You Are My Legacy

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 01

In Haishi, an ancient and famous port city, there is a villa area within the fourth ring road. The security guard at the gate saw the young woman registering and his eyes lit up.

The girl was wearing a trench coat and riding a shared bicycle. She looked to be around twenty years old, with fair skin and a beautiful face. She had long, black, curly hair cascading over her shoulders and a sweet voice that gave people a refreshing feeling.

Good-looking people have a natural advantage; at least the security guards treat them kindly. Security in the villa area is strict. After confirming her destination, the guard's expression changed, and he lowered his voice, warning her, "That woman in building 33 is really strange. She's been living alone for over a month, rarely goes out, and when I pass by on patrol, her doors and windows are always tightly closed, not even the curtains are drawn. Only a cleaning lady comes occasionally to clean her house. She doesn't interact with anyone else, and I don't know what she does. In short, she's very odd. You should be careful when you visit her. If you have any questions, you can call our security booth."

The young woman smiled brightly. "Thank you for reminding me. She's an estate administrator, and I'm here to work as her assistant. Today is my first day on the job."

The security guard was taken aback, scratching the back of his head. "An estate administrator? What kind of profession is that? This is the first time I've heard of it."

"Actually, I'm not sure either. Maybe it's similar to being a lawyer." The girl didn't talk much, parked her car at the parking spot at the entrance, locked it, and then walked into the villa area.

Arriving at the entrance of Building 33, there was no decoration on the door except for an electronic security doorbell. While other homes were decorated with flowers and plants, full of life, this one looked abandoned and lifeless.

After climbing three steps to the door and ringing the doorbell, a cold voice quickly came through the security camera: "The door is unlocked, come in."

"good."

Xinran pushed open the door and stepped inside. A cold voice rang in her ears again, "There are new slippers in the cabinet on the left." It meant she should change into slippers. She opened the shoe cabinet and glanced at it; this guy really had a lot of shoes, all kinds.

Sitting on the shoe-changing stool inside, he noticed the security camera in the upper left corner and frowned in displeasure. "You actually installed security cameras in your home? How many cameras are there?"

The other party did not reply.

After changing into my shoes and entering the hall, I saw a piece of paper on the rustic wooden table. It turned out to be an employment agreement—Party A was Xu Yan, and Party B was Zhou Luming.

Xu Yan had already signed his name. His handwriting reflected his personality; it was somewhat thin and elongated, yet also possessed a graceful quality. The girl who came to work as Xu Yan's assistant was naturally Zhou Luming. After signing, Zhou Luming looked up at the camera and asked, "Boss Xu, aren't you going to cover my room and board?"

"There are no vacant rooms." Xu Yan said bluntly.

Zhou Luming glanced around. It was a three-story detached villa, with two empty rooms on the first floor alone. Xu Yan was clearly lying through his teeth.

Although she had just returned to China, she was a local resident of Haishi and had already started arranging her own accommodation. Even if Xu Yan provided room and board, she wouldn't stay here. After all, this was only the second time she and Xu Yan had met. Their first meeting had been tense and chaotic, and this second meeting was also a test of each other's abilities, as they both wanted to find out more about the other.

Zhou Luming's grandfather had just passed away not long ago. Zhou Luming rushed back from abroad, but he didn't even have time to see his grandfather one last time before he was gone.

Meanwhile, in the Zhou family's old house, a group of relatives whom Zhou Luming didn't know very well had gathered. Due to her status, she had been sent abroad to live alone at a very young age and had almost no contact with anyone here except her grandfather. But at this moment, everyone was here, waiting for Old Master Zhou's will.

The lawyer arrived quickly with the will, but at the same time, another person also arrived—the estate administrator, Xu Yan.

Zhou Luming still remembered their first meeting. Xu Yan seemed like a quiet and reserved person, exuding an aura of unapproachability. At the time, she was wearing a well-fitting dark blue suit with an asymmetrical collar, sitting upright in her wheelchair, her quiet, deep black eyes silently observing everyone in the hall, as if trying to see through each and every one of them.

Old Master Zhou bequeathed his entire Zhou family business empire, worth tens of billions, to Zhou Luming, instantly transforming her from penniless into someone worthy of being listed among the richest people. However, Old Master Zhou had one condition—the inheritance left to Zhou Luming would be temporarily managed by Xu Yan, who would also be entrusted to take care of Zhou Luming. Only when Xu Yan felt the time was right could the inheritance be handed over to Zhou Luming.

Zhou Luming never understood the motives behind Old Master Zhou's arrangement, but given the circumstances, and facing a group of relatives dissatisfied with the distribution of the inheritance and eyeing her covetously, she had no choice but to join forces with Xu Yan, who seemed quite reliable. In a sense, she had no relatives or friends in the Zhou family, and the only one who could help her was Xu Yan, the estate administrator appointed by Old Master Zhou.

"I've already signed the contract. What work do you want me to do today?" Zhou Luming asked casually, arms crossed. "Boss Xu, aren't you going to come out and meet your new employee, me?"

