Chapter 64

They talked a little longer beside the cats. Elise found herself revising her impression of Mu Chuan. He didn't say much, but whenever she spoke, he leaned toward her and listened politely. He took time to think before answering, too.

Mu watched her from the corner of his eye. She bent her head and rubbed the mother cat under the chin until the animal's eyes narrowed in pleasure.

She was as kind as he remembered, in this life and the last.

In his previous life, he'd been implicated in a massive business fraud before he realized Mu Zhun had set a trap for him. If Mu Zhun found him, he would face decades in prison. The rest of his life would be ruined.

He had hidden while waiting for a chance to fight back. To keep from being recognized, he disguised himself as a homeless man. His coat and pants were so dirty their original colors had disappeared, his leather shoes had holes in them, and he combed his bangs down over most of his face. He slept on the street or beneath bridges.

He had money and identification, but he dared not stay in a hotel or buy food from a small store with cameras. To maintain the disguise, he ate once a day, usually bread, and wrapped his coat around himself at night.

Once, after two days without food, he stood staring at the bread on a supermarket shelf across the street. Hunger kept his eyes fixed on it, but cameras covered the store.

A pair of fair, delicate hands appeared in front of him. Elise set down a plain white plastic bag.

He looked up. She wore the red apron of the fast-food restaurant next door, tied around her waist. Her eyes were clear, with no trace of disgust.

“Here. This is for you to eat.”

He had seen her before: a college student working part-time at the restaurant, from evening until the early hours of the morning.

The offer humiliated him. Had he fallen so low that someone had to give him food? Or was she handing him someone else's leftovers?

He didn't eat it. He threw the bag away.

Elise came back with food the next day, and the day after that. By chance he saw her ordering at the counter before her shifts. She bought him something different every day, choosing meals that gave him a balanced diet.

Eventually he accepted whatever she brought.

He had to change where he slept every few days so Mu Zhun couldn't find him. Even when he could no longer stay beside the restaurant, he lingered nearby. After Elise finished work in the early hours, he quietly followed her home to make sure she got there safely.

A few days later, Mu Zhun found him. The crash he arranged looked like an accident, and Mu Chuan died.

When Mu opened his eyes again, he had been reborn. Over the past year, he'd pursued revenge while searching for Elise. He had always assumed she was an ordinary girl, so he hadn't looked for her among wealthy families. Only after spotting her a few days ago and asking Pei Yi to investigate had he learned she was a Whitmore.

“When are you leaving?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Elise thought for a moment. “Tomorrow.”

Tomorrow? His gaze dimmed. He'd hoped she would stay another couple of days.

After she left, Mu returned to his study. Pei still hadn't recovered from what he'd seen. Mu Chuan had smiled, and at Elise Whitmore, of all people.

When Pei entered the study, he found his boss sitting in his chair, staring into space. That was almost as startling as the smile.

Mu's face had settled back into its usual cold expression, though his gaze remained distant.

“Pei Yi.”

Pei stiffened. “Yes, sir?”

There was a trace of nervousness in Mu's voice when he asked, quietly, “How do you pursue a girl and make her like you?”

Pei froze. His boss wanted to pursue a woman? Was it the girl from outside?

Women had shown interest in Mu for twenty years, yet none had managed to get close. Pei had almost started to wonder about his orientation. Now, all at once, his boss was interested in a girl.

But a man in Mu's position could have his pick. Did he really need to court anyone? Pei felt an odd surge of indignation. He didn't want to see the man he admired brought down from his pedestal.

Mu frowned. He had no experience with any of this. Even talking to Elise just now had made him nervous.

She hadn't seemed particularly uncomfortable around him, though. That gave him hope. Perhaps he could make her like him.

He had finally found her. He didn't want to let her go again.

The October break passed quickly. For the journey home, they took the private plane again.

Jade and Nora were sorry the trip was over. They'd enjoyed themselves, and they'd had a front-row seat to the brothers' rivalry. One brother would get jealous, Elise would smooth things over, and then some tiny, inexplicable matter would set them all off again.

