Chapter 9: The Hidden Ghost
The morning light poured into the Lamborghini Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, gilding the glass corridors in gold. The building itself was a marvel of modern architecture — sharp, elegant, and precise — like the company it represented.
Inside the executive floor, a quiet tension stirred.
President Lorenzo Rossi stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, eyes fixed on the skyline. His reflection on the glass was sharp — the face of a man used to control, yet this morning, something beyond his reach unsettled him.
"Status on the background verification?" he asked.
A nervous assistant stepped forward, holding a folder. "Sir, we've conducted an extensive search — both internally and through external channels. We've checked corporate registries, educational records, financial statements, and even government-linked data."
"And?"
The assistant hesitated. "Nothing, sir. Not a single trace."
Rossi turned his head slightly. "Nothing?"
"Not even a digital footprint. His identity, Lin Hao — it exists on paper, but it's like he appeared out of thin air. There are no linked addresses, no academic credentials, no tax filings. Every trace we follow leads to a dead end or restricted access."
Now,this is something unusual.
The President's eyes narrowed. "Restricted by whom?"
"That's just it, sir. It's not restricted by any public entity. The system simply returns an error — as if the data itself never existed."
A long silence filled the room. The hum of the city below was the only sound.
Rossi finally spoke, his tone low. "Erase a man completely from the global network? That's not something ordinary people can do."
The assistant swallowed hard. "No, sir. The security division believes that only a handful of intelligence networks — or ultra-high-level corporate encryption — could do that."
Rossi exhaled slowly. "So, what you're telling me is that a man we've never heard of now owns one percent of Lamborghini… and nobody in this building can tell me where he came from."
"Yes, sir."
The President's gaze turned cold, though not with anger — with intrigue. "Then he's not a nobody. Nobody disappears this perfectly unless they are someone worth protecting."
"This boy must be from some big political family."He thought.
---
By the end of the day, whispers had already spread through Europe.
The Hohenberg Trust, headquartered in Vienna, received the same report — or rather, the same absence of one.
The elder patriarch of the family, Baron Otto von Hohenberg, slammed the papers onto his desk. "Do you mean to tell me," he thundered, "that our intelligence division cannot locate a single record on this… Lin Hao?"
His nephew, Johann Kruger, the same man who had eyed Lin Hao at the luncheon, replied tensely, "Nothing, uncle. It's as if someone erased him entirely from every system. Not even Interpol's archives show him."
The old Baron knowing that this is something only those old families can do but he does not remember that any of those families had " Lin" as their family name(surname).
The old baron's eyes darkened. "Impossible. Either he's a ghost, or someone made him one."
And across Europe, in hushed conversations between noble families and banking circles, a new rumor began to form —
that the mysterious new shareholder from China was not a businessman at all, but a hidden scion of a family so powerful that even Lamborghini dared not question him.
---
The next morning, Lin Hao was already awake before dawn.
He stood in his Hong Kong hotel suite, suitcase half-packed on the bed, his flight ticket open on his phone screen.
"Shanghai," he murmured. "Home."
His eyes lingered briefly on the city lights fading into the horizon. Last night still replayed in his head — Alfred Baresi's warning, the system's glowing interface, the confirmation of his penthouse.
It felt like standing on the edge of two worlds: one where he used to belong, and one where he didn't yet fit.
---
The flight to Shanghai departed at 9:40 AM. Lin Hao sat by the window, the hum of the engines drowning out his thoughts. He wasn't nervous, but the weight of what was happening hadn't quite settled.
When he landed at Pudong Airport three hours later, the air of Shanghai hit him — crisp, busy, and unmistakably alive.
His phone buzzed with a message from the system:
[Penthouse Ownership Confirmed: Greenland International, Shanghai.]
[Residence Ready for Occupation.]
But he didn't go there immediately.
Instead, he hailed a taxi toward the quieter district on the city's edge — his old home.
---
The building looked smaller than he remembered.
The faded paint, the flickering stair lights, the smell of damp concrete — this was the world he had lived in for years.
He climbed the stairs quietly. The door creaked open with a familiar protest.
Inside, the air was still. A single chair, a cheap wooden desk, an old laptop, and the bed where he had once dreamed of escape.
Lin Hao smiled faintly, running his hand along the chipped table.
It hadn't been long since he'd lived here, yet it already felt like another lifetime.
He opened the drawer, pulling out a slim folder of papers — property certificates, identity documents, a few personal photos. His life, compressed into a handful of documents and memories.
He placed them neatly into his leather bag. Then, after a quiet moment of stillness, he closed the door behind him.
As he was going to evacuate the apartment,he went to the upper floor to give the apartment's key to his landlord.
He arrived at the landlady's apartment's footstep,he knocked twice.
A female voice came from the other side of the room,"coming."
Lin Hao waited for a bit and then the door slowly opened revealing a 30'-something old looking pretty women.
As she was Lin Hal's Landlord,he clearly knew that she was 40 years old but due to extreme care and a weekly visit to the salon made her look pretty and beautiful.
He wasn't complaining.It's good to have a young and beautiful landlady than to have a old and bald man as Landlord.
Seeing that it was Lin Hao,she said,"How did you think of coming by today?"
As Lin Hao was always busy doing small part time jobs to feed himself,pay rent and bills and also to buy some gifts for his girlfriend.
So,all in all,it wasn't easy and common for him to drop by unless he has to pay the rent.