Meanwhile, in a dark study on the second floor, only a few computer screens provided illumination. In front of these screens sat a slender woman, dressed in a custom-made red suit of fine fabric. To her left was a clear glass, and to her right, a mouse. She comfortably crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair, the light from the computer screens reflecting off her glasses.

However, her chair was unusual; it wasn't a normal chair, but a wheelchair.

She observed Zhou Luming from the shadows, using the mouse to zoom in on the signed contract on the table. After extracting Zhou Luming's signature, she compared it with a letter. The computer's processing and comparison results showed a 98% similarity in handwriting, preliminarily confirming that it was the same person's handwriting.

Then, a photo of Zhou Luming taken at the entrance was compared with her social media database, and the results showed that she was indeed Zhou Luming.

Xu Yan narrowed his eyes, still expressing doubt about the outcome.

A person who has lived abroad for over a decade, someone with virtually no social life and who rarely appears in public, suddenly becoming the heir to billions of dollars inevitably raises suspicions of impersonation. If such a thing were to happen under one's own name, wouldn't that ruin one's reputation?

The contents of Old Master Zhou's will are actually quite easy to understand. Zhou Luming is the Zhou family's illegitimate daughter; both her parents are deceased, and she was only found later, raising the possibility of identity theft. Xu Yan's task is to investigate Zhou Luming's identity and confirm that she is indeed a member of the Zhou family before entrusting her with the vast fortune.

Xu Yan couldn't allow herself to make a mistake, so she had been contacting everyone who had seen Zhou Luming for the past few days to confirm her identity. In addition to ID documents, handwriting, and facial recognition, she also needed to continue observing Zhou Luming.

"Actually, there's nothing wrong with your legs, right? You can clearly stand up, so why do you sit in a wheelchair and make people think you're disabled?" Zhou Luming, who was sitting on the sofa, was playing with a figurine on the coffee table when he suddenly asked.

Xu Yan asked, "What evidence do you have?"

Zhou Luming stood up and put the figurine back in its original position. "There are three steps at the entrance. How will you get in and out if you're in a wheelchair?"

"Because I don't usually go out."

"Then why are some of the shoes in your shoe cabinet covered in mud?"

"I got it on by accident."

Zhou Luming raised an eyebrow. The other party was still stubbornly denying it, but she had almost broken through her defenses. She silently recited the information she had found: "Xu Yan, 21 years old, from Haishi, graduated from the University of Chicago School of Law as an honors graduate, and gave the graduation speech on behalf of her graduating class. After graduation, she passed the New York State bar exam and obtained her law license. But for some unknown reason, she suddenly returned to China recently and then disappeared without a trace."

"Are you investigating me?" Xu Yan asked.

"Aren't you investigating me too?" Zhou Luming retorted. "Boss Xu, I saw that you were standing very tall and your legs were very nimble in that photo of you giving your speech as an outstanding graduate. Also, I didn't see you in a wheelchair when you were fishing at Haishi Port a few days ago."

She took out her phone and showed a photo. In the background of the photo, there was a person fishing, and judging from the profile, it was indeed Xu Yan.

Xu Yan stared silently at the smug face on the screen for a moment, then said, "You've passed the test and are qualified to be my assistant."

"Assessment?" Zhou Luming didn't expect this person to so casually turn a serious conflict into a lighthearted assessment.

"Hmm, assessment." This time, the voice didn't come from the monitor, but rather came directly from the front.

Zhou Luming looked up at the person descending the spiral staircase. She was no longer in her wheelchair, and was wearing a red striped suit, unbuttoned, revealing what appeared to be a white shirt or camisole underneath. Beneath this formal attire, however, she wore a pair of adorable, fluffy bunny slippers.

Xu Yan walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing with one hand, and calmly extended her hand to Zhou Luming.

"Hello, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Xu Yan, Xu as in promise and Yan as in promise."

Zhou Luming was taken aback by her actions. In her impression, a genius like Xu Yan was usually aloof and arrogant, disdainful of interacting with people. Moreover, she had just exposed her, so she should be a little annoyed. Why would she take the initiative to greet her?

Although that's what he thought, Zhou Luming still reached out and shook hands with her. Xu Yan's fingers were slender and her knuckles were distinct. She was as tall as she was and had a great figure. Looking at her face, even Zhou Luming, who was also a woman and a beautiful woman, was a little stunned. Fortunately, he was able to come back to his senses in time.

"Hello, I am Zhou Luming. Nice to meet you."

After Zhou Luming said the word, her cheeks inexplicably warmed up. She looked down at her hands clasped together with Xu Yan's. Although it was just a formality, it seemed to have a different feeling in that instant.

"Let's get to work." Xu Yan quickly withdrew his hand and returned to the living room.

--------------------

Author's Note:

have a good weekend.

Grand opening!

Chapter 2, Part 2

==================

"Work? What do you need me to do?" Zhou Luming looked bewildered. She thought that Xu Yan hiring her as an assistant was just a gimmick. After all, she and Xu Yan were only forced to deal with each other because of Old Master Zhou's will. She was after the inheritance, while Xu Yan was after the considerable commission fee. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

The employment agreement was just a formality; she only knew that Xu Yan was an estate administrator, but she had no idea what he was actually doing.