The two friends had discovered just how childish men could be when they cared enough. They could watch this particular spectacle for a hundred years and never get bored.

Elise hadn't told her brothers about speaking with Mu the day before. They seemed prejudiced against him; Julian had described him as cold and heartless. Yet Mu was clearly gentle and approachable, like a friendly older boy next door.

It had been their first meeting, but something about him felt familiar and reassuring. He might make a good friend.

The plane had been stocked with her favorite desserts. She'd had only a couple of bites when Nora said, “We've still got two hours, right? Want to play a match together?”

Over the past couple of days, she and Jade had pestered Theo into playing PUBG with them. He'd been generous with tips, and now both girls were itching to practice whenever they had a spare moment.

“I'm in,” Jade said. “Who else?”

The friends had grown much more comfortable with the brothers during the trip, so Jade asked each of them in turn.

“Either way,” Theo said lazily. He didn't want to get rusty; a few rounds with the kids would do him good.

Julian glanced up as soon as he heard Theo was playing. “I'll pass.” Then he added mildly, “Games are a waste of time.”

Theo looked at him.

Over the past few days, the others had gone from ignoring him to warming up, and then to outright hostility. He understood it had something to do with Elise: she remembered what he liked to eat but not what they liked, and they were jealous. Now they took every opportunity to make little digs at him.

Still, wasn't that a bit petty?

Adrian shot Theo a sideways look and put in his earbuds. “Kids should spend less time gaming. It's bad for your eyes.”

Miles was busy playing another mobile game. “I'm not playing that one either. It's childish.” Only someone as childish as Theo would bother with it.

Jade sighed. She really had no words for them. She turned to Elise. “How about you?”

Curled up in her roomy seat with her dessert, Elise was in an excellent mood. “Sure, I'll play!”

She pulled out her phone. She still had PUBG installed from last time.

Jade and the others were about to start when Julian said, “I'll join you.”

They stared at him. He took out his phone and began downloading the game. He'd watched them play before and remembered most of the controls.

At some point Adrian had sat up, phone in hand. “Me too. Ellie, what's your username? I'll add you.”

Miles quit his own game, ignoring the abuse from his teammates. “It may be childish, but I suppose it's playable.”

Jade and Nora exchanged a look. “Didn't you all say you weren't playing?”

Julian, Adrian, and Miles looked up together. Their expressions said the same thing.

How could they sit out when Elise was playing? And how could they leave their sister alone on a team with Theo?

Elise had been worn out by her brothers over the past few days. She let them do as they pleased and opened the game.

Jade counted heads. Originally, she, Nora, Elise, and Theo would have made a perfect squad of four. Now there were seven of them, and PUBG allowed only four players on a team.

“Why don't we make two squads?” Theo suggested.

“Will we end up on the same map?” Elise asked.

“If we hit start at the same time, it depends on our luck.”

With luck, both squads would enter the same match. Otherwise, they would have to play separately.

The brothers promptly began arguing over who would be on Elise's team. She gave each of them a warning glare before the dispute could go any further. Jade and Nora sensibly chose the other squad, keeping clear of the family contest.

That left three places beside Elise. As the youngest brother, Miles was sent to join Jade and Nora.

He stabbed at his screen, still annoyed. Once they got into the game, he'd take out every one of his brothers.

Elise hadn't played for a while, and it felt fresh again. The second squad was matched with a stranger. Both teams pressed start together and, fortunately, landed in the same match.

“How about we wipe out the other squads first, then play against each other?” Theo proposed.

“Deal,” Jade said.

After their time at Lakeview, the group had grown closer. It felt natural to deal with the strangers before turning on one another.

On Elise's team, Julian and Adrian were less familiar with the controls than Theo, but they picked them up quickly. Before long, both were moving smoothly.

“Where are we dropping?” Adrian asked.

Theo and Julian looked at Elise without speaking. She considered the map. “Somewhere conservative? How about those houses?”

She marked a spot, and they jumped.

Miles's squad landed nearby, one team coming down just after the other. They'd agreed not to attack each other yet, so each squad took a row of houses and searched for equipment.