He Juan was stunned when this thought crossed his mind.

It seemed like he had once wondered whether they had ever met before, because... being with Mu Yuze was just so easy, so natural as if they had known each other forever. However, the ’before’ in his mind referred to the last seven years following his accident. As for the period before that... He Juan had never even thought about it!

But after listening to Mu Yuze’s words, he was forced to face the mind-boggling possibility of ’what if’ — what if, like Jia Molei, Mu Yuze also knew him before he lost his memory?

When he pondered more about it, many things started to make sense. Sometimes, he wondered why Mu Yuze chose him of all people. When he looked into those black-blue eyes that were filled with nothing but him, he found himself asking... how could Mu Yuze look at no one but him? How could Mu Yuze be so sure that He Juan was the Alpha he wanted? Was it because they were true mates or... was there a deeper reason for that?

He Juan did not have any good qualities befitting a superior Alpha. He was neither imposing nor dignified, he was dirt poor, his body was riddled with scars and there was even a possibility that he would wake up one day only to forget the names of the people he loved. No matter from which angle he inspected it, Mu Yuze had gotten the short end of the stick by choosing him. Mu Yuze was so brilliant, beautiful and talented, he could have had the best Alpha in the world but no – he just had to choose He Juan, this amnesiac man with dubious background.

Why?

The answer was simple: because he had known He Juan before this.

"Oh God..." He Juan buried his face into his palms. This shocking revelation was too much for him. Part of him still wanted to remain in self-denial but somehow, his instinct told him that his guess was correct. Mu Yuze was indeed someone from his past.

Heavens, he had been running around in circles trying to discover any hint about who he really was, yet as it turned out, he could just ask the person beside him?!

And the most important question was, what kind of relationship did they use to have?

He Juan was almost tempted to grab his phone and call Mu Yuze to make things clear once and for all, but then he recalled how he had caused Mu Yuze to break down and he could only curb his attention for the time being. No... he couldn’t meet Mu Yuze. Not yet. There was a great danger looming in the corner and He Juan had to be on the highest state of alert at all times. And he knew that just seeing Mu Yuze’s face right now would make his resolve crumble down like a house of cards blown by a puff of air.

Just a few more days, he told himself, just a few more days and he would return to Mu Yuze’s side...

"I will come back..." he repeated the words he had just recorded and sent to Su Xieren, asking him to pass it onto My Yuze when his emotions stabilized. He stared into the far distance as if he could see the figure of another person in his mind’s eye, a soft sigh escaping his lips. "I will definitely come back to you. I promise."

***

Time passed by differently for each person. For example, He Juan felt like these sixty hours had crawled slower than a turtle trying to hike up a mountain, whereas for the officers in Yuyang Municipal Bureau, they wished that each second had stretched and elongated into hours so that they could have more time to prepare themselves.

This was a major ambush! They had to stake their all into this, otherwise they would definitely regret it for a lifetime!

Fifty people had been chosen for this operation, all of them were elites and cream of the crop in the Bureau. They also welcomed a few additional officers from the neighboring cities who had expressed their desire to help. Plans were formulated for hours through intense discussion, the blueprints of Jingnan Harbor were studied down to the last details, and the most optimal location for the ambush was set.

Everything was finally ready and all they had to prepare was themselves.

An undercover team that was placed near Jingnan Harbor had detected the first signs of activity the night prior to the operation. According to the report, a load-bearing truck had entered through the south entrance. This was not uncommon for Jingnan Harbor was renowned for its cargo ships and merchant’s haven.

Early in the morning, the harbor would usually get crowded by fishermen making a living and ships crossing the sea. But once night descended, it would be utterly serene and tranquil. There was only one reason for that: the waves at night were treacherous and deadly. Since a few accidents where fishermen – together with their boats – were drowned when trying to sail at night, all business had been closed once the sun set.

That’s why even though it was not uncommon for a load-bearing truck to enter the harbor, the time of its appearance still warranted enough suspicion for the undercover team to be alert. They fixed their attention to the harbor, but aside from that truck, there was no other activity for the rest of the night.

***

On the day of the major operation.

Fifty armed officers got into ten different cars which would then diverge to surround the harbor from all directions. Even though the higher-ups had confirmed that the meet-up would take place in Jingnan Harbor, they still had no idea of its exact location and that’s why a lot of impromptu decisions were needed to be made on the spot.

pm. The command car stopped in an inconspicuous spot outside Jingnan Harbor, and inside sat Director Zhang, Li Zhi, Rong Simo, Tak Jung-Hwa and... Mu Yuze.

Li Zhi glanced at the man beside him with a complicated gaze. He looked no different than usual aside from the bandage around his neck and his slightly paler complexion. Yet this was the same person who had come to him before dawn broke and said, "I will offer you information about one of the core members of Xuanlong. In return, please let me join the ambush."

And the person he’d like to report was none other than... his own Alpha, He Juan!