Linda Sullivan, who stayed in the country with her parents, inevitably suffered during the 1960s and 70s. She met Robert Walker, who had also been sent down during that period, and after a chance encounter, they got together and had Brian Sullivan.

However, this marriage, which existed in fact but not in name, did not last long. By the mid-1970s, the old man of the The Walker Family was rehabilitated and returned to work in the central government. For the sake of his future, Robert Walker left Brian Sullivan and his mother and returned to Yankee.

Brian Sullivan continued to live with his mother on the re-education farm. When he was twelve, his mother contracted a serious illness and died young.

Brian Sullivan believed that his mother's early death was not unrelated to his father's abandonment. Although after his mother's death he was taken back to the The Walker Family, he became extremely rebellious from then on, and never once filled in the name of The Walker Family as his guardian...

Perhaps Brian Sullivan had a self-destructive streak in his character from a young age—ever since he was twelve, it seemed his only purpose in life was to make his father, and the stepmother who later married into the The Walker Family, thoroughly miserable.

Of course, Brian Sullivan was also very unwelcome in the entire The Walkers clan. No family would like a child who was ignorant, badly behaved, and wildly rebellious.

His father, Robert Walker, was already rather mediocre in ability, and now had to deal with such an ignorant, rebellious son who could bring disaster to the The Walker Family at any moment, which further marginalized his own position in the family.

By middle age, Robert Walker had only managed to become the deputy director of the Personnel Bureau of the Ministry of Agricultural Machinery—a far cry from a successful life, and not even as accomplished as Brian Sullivan's three aunts.

The experience of losing his mother at a young age made Brian Sullivan especially dear to his maternal grandparents, who had moved overseas after losing their daughter in the early 1980s. Even though they knew this grandson was unruly, once policy allowed, they brought him overseas.

After arriving abroad, Brian Sullivan's unruly nature became even more pronounced. Gambling, fighting—he was involved in almost every vice typical of a spoiled rich kid.

Although the The Sullivan Family had a deep background overseas for more than thirty years and managed to keep him from getting a criminal record, his terrible behavior still broke the hearts of his aging grandparents.

After the incident of drunken assault, Brian Sullivan's grandparents finally gave up hope of saving this grandson, sent him back to China, and even rewrote their will to strip him of his inheritance...

Brian Sullivan pressed his powerless forehead against the steering wheel, cursing inwardly: Damn it, this guy was born into a wealthy family, but managed to ruin himself at such a young age and alienate everyone around him—he really is something!

This accident left Brian Sullivan at a loss for a while. At first, he secretly rejoiced at the prospect of living as a rich heir from now on.

But after sorting through the memories of this body's original owner, he was filled with regret. Fate really plays tricks—he just had to end up with such a thoroughly isolated and despised life.

The key was, he couldn't separate himself from the previous life of Brian Sullivan.

Since that moment, he had become Brian Sullivan, and the secrets within could not be told to outsiders. The rotten life of the previous Brian Sullivan was now the mess he had to clean up...

"Fuck you, get lost, damn you..."

Brian Sullivan slammed the steering wheel twice in anger, venting his frustration.

Fine, since the previous Brian Sullivan's life was rotten to the core and left a huge mess, but at least he could survive by borrowing this body—there was really no reason to complain...

Even if you take the worst-case scenario, what ordinary kid could loaf around for just three years and end up with a proper section chief position?

Even as a cast-off of the The Walker Family, he was still a hundred times better off than most people.

At that moment, Brian Sullivan figured it out: no matter what, from now on, he had to live as Brian Sullivan, as a member of the The Walker Family, and as secretary to Mark Brooks.

No matter how rotten and degenerate his past life was, it wasn't as if there was no chance to get back on track: at least Mark Brooks, out of gratitude for the The Walker Family's support, still hadn't given up hope on him...

Having thought it all through, Brian Sullivan pulled himself together and silently warned himself: it's time to say goodbye to the past—starting now, just be your Brian Sullivan!

While Brian Sullivan was sorting through those fragments of someone else's memories, a bus turned onto Taowu Road.

"Hey, Grace Brooks jie, look over there!"

Grace Brooks was still distracted by what had happened earlier today at the steel mill. Hearing Little Lily call her attention, she looked up.

It was midday, and there weren't many people on the bus heading back to Meixi Town. Grace Brooks and Little Lily sat one behind the other on the seats at the back side of the bus. Little Lily pressed her forehead against the window, looking outside.

Following her gaze, Grace Brooks suddenly noticed the car that Brian Sullivan had used to drive them to the station, parked right beside the bus. Through the window, she saw Brian Sullivan with his forehead resting on the steering wheel. She had no idea what he was looking at or waiting for.

Just as the bus passed by, Brian Sullivan turned his head, and their eyes met.

Caught off guard by the eye contact, Grace Brooks felt a strange panic. She wanted to return a smile, but the inexplicable nervousness made her instinctively avoid Brian Sullivan's gaze—in that moment as she turned away, Grace Brooks noticed a small beauty salon by the roadside where Brian Sullivan had parked.

Through a transparent glass door, she saw three or five scantily clad, flirtatious women inside the shop, striking seductive poses toward the street.