Chapter 1063: A Face from the Past
Chapter 1063: A Face from the Past
The black Maserati Levante Trofeo moved steadily through the busy streets of Imperial.
Behind the wheel, Lu Tian’s expression remained cold and unreadable. His dark eyes were fixed on the road ahead, but his thoughts were far from the traffic surrounding him.
He needed to get home.
To Yue Ling.
The thought of his wife being in any kind of danger was enough to make his jaw tighten.
He had only left her that morning, promising to return as soon as he finished his business. At the time, he had expected Xu Long’s report to concern the remaining members of Red Militant.
He had not expected to learn that the man responsible for Lee Shin’s death was alive, moving freely through Imperial, and wearing the face of the very person he had murdered.
Lu Tian’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
He glanced briefly at the passenger seat.
A thick folder rested there, its contents neatly arranged beneath a dark cover.
Inside were photographs, surveillance reports, and evidence that could change everything Yue Ling believed about the death of her former fiancé.
But one question continued troubling him.
Why?
Why Lee Shin?
Choi Li Sun had gone to considerable lengths to erase his identity. He had destroyed records, severed connections, and undergone extensive plastic surgery to become someone else.
If his intention was simply to disappear, he could have chosen any face.
Instead, he had deliberately chosen the face of a man he had ordered killed.
A man who had been preparing to marry Yue Ling.
Lu Tian’s eyes darkened.
It was too specific to be a coincidence.
And there was something else.
The scar.
The jagged scar running from above Choi Li Sun’s right eye toward his cheek.
Lu Tian knew that scar better than anyone.
After all, he was the one who had given it to him.
His gaze sharpened as he recalled the photograph Xu Long had handed him.
Choi Li Sun had altered nearly every recognizable feature of his face, yet the scar remained.
A skilled surgeon capable of changing his entire appearance would certainly have been capable of reducing or removing it.
But he hadn’t.
Lu Tian’s lips pressed into a thin line.
’You deliberately kept it.’
The realization settled over him with chilling clarity.
It was a taunt.
Not merely a reminder of their previous encounter, but a message directed specifically at him.
Choi Li Sun had taken Lee Shin’s face while preserving the one feature Lu Tian would immediately recognize.
As though daring him to notice.
As though announcing that he was still alive.
And perhaps, more disturbingly, that he had unfinished business.
Lu Tian’s expression grew colder.
He had encountered countless enemies over the years. Some sought power, others wealth, and many were driven by revenge.
But Choi Li Sun was different.
The man had willingly abandoned his own identity to assume that of someone he had murdered.
That required more than desperation.
It required a purpose.
One Lu Tian had yet to uncover.
He glanced at the folder again.
His gaze lingered for a moment before returning to the road.
Then, without warning, a memory surfaced.
A memory from more than four years ago.
A memory that came out of nowhere, and he had to pull the car to the side and park it.
Four Years Earlier — City Z
The restaurant was located in a quiet district of City Z, far enough from the city’s commercial center to avoid unnecessary attention.
From the outside, it appeared ordinary.
Inside, however, one of its private dining rooms had been reserved for a confidential meeting.
Lu Tian had arrived shortly before noon.
At the time, he had been sent to City Z on behalf of the Imperial government to assist with an investigation involving Choi Li Sun.
The case had become increasingly complicated.
Choi Li Sun’s operations extended beyond City Z, with several of his dealings connected to individuals and organizations in Imperial.
What had initially appeared to be a local investigation had developed into a matter involving both jurisdictions.
And because certain connections were too sensitive to be handled through ordinary channels, Lu Tian had been assigned to oversee Imperial’s involvement.
Chief Kim had personally arranged the meeting.
When Lu Tian entered the private room, several men were already seated around a circular table.
Chief Kim stood to greet him.
"Mr. Lu."
"Chief Kim."
They exchanged a brief handshake.
"Thank you for coming on such short notice."
Lu Tian gave a slight nod.
"Let’s get started."
Chief Kim gestured toward the others.