Xu Yan suddenly leaned closer to her face, stared into her eyes, and smiled. "I thought you had investigated my background thoroughly before you came. You just spoke so fluently about my background, but it was only superficial. Were you really prepared to face me before you came?"

Zhou Luming's heart pounded. Xu Yan's presence filled the air around him. The perfume she wore was a quiet sandalwood scent, and people who liked this kind of perfume were generally exceptionally calm and wise.

Xu Yan sneered, turned around and went upstairs, "Come with me."

Zhou Luming followed her upstairs. There was a huge studio on the second floor, but the curtains were drawn tightly, making it a bit dark. He could see a table, a computer, and a movable whiteboard, which was currently empty.

Turning around, Xu Yan had already pushed the wheelchair over, helped Zhou Luming into it, and stood in front of her, saying, "From now on, you are a 27-year-old computer programming genius, but due to an accident when you were young, you became disabled in both legs. You and a friend founded a game company, and your game was very successful, making you two successful people overnight. But everything came to an abrupt end. Your friend left you, your family didn't understand you, and finally one day you committed suicide, but you left nothing behind..."

Zhou Luming looked up at Xu Yan with his big eyes and asked, "Are you talking about Li Li, the founder of Company X?"

Xu Yan nodded.

Zhou Luming thought for a moment, "You pretended to be disabled in a wheelchair before because you wanted to experience Li Li's perspective and see the world from his point of view?"

Xu Yan nodded again, "You really are very smart."

"So, this studio—"

"I set up the office in the same style as Li Li's, adjusting the height of the desks and chairs, as well as the whiteboard." Xu Yan took a step and paced around the room, stopping at the window with a slight frown. "But I still can't find his will, which is an extremely troublesome matter."

A ray of light from outside shone through the narrow gap in the curtains onto her face, casting a soft, hazy glow that made her appear like a three-dimensional, upright stone sculpture.

Zhou Luming was stunned for a moment. "How do you know he left a will?"

“He emailed me, telling me that he had appointed me as his estate administrator, and then played a game with me, saying that he had hidden the will somewhere and that I had to find and execute it.”

“What a strange person,” Zhou Luming said. “Did you suddenly return to China because of his will?”

Xu Yan turned her head and gazed at Zhou Luming quietly for a while. Zhou Luming's shadowy figure was reflected in her dark, deep eyes. "It's not because of him. I returned to China for you."

Zhou Luming was startled. If these words hadn't come from a woman's mouth, he would have thought she was provoking him.

Xu Yan said, "Please don't misunderstand. I only returned to China to help with his funeral arrangements in order to repay Grandpa Zhou for sponsoring my studies abroad. To be precise, my return to China has nothing to do with you."

Zhou Luming muttered to himself, "The security guard was right, you're a weirdo too."

“My hearing is excellent. There are only the two of us here. If you don’t want me to hear you, please leave before commenting,” Xu Yan said coldly. “That’s enough of that. Now that you’re working for me today, I, as your boss, hereby order you: you cannot interrupt me when I’m speaking, as this will disrupt my train of thought. If you have any questions, please raise your hand. You can only ask when I give you permission…”

Before Xu Yan could finish speaking, Zhou Luming obediently raised his hand.

"What is it?" Xu Yan frowned.

Zhou Luming said, "I want to go to the restroom."

"Go."

Just as Zhou Luming was about to get up, he heard Xu Yan add, "Go in a wheelchair."

Zhou Luming: ...

Walking through the corridor, the restroom was at the end. Zhou Luming noticed that both sides of the corridor were covered with cameras, and he wondered what Xu Yan was guarding against.

Passing by the door of a room with an electronic lock, Zhou Luming didn't know the password or Xu Yan's fingerprint, so he couldn't unlock it for the time being. However, since the door was locked with an electronic lock, there might be a major secret Xu Yan held inside.

Just as he was about to reach out and touch the electronic lock, he heard a voice from behind, "What do you want to do?"

Zhou Luming's hand froze in mid-air. It was only a momentary lapse in concentration, but he quickly regained his composure. "Isn't this the restroom?"

“That’s not it, the one in front of you is,” Xu Yan said.

"Oh, sorry, I went to the wrong place." Zhou Luming continued forward, only to find that the threshold of the restroom was higher than usual, and she almost fell forward in her wheelchair. "Can I stand up now?"

"casual."

Zhou Luming stood up and casually locked the wheelchair wheels.

Xu Yan's dark eyes narrowed slightly.

Zhou Luming breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the bathroom and faced the mirror, turning on the tap to let the water run. The pressure Xu Yan exerted on her was so intense that sometimes she felt breathless. But Xu Yan was different from what she had imagined. She had assumed someone with talent in certain areas would be aloof and cold, and that was her initial impression. But now, after getting to know her, Zhou Luming realized her preconceived notions were wrong; Xu Yan was a far more unfathomable person than she had imagined.