Read Chapter 15: — THE KIDNEY

Before returning to Huashi, Mufeng flew to the United States to meet He Jiazhen.

He did it without warning Hua Suxian.

Jiazhen lived much of his life behind hospital glass. Illness had altered his face and body, but not his humour.

"You're the painter," he said when Mufeng appeared. "My cousin says you swim in rivers that have warning signs."

"The warning signs are usually exaggerated."

"That sounds like something people say shortly before rescue helicopters arrive."

Mufeng liked him immediately.

He placed his hand against the glass. Jiazhen placed his own on the other side.

The resemblance between them was harder to ignore in person.

Later, Mufeng met Hua.

"If I am medically compatible," he said, "I will donate a kidney."

The apple in Hua's hand fell to the floor.

"No."

"You haven't heard the rest."

"There is no rest."

Her refusal was absolute.

Mufeng stared at her. Everything Cai had told him—every dark theory he had built—shifted.

"Why did you bring me into Huashi?"

Hua closed her eyes briefly.

"Not for that. Never for that."

"Then why?"

"Because I knew of you. Because I wanted to help you. Because there are debts in families that have nothing to do with money."

She would say no more.

Jiazhen later explained that he himself had refused any plan involving Mufeng.

"I don't want another person's healthy life turned into the price of mine."

Mufeng felt ashamed of having imagined Hua as a woman who would engineer a career in exchange for an organ.

But the deeper mystery remained.

Why did she care about him so much?

He returned to China and rejoined Huashi, this time with conditions: transparent governance around the Yifeng Collection, independent quality controls, and authority to build a younger management team.

Hua agreed.

The collection launched the following year.

Steven Hall brought Paris Vent back as a European partner.

The door that had once closed in Paris reopened because Huashi had changed what stood behind its name.