Winter in Nancheng cut straight to the bone.

A black sedan sliced past, cracking the thin ice on the road and kicking up dirty water.

Inside, the heat was blasting. The assistant in the passenger seat handed the file he’d dug up to the man in the back.

The man was dressed in a suit, long legs crossed, his expression flat as his eyes skimmed the papers.

“After Luna Mercer’s adoptive parents passed away, she was sent off to the orphanage. She’s already too old, so most people don’t want to adopt her. Once the New Year comes, she’ll be eighteen. After that, no one can adopt her anymore.”

Ethan Mercer lowered his phoenix eyes slightly. “This gets done today. No exceptions.”

The assistant nodded at once. “Understood.”

Before long, the car pulled up outside the orphanage in Nancheng.

The place looked seriously run-down. A lonely three-story building stood there by itself, hemmed in by iron fencing all around. The winter wind blew through it, making the whole place feel even bleaker.

The director had gotten word early that Ethan Mercer was coming. She had specially washed up and dressed neatly, then waited outside in the cold.

The assistant stepped out first and opened the rear door.

Ethan Mercer got out in a heavy overcoat, and the second he stood outside, a sharp gust of freezing wind hit him head-on.

“Mr. Mercer! Welcome, welcome to our Nancheng Orphanage!” The director put on a bright, eager smile and reached out her hand.

Ethan’s gaze brushed over it. He didn’t take it.

The smile on the director’s face froze on the spot. Awkward. Very awkward.

The assistant smoothly stepped in, shook her hand for him, and said with a polite smile, “Mr. Mercer doesn’t like physical contact with strangers. Director, let’s skip the small talk. Please take us inside.”

“Yes, of course, of course. Please come in, both of you.” The director forced a knowing smile. Rich people, huh. Always a little... particular.

As she led them in, she kept talking. “The children in our orphanage are all very obedient. Boys and girls, we have both. I’m just not sure what kind of child Mr. Mercer is hoping to adopt?”

The assistant heard that and immediately knew the message hadn’t been passed along properly. So he said, “We heard there’s a girl here named Luna Mercer. The one whose parents are both gone.”

The director’s smile twitched for a split second, clearly unnatural. “Her... right. I’ll have someone call her over right away.”

“No need. Lead the way.” Ethan’s deep voice cut in, low and cool, with no warmth in it.

The director stole a glance at him. His face was colder than the dead of winter itself. She didn’t dare keep looking. She hurriedly nodded and took them farther inside.

They entered Luna’s room.

Calling it a room was honestly generous. It was really just a cleaned-up storage closet. Fine dust still floated in the air. Not far from the door sat a tiny bed that belonged to Luna. Beside it was a large cabinet with a few books stacked on top, looking like standard middle school textbooks.

But Luna wasn’t there.

The director quickly explained, “She’s probably helping out in the kitchen. It’s dirty and messy there, Mr. Mercer. You really don’t need to go. I can just call her over.”

“It’s fine. Just take us there,” the assistant said, still smiling.

His smile didn’t look hostile, but somehow it still made the director feel pressured, like a weight pressing down on her chest. These two were clearly not people she could afford to offend. She could only grit her teeth and lead them toward the back courtyard.

Before they even got close, they heard it—

dull thuds, light but ugly, the sound of fists and kicks landing on flesh.

Ethan’s calm gaze shifted toward a cramped corner ahead.

“You got both your parents killed and you still won’t admit you’re a jinx? Beat her to death! If she dies, she can’t bring anyone else bad luck!”

“Exactly! Jinx! You are a jinx!”

“Hurry up and die already!”

The director obviously heard it too. Her face turned ugly on the spot, panic flashing through her eyes. She had a very bad feeling. Forcing herself forward, she stepped in front of Ethan and tried to block his line of sight.

“Mr. Mercer, Luna... she’s up ahead.”

“Move her aside.” Ethan’s tone stayed even, but it left no room for argument.

