He’d made up his mind on his end—but his shifu had run into trouble. He explained it on the phone in his unhurried way:

“This isn’t something two people can pull off. We need to crack the Fu family’s security system and get into their backend database to alter a servant’s background records—that’s the only way to safely get you inside. The backer behind this hired the best hacker available, but that person was recently poached for a large sum of money, so… I’d say this has a ninety percent chance of falling through. Forget I mentioned it. Next time something good comes up, I’ll reach out.”

Du Lai thought: *How can it fall through like this?*

He asked immediately, “If they were poached for a high price, can’t we poach them back at a higher price?”

In the end, it always came down to money.

“The backer has offered more.” His shifu let out a tired sigh. “But the hacker named an outrageous figure, and the backer wasn’t happy about it. I’d guess he’s looking for someone else.”

Du Lai pressed him. “Any luck finding someone?”

“The truly elite ones are a short list, and most of them have powerful backers of their own—not easy to approach. And besides…” A pause, then his shifu added, “If we make too much noise looking, and the Fu family catches wind of it, it’s over for all of us.”

Du Lai went quiet. Any operation needed careful planning and reliable people. If they couldn’t assemble the right team, this really might fall apart entirely.

But beyond this opportunity, he couldn’t think of any other way to see Fu Miaoxue.

“Shifu…” Du Lai bit down, and asked, “That hacker—what number are they asking for?”

“The backer already raised the offer. The gap is still…”

His shifu named a figure.

Du Lai’s heart stalled. It was truly an outrageous price.

His shifu said with dry amusement, “That person’s probably thinking of this as their last job before retirement. Still—the target is the Fu family. The risk is real. I suppose a number like that isn’t unreasonable. Anyway, this whole thing has a ninety percent chance of going nowhere. If something better comes along, I’ll let you know.”

“Hold on.” Du Lai thought for a moment, then said, “What if I cover the difference? Would the hacker take that offer?”

“You cover it?!” The man’s voice jumped up sharply over the line. A beat of silence, then puzzled. “Du Lai, did you actually hear the number I just said?”

Du Lai made a quiet sound. “I heard it.”

Once, he would have thought that figure was impossible. But now…

By some irony, the money Fu Lisheng had given him was about to be spent back on the Fu family. That felt…strange. Strangely fitting.

His shifu asked again: “Du Lai. You’re serious?”

Du Lai: “I’m serious, Shifu. Please go arrange it.”

The man was quiet for a while. Then he let out a heavy sigh—apparently committing to it. “Alright. I’ll take care of it. Wait for my word.”

The call ended.

Du Lai set down the phone and looked out the window at the black night sky, and felt, all at once, weightless.

If only he’d known sooner…

If only he’d known sooner, he would have decided to go see her long ago.

Du Lai let out a soft laugh, feeling like a fool—but a person was allowed to be a fool once in their life. It felt, actually, pretty good.

He found himself thinking of Fu Miaoxue’s haughty, imperious face without meaning to. If she saw him appear before her eyes, what expression would she make?

Would her eyes nearly pop out of her head?

Or would she grab onto him and cry and laugh at the same time?

That little madwoman…

Du Lai’s mouth curved slightly upward. His mind was already full of excellent ideas for how to torment her.

It felt… good.

—