An Unexpected Encounter and a Familiar Face

“What?”

Bai Chen froze, then turned around. A man with a powerful presence stood behind him, appearing to be in his late twenties.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, he exuded an air of efficiency, his gaze carrying an inherent forcefulness.

It was a gaze that made even Bai Chen, a man of proud authority, feel a tremor—a sensation he had only ever experienced from two individuals.

One was Mo Xiao, the supreme leader of the righteous path; the other was the previous Black King, Heiyao!

“You are… His Excellency, the Black King?” Bai Chen lowered his voice, acutely aware of the students milling around them.

“Oh? I should feel honored, then. King Bai still remembers me.” Heiyao’s lips curved into a smile as he spoke.

However, to the fangirls—no, the fujoshis who were also fangirls—watching nearby, this scene unfolded quite differently…

“Ahhh! Overbearing CEO x Prodigal Young Master!”

“A scheming, powerful top?!”

“Who do you think is the bottom?!”

“Definitely Bai Chen!”

“No way, Bai Chen is so strong!”

“……”

As King Bai, whose hearing was several times sharper than an average person’s, his usually impassive face finally showed a twitch at the corner of his brow after overhearing these conversations.

“How about we catch up another time?” Bai Chen was desperate to escape this inexplicable yet thoroughly unpleasant situation.

“Heh.”

Heiyao let out a soft laugh, then brushed past Bai Chen.

“Hey, hey! That man seems to be the CEO of the Hei Corporation! They have quite a history with the Bai Corporation!”

Only after the two had left did someone finally remember Heiyao’s true identity here…

“Ah… I still didn’t manage to bring Bai Qiao back.”

Walking home, Bai Chen couldn’t help but sigh. He decided he would just tell her first thing when he got to school tomorrow.

“Auntie, I’m sorry, Bai Qiao, I’ll tomorrow…” Bai Chen began, pushing the door open.

However, he froze mid-sentence upon seeing the man seated casually on the living room sofa.

“Heiyao? What are you… doing here?”

“You two know each other?” Bai mother asked, clearly surprised that Bai Chen and Heiyao were acquainted.

After all, Bai Qiao was the one who had truly met Heiyao in the real world. Even if their appearances were identical, their memories were not.

“Ah, ah, we met once before,” Bai Chen stammered in response.

“Hey, you…”

Once Bai Chen and Heiyao were alone in the bedroom, Bai Chen finally felt free to ask, “How long have you been in this world?”

“Hmm, it’s been about seven years. Enough time for me to establish a massive corporation.”

Bai Chen naturally had no doubt about Heiyao’s leadership abilities; in terms of such talent, Bai Chen himself felt inferior.

It was a pity, however. Due to Heiyao’s sudden disappearance, the position of Black King had been inherited by Heiyao’s eldest son.

‘A simple-minded, brawn-over-brains kind of fellow…’

“But speaking of which, when I first arrived, I was stunned for a while when I saw Bai… Bai Qiao. She looked exactly like you did when you were little.”

“I even said a lot of things to her—things that she, at least, found very strange.”

“However, I’m quite surprised that you actually took her place and became the Bai family’s young master.” Heiyao continued, not waiting for Bai Chen to speak.

“Hmph! I’ll bring her back. This place rightfully belongs to her.”

“Hey, have you… ever thought about going back, or do you know of any way to return?”

“Go back?” Heiyao raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to go back…”

“Huh? What?” Bai Chen hadn’t expected Heiyao to answer like that.

In Bai Chen’s eyes, Heiyao was a highly responsible individual who would never abandon the Black Nation.

“Things are pretty good here, even with the schemes and deception. It’s much more comfortable than living life on the edge every single day.”

“And… my younger brother isn’t my adversary here. We can live together, leading ordinary lives.”

Though Heiyao’s voice had dropped to a near whisper at the end, Bai Chen still heard him clearly.

“Younger brother?”

“Yes, he told me he wouldn’t be home for dinner tonight. Apparently, he has a date…”

“Well, it is the age for romance here, isn’t it…”

“……”

****