The police cruiser arrived minutes after the ambulance had already departed. Jason stood by the sunlit curb, still shaken from rescuing the girl. Two officers stepped out—one male partner, and a tall, lean female constable he recognized from his early childhood: Officer Chen Mei.
Her sharp eyes found him almost immediately.
"Jason Yun," she said coolly, closing in. "I didn't expect to see you here."
He nodded. "Officer Chen."
Mei's lips curled in a half-smile. "I heard you saved some ."
He gestured towards the tied up thug
Mei's eyes narrowed on the thug before her gaze flicked to the girl in the ambulance, who still hadn't spoken a word. She sat wrapped in Jason's jacket, staring blankly ahead, visibly traumatized.
An officer approached the female cop with something in hand.
"We managed to get her ID," he said quietly. "It was tucked into her inner jacket pocket."
She took it, glanced down at the name—and her eyes narrowed.
"Son… Liying?"
Jason muttered, staring at the ID in officer Chen hands.
Son Liying.
The name lit a spark in his memory. A significant figure in the novel—one of the many female leads who eventually gathered around the protagonist. But something about this moment didn't sit right.
In the original storyline, Son Liying was kidnapped—but the novel never detailed how it happened. Just that she had vanished one day, and her captors used her as leverage to extort millions from the Son family. It was a brutal few days behind the scenes of the novel's narrative. The family scrambled, paying heavily and in silence to keep things from going public.
Eventually, the protagonist stumbled across her during one of his side gigs, rescued her, and turned what should've been a tragedy into an opportunity—earning the Son family's trust and support.
He glanced back toward the ambulance. Liying sat inside, wrapped in a silver emergency blanket, staring blankly ahead. She hadn't said a word—just like the novel described. Not because of this attack, but because of something else. Something in her past that left her unable to speak.
Officer Chen's brows furrowed as she looked back at the girl sitting silently in the ambulance. The wig was gone now, revealing long, dark hair that fell messily over her shoulders. Her clothes—baggy, neutral, and deliberately plain—still clung to her frame like armor, a clear attempt to pass as someone she wasn't.
But with the ID in hand, there was no doubt.
Son Liying.
The youngest daughter of the Son family.
Chen's eyes narrowed.
A girl like her didn't just end up in a place like this, dressed like that, by accident.
"She didn't want to be recognized… and no one was supposed to know she was out here," Chen muttered under her breath. "That's not some random kidnapping. That's a setup. A big one."
She glanced toward the ambulance again.
If this was the same Son Liying, the one always flanked by security and chauffeured in bulletproof black sedans, then she hadn't just wandered into trouble—she'd been hiding from something.
Back inside the car, Jason leaned his head against the window as the city blurred by. His mind still on the events that just played out
In the novel, this girl being kidnapped would've led to the Son family losing millions in extortion. That incident weakened them and allowed other families to rise to the top ten families that supported the protagonist . But now, with him intervening… the entire timeline shifted.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
Ding.
Jason looked down. A notification from the divine app. He tapped it open.
"Congratulations on successfully utilizing the software information."
"You have been awarded 11,700 points."
"You saved the young miss of the Son family and prevented an extortion scheme worth millions. This rescue preserved the Son family's top-10 status in the city's elite and diverted a fortune opportunity from the protagonist."
"Points?" Jason raised a brow. "No one said anything about points."
New Feature Unlocked: Point-Based Inquiry System
You may now request specific information in exchange for system points.
The cost of the information will depend on its value and impact.
The car eased to a stop in front of the Yun estate. Towering stone lions stood watch at the gates, and the air of old money hung heavy over the walls. As the vehicle idled, a group of security guards moved over with mechanical precision.
One of them gave a familiar nod as Jason stepped out.
"You know the rules—no devices past this point."
Jason was already pulling his phone from his pocket. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, more to himself than anyone. "No phones, no tablets, not even a damn watch. Tradition."
The guard took the phone and slipped it into a sealed pouch without comment. Jason gave a half-smirk as he looked up at the looming estate.
The reception room was plush, timber-lined, with an ancient clock ticking on the wall. Jason straightened his jacket and approached the set of double doors.
He knocked once. No answer. A few seconds later, they opened to reveal Elder Yun, his grandfather—a tall, stern man, salt-and-pepper beard, eyes like dark onyx.
"Sit," the elder said curtly. Jason did.
"My grandfather, I need to talk. I'd like to request—"
Jason then remembered that his grandfather hates people cozy up to him such he changed his approached.
A long, measured inhale from Elder Yun.
Jason stood straight, gaze unwavering. "I want the engagement with the Han family called off. But the Yun family should still support their expansion into the steel industry. I'll personally oversee it."
The tapping of fingers on wood stopped.
"You want to dissolve a marriage alliance," Elder Yun said slowly, "but expect me to continue lending our family's resources to them?" His voice carried no anger—just disappointment. "Do you think this is a game ?"
He held his grandfather's gaze.
"The Han family has been growing steadily. They've made consistent progress, even with just minor cooperation from us so far."
Jason continued, his tone firm but respectful.
"If we back them more directly—especially in steel—their trajectory only improves. We lose nothing by helping them grow. And the stronger they become, the more influence we secure through the partnership.
Elder Yun leaned back slowly. "No. That isn't a good enough reason to stain this family's record again."
Jason reached into his coat and pulled out a polished piece of green jade, shaped like a curved talon and tied with an old silk cord.
He placed it gently on the table between them.
"Then I'll invoke this."
The elder's gaze dropped to the jade—ancient, unmistakable. A token passed down through the direct line of Yun patriarchs. One use per generation.
The Jade Oath .
A single irrevocable favor. Although It couldn't be used to harm others, nor to covet something already sought through another's wish. But within those bounds—it carried weight equal to the head's own authority.
"The Jade Oath is older than you know. It can't be revoked, and it's worth more than most realize. Yet you're choosing to use it… on this?"
Jason didn't hesitate. "Yes."
Jason's thoughts drifted quietly behind the calm mask he wore.
The Yun family already had more power and influence than most could dream of, but that didn't mean they could afford to stand still. The Han family, in the original novel, was about to hit a golden streak—massive industrial expansion, political favor, media backing… all thanks to the protagonist helping them rise. If Jason could keep those deals intact while stepping away from the marriage, he'd preserve the Han family's growth—and hitch the Yun name to their momentum. Their standing would only rise further, without tying him down personally.
It wasn't sentiment. It was leverage.
Elder Yun exhaled through his nose, long and slow.
"Very well
Jason gave a crisp before turning to leave.