Chapter 10

Emily Smith stared at her phone screen, silently repeating the string of numbers several times. 941122—the passcode to William Johnson's apartment. She quickly opened her notes app and tapped the digits into her phone, saving them for later.

Stepping out of the apartment building, the harsh sunlight made her squint. Before her stretched Jinzhou's most bustling financial district, Qianhai CBD, where skyscrapers towered. Among them, one landmark building stood out—Bay One, a luxury residence starting at thirty million per unit.

She glanced back at the towering glass facade behind her before squeezing onto the bus headed for the hospital.

In the VIP ward, the sterile scent of disinfectant had been replaced by the faint fragrance of flowers. Emily adjusted the blanket over her younger sister and gave the caregiver a few reminders. By the time everything was settled, the clock on the wall showed noon.

The stir-fried noodles from a street vendor were still steaming as she wolfed down a few bites before rushing back to her rented apartment to pack. Her diploma hadn’t even arrived yet, but her life had already been turned upside down. Her wardrobe was sparse, the most expensive item being a down jacket bought on sale last year.

As her suitcase clicked shut, her phone buzzed in her bag. The name "Daniel Chen" on the screen made her pause.

"Daniel?"

"How did your thesis defense go?" A warm male voice came through the phone.

Emily leaned against her suitcase, her lips curling into an unconscious smile. "It went well."

"Good." Daniel hesitated. "Are you free this afternoon? There’s something I’d like to tell you in person."

"What’s so mysterious?"

"You’ll find out when you get here." He kept it vague. "Let’s meet at the restaurant next to the Broadcasting Center at five?"

After hanging up, her navigation app showed the subway would take an hour and a half. Dragging her suitcase behind her, she hurried out the door, the wheels rattling over the uneven pavement.

When she arrived, Daniel was already waiting by the window. Seeing her luggage, he quickly stood to take it from her. "Moving?"

"Yeah, just passing through," she replied vaguely, her eyes drifting to the menu on the table.

After ordering, Daniel pulled a contract from his briefcase and slid it toward her. "Remember that audiobook we recorded, Path of the Immortal?"

Emily nodded. That had been six months ago—she’d only done it on a whim.

"It’s hit two hundred million plays." Daniel’s eyes sparkled. "The platform wants to sign us. I’ve already negotiated the revenue split."

Emily clapped a hand over her mouth, her fingers trembling slightly. She flipped open the contract, where the words "60-40 split" stood out in black and white. Sunlight streamed through the window, gilding the numbers on the page.

"Can we really make money from this?" She looked up, her eyes shining.

Daniel smiled and handed her a pen. Just as she bent to sign, a black Bentley rolled to a stop on the street outside the restaurant.

The rear window lowered halfway as Olivia Davis tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her. "William, isn’t that your classmate’s sister?"

William’s gaze cut through the two panes of glass, landing on the smiling profile of the girl inside. His expression remained impassive as he withdrew his attention, fingers tapping lightly on his knee.

"Is that her boyfriend across from her?" Olivia tilted her head curiously.

The Bentley pulled back into traffic. William ran his thumb along the edge of his phone but didn’t answer.