Kyle Hong, a British national of Chinese descent, had moved to London a few years ago, rebelling against his family’ expectations.

It was time for the Hong gang and the Tachibana clan to choose their future leader. This time, they arranged a series of tests to determine which young master or miss would become the future mafia boss, ruling over both the Hong gang and the Tachibana clan, which together, controlled parts of the underworld in Hong Kong and Japan.

Kyle, the son of the Hong gang’s leader who had married with the Tachibana clan leader, was supposed to be the young master with the highest chance of taking over his parents’ throne and leading the combined mafia gangs. However, he refused the offer, fled to England, and took a job as a shop assistant for one of his father’s friends, who owned an antique shop.

Of course, his parents were furious and cut off his financial support, leaving him without access to the credit cards they’d given him or any of the benefits that came with his mafia status, which he had grown accustomed to since childhood. All he had left was a savings account and the modest income from his job, which wasn’t nearly enough to buy the luxury items he was used to.

But he stood his ground, refusing to give up and continued living like an ordinary man in London.

Not comfortable, but endurable.

“I just don’t get what you young people are thinking these days,” said the shop owner, a former member of the Hong gang who had retired a decade ago, as he restocked the shelves, “Being the leader would bring you a status you can’t even imagine, even as the young master. I thought youngsters were looking forward to this sort of thing. At least when I was your age, I dreamt of becoming the Boss.”

To be honest, the Hong gang and the Tachibana clan were somewhat considered the “good side”, especially when compared to those who did far worse. They even cooperated with the police to hunt down certain targets, like drug dealer, which led to an unspoken mutual agreement. As long as the combined mafia gang didn’t go too far, the police would turn a blind eye, and things generally went smoothly between the two sides.

“Nah, I don’t like violence.” Kyle said lazily as he restocked another aisle.

“Well, you could lead them in a direction where they don’t have to resort to violence anymore,” Uncle Chan suggested. “I’m sure you’ve noticed they’ve whitewashed most of their past. Now they’re registered companies running legal businesses. All you’d have to do is take over the business and guide them towards a brighter path, that’s all.”

“Nah, I’m not interested,” Kyle replied, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation. Sensing this, Uncle Chan let the topic drop and instead reminded him about his day off to visit the orphanage. “Take my car with you. You’re not seriously thinking of bringing those presents and cakes on the bus, are you?”

“Thanks, uncle!”

He went to the orphanage, saw the peculiar yet kind little girl, and received the decorated pendant a few days later. He felt the simple joy of helping others and accepted the girl’s gift with gratitude. After that, he put the matter aside and continued his life as usual.

One day, he went back to Hong Kong, sponsored by Uncle Chan, to select some new statues for the shop, just as he’d done a few times before. He didn’t visit his father’s manor, nor did he approach areas controlled by his father’s gang. He stuck to places tightly secured by the police. It had been smooth sailing the last few times, but not this time.

Someone was tailing him.

Although he had refused to accept his fate, unwilling to pursue the throne, he had learned a few moves to protect himself.

He quickly mapped out the nearest police station in his mind and subtly altered his route to head in that direction. However, his attempt was soon noticed. He found himself surrounded by a gang of men sporting dyed hairs, tattoos, cigarettes, and gold chain necklaces. Some looked muscular, others younger, all armed with steel bar and blades. Among them, one wore a helmet, with something suspiciously concealed in his pocket – something no ordinary person could acquire. Their intentions were clear: they wanted him dead in this dark alley.

Punches and kicks flew as Kyle managed to grab a blade from one of them, defending himself as they launched their attack.

There was no holding back; he gave it everything he had, striking with the blade he’d seized. If he didn’t go all out, he’d certainly die here. He had no time to consider whether he’d taken someone’s life.

After taking down a few of them, he bolted towards another alley, dodging a few muted gunshots by using whatever obstacles he could find. He finally reached a busy street where he knew they’d have to stop; they wouldn’t risk drawing public attention. That would mean trouble – challenging the authorities would lead to strong enforcement by the police, constant patrols in their territory, blocking every opportunity for profit or escape. It wasn’t in their best interest.

But the shooter decided to take one last shot. Just as Kyle was about to step onto the bustling street, a bullet struck him in the back, right in his spine.

He felt a sharp, burning pain as he collapsed onto the doorstep of a nearby shop. Screams echoed around him as people fled for their lives, and the gang members retreated.

He heard someone calling for the police and an ambulance. Then it hit him - he was still processing everything he’d heard and seen. He hadn’t blacked out; he was still conscious.

What is going on...He wondered, then he realized, he could move.

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He slowly crawled up, using his knees and elbows, panting heavily with sweats dripping down his face and his chest burning from the frantic breath he was taking. But...the pain in his back was gone. He survived!? But...how?

Then he heard a faint crackling sound. It was so soft that under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have noticed it, but somehow, he did. It came from something on his chest, beneath his shirt.

He pulled out the necklace, and right before his eyes, the jade pendant shattered into pieces. It clicked in his mind - the jade pendant had saved him, offering some sort of protection.

There’s a common belief in Chinese culture that if an accessory, especially one made of jade, cracks or shatters, it means it has protected you from danger. It could be from something mundane, like a car accident, or something supernatural, like a ghostly encounter.

Of course, such beliefs are usually reserved for accessories that have been blessed by Buddhist monks, Taoist priests, or other practitioners with mystical powers. Most young people these days don’t believe in such things – there's no scientific proof, after all. Many dismiss it as placebo effect for the elderly, or worse, as a scam by fake monks and priests preying on superstitious old folks.