The assistant immediately obeyed and pulled the director out of Ethan’s way.

Ethan, meanwhile, lifted a leg and walked straight toward the source of the noise.

Three boys, each around five-foot-four or five-foot-five, were standing there, kicking a girl curled up on the ground.

You could vaguely see the back of her hands as she covered her head. They were swollen with chilblains, red and cracked from the cold. Kick after kick landed on her body, and she didn’t make a sound.

Ethan watched for a moment, expression unreadable.

Then the girl being beaten slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze met his.

Her eyes were bright—jet black, clear like pure glass. For some reason, they hit people right in the softest part of the heart.

Luna saw Ethan too.

The line of his suit pants made his legs look long and straight. Even wrapped in a thick overcoat, he didn’t look bulky at all. If anything, he looked refined, expensive, clean-cut—like some one-in-a-million gentleman who didn’t belong in a place like this.

He stood under the winter sun just as it began to break through the clouds, golden light spilling over him like a halo.

Compared to him, she felt like the distance between sky and dirt.

Maybe it was the way she kept staring, but Ethan suddenly felt a flicker of irritation.

And right then, those three little punks showed zero signs of stopping. If anything, they got even rougher.

Ethan lifted his long leg and kicked one of them over with brutal force.

The other two saw someone lay a hand on their buddy and instantly tried to jump in.

But they barely lasted a second.

After just a few moves, Ethan beat them badly enough that they clutched their heads and ran.

Once the three pieces of trash were dealt with, Ethan lowered his eyes and got a proper look at Luna’s miserable state.

Her hair was matted with muddy water. There wasn’t a single clean spot on her. She looked like a filthy little stray cat waiting for someone, anyone, to rescue her.

His voice stayed calm. “If someone bullies you, hit back. Hard. Got it?”

Luna didn’t really hear what he said.

Or maybe she heard it, but she had no energy left to process anything. Her body hurt everywhere—every bruise screaming, every frostbitten patch burning. Her consciousness was slipping.

She only closed her eyes and breathed out weakly, “Thank you...”

A moment later, she blacked out.

Ethan looked down at her for a long second. Then he bent and picked her up.

The assistant nearly had a heart attack. “Sir, should I do it instead?”

His boss had always been a clean freak. And though Luna was obviously different in terms of importance, she was still covered in mud and grime. It really didn’t seem like something Ethan would personally handle.

Ethan glanced at the girl in his arms. Those black, shining eyes of hers were shut now, and she had fully lost consciousness.

“No.”

The director edged closer and called carefully, “Mr. Mercer...”

Ethan shot her a cold look. “Handle the rest with my assistant.”

When Luna woke again, the first thing she felt was warmth.

A kind of warmth she had never felt before.

But her whole body still hurt. The pain from the beating. The pain from the frostbite. It was everywhere, gnawing at her without mercy.

How long was this kind of life supposed to go on?

“You’re awake?”

A chilly voice suddenly sounded by her ear. Luna turned her head and saw Ethan Mercer sitting there, his expression as indifferent as ever.

“Sir...”

“By seniority, you should call me Uncle.”

Ethan corrected her.

Luna froze.

The assistant standing nearby quickly explained, “You’ve been adopted by the Mercer family. From now on, you’re the only girl in the Mercer family.”

Then he launched into a full explanation, talking clearly and without pause.

Only then did Luna finally understand.

The Mercer family of Beicheng had businesses spread all over the world. Their reach was massive, practically locked into the lifeblood of the global economy.

The eldest son and his wife had three sons. The oldest grandson was a university professor, young but already carrying dozens of published papers to his name. The second was a rapidly rising top-tier celebrity. The third was currently fighting his way up in the business world, with zero intention of relying on the family.

As for Ethan Mercer—he was the younger brother of the couple who had adopted Luna.

And his power? That went without saying.

Not even thirty yet, and he had already ranked among the top hundred on the global Forbes rich list.