A Feeling of Palpitations

Although he had no idea exactly how much property the old man possessed, the value of just the villa beneath his feet already exceeded a hundred million. For an ordinary person to suddenly have the chance to inherit a fortune worth billions, it would be impossible not to feel excited.

Xiao Yao suddenly felt his mouth go dry, but he suppressed his greed and refused, saying, “What I did the night before last was nothing more than a simple gesture. Treating me to dinner is more than enough to repay me; I can’t possibly accept such a generous reward.”

“Money is just something you can’t take with you when you’re born or when you die. I won’t be able to take it with me. You saved my life, and I ought to repay you tenfold. But I don’t have much time left, and all I can give you in return are the assets under my name,” the old man said, his tone growing more resolute. “But I have a condition.”

“What condition?” Faced with the old man’s massive inheritance and the chance to rise to the top in an instant, Xiao Yao would be lying if he claimed he wasn’t tempted. Still, he managed to keep a measure of rationality.

The old man’s speech was slow but enunciated clearly. “The condition is simple. In the future, one of your sons must take my surname.”

It wasn’t a harsh condition, and Xiao Yao could easily accept it. Yet he didn’t give an immediate answer. Instead, he replied, “This is all too sudden for me. I’m still rather overwhelmed. Could you let me go home and think it over?”

“You may. But I hope you can give me a definite answer by tomorrow morning. I don’t have much time left and could meet the King of Hell at any moment. If you agree, I’ll have my lawyer come over tomorrow morning and we’ll finalize all the necessary documents,” the old man said, clearly intent on settling the matter quickly.

“Very well. I’ll give you a definite answer by tomorrow morning.”

“Xuhui, see Xiao Yao out and tell him a bit about my situation.”

Lu Xuhui had served as the steward of the Zhao household for thirty years and his loyalty to the old man was beyond question. Now that he saw his master about to find a successor, excitement bubbled within him, nearly impossible to contain.

His enthusiasm for the matter surpassed even the old man’s by a hundredfold.

As he accompanied Xiao Yao out, Steward Lu began, “Our master has a strong reputation in the upper circles of Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. His name may not be well-known, but his influence is immense. He once had many high-quality investments around the world, but after returning to settle down in China ten years ago, he sold them off one by one. Now that the master has found a successor like you, he’ll surely regret those earlier decisions.”

“I never imagined the old gentleman was such a tycoon. To suddenly be offered the inheritance of a billionaire—it all feels like a dream. I really need to go home and think this through.” Xiao Yao still refrained from giving a direct answer.

“This is an opportunity you must seize. You saved the old master’s life; it’s only right and proper that you inherit his estate. I don’t know the exact amount of the master’s fortune, but my guess is it’s at least five billion dollars. This is truly a chance to soar in a single leap; don’t let it slip away!”

The steward did his best to persuade him. “It’s just a matter of having one more son with the Zhao surname. The old master will have an heir, and you’ll gain a fortune beyond imagination. Why hesitate when it’s a win-win situation?”

“I’ll give it careful thought. Let me go home and think it over.”

After leaving the villa, Xiao Yao didn’t return to the restaurant but instead went back to the dormitory he was renting.

He had rented this apartment back in his junior year of college. Within its walls were two years of beautiful memories and youthful days spent with his ex-girlfriend.

Although his academic performance was average, Xiao Yao’s striking looks had earned him his first girlfriend in junior high. When they ended up at different high schools, they drifted apart. In his second year of high school, he started dating his second girlfriend, but after the college entrance exams, they too parted ways when they attended different universities.

During his four years of university, he had two more girlfriends. The first, a senior, left to pursue graduate studies in another city. The second, whom he dated in his third year, had her family arrange a good position for her in a state-owned enterprise back home, and the reality of life saw them separate after graduation.

Though only twenty-two, Xiao Yao was already well-versed in the ways of the heart.

He had lived in this one-bedroom, one-living-room apartment for two years. By now, he was used to it; it was especially convenient since it was close to his small restaurant. Even after graduation, he chose to keep renting rather than move back home.

Lying on the plastic mattress he’d specifically replaced, Xiao Yao’s mind was a jumble of thoughts, and he felt anything but at ease.

How could something like a pie falling from the sky happen to him? If it were just an ordinary pie, he’d swallow it without a second thought. But this was a golden pie of immense size, and he was genuinely worried it would be too much for him to digest.

According to the steward, the old man’s assets amounted to at least five billion dollars—a figure that was astronomical to Xiao Yao! Even with his tendency to spend freely, such a vast fortune would be impossible for him to exhaust in a lifetime.

All he needed to do to inherit that colossal wealth was to have one more son who would bear the surname Zhao. The temptation was overwhelming—impossible to refuse.

After letting his imagination run wild about the wonderful life that would follow such an inheritance, Xiao Yao didn’t know when, but he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Just before dawn, he woke suddenly from a nightmare, his left hand clutching his chest, his right wiping sweat from his brow, a sense of lingering terror refusing to fade.

He couldn’t quite recall what had happened in the dream. The only thing that remained vivid in his memory was a pair of cold, merciless eyes.

The impression those eyes left was indelible—there was not a trace of warmth in them. All he could feel from their gaze was a chilling, murderous indifference, as if even his bones might freeze under that stare.

Normally, Xiao Yao was easygoing and unconcerned with most things, but after waking from this nightmare, he found himself unable to fall back asleep. The unease in his heart lingered, refusing to dissipate.

Since childhood, Xiao Yao had known that his intuition was especially keen when it came to matters closely related to himself.

For example, three days before his grandmother passed away, he lost his appetite and was overwhelmed by a sense of sorrow.

Events like that had happened several times; the graver the issue, the more intense his feelings.

But the kind of intense unease he felt now—this was the first time he’d experienced it.