Olivia Harris appeared. At that time, she was sixteen years old, beautiful and poised, gentle and graceful. Although still young, she possessed a maturity and charm beyond her years. She walked slowly to stand before “Ethan Brooks”, gently embraced him, and comforted him, lighting up his entire dark world.

People are often most grateful to those who lend them a hand in their darkest moments, and Ethan Brooks, after all, was in the prime of his youth, just awakening to love. For the beautiful and gracious Olivia Harris—it was love at first sight!

Even after learning the whole story, knowing that “Ethan Brooks” was no longer that dazzling prodigy, Olivia Harris showed not the slightest rejection or disgust. On the contrary, she cared for “Ethan Brooks” again and again, soothing him with gentle words, telling him not to lose hope, and promising that even if the whole world abandoned him, she never would.

The very first stirrings of love in this life of “Ethan Brooks” began to blossom.

The two of them came together, ignoring all gossip. This little princess of the Harris family always kept her heart with “Ethan Brooks”, causing countless talented young men in the city to beat their chests and weep, and becoming “Ethan Brooks”’s one and only, pledging eternal love to each other.

In “Ethan Brooks”’s heart at that time, Olivia Harris was the most beautiful and best woman in the world—beautiful, gentle, serene. No other woman could compare to her, not even one in ten thousand.

In private, “Ethan Brooks” regarded Olivia Harris as his future wife, treating her with utmost care, willing to do anything for her, just to win a single smile from his beloved—nothing more.

Hand in hand, fingers tightly entwined, the two were so sweet together that others could only look on with envy.

At that time, “Ethan Brooks” naively believed it would last a lifetime. Unfortunately, dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel. Everything was shattered two years later.

It turned out that all those vows of eternal love were nothing but lies. Two years later, Olivia Harris finally revealed her true purpose—the Qingling Pill.

The so-called Qingling Pill was an extremely rare and precious elixir, obtained by the Brooks family at great cost. It was priceless, able to put one’s body and mind into a state of clarity, and was extraordinarily useful for breaking through cultivation bottlenecks, especially for advancing from the acquired to the innate stage.

It also had miraculous effects in curing serious illnesses.

At that time, “Ethan Brooks” hesitated. This Qingling Pill was of utmost importance. But when he saw Olivia Harris’s tear-streaked, lovely face, crying as she told him that her mother was gravely ill and near death, that even the most famous doctors could do nothing, and that only the Qingling Pill could save her, he felt compelled to help. With no other choice, she could only beg “Ethan Brooks”.

She wept like a pear blossom in the rain, her beauty heartbreaking. She said that if her mother died, she could not go on living either, using this to pressure “Ethan Brooks”. She even promised that if “Ethan Brooks” could really bring her the pill, she would immediately marry him.

Blinded by love, “Ethan Brooks” could not resist her charms. Overcome by passion, he tricked the guards in the dead of night using his father’s name, secretly stole the Qingling Pill, and delivered it to Olivia Harris that very night.

Afterwards, the family found out and was furious. Even though his father was the Lord of Luofeng City and the current family head, he could not protect him. The elders severely punished “Ethan Brooks”, imprisoning him for half a month and subjecting him to harsh interrogation, demanding to know the whereabouts of the Qingling Pill. “Ethan Brooks” refused to say a word.

In the end, after “Ethan Brooks” was released, he accidentally learned that Olivia Harris’s mother was never ill at all. The whole thing was a ruse to get the pill for her own breakthrough to the innate stage, and “Ethan Brooks” had been manipulated into stealing the Qingling Pill from his own family.

From beginning to end, Olivia Harris had never truly liked him. Everything was meticulously planned, starting from the moment Ethan Brooks fell from genius to cripple. She approached him only to obtain the Qingling Pill.

After learning the truth, “Ethan Brooks” could not bear the blow of being betrayed by the one he loved most. In utter despair, he returned to the small lake where he and Olivia Harris had first met—the place where everything began and ended—and chose to end his life by jumping into the lake, thus ending both the relationship and his own life.

Such was the whole story.

After understanding the truth, Ethan Brooks shook his head and sighed at his own foolishness. Olivia Harris was a little princess with a bright future, cherished by all. How could she possibly fall for someone like him, abandoned by the world? Wasn’t it obvious?

If anyone was to blame, it was only that the “he” before awakening was too naive, like a blank sheet of paper—so foolish, so innocent, and far too easy to deceive.

But perhaps he should also thank Olivia Harris. If not for her, he would never have awakened his past life’s memories, and might have spent this life as a useless nobody.

The City Lord’s Mansion was enormous, the largest residence in Luofeng City. Led by Grace, they passed through layer after layer of courtyards and pavilions, finally stopping outside the solemn guest hall.

The hall was spacious and magnificently decorated, resplendent in gold and jade. There were quite a few people inside. Seated at the highest place were Owen Brooks and three elderly men with indifferent expressions. They were the elders of the clan, whose authority was second only to the family head, wielding considerable power.

Sometimes, certain matters of the Brooks family were decided by them.