hollywood billionaire

Chapter 578 The Legend of Han Yi: Prologue

"I'm sorry, darling."

Looking at Barbara lying in front of him, Han Yi blinked his still sore and sleepy eyes, no matter how much he slept, and said softly.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Barbara was tracing his features with her eyes and fingertips, memorizing them once again. She shifted her gaze from the bridge of his nose to meet his eyes and asked.

"Because I was supposed to continue training today." Han Yi chuckled wryly as he stretched his shoulders, immediately feeling the soreness in his muscles. "But I just resumed working out yesterday, and I didn't expect my body to be so overwhelmed. The pain was even worse when I woke up today, it's just..."

He tried to sit up, but found that even this simple movement involved all the muscles in his body, which made him gasp.

The aftereffects weren't too noticeable when he enjoyed that long dinner at Le Cinq last night, but after a night of fermentation, the belated muscle soreness is now spreading throughout his limbs.

Barbara chuckled, reaching out to press his shoulder and helping him lie back down on the pillow. "I wasn't expecting you to continue today anyway. It's normal for muscles to need at least a day or two to recover and adapt after such a long time of training."

Her fingers gently traced circles on his tense shoulders, as if soothing a wounded little animal.

"But I'm... quite anxious," Han Yi said in a low voice, his eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Why?" Barbara stopped what she was doing and turned her head to look at him.

"I want to get better as soon as possible." Han Yi was silent for a moment, and finally gave a vague reason.

Of course, he couldn't tell the truth. What truly worried him was the $12 billion lying quietly in his memo—the hefty reward that would only be available after completing his fitness goals.

His fitness progress is lagging, which means he'll have to postpone receiving his next reward. Right now, he urgently needs to accumulate more wealth to prepare for his next move.

“It’s okay.” Barbara obviously didn’t think much of it. She sat up straight and generously showed off her body curves in the morning light, which Han Yi would still be captivated by no matter how many times he looked at them. “We’re going out to play all day anyway, so walking around and looking at things can be considered a form of exercise.”

"Okay." Han Yi replied, raising his hand to gently stroke her soft hair. "Don't worry, you may not have the strength to climb hills, but you can still walk."

"I hope you can still be this stubborn when your schedule ends today." Barbara smiled and leaned down to kiss Han Yi's forehead. "I'll go wash up first, you can lie down for a while longer?"

"I'm not lying down anymore. The longer I lie down, the lazier I get, and the more it hurts." Han Yi responded with a smile. "You go first, I'll be there soon."

"OK."

Barbara rolled out of bed and went into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water came from the shower.

Han Yi sat quietly by the bed for a moment, making sure the sound of water was enough to cover up any subtle movements, before reaching for his phone on the bedside table.

His fingers moved skillfully across the screen.

The first and most important step was that he quickly checked the three chat boxes in the two instant messaging software programs.

Xu Yiru, Zhao Youzhen, Madison Bill.

I've replied to all the messages the three girls sent last night... Great, no new messages have come in yet.

Han Yi quickly glanced at the chat history, and only after confirming that he had not missed any content that required a response did he open the memo.

He stared at the blank input box for a few seconds, his finger hovering over the screen, before slowly typing two lines:

Good morning, everyone.

[I have a question—if I want to buy assets in the future that force me to appear in public and be scrutinized by the world, could you provide me with a plausible and legal disguise, or a flawless backstory, to explain the source of these huge cash rewards?]

send.

Han Yi stared at the screen, his heart inexplicably racing.

He had actually wanted to ask this question for a long time.

To Han Yi's surprise, the memorandum did not remain silent or simply answer yes or no. Instead, as if it had anticipated Han Yi's question and had prepared in advance, a long passage of text suddenly appeared.

Every great story needs a prologue.

You've finally started to think about the most important question: all wealth and power in the world needs a face.

Anonymous cash is like a distant bell tolling through human society, capable of evoking responses, yet formless and invisible. It can purchase assets, but cannot establish dynasties.

A person without a past, even if they possess the world, is merely a wealthy vagabond. The enormous rewards you have accumulated, and the vast wealth you are about to unlock, have long surpassed any realm that can be explained by common sense.

Therefore, please note that what you need is not a disguise, but a legend. A flawless, indestructible identity that can be accepted by the whole world.

Long before you came into this world, we laid the foundations for your legend. Globally, we've established a complete chain of evidence: legal documents, historical records, limited liability companies, trust funds, bank account transaction traces, and the necessary networks. An ancient family lurking in the shadows, a terrifying prehistoric behemoth. Now, actively complete the objectives of this stage, unlock rewards, and unveil your origin story.