"But his all rents were clear so why was he here"she thought.
Lin Hal said smilingly,"I came to give you this key.I am leaving the apartment.Thank you for taking care of me all these years."he said sincerely.
Landlord Mei Ling asked with concern,"why are you leaving so suddenly?is this because of the rent? If it is we can discuss,right?"
She became worried as she knew that Lin Hao was a good kid and also a good and handsome tenant who pays his rent on time.And also she had him as her potential son-in-law in her mind.
Because she knew him and that he was hard working and kind-hearted.So,what if he is a bit poor,she a 5 such apartments but only one precious daughter who was the same age as Lin Hao, that is 25 years old a age good for marriage.
She can be at ease if he will become her son-in-law.so,she was worried.
Lin Hao not knowing those things only felt that this concern was because of their long time of Landlady and tenant relationship.
He thought,"There are really some good people in this world,who don't only care about money unlike my bit*hy ex."
If he can help his landlord some day in any way he will definitely do that.
As he was feeling warm in his heart,he quickly said,"No no,its not about that.It's just that I have found an other place to live."
Mei Ling said,"Did you buy a house?"
Thinking that if he hasn't,then she will definitely stop him.
"Yes,I have bought a small apartment."Lin Hao said modestly.
"Where?"she asked curiously.
"At Guinlin international.Please,come by someday.I have to go,so we will talk with coffee some other day."he said.
"Oh! That must be a good place.Okay then bye"she said happily not realizing that it was The Guinlin International.
"See you soon"Lin Hao said and started walking away from her apartment.
Mei Ling happily closed the door and thought of telling her daughter That Lin Hao has bought an apartment at some Guinlin International.
"Wait,Guinlin International?doesn't apartments there start from 100million RMB?"
"And by the looks of it he did not seem like he was joking? So is it real?"she was shocked to even think about it further...
---
Outside, the sunlight had begun to fade. The city buzzed with evening traffic.
Lin Hao knew he couldn't arrive at Greenland International in a taxi. The residents there didn't arrive — they appeared, in polished vehicles, escorted or self-driven.
With only 150,000 RMB of usable cash, he had to be smart.
He searched for luxury rentals nearby and found a BMW 4S dealership that offered short-term leases for premium clients.
The building gleamed white and glassy, filled with shining machines.
"Good evening, sir," the manager greeted as Lin Hao entered, bowing slightly. "Are you here to rent or purchase?"
"Rent," Lin Hao said. "Short term. A week will do."
"Of course, sir. May I know the model?"
Lin Hao's eyes swept across the showroom — Rolls-Royce, Bentleys, and Ferraris lined the floor, each one dripping in excess. But his gaze settled on a familiar figure of power — a Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG, jet-black, standing proud among them.
"That one," he said.
The manager smiled knowingly. "Excellent choice. The Big G is… unmistakable."
Lin Hao examined the terms. Daily rate: 2,800 RMB. Deposit: 100,000 RMB.
A total of ~120,000 RMB for a one-week rental.
He transferred the amount through his card without hesitation.
The manager blinked at the instant confirmation. "Very well, sir. Please wait a moment for the documents."
Within minutes, Lin Hao had the keys in his hand. The metallic roar of the engine echoed softly as he stepped into the driver's seat.
It was smooth — powerful — the kind of car that made people look twice.
For the first time since he had arrived in Shanghai, Lin Hao felt that his outer world was finally catching up to his inner reality.
---
The city unfurled before him as he drove — neon and chrome, rivers and bridges, the pulse of a metropolis built on ambition.
When he finally turned onto the boulevard leading to Greenland International, the atmosphere shifted.
Traffic thinned. Trees lined the streets. Private security checkpoints shimmered under soft lights.
He rolled down the window slightly as he approached the entrance.
"Good evening, sir," said the guard, checking his screen. The moment he entered Lin Hao's name, the man's posture straightened instantly. "Welcome to Guinlin International, Mr. Lin. Your residence is Tower One, Penthouse A. Please drive in."
Lin Hao nodded once, steering the car forward.
After he Left,the guard thought that wasn't the penthouse's a bit too young.Are successful young men really this rich now a days?
He shook his head thinking,"If only I had worked hard in my youth."
The gates slid open silently, revealing a world of glass and green — manicured gardens, private fountains, and quiet pathways that whispered of money and discretion.
He parked in the underground lot, the engine's low rumble fading into silence.
The elevator opened directly into the private penthouse lobby.
When the doors parted again, Lin Hao stepped into a world he had never imagined living in.
---
The penthouse was vast — open space, soft lighting, marble floors, and walls of glass revealing the Huangpu River glittering below.
Everything was perfect — from the scent of the room to the smooth hum of the climate control.
There were no cardboard boxes, no furniture to unpack. Everything was already there — polished, placed, prepared.
He walked through the living area, his steps echoing faintly. The kitchen gleamed with imported steel. The bedroom opened to a skyline that stretched endlessly.
A faint smile curved his lips.
He wasn't the boy who once ate instant noodles under a flickering bulb.
He was Lin Hao — Lamborghini shareholder, owner of a 150 million RMB penthouse, and the man the European elite couldn't trace.
Though,he don't know that he was being investigated privately by those people in Europe.
He stood by the window, watching the city lights shimmer across the river.
The world had begun to take notice of him — and it was only the beginning.
---
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