Mr. Reed nodded. “The family asked Old Foster and me to accompany you to Ren'ai Hospital first…”

William Carter slowly walked down the steps of the arrival hall. When he reached the last step, he paused, took a step forward with a sense of anticipation, and solemnly set foot on the ground. This was Taipei soil, right beneath his feet. Yet, he didn’t feel anything special. William Carter sneered inwardly—this land had been made out to be so magical by so many people. The air was as pure as if it had been washed, but he suspected this feeling was at least partly psychological.

In front of the airport, a wide expanse of green grass stretched out, lush and vibrant, extending all the way to the foot of distant hills. Many cows wandered leisurely across the meadow, scattered like stars. Countless white doves swooped back and forth, their moving white shadows dotting the landscape against the backdrop of the distant mountains. A few landed at his feet; when William Carter lifted his foot to startle them, they didn’t fly away, just hopped aside a little. The sky was clear and blue, almost transparent—he had never seen such a pure sky. The scene before him matched his imagination so well that it made him feel a bit of anticipation for what was to come.

Outside the airport, five Rolls-Royces were lined up in a row, and five drivers in navy blue uniforms opened the car doors almost simultaneously. Mr. Reed turned to Henry Bennett and said, “William Carter will ride with us. You go ahead to the hospital and meet up with the other four lawyers!” Henry Bennett hurried into the first car. To him, Mr. Reed’s words were like an imperial edict—right or wrong, he would never dare to question them.

William Carter sat between the two elders. It was still Mr. Reed who spoke first: “William Carter! What did you study on the mainland?”

“I majored in e-commerce at Yanjing TV University…”

“Oh…” Mr. Reed’s expression showed a hint of disapproval.

The always-silent Mr. Foster spoke up: “After you inherit the family business, maybe you should switch to economics!”

William Carter said nothing. His gaze wandered back and forth between the two elders’ faces, but he found nothing that felt close or familiar. In the end, he looked out the window. The three of them arrived at Ren'ai Hospital in silence.

William Carter hadn’t expected his first stop in Taipei to be a hospital, but Mr. Reed gave a perfectly reasonable explanation: “We have to confirm that you are Dinghan’s biological son…”

William Carter said with a hint of sarcasm, “Looks like there’s no escaping the blood test for kinship, no matter when it is!”

Bright red blood slowly flowed from William Carter’s body into a sterile syringe. Five lawyers gathered around the two elders, watching everything closely. William Carter felt like laughing—he had never imagined a day would come when he’d be brought in to do a paternity test with someone who was already dead.

Everything was carried out under the supervision of all seven people. William Carter pressed a cotton ball to the needle mark. “When will the results be ready?”

Mr. Foster held up five fingers, then added, “During these five hours, none of us seven can leave.” Looking at their serious faces, William Carter couldn’t help but want to laugh. Suddenly, he asked, “May I ask, what exactly is the relationship between you two elders and my… suddenly appearing father?”

“Brothers!” Mr. Reed leaned his head against the wall and slowly said, “We are brothers from the same family. Even though Dinghan has passed away, it’s up to us to protect his interests!”

William Carter smiled. “Why does this sound a bit like a Hong Kong gangster movie?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to William Carter. He immediately sensed something odd. Suddenly, Mr. Foster laughed. “This kid… What era do you think this is? There are no more gangsters!”

Everyone laughed along, including William Carter, but he suddenly realized there was something a little off about the others’ laughter.

The wait felt interminable. William Carter, bored, dozed off in his seat. He didn’t know how much time had passed when a pleasant voice sounded in his ear: “Sir, would you like something to drink?”

William Carter opened his eyes and saw two girls in nurse uniforms standing in front of him. His gaze was immediately drawn to the taller girl on the left. Her skin was exceptionally fair, with a faint blush, long eyebrows, big eyes, and when she smiled, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, making her look very cute. William Carter noticed the name on her badge: ‘Evelyn Allen’. The girl saw that William Carter’s gaze never left her, and her face turned even redder, her long black eyelashes shyly lowering.

William Carter thought to himself, Taiwanese girls really are pretty. Since I’ve got nothing better to do, I might as well give you a little lesson in patriotic politics.

“Sir, would you like something to drink?” The chubby little nurse beside her couldn’t help but ask again. William Carter snapped out of it and finally noticed the two of them were pushing a cart piled with food. He picked up a can of Coke and a hamburger, smiled at the tall girl, and said, “Thank you!”

“Hey! I’m here too! Why didn’t you thank me?” The chubby nurse sounded a bit indignant. William Carter quickly added, “Your voice is so seductive, I was too shy to talk to you!” The little nurse was amused by William Carter and burst out laughing. Just as William Carter was about to open his Coke, he suddenly remembered something: “By the way, Miss Allen, do I have to pay for these?”