Chapter 573: Great-grandmother?
A few minutes later.
Hawk was dragged out by several black-clad men. At this point, he looked like he’d just been fished out of water—soaked through with sweat, tear stains on his face (actually from laughing), vacant eyes, mouth twitching uncontrollably, letting out involuntary giggles every now and then like a nervous tic. He looked completely unhinged.
Jess and the thugs watched this scene, growing more terrified by the second.
How long does it take to torture someone into insanity?
These black-clad men had given them their answer: less than five minutes.
“Brother Ma, it’s all handled. He confessed everything. Here’s the badge.” The young enforcer handed a sealed bag to Ma Da.
Ma Da took the badge, casually stuffed it in his pocket, glanced at Hawk, and waved dismissively. “Alright, pack up this foreigner and that lot and ship them out!”
“Yes sir!” the man replied.
Jess could understand some Chinese. Hearing Ma Da’s final word—“ship out”—his anxiety spiked again.
Ship them out?
Ship them where?
He knew Chinese was a language of profound subtlety. “Ship out” could mean many things—seeing off a guest, escorting someone, friendly meanings like that.
But it could also mean physical purification or environmental processing.
Given these black-clad men’s methods, the latter seemed far more likely.
The more Jess thought about it, the colder his blood ran. He looked again at Ma Da’s chubby, even somewhat cute profile, and swallowed nervously.
What kind of monsters does Miss Liu Yutong employ?!
Ma Da turned around and noticed Jess trembling for no apparent reason. Was the guy running a fever?
Foreigners really have no shame, he thought.
“Let’s go, Mr. Jess. Problem solved. Time to report back to the Young Mistress.”
Jess stammered in broken Chinese: “G-good… Mr. Ma… Y-you first!”
Right now he had only one thought: get back to Italy immediately!
The waters of Pearl City ran too deep!
………
This was Jess’s first time at Liu Yutong’s home, and his second time meeting her in person.
His mood was completely different from last time.
Last time, he’d still carried some of the Corallo Family’s superiority, thinking he could meet her as an equal. This time, he felt like a rabbit who’d stumbled into a tiger’s den—each step cautious, terrified of angering her.
This had been his most visceral feeling since arriving in Pearl City.
Only by coming to Pearl City could one truly feel the Wanlong Society’s power.
Like the black-clad society men everywhere on the streets, the terrifying rumors about Wanlong Society from street thugs, and what he’d just witnessed…
All of it stemmed from this very beautiful woman before him.
The saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” was perfectly embodied here.
Who could imagine that a woman more beautiful than movie stars was secretly a ruthless mob boss?
When Jess entered the living room, Liu Yutong was sitting on the sofa, holding a steaming cup of clear tea, elegant and composed.
Today she wore a simple silk blouse, her dark hair casually draped over her shoulders. She looked much like the gentle, reserved Eastern woman of Jess’s previous stereotypes.
Exquisitely beautiful and graceful!
But he knew that behind this deceptive exterior lurked a depth of calculation and ruthlessness that could make many tremble.
Without such calculation and ruthlessness, how could a woman have grown Wanlong Society to such scale?
“M-Miss Liu.”
Jess approached Liu Yutong and instinctively bowed slightly. “Thank you very much… and Mr. Ma, for saving my life today.”
Liu Yutong set down her teacup and looked up at him. “Sit, Mr. Jess.”
Jess sat on the side sofa, back ramrod straight, his attitude as deferential as if facing a family elder’s lecture.
Liu Yutong took the badge from Ma Da and asked directly: “Mr. Jess, I heard you were fighting over this badge?”
Jess quickly nodded. “Y-yes, Miss Liu. It was all because of this damned badge. That scheming bastard Hawk actually hired men to ambush me. If Mr. Ma hadn’t arrived in time, I would’ve gone to see my Great-grandmother!”
“You care so much about this badge. Does it hold some secret? Would you mind telling me?”
She asked deliberately, wanting to see how much this guy actually knew.
Jess hesitated briefly, but ultimately decided to come clean. After all, this lady had just saved his life. Of course, the most important factor was her terrifying status.
“It’s a long story. That badge in your hand is actually the Corallo Family crest.”
“Just a crest? Nothing else?”
“It’s said the badge holds a secret, or perhaps a clue to a massive fortune. Miss Liu, that’s all I know. To be honest, the Corallo Family is in a difficult position right now, with internal turmoil. My father hopes I can use this to turn things around and solidify our position in the family.”
Liu Yutong listened quietly, her face betraying no emotion.
Just as Jess thought she might want to keep the badge for herself after hearing its secret, she did something that left him dumbstruck.
She casually tossed the badge over.
“Catch.”
Jess fumbled to catch it. After confirming it was the lost family crest, he looked up at Liu Yutong in disbelief. “M-Miss Liu, y-you’re…?”
“Since it’s your family’s crest and so important to you, I’ll return it,” Liu Yutong said casually.
Jess was instantly overcome with gratitude. “Thank you! Thank you, Miss Liu! You’re too generous! I don’t know how to thank you enough!”
He now saw Liu Yutong as incredibly noble. He even thought that perhaps Miss Liu wasn’t as terrifying as rumored, but actually quite reasonable.
At that moment, Liu Yutong made a request: “I’m curious what secrets it holds. Open it now and take a look.”
“N-now?” Jess’s expression froze. One hand instinctively moved to the pocket holding the key.
Could she have returned the badge just to trick me into opening it?
“What, is it inconvenient?” Liu Yutong asked.
“No, no! It’s convenient! Of course it’s convenient!” Jess quickly shook his head.
He had no choice now. If Liu Yutong asked and he refused, the consequences would be unpredictable.
Just think of what happened to Hawk.
Jess suppressed his unease, pulled out the key from his pocket, and inserted it into a particularly hidden hole on the badge.
But the feel was somewhat stiff.
He didn’t think much of it and twisted the key with a slight force of his wrist. Then—snap!
A heartbreaking crack rang out, and his expression instantly froze.
A moment later.
Jess slowly pulled out the key—it was half a key. The other half was broken off inside the badge’s keyhole, flush and impossible to remove.
He stared blankly at the key, his mind going blank.
“No! This can’t be! How did it break?!”
“It’s over! All over!”
“The Corallo Family is finished! Our last hope is gone! What will I tell them?!” Jess was consumed by despair, and tears finally burst forth uncontrollably.
Liu Yutong offered no comfort, no reaction. She simply watched his performance quietly.
Two minutes later.
Jess finally recovered from his grief. When he looked at Liu Yutong again, he noticed the brilliant red diamond necklace around her neck.
Wait!
Why did this necklace look so familiar?
Then he suddenly looked at a yellowed photo casually placed on the living room counter. He’d noticed it when he entered, but hadn’t dared look closer under Liu Yutong’s intimidating presence.
Now these two familiar items appeared together, instantly triggering a memory.
It was a story his grandfather, still alive when Jess was young, had told him.
Jess was certain the necklace resembled the precious heirloom his grandfather had mentioned. And one person in the photo looked exactly like his grandfather’s father—his great-grandfather.
“Miss Liu, h-how do you have this necklace? And how do you have a photo of my great-grandfather?”
Quickly, a possibility occurred to him.
“G-Great-grandmother? Could you be my great-grandmother?”
Liu Yutong: “???”
Who’s your great-grandmother?
Did this guy’s brain short-circuit from the emotional whiplash?