Chapter One: The Most Likable

Spring sunlight streamed through the window into the spacious tea room.

Henry Clark stared at the stack of papers in front of him, his face tense, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

An hour ago, he was just a miserable young man, betrayed by his business partner, saddled with huge debts, and stuck in a rut.

But now…

Henry Clark glanced at the old man sitting across the table. From his attire to every strand of hair, he was impeccably groomed, like an old-fashioned gentleman. He wore a smile, and even the curve of his lips seemed precisely measured—any more would seem forced, any less would look perfunctory. It was as if what lay on the table was just a menu, not a property transfer agreement worth over a hundred million.

When Henry Clark was at his lowest and nearly in despair, this very old man appeared before him and told him that he had a grandaunt he’d never met, who had recently passed away and left him a huge inheritance.

As someone who had just been battered by society, Henry Clark didn’t believe in windfalls—especially ones that showed up so conveniently!

So, when this happened, Henry Clark’s first thought was—

Scammer!

But now, facing the property transfer agreement on the table, Henry Clark was already seventy percent convinced.

Of course, the presence of the three lawyers sitting not far away was also a factor. All three were well-known in the city; a quick online search would turn up plenty of information about them, and Henry Clark had even had brief dealings with one of them before.

Why not fully convinced?

What was in front of him was a property transfer agreement, not a will. According to the old butler, after dividing her assets, Henry Clark’s grandaunt had given his share directly to the butler, who would then transfer the assets to Henry Clark in batches—no time limit, no specific amount required.

To Henry Clark, this arrangement was baffling.

He couldn’t understand why his grandaunt would choose to give away her inheritance in this way.

Was the old butler really that trustworthy? Even more so than her own children?

If it were her children or grandchildren, it would make sense—after all, they’re family.

But an old butler?

And the first batch the butler was transferring to Henry Clark was a hundred million. The only condition: Henry Clark had to do one thing—go to the Feng family ancestral home and write his own name in the family genealogy.

Never mind that Henry Clark had never even heard of this “Feng family ancestral home.”

“Genealogy”?

Does that kind of thing still exist?

What era is this, and there are still family genealogies??

But aside from all that, if all it took to get a hundred million was to find the ancestral home and write his name, wasn’t that way too easy?

He didn’t believe it.

But—a hundred million…

With all his debts, he really needed it right now.

After a long while, Henry Clark finally managed to tear his gaze away from the papers, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants. “…I’m going to the restroom first.”

The old man across from him smiled understandingly and nodded slightly. “Go ahead.”

Henry Clark stiffly walked out of the tea room. Once outside, all his composure fell away. Breathing heavily, he hurried into the restroom, closed the door, rushed to the sink, and splashed his face with cold water.

Even the cold water didn’t snap him out of it.

Good—this wasn’t a dream.

Henry Clark looked at himself in the mirror.

After days of insomnia and the pressure of debt, he hadn’t rested in a long time. His bloodshot eyes, agitated by emotion, looked frighteningly red.

He splashed his face again, quickly dried his hands, and pulled out his phone. Over ten missed calls—all from debt collectors.

Ignoring those, Henry Clark opened his contacts and stared at two phone numbers. He hadn’t dialed either one since leaving the Feng family five years ago. After some hesitation, he called one.

It rang for a long time with no answer.

He tried the other. It was cut off after just two rings.

Not surprising.

Henry Clark let out a soft breath.

In the end, you can only rely on yourself!

He put his phone back in his pocket.

After splashing his face with cold water again and tidying himself up, he returned to the tea room.

His overheated mind had cooled a bit. If you listened closely, his voice still trembled slightly, but he no longer stammered when he spoke. Facing the old butler, his smile became more natural. In truth, he was still a mess inside, but he had to keep up appearances.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No problem.” The old butler looked at Henry Clark’s current state, his smile deepening. “Have you made up your mind?”

“Yeah, after calming down, I still have a lot of questions. The timing of your appearance is so coincidental, I can’t help but suspect you did it on purpose,” Henry Clark probed.