The night in Eastcliff was clear, accompanied by a bitter chill.
Charlie wade lay in bed, tossing and turning, utterly unable to sleep.
The past, present, and future converged in his mind like three rivers meeting, leaving his thoughts in a tangled mess.
At that very moment, over a thousand kilometres away on Mount Putuo, in a certain green-bricked courtyard of a temple, a woman as beautiful as a painting sat on a rattan chair in the yard, gazing up at the vast starry sky.
The woman’s features were exquisitely refined, her aura extraordinary. More than fifty years had passed, yet time had only etched faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
This woman was Charlie wade’s biological mother, An Chengqi.
At that moment, Sister Sun, an elderly yet remarkably robust woman, hurried into the courtyard and said respectfully, “Madam, the men Thompson left with the Wade family have reported that the old master of the Wade family had a long talk with Charlie today.”
“Oh?” An Chengqi asked curiously, “What did my father-in-law discuss with Charlie?”
Sister Sun replied with deference, “Madam, they were talking about Miss Stephanie.”
“Nannan, eh?” A gentle smile softened An Chengqi’s face as she asked, “What about Nannan did they discuss?”
Sister Sun then recounted everything she had learned, relaying the details to An Chengqi without omission.
The more An Chengqi listened, the more astonished she became, until she couldn’t help but sigh, “Orrin truly has gone to great lengths.”
Sister Sun nodded, “I think so too, Madam. The Gu(Sun) family’s regard for the young master is indeed admirable.”
An Chengqi mused, “My father-in-law was right. One day, Charlie will return to the Wade family as its heir, stepping back into the public eye. When that time comes, I’m not sure Claire Wilson will be able to accept it.”
Sister Sun asked, “Madam, what do you think would be the best solution to this?”
An Chengqi’s expression grew solemn. After a long pause, she said gravely, “There isn’t just one optimal solution, but none of them involve maintaining the status quo.”
Sister Sun pressed, “Do you mean, Madam, that the young master and that Claire Wilson aren’t suited for each other?”
“Exactly,” An Chengqi nodded.
After a moment, she sighed, “Their relationship, to my eyes, isn’t pure. It’s riddled with too many hidden dangers. Once Charlie deals with Wu Fiona’s troubles and returns to the Wade family, he’ll have the combined support of the Wade family, the An family, and his own strength. At that point, he’ll be the most dazzling new star in the world. If news of a marriage breakdown with Claire Wilson were to surface then, it wouldn’t do him any good either.”
Sister Sun nodded and asked respectfully, “So, Madam, do you have any solutions in mind?”
An Chengqi fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, “Claire Wilson’s parents are unpredictable factors, but Claire Wilson herself should still be manageable. I’m wondering if there’s a way to subtly let her discover Charlie’s true identity by chance.”
“What?!”
Sister Sun asked nervously, “If she learns of the young master’s background, wouldn’t that put him in danger?”
An Chengqi replied earnestly, “That’s why it needs to be controlled. If Claire Wilson found out Charlie’s identity, realised he’d deceived her all this time, and understood the mission he carries, what do you think she’d do?”
Sister Sun pondered for a moment, “She’d most likely divorce the young master, wouldn’t she?”