Kyle never imagined that his pendant would shatter in front of him right after taking a bullet, just like those old folks believed. He thought he might be hallucinating, but the medical report confirmed he had taken a severe blow to the spine, yet somehow, only a bruise was found. He had miraculously survived.

“Don’t worry, son,” his father, Mr. Richard Hong, said, standing by his hospital bed. “I promise they’ll pay for this.”

His mother, Lady Sato, sat down on a stool beside him, “The leader of the Fay Loong gang died a few months ago, and now the underlings are all scrambling to secure the throne. Chaos has erupted throughout their territory, and you just happened to show up at the wrong time. They probably assumed you were there on our behalf, supporting one of the factions...But still, the one who targeted you is far too reckless to lead a gang.”

“They’ll be gone within the month.” Mr. Hong said, as if it were just a task to be completed with his approval.

“I don’t care.” Kyle sighed, “You know, this is why I don’t want to take part in the competition for your position. Once I get involved, it’s likely I’ll never have peace for the rest of my life. I’ve had enough of all this...”

Being kidnapped, threaten, kept at a distance; so-called “friends” who were either gold diggers or spies sent by rival gangs or the police...He longed for a normal life, but it seemed impossible to escape it all. His parents were still the leaders and seemed destined to remain in the underworld forever.

“I’m going back to London as soon as I’m discharged,” he said, and silently added, and I’ll repay the girl who saved me with that jade pendant.

However, when he returned to England and contacted the orphanage about adoption, the director politely reclined, not even hinting that she would discuss it with the girl.

“Why? I mean...” Kyle asked nervously, “I thought it would be better for the children to be adopted by willing parents? If you doubt my ability to be a good parent, you can always do surprise visits to check on her well-being. I can even report to you monthly or weekly if needed...”

“No, Mr. Hong, we don’t have any issues with you adopting our children, but with Scarlet, it’s a different case.” The director’s voice was calm over the phone. “She has a detailed plan for her future, and being adopted isn’t part of it. We respect her decision.”

“Well, could I at least visit her from time to time?”

“Yes, of course. We welcome anyone who wishes to visit our home,” the director said warmly, “Just give us a call beforehand so we could let you know if Scarlet is around. She might be attending competitions or events away from orphanage, you know.”

“Sure, thanks.”

Not long after that phone call, Kyle finally had the opportunity to meet the girl named Scarlet.

It was a Tuesday morning. When he arrived, only the orphanage director. Madame Brown, Scarlet, and two infants were in the house.

After a few welcoming words, Scarlet requested a private conversation. To Kyle’s surprise, Madame Brown agree, and soon they were both sitting alone in the director’s office.

“I heard you want to adopt me?” Scarlet Smith, a seven-year-old girl, spoke with a tone far too mature for her age - another surprise for Kyle, who was beginning to grow immune to the string of surprises that seemed to bombard him.

“Yes, and I promise I would love you as my own child and give you everything I can if it would bring you happiness,” Kyle said sincerely. A warm and stable family - this was the best way he could think of to repay an orphan like Scarlet. Though he had some financial challenges and couldn’t offer her a manor or castle like those he was accustomed to with so many credit cards, a cozy apartment was still within his means.

Scarlet stared at him for a moment. Gazing at the man before her, she decided to take the biggest gamble of her life.

She wasn’t an ordinary girl, nor was the man in front of her. She could sense the man was lost in his path, just as she had lost her anchor point in this world.

Perhaps I need to form a bond with someone, a family, an anchor in this unknown world, Scarlet mused.

She then handed him a book - a novel, to be precise. “How quickly can you get through a book?”

“Pretty fast, I think.”

“Quick enough to extract the main points from the story?”

“Yes...so?”

“Please skim through the book first, and then we can continue our discussion.” Scarlet tapped the cover of the book twice to get his attention. Only then did Kyle notice that the author’s name was Scarlet Smith!

“You...wrote this book?” Kyle was puzzled but saw that the little girl wouldn’t say anything more until he skimmed through it. He couldn’t help but start reading.

The story was fascinating, with a unique world-building concept involving many abnormalities and a magical group called the Caster Association, which fought against these anomalies to protect the world. Kyle found himself wanting to read it in detail later, but for now, he focused on extracting the key points.

A few minutes later, he closed the book, and the title Akahime’s Diary: The daily Life of a Caster caught his eyes again. He praised her, “You have such creative ideas! It must have been hard for you to write so many words...”

“I’m Akahime.” Scarlet interrupted before Kyle could finish his sentence. She watched his astonished expression and emphasised, “I’m Akahime, the caster in the story. That was my previous life, and I was reincarnated into this world as a newborn child.”

Kyle was stunned, “...you’re joking, right?”

“I’m telling the truth.” Scarlet replied calmly.

“And you expect me to believe in your story?” Kyle regarded the girl he was about to adopt with a mixture of curiosity and scepticism.

“Well then, care to explain the jade pendant I gave you?” Scarlet asked with a casual air. “I don’t imagine there are many girls who could enchant a jade pendant for protection.”

She rarely acted without gathering information first. In her previous life, she’d often found herself at a disadvantage due to insufficient information – once, it nearly cost her life. However, this time, she decided to take a gamble, seeking a future where she could have a family member she could rely on, just like a regular blood relative.

And she knew she was right when she heard he’d survived a gunshot instead of the car crash she’d expected when she sensed the pendant she gave him shattered. An extraordinary girl with an extraordinary man - a pair of odd, yet somehow fitting, father and daughter.

She had a family now.