Grace Bennett let out a breath, her expression also softened, then she said softly, “Alright, you can take me home, and I’ll give you the money. Whether you want it or not, I have to give it to you. I don’t like owing people.”

“Let’s talk about it later. We have phones now, don’t we?”

Brian Carter could certainly tell that Grace Bennett liked him a lot. If they kept seeing each other, something might really happen between them. But it was destined to go nowhere—at most, they’d only have a month together, so it was better not to let things develop any further.

If you don’t know what your future holds, you can afford to be reckless. But if you know exactly what you’re about to do and still end up hurting others and yourself, then you’re just a jerk—and Brian Carter was no jerk.

It only took the time to eat a bowl of noodles.

No, it was the time to eat two bowls of noodles that Brian Carter completed his transformation.

Just that afternoon, Brian Carter was still a recent graduate, at an age where all he wanted to do was have fun. But by nightfall, he was already prepared to face a future that might not be bright, but would definitely be exciting.

In just the time it took to eat two bowls of noodles, longing, reluctance, regret, and all sorts of emotions had already been pushed deep down in Brian Carter’s heart.

Many feelings wouldn’t just disappear—that was impossible—but they probably wouldn’t surface so easily anymore.

For most people, this would be very difficult. But for Brian Carter, who had spent his childhood in soul-crushing loneliness, he had already accumulated everything needed for this transformation, so completing it was just that simple.

Chapter 7: Do You Have to Be So Ruthless?

After sending Grace Bennett home, Brian Carter still managed to show a bit of gentlemanly conduct.

Back at his own place, although it wasn’t particularly big, over seventy square meters wasn’t considered small in Beijing—especially for someone living alone.

Looking at the familiar furnishings in the room, the feeling of reluctance that had just surfaced was quickly pushed back down by Brian Carter.

Still fully dressed, Brian Carter lay down directly on the bed, then pressed a pillow over his head.

He lay there for quite a while, replaying everything that had happened today. Finally, Brian Carter sat up and took out the slip of paper from his pocket.

Spacing out for a bit, Brian Carter stood up, went to the kitchen, lit the stove, and placed the slip of paper on it.

Brian Carter didn’t open the slip, because he would never forget what was written on it—he couldn’t possibly get it wrong.

Watching the slip turn to ashes, the ashes then lifted and scattered by the flames, Brian Carter expressionlessly turned off the stove and took out his phone.

There were only five names and numbers in his contacts, along with the note “Brian Carter can contact them if needed.” Nothing else—no nationalities, no indication of who these people were.

The first name was Phyllis. Brian Carter checked on his computer and confirmed that the international code after this number was for the Netherlands. Then, he decided to start with the first number.

Brian Carter dialed, and the call connected quickly. After two rings, someone picked up.

But instead of the foreign language Brian Carter was nervously expecting, it was a familiar voice.

“Why are you calling so soon? Didn’t I tell you to wait until you’re out of the country before using these numbers? While you’re still in China, just behave and don’t contact anyone.”

The person who answered was David Thompson.

Brian Carter didn’t know how David Thompson managed it, but monitoring and intercepting his calls, and even chatting with him like this, was just too easy for David Thompson.

Brian Carter said with some frustration, “Come on, Uncle Thompson, can you not do this? I feel like I have no privacy at all. I just wanted to call and check things out. These numbers are for the Netherlands, the UK, Poland, the US, and one for Hong Kong. I need to call to decide where to go.”

David Thompson replied calmly, “You can call these numbers once you’re in the UK, but not here. Brian Carter, maybe you don’t realize yet what it means to make a call from China, so my warning is absolutely not just for show.”

Brian Carter said in distress, “Is it really that serious?”

“It’s very serious. Eleven years have passed—no one knows what those people are like now. Maybe in the past, they were just working for money like your father, but now, maybe they’re spies working for some country. Contacting them could be dangerous, or maybe not. This is the path you chose, so I can’t interfere. But when it comes to national security, even the slightest possibility must be eliminated.”

“Alright, I get it. Sorry, Uncle Thompson. I won’t make any more calls.”

David Thompson sighed and said softly, “Let me give you some advice. If someone gives you a warning, and you don’t want to break with them immediately, or even become enemies—or worse, end up in a life-or-death situation—then it’s best not to ever cross the line they set. Brian Carter, you still haven’t shifted your mindset from that of an ordinary person. In the world you want to enter, there’s no such thing as family education. People there won’t give you a second chance to make a mistake, and they definitely won’t give you a chance to apologize.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you for teaching me this.”