Chapter 9: Echoes of a Past Life
The evening had draped Shanghai in a shawl of electric light, the iconic skyline of Pudong a forest of glittering neon and glass against the night sky. Li Wei emerged from his room, dressed in simple, dark trousers and a cashmere sweater that spoke of understated wealth. The frantic energy of the day had settled into a low, purposeful hum within him.
The vast living area was silent, bathed in the cool glow of the city lights through the glass wall. Auntie Mei was nowhere to be seen, likely retired to her own quarters after ensuring the villa was in perfect order. And there, in the same chair he had chosen hours before, sat Kai.
He hadn't moved. He sat with a stillness that was neither tense nor relaxed, but simply efficient. He was a statue carved from shadow and potential energy. He wasn't reading, wasn't on his phone, wasn't sleeping. He was just being, his presence a silent anchor in the sprawling luxury of the room. His eyes, those flat, dark pools, opened as Li Wei approached, tracking him with an unnerving lack of expression.
"Let's go," Li Wei said, his voice cutting through the quiet. There was no need for pleasantries. Theirs was not that kind of relationship.
Kai rose in one fluid motion, a predator uncoiling. He didn't ask where or why. His purpose was to follow. He fell into step behind Li Wei, not as a companion, but as a shadow—a half-step back, his presence a constant, silent warning to the world.
They descended to the garage. The Valkyrie sat waiting, its gunmetal grey curves looking like a resting beast. Without a word, Kai moved to the driver's side. It was an unspoken understanding; Li Wei was the principal, Kai was the operator. He would control the machine that carried his charge.
Kai drove with the same lethal efficiency that defined him. The powerful car was not a toy in his hands; it was a tool, guided with precision through the bustling evening traffic of Shanghai. They moved from the secluded, tree-lined streets of their ultra-exclusive compound into the vibrant, pulsating heart of the city. The cacophony of a million lives—honking cars, the buzz of scooters, the glow of countless signs—was a stark contrast to the silent villa on the hill.
Their destination was one of the city's most opulent shopping centers, a temple of consumerism nestled in the heart of Lujiazui. Glass-fronted boutiques boasting European names stood beside lavish Chinese jewelers, all under the soaring, architecturally stunning atrium.
Kai pulled the Valkyrie under the covered porte-cochère. A young valet in a crisp uniform eyes wide with awe at the machine, hurried forward. Kai was out of the car first, his hand coming up in a subtle but firm gesture that stopped the valet in his tracks. He scanned the young man, the surroundings, the other valets, in a single, sweeping glance. Only then did he open the door for Li Wei.
Li Wei stepped out, barely acknowledging the valet. He tossed him the keys. "Don't scratch it."
The valet, now nervous under Kai's impassive gaze, simply nodded mutely, swallowing hard.
Together, they entered the glittering mall. The transition was immediate: from the relative quiet of the street to a world of soft lighting, polished marble floors, and the hushed murmur of wealthy shoppers. Li Wei walked with a new, innate authority, his gaze forward. One step behind and to his left, Kai moved. His head was on a constant, slow swivel, his eyes missing nothing—recording faces, noting exits, assessing the hands of everyone who passed too close. He was a dark, silent specter in the world of pastel colors and luxury shopping bags.
Li Wei's target was a renowned, minimalist men's boutique. But as he walked, his gaze, usually so focused and cold, was drawn to a figure standing near a jewelry store window.
Time seemed to slow, the noise of the mall fading into a distant hum.
It was a face he hadn't seen in years, one that had visited his dreams during his university days, a symbol of a simpler time he thought was lost forever. She was looking at a display of jade bracelets, her profile soft and thoughtful under the warm store lights.
She wasn't strikingly severe like Leng Xue, whose beauty was a weapon of ice and calculation. This was a different kind of beauty. Warm, approachable, with a gentle grace that seemed to radiate from her. Her hair was styled in soft waves, and she wore an elegant, simple dress. If he had to rate her, she would be a 98. Her aura wasn't one of intimidating power, but of a kind intelligence that he had once found utterly captivating.
In that moment, he wasn't the tyrant of the retribution system, the majority shareholder of a global conglomerate, or the master of a celestial peak villa. He was just Li Wei, the brilliant but painfully shy student who could code a revolutionary algorithm but could barely string a sentence together when she was near.
He was staring, and he knew it. The System's cold logic tried to reassert itself, to file her away as a variable, a distraction. But it failed. The past held him captive.
As if feeling the weight of his gaze, she turned.
Her eyes, warm and brown, found his. There was a moment of confusion, then a dawning recognition. Her brows furrowed slightly, and then her expression cleared. A smile—genuine, surprised, and unconsciously sweet—touched her lips. It was a smile that could disarm the most guarded heart.
She took a tentative step forward, her head tilting slightly.
"Li Wei?" she called out, her voice cutting through the mall's noise, familiar and melodic. "Is that you?"
The sound of his name on her lips, spoken not with fear or mockery, but with warm surprise, shattered the last of his cold facade. The chapter ends, leaving him frozen, caught between the ghost of the man he was and the powerful, vengeful creature he had become.