...

"Do not misunderstand my intent. I will say this now; you are under no obligation to repay me. Everything I've done has been of my own will. I also plan on signing the orphanage over in your name once the renovations are complete, regardless of your decision. This way, history does not repeat itself." Jin stated.

​​

Qiao Xiaoqing seemed to be in deep thought after listening to Jin speak.

"...I do not enjoy handouts. That being said, I shall graciously accept your generosity. If not for my own sake, then for the sake of the children who deserve a much better life than I have given them." Qiao Xiaoqing said as her eyes flashed with a hint of sadness.

"I believe you greatly underestimate how important you are to those you've painstakingly cared for. When I arrived and saw those kids outside, do you want to know the first thing they asked of me?" Jin said unhurriedly.

He then continued, "They did not ask to be taken to safety or protected. Nor did they ask to be saved. Shaking in fear and confronted with uncertainty, they asked me to save you—to save their Big Sis Xiaoqing. In that moment, they overcame their own fears. Not a single one of them was worried about their own well-being. They just wanted you to be safe. That is how much you mean to those children. I hope that you never forget that."

"...Those kids... even though I warned them about talking to strangers—how frustrating. Today... is quite frustrating." Qiao Xiaoqing said.

"You say that, but your face is betraying the words you speak," Jin commented with a carefree smile.

"That, too, is quite frustrating." Qiao Xiaoqing replied.

Qiao Xiaoqing's eyes teared up; however, it did not take away from the captivating smile on her face.

Those were not welling tears of sorrow but rather ones of joy.

This time, Qiao Xiaoqing held back her tears and collected herself as the look in her eyes became filled with clarity.

Qiao Xiaoqing had made her choice.

"Your goal... I want to learn more about it. Can you tell me?" Qiao Xiaoqing asked.

...

Later that night...

'To think she'd still be at this place. How convenient.'

At the moment, Jin stood on the rooftop of a building across the street from the hotel he previously stayed at with his mother, Reilei.

Jin's cold gaze was locked onto a particular room in that hotel; however, the lights soon turned off as the person inside seemed to be getting ready for bed given the time.

But, just before the room descended into darkness, Jin saw "her" face. It was the face of the woman that betrayed the previous host of his body and dated his ex-best friend, as well as one of the people who left him for dead in the middle of the road.

Inside that room was none other than Jin's ex-girlfriend, Genesis!

'We still have some unsettled business. Since that's the case, it's time I kill two birds with one stone.'

Woosh!

A strong gale of wind blew across the rooftop where Jin stood.

By the time the wind settled down, Jin had vanished.

...

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"..."

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"I'm coming!" A woman's voice sounded in the dark room. It was easy to tell that she was irritated by the constant knocking at her door from her tone.

"Light's on." The woman called out in frustration as the lights in the room turned on.

When the lights came on, it revealed the owner of the voice. It belonged to Wendell's girlfriend, Genesis.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Genesis angrily sprung to her feet as she stomped over to the door in her silk nightwear.

"Didn't you hear me?! I said I'm-" Genesis swung the door open; however, there was no one there.

Genesis stuck her head out the door and looked down both sides of the hall.

"I-If someone's playing a prank, I'm warning you! My boyfriend won't let you go!" Genesis shouted. But, there was no response.

"Maybe it was some creep... I should call the front desk and complain." Genesis muttered under her breath.

She then began to close the door; however, at the last moment, she noticed a small rectangular box on the floor in front of her door. There was a small note attached to the box, along with a single rose that rested on top of it.

"Huh? This is...?" Genesis leaned down to pick up the box, note and rose. There was a slight look of confusion on her face. This type of romantic gesture did not seem like something Wendell would do. But, if that was the case, then who was all of this from?

Genesis glanced around the hallway one last time before closing and locking her room door.

She tossed the rose in the trash bin before walking over to her bed and opening the note.

"From your secret admirer... Secret admirer?" Genesis set the note aside and opened the rectangular box.

When she saw what was inside, her eyes immediately lit up.

"It's beautiful..!" Genesis gasped as she held a pendant with a gorgeous gemstone attached to its end.

"What kind of gemstone is this? I've never seen such a pretty one before. It must have been expensive." Genesis smiled gleefully.

"I don't know who this secret admirer is, but he must be loaded to give something like this away. Well, this hotel is filled with wealthy young masters. I wouldn't be surprised if my beauty caught one of their eyes. Hehe, too bad for them I'm already taken. Still, they won't ask for it back, right? After all, it would make them seem cheap and lose face." Genesis wasted no time placing the pendant around her neck.

The moment she did so, a faint purple glow was emitted; however, she did not notice anything unusual.

Genesis walked over to the mirror and posed a few times in front of it.

"I didn't think it was possible for me to become any more beautiful than I already am. It looks like even I can be mistaken every once in a while." Genesis giggled.

"Light's off," Genesis happily walked back over to her bed with a delightful smile on her face as she laid down and the room returned to darkness.

As Genesis laid down and closed her eyes to fall asleep, a shadow could be seen on the balcony of her room as Jin emerged from the darkness.

'I'm glad you enjoy my gift. I just hope you can still appreciate it as much later on.'

The "secret admirer" who gifted the pendant to Genesis turned out to be none other than Jin!

Of course, Jin had no intention of courting Genesis.

The pendant in her possession was not some expensive piece of fine jewelry as she believed it to be, but instead something Jin threw together after he left the orphanage.

That gorgeous-looking pendant was called The Bewitching Eye of Skethera, and if Genesis knew of its true purpose, she would have never thought of wearing it!

In this world, the name Skethera held no meaning; however, there was not a woman who was unaware of that name in the Seven Realms.

If one had to define her with two words, it was typically malice and vanity.

Skethera was an empress and a kingdom toppling beauty in the Seven Realms—an individual born well before Jin's time.

She treated those around her like their mere existence was an insult and was known to be madly in love... with herself!

One day, Skethera made the mistake of insulting a certain individual who was simply passing by her kingdom and paid a heavy price for it.

A powerful curse was placed upon Skethera so that whenever she treated others with malice or displayed vanity, her beauty would deteriorate in some form. It got to a point where Skethera no longer showed herself in public due to her hideous and grotesque appearance.

The story ended there, and no one truly knew what happened to Skethera in the end; however, it was thought that she slowly went mad and ultimately departed the world on her own terms.

The pendant that Jin gifted Genesis contained a curse that acted on the same principles as the one that originally affected Skethera herself!

Genesis would never link what was happening to her to the pendant, and even if she did, it would be too late.

Once the curse's influence spread, even if she removed the pendant, the curse's effects would remain in place. In other words, it was permanent!

'A fitting gift for you. An object that allows your outer beauty to match that of your inner beauty.'