According to his adoptive parents—namely, Brian Perry’s long-deceased grandparents—Eric Perry was, after the revolution and during the years of the War of Resistance, left as an infant in the care of local villagers by a senior officer couple from the Eighth Route Army. Later, as war and chaos continued, the peasant family that had taken him in was killed by Japanese shellfire, and he was passed from one caretaker to another. At the age of three, he ended up with his current adoptive parents, wandering from Jiangnan to Jiangbei as refugees, and only settled down in a rural village on the outskirts of Xin’an City on the eve of the founding of the nation.

The clues were extremely simple, making any search impossible. Of course, when Eric Perry was alive, he had never really thought about searching. Still, these things concerned his origins, so he always kept them close as a cherished memory, and passed them on to his wife Evan Morris before he died.

Perhaps it was fate.

In his previous life, in 2008, by chance, Brian Perry had dinner with Samantha Ford, a businesswoman from a prominent Beijing family who was investing in a real estate project in Xin’an City. By accident, he heard from her a strange story from the War of Resistance: her grandfather—founding father Mr. Ford—had a son who was separated from the family during the war and whose whereabouts remained unknown to this day.

In his memoirs published in ""Huaxia Spring and Autumn,"" Mr. Ford described this experience in detail. He missed his son deeply and had asked the relevant authorities to search for him locally. But at the time, he had left in a hurry with his troops to fight the Japanese, never even learning the name of the peasant family. Later, the peasant who adopted Eric Perry fled as a refugee and disappeared without a trace. So, despite searching for many years, Mr. Ford never found a single clue.

Afterwards, Brian Perry found the August 1990 issue of ""Huaxia Spring and Autumn"" in the library and carefully read Mr. Ford’s memoir. He discovered that the circumstances described by Mr. Ford were strikingly similar to those of his own father, Eric Perry.

Born in May 1944, the 33rd year of the Republic of China—the key was the dragon-patterned jade pendant. This was Mr. Ford’s family heirloom, originating from the late Qing imperial court, making it impossible to fake.

At the time, Brian Perry considered seeking out his relatives, but then thought better of it. So much time had passed, things had changed, and his father was no longer alive. If he suddenly showed up, it might look like he was trying to curry favor with the powerful, only to be met with cold stares. Besides, the world of the elite was deep and unfathomable; whether he could even be recognized as family was uncertain. With a certain pride, Brian Perry gave up on the idea, and the thought of seeking out his relatives faded away.

It wasn’t until 2012, after Brian Perry had finally worked his way up to the position of deputy director at a district investment promotion bureau, that he unexpectedly died in a plane crash.

……

……

Brian Perry put away these key pieces of evidence for recognizing his relatives and hid them in his room. After being reborn, he decided to go to Beijing to seek out his family. He didn’t really expect to instantly join a powerful red family in the capital; he simply saw this as a springboard to change his own fate.

In this life, whatever belonged to him, he was determined to take back!

Evan Morris had finished cooking and, hearing her son making a phone call in the living room, quietly stood by and listened.

“Bro, when are you coming over? I’ve booked a banquet for you at the Jianguo Hotel in Beijing to welcome you… Remember that bespectacled little junior girl? Heh, bro, after you left, she kept pestering me for your home address and phone number and all that…”

On the other end of the line, his college roommate and close buddy Matthew King laughed wantonly and lewdly.

Brian Perry also chuckled. “Let’s not talk about that nonsense, Matthew King. I need you to do two things for me. First, go to your dad’s workplace library and help me find the August 1990 issue of ‘Huaxia Spring and Autumn.’ Second, help me check with our alma mater’s history department to see if there’s a girl named Samantha Ford…”

“Alright, alright, bro, so when exactly are you coming?”

“At the latest, the day after tomorrow. I’ll try to catch the train tomorrow.”

After hanging up, Brian Perry saw his mother Evan Morris behind him and smiled. “Mom, I’ve already talked to my classmate. He’s my best buddy from college, you can rest assured. His dad is a big official in Beijing—just one phone call and my job problem will be solved. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get transferred to Beijing.”

“That would be wonderful.” Evan Morris smiled, then suddenly asked, “Son, who is Samantha Ford?”

“Samantha Ford… haha… well…” Brian Perry’s lips curled into a strange smile. “She’s a very important person, Mom. Anyway, don’t worry about it. Your son has always been law-abiding and an excellent student—I’d never do anything improper.”

Chapter 004: A Mismatch in Social Status

“You child… when did you become so slick and glib…” Evan Morris frowned suspiciously.

In her memory, her son Brian Perry was an honest and simple boy. Though he lost his father at a young age, under his mother’s strict guidance, he was well-read, polite, studious, and diligent—the very picture of a proper young man. But today, in the The Morris Family, Brian Perry was so agitated and expressive, his words sharp and a bit biting, that Evan Morris found him unfamiliar.

Brian Perry was momentarily stunned, then flashed his trademark honest smile. But with a different state of mind, that smile always carried a trace of world-weariness.