"You’ve met Qin Jun, Song Jing Li, and Kira."
Lu Tian glanced toward the three men.
He had encountered them during previous discussions concerning Choi Li Sun’s activities.
Qin Jun greeted him with a polite nod, while Song Jing Li acknowledged him with a brief smile.
Kira leaned back in his chair, observing him quietly.
Lu Tian returned their greetings.
Then his attention shifted toward the fourth man.
Unlike the others, the man had taken considerable care to conceal his appearance.
A dark cap sat low over his forehead, and a pair of glasses partially obscured his features. His clothing was simple, chosen to make him less noticeable in a crowd.
Yet something about him caught Lu Tian’s attention.
Not his clothes.
Nor the way he sat.
His eyes.
There was an unusual brightness in them.
The man appeared calm, but his gaze held a quiet determination that suggested he had experienced more than his youthful appearance revealed.
Chief Kim noticed Lu Tian’s attention.
"He’s assisting us with the investigation."
Lu Tian studied the man for another moment.
"Undercover?"
Chief Kim hesitated.
The man answered before he could.
"Something like that."
His voice was relaxed.
Lu Tian raised an eyebrow.
The man met him with a grin.
"Let’s just say I’ve been trying to make myself useful."
There was a trace of humor in his words.
Lu Tian did not press further.
In his line of work, identities were sometimes concealed for good reason.
As long as the man possessed information relevant to the investigation, Lu Tian had little interest in his personal affairs.
The meeting began shortly afterward.
Documents were distributed, and Chief Kim outlined the latest developments in the case.
Choi Li Sun had been moving funds and resources between Imperial and City Z through several intermediaries.
Some transactions appeared legitimate.
Others were deliberately concealed beneath layers of false companies and altered records.
The difficulty was not proving that suspicious activities existed.
It was establishing a direct connection to Choi Li Sun.
"He rarely leaves anything that can be traced back to him," Qin Jun explained.
Song Jing Li nodded.
"And whenever we get close to one of his operations, the people involved either disappear or suddenly refuse to cooperate."
Lu Tian examined the documents before him.
"Someone is warning him."
"That’s what we suspect," Chief Kim replied.
The disguised man spoke.
"He’s careful, but not untouchable."
Lu Tian lifted his gaze.
The man leaned forward slightly.
"People like him eventually make mistakes. The problem is that everyone keeps looking for the mistakes he wants them to find."
Lu Tian studied him.
"And what should they be looking for?"
The man smiled.
"The things he thinks are too insignificant to hide."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Lu Tian gave a faint nod.
It was a reasonable observation.
The discussion continued for nearly two hours.
During that time, Lu Tian exchanged several remarks with the disguised man.
He was intelligent, observant, and unexpectedly easygoing for someone involved in such a dangerous investigation.
More importantly, he possessed a determination that Lu Tian recognized.
The kind that came from someone who had already endured hardship but refused to surrender to it.
There was no bitterness in the man’s voice.
No self-pity.
Even when the conversation turned toward the dangers surrounding Choi Li Sun, he remained composed.
At one point, Chief Kim closed a document and looked toward him.
"Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be taking some time off soon?"
The man blinked.
"Why?"
Chief Kim gave him an incredulous look.
"Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own wedding."
The man’s expression changed instantly.
A broad smile spread across his face.
"How could I forget?"
Song Jing Li laughed.
"He’s been talking about it for weeks. There’s no chance he’d forget."
Kira shook his head.
"More like since he proposed."
Qin Jun chuckled.
"At this point, I think everyone in City Z knows he’s getting married."
The man laughed along with them.
Lu Tian looked up from the documents.
"You’re getting married?"
The man turned toward him with a sheepish grin.
"Yes. The wedding is still a while away but we’re in the middle of planning."
There was unmistakable happiness in his voice.
Lu Tian gave a polite nod.
"Congratulations."
"Thank you."
The man’s smile widened.
"I’m going to be the happiest man alive."
