some of the debt," they snickered.
"You're robbers! There was no interest when we originally borrowed," countered Wang Lihua.
"Ha, we've got it in black and white, so don't even try to back out," they seemed sure of their claim against Wang Lihua.
"Aunt Wang, what's going on?" Mu Chen interjected.
"Xiao Xuan is going to college, and I didn't have money. Out of desperation, I borrowed from them, but I knew nothing initially, thinking it was just a promissory note. Unexpectedly they swapped it with another note while I wasn't looking, tricking me. And this year, they haven't stopped demanding money," explained Wang Lihua.
"I understand. Aunt Wang, don't worry, leave it to me to deal with," Mu Chen said.