The rain over North Harbor fell heavily, judging everything in its path. It washed over rusted shipping containers and the shiny skyline without caring about their differences. A man stood at the pier's edge, letting the freezing rain soak through a suit that cost more than what an average harbor worker earned in ten years.
Seven years ago, Li Chen had been thrown into these very waters, a cinderblock tied to his ankles and a bullet in his shoulder. Today, the water was just a backdrop for his return.
"The auction for the Sheng-Hua Logistics group starts in thirty minutes, Sir," said a voice from a bone-conduction earpiece, Yan, his head of operations. Yan was the only one who knew that the 'Bastard of the Li Family' hadn't actually drowned.
"Let them start," Li Chen replied. His voice was low and hoarse. "Let my brothers fight over the scraps. They think they're buying a kingdom. They don't realize they're buying a tomb."
He adjusted his cufflink, a small piece of obsidian shaped like a broken crown. He wasn't back just for his inheritance. He returned to prove that the blood in his veins, the 'tainted' blood of a commoner mother, was the only thing in the Li family that wasn't empty.
Li Chen stepped into the backseat of a matte-black Phantom, the door held open by a silent driver. As the car left the docks, the neon city lights blurred into streaks of cyan and violet.
"Stop," he said suddenly.
The car screeched to a halt near a flickering bus stop. Under a cracked plastic awning, a young woman was desperately trying to shield a stack of paper ledgers from the pouring rain. Her coat was thin and frayed at the sleeves, and her shoes were soaked. This was Su Lin.
In his past life, she had been the only person who didn't look at him with disgust. She was the daughter of his father's gardener, a girl who once shared her lunch with the 'trash' of the Li manor. Now, according to Yan's reports, she was drowning in debt from her father's 'convenient' workplace accident, staged by the Li family.
Li Chen rolled down the window. The cold air rushed in, bringing the scent of ozone and wet pavement.
"The ink is running," he said, watching her trembling hands.
Su Lin looked up, startled. Her wide, weary eyes were desperately beautiful. She didn't recognize him; the boy she knew had been thin and fearful. This man was a mountain of ice and shadows.
"I... I can fix it," she stammered, clutching the ledgers to her chest. "I just need to get these to the debt collector by five. If they're unreadable, he'll add another month of interest."
"How much?" Chen asked.
"I'm sorry?"
"The debt. How much is your life worth to them?"
Su Lin took a step back, her pride flickering like the dying streetlamp above them. "It's not your concern, Sir. Please, I'm just waiting for the bus."
"The bus isn't coming," Chen said, glancing at his watch. "The Li family's construction crew blocked the main road three blocks up. They're building a monument to their own vanity. You'll be late."
He opened the door from the inside. "Get in. I'm going toward the Financial District."
The car's interior was silent, smelling of expensive leather and old sandalwood. Su Lin sat as far away from the stranger as possible, her wet coat dripping onto the pristine floor. She felt like a stray cat invited into a palace.
"Why are you helping me?" she whispered, staring at her own reflection in the tinted glass.
"I'm not," Li Chen said, focused on the tablet in his lap, scrolling through his brothers' declining stock prices. "I'm just moving a piece of the board to where it belongs."
"I don't understand," she replied.
"You will. What is the name of your creditor?"
Su Lin hesitated, then sighed. "Golden Square Lending. They're a subsidiary of—"
"The Li Group," Chen finished for her. A cold, sharp smile touched his lips. "How poetic."
He tapped a command on his screen. Within seconds, a notification pinged on Su Lin's old smartphone. Her eyes widened as she pulled the device from her pocket. She gasped, her breath catching in her throat.
"This... this is a mistake," she breathed. "The balance. It says... zero? It says the debt was settled in full via an anonymous offshore transfer."
She looked at him, her face pale. "Who are you?"
Li Chen didn't look up from his screen. The car pulled up to the sparkling glass tower of the Grand Auction House.
"I am the ghost they forgot to bury," he said. He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a heavy, platinum business card. It had no name, only a single gold embossed '0'.
"Go home, Su Lin. Dry your ledgers. Tomorrow, you will get an invitation for a secretarial position at Void Consortium. Take it. Your father's medical bills will be covered."
"I can't accept this," she said, her voice trembling. "I don't even know your name. I can't owe a stranger this much."
"You don't owe me, Su Lin," Chen said, finally looking her in the eye. For a brief moment, the ice melted, revealing a glimpse of the boy who once hid in the garden. "You are the only person in this city who doesn't owe me anything. That's why I'm hiring you."
He stepped out of the car, leaving her stunned in the backseat.
The Grand Auction Hall was filled with the scent of perfume and arrogance. At the front sat Li Tian, the eldest brother, looking smug in a white tuxedo. He laughed, celebrating the 'inevitable' acquisition of the logistics firm that would solidify his position as the heir.
"Lot 402," the auctioneer announced. "Sheng-Hua Logistics. Starting bid: 500 million USD."
"600 million," Li Tian shouted, not even pausing. He scanned the room, daring anyone to challenge the Li family.
The room fell silent. No one dared to cross the wealthiest man in Asia's favorite son.
"600 million going once... going twice..."
"One billion."
The voice came from the back of the hall. It wasn't loud, but it cut through the room like a knife. Every head turned.
Li Chen stood in the doorway, his silhouette outlined by the lightning outside. He walked down the center aisle, the crowd parting for him. He didn't look at the auctioneer; he stared straight at Li Tian.
Li Tian's face changed from smug to confused, then to a sickly shade of grey. "You... you're dead. We watched the—"
He stopped, realizing everyone was watching.
"You watched a boy die, Brother," Li Chen said, stepping onto the stage and leaning into the microphone. "I've come back to see what a billion dollars buys these days. Apparently, it buys your fear."
He turned to the auctioneer, tossing the obsidian cufflink onto the podium. "Check the accounts of The Void. I believe you'll find my credit is... infinite."
The war had begun. And for the Li family, the interest was about to become deadly.