His words drew another round of laughter from the table.
Chief Kim shook his head.
"Just make sure you live long enough to attend your own wedding."
The room quieted slightly.
But the man merely smiled.
"Don’t worry, Chief. I have every intention of being there."
He leaned back in his chair.
"There’s someone waiting for me. I wouldn’t miss that day for anything."
Lu Tian remembered looking at him then.
There had been something remarkable about the certainty in his voice.
The man was involved in a dangerous investigation, yet he spoke about his future without hesitation.
As though the life waiting for him beyond the case was worth every risk he had taken.
Lu Tian had not asked who the bride was.
He had no reason to.
Their meeting concerned Choi Li Sun, and he had other responsibilities waiting for him in Imperial.
When the discussion ended, they exchanged brief farewells.
The disguised man had smiled and offered a polite nod.
"Take care, Mr. Lu."
"You too."
And that had been the end of it.
At least, that was what Lu Tian had believed.
Present Day — Imperial
Lu Tian’s hands remained on the steering wheel as the memory faded.
For several seconds, he stared through the windshield.
Then he leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes.
Lee Shin.
The name surfaced in his mind.
Now he understood.
When he had first seen Lee Shin’s photograph, something about the man’s face had seemed strangely familiar.
He had dismissed it as nothing more than a passing impression.
But it had not been the shape of his face that Lu Tian remembered.
It was his eyes.
The same eyes he had seen across a conference table more than four years ago.
Eyes that carried the weight of hardship without losing their brightness.
Eyes belonging to a man who had every reason to fear the future, yet still looked toward it with hope.
Lu Tian slowly exhaled.
’It was you.’
The disguised man from Chief Kim’s meeting had been Lee Shin.
The man who had smiled so brightly while speaking about his upcoming wedding.
The man who had declared, with absolute confidence, that he would be the happiest man alive.
Lu Tian’s jaw tightened.
He remembered Chief Kim’s warning.
’Just make sure you live long enough to attend your own wedding.’
At the time, the remark had sounded like an ordinary caution directed at someone involved in a dangerous investigation.
Now it carried an entirely different weight.
Lee Shin had never made it to his wedding.
He had died on the very day he was supposed to marry Yue Ling.
And the man responsible was the same person they had been investigating.
Lu Tian opened his eyes.
For a moment, he stared at the red traffic light.
He had met Lee Shin.
Spoken with him.
Congratulated him.
And never knew that the woman waiting for that man was Yue Ling.
A bitter realization settled in his chest.
Had he known then what he knew now, would anything have been different?
Could they have uncovered Choi Li Sun’s plans before Lee Shin was killed?
Could they have prevented the accident?
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
There was no answer.
Only the knowledge that Lee Shin had been alive that day, speaking about a future he would never get to experience.
And Yue Ling had been waiting for him.
Lu Tian lowered his gaze briefly.
He remembered the way she had stood before Lee Shin’s grave.
How gently she had spoken his name.
How she had told him about their marriage, as though seeking his blessing to move forward.
She had finally found the courage to leave behind the guilt that had followed her for years.
And now Lu Tian was carrying information that could bring it all rushing back.
The traffic light changed.
He straightened, pressed the accelerator, and continued toward home.
The car moved through the streets of Imperial, passing familiar buildings and intersections.
Lu Tian’s thoughts shifted from Lee Shin to the woman he had left at home.
He had promised Yue Ling that he would return soon.
She had smiled and assured him that she would be fine.
At the time, he had reluctantly accepted her reassurance.
Now he found himself wanting nothing more than to see her.
To confirm with his own eyes that she was safe.
Yet the closer he drove toward home, the more another question troubled him.
’Should I tell her?’
Lu Tian’s brows drew together.
He had never liked keeping secrets from Yue Ling.
Their relationship had already endured enough misunderstandings, and he knew how much she valued honesty.
She was not someone who appreciated being protected through deception.
If anything, discovering that those closest to her had deliberately concealed the truth would only make matters worse.
But this was not ordinary information.
It concerned Lee Shin.
The man she had once loved.
The man whose death had changed the course of her life.
Lu Tian knew without a doubt that Yue Ling would not postpone their wedding because of the revelation.
She had already made her decision.
Their wedding was only days away, and she wanted Grandfather Ji to witness it while he still could.
Nothing about Lee Shin’s death would change her love for him.
That was not what worried him.
What frightened him was what she might do afterward.
Yue Ling was not the kind of woman who would simply sit quietly after discovering that someone she loved had been murdered.
Especially when the murderer was still alive.
And especially when that murderer had deliberately taken Lee Shin’s face.
Lu Tian knew his wife.
Beneath her gentle smiles and calm demeanor was a woman who had built an empire in a world where mercy was often mistaken for weakness.
She was capable of making decisions that even the most ruthless men would hesitate to consider.
If she learned the truth, she would investigate.
If she found Choi Li Sun, she would confront him.
And if she believed the man had deliberately caused Lee Shin’s death...
Lu Tian’s expression hardened.
He did not need to imagine what might happen next.
He had witnessed enough of Yue Ling’s anger to understand what she was capable of when someone harmed the people she loved.
His concern was not that she would be unable to defend herself.
He knew better than to underestimate her.
It was that she might walk directly into a trap without realizing the enemy had been preparing for her.
Choi Li Sun had already proven himself patient.
Calculating.
Dangerous.
He had remained hidden for years, altered his appearance, and resurfaced in Imperial with connections to Liu Peng and Ji Chu Hua.
And the scar he had deliberately preserved suggested that he wanted Lu Tian to recognize him.
But why?
Was he attempting to provoke Lu Tian?
Or was the scar merely the first part of a message whose true meaning had yet to be revealed?
Lu Tian glanced at the folder on the passenger seat.
There were too many unanswered questions.
He could tell Yue Ling everything now and risk sending her after a man whose intentions remained unknown.
Or he could wait until they had more information.
But waiting meant keeping another secret from her.
And that thought troubled him almost as much as the danger itself.
He remembered the look in her eyes when she had told him she loved him on the beach.
The quiet trust in her voice even when he kept her grandfather’s health from her.
The way she had rested against him without hesitation.
He had promised himself that he would never give her a reason to doubt that trust again.
Lu Tian drew a slow breath.
He could not decide what Yue Ling deserved to know based solely on his fear of how she might react.
But neither could he ignore the possibility that Choi Li Sun was deliberately trying to draw her out.
For now, he needed to understand the man’s intentions.
He needed to know whether Choi Li Sun had already made a move against her.
And above all, he needed to get home.
The Maserati turned onto the road leading toward their residence.
Lu Tian’s gaze remained fixed ahead, his expression colder than before.
He had spent years building enough power to protect the people who mattered to him.
Yet the one person he could not bear to lose was now at the center of a threat he did not fully understand.
His fingers tightened around the steering wheel.
He was not afraid of Choi Li Sun.
Nor was he afraid of confronting whatever the man had planned.
What frightened him was the possibility that Yue Ling might be hurt before he discovered what was coming.
Because there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty.
If Choi Li Sun intended to use Lee Shin’s face to reach Yue Ling, then the man had chosen the most dangerous way imaginable to provoke him.
Lu Tian’s dark eyes narrowed.
He would find out what Choi Li Sun wanted.
He would uncover the truth behind Lee Shin’s murder.
And when the time came, he would make certain Yue Ling heard that truth from him rather than from the man who had taken Lee Shin’s life.
But first, he had to decide how to tell her.
That was the one confrontation he could not prepare for with power, money, or an army of men.
Because the person he feared hurting was not his enemy.
She was his wife.
And for the first time that morning, Lu Tian found himself wishing the distance between Blackhawk and home were a little longer.
Not because he wanted to stay away from Yue Ling.
But because he still had no answer to the question waiting for him when he arrived.
How could he protect her from the truth without becoming another person who kept it from her?