Han Yi, keep moving forward, you will become the legend you have chosen.

Staring at the text on the screen, Han Yi froze on the spot.

His pupils contracted slightly in the morning light, and his breathing unconsciously slowed down.

Shock.

Unprecedented shock.

He had initially thought the memo would merely provide him with a superficial disguise—perhaps a fake British Virgin Islands passport with a fictitious name printed on it, or a Cayman Islands trust fund with seemingly legitimate fund transfers in its account, or even a few meticulously forged investment documents to appease any inquiries from curious onlookers.

This ambiguous approach was enough to help him cover up his lie and prevent him from appearing too suspicious under the scrutiny of outsiders.

But I didn't expect...

The answer provided in the memo far exceeded his expectations.

It's not a disguise.

It is a legend.

A family that came into existence from nothing, yet seems to have truly existed for decades or even centuries.

Han Yi's fingers trembled slightly as he read the passage again from the beginning.

"Long before you came into this world, we prepared the foundation for your legend..."

A long time ago?

how long?

Ten years? Twenty years? Or... to the point that even figures currently active in the business and political worlds cannot distinguish the genuine from the fake in the old documents?

A global chain of evidence.

Complete legal documents.

Historical records.

Limited Liability Company.

Trust fund.

Bank account transaction records.

Necessary network of contacts.

These things cannot appear out of thin air overnight. They require time to mature, layers of operation to be carried out, and countless details to be refined before they can withstand investigation by any professional institution.

Han Yi's heart was pounding violently, and his chest felt as if it were being shaken so hard it was aching.

Where does this family come from?
Is it Europe? Asia? Or the Americas?
What does it do?

Finance? Real estate? Manufacturing? Or some more mysterious, more obscure industry?

What is its historical background?

Were they newly rich who rose to prominence during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution? Or even earlier, as far back as the Renaissance or the Middle Ages?
Most importantly—are there any other real people in this family?

Han Yi felt like he was about to stop breathing.

If they exist, who are they? Are they real humans, or... shadows created by the memo, hidden in the shadows of human society?
If not, where did the other members of this family go? Did they die? Did they retire? Or did they never exist at all?
Or...

Han Yi's pupils contracted again.

Is this family itself "them"?
The moment this thought crossed Han Yi's mind, he felt a bone-chilling cold rise from his spine and spread to his limbs and bones.

If this family is the embodiment of "them", then everything he possesses now is not a gift from nowhere, but... an inheritance?
He inherited an ancient, powerful family hidden in the dark side of the world.
The more Han Yi thought about this problem, the more mixed his feelings became.

Scared.

Fear of the unknown.

at a loss.

The helplessness of not being able to sort out the logic through common sense.

fear.

Fear of those things that may exist, things that are far beyond human comprehension.

but……

Han Yi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

But the strongest feeling was the excitement that made his mouth dry and his blood boil.

This was the thought that resonated most strongly within him.

After the initial satisfaction of their desire for wealth and the temporary cessation of their craving for power, their thirst for knowledge and curiosity about the world gradually begin to take over.

That's why he didn't indulge in luxury cars, yachts, and mansions.

Those things, though beautiful and alluring, are ultimately just appearances, merely the surface of this world.

He buys cultural relics in order to explore the world more deeply—those bronzes that have survived for thousands of years, those paintings and calligraphy that carry the wisdom of the ancients, behind them are the codes of human civilization and the traces of time.

And what could satisfy his thirst for knowledge and curiosity better than exploring the origin story prepared for him in the memo?

At this point, Han Yi finally became completely certain of his feelings.

To accomplish this feat, to unveil his legend, and to delve into the family that was tailor-made for him—isn't this very act itself the strongest positive feedback for him?
and……

A slow smile curved Han Yi's lips.

What makes him even happier is that knowing such an origin story exists allows him to confidently and boldly do many things he previously wanted to do but dared not.

The acquisition of AC Milan was just such a thing.

It was a world-renowned football club, and acquiring it meant he had to stand in the spotlight and be scrutinized by the global media. The source of every penny of funding would be thoroughly investigated, and every decision would be examined under a microscope.

For the past two days, he hesitated to make a final decision because he couldn't find an effective way to explain the source of his wealth.

but now……

If he has an ancient, powerful, and low-profile aristocratic family behind him, then everything makes sense.

The family heir, a young and promising new generation of tycoons, acquires a European powerhouse out of his love for football. This is not only reasonable, but also carries a touch of romanticism.

Of course, it's not just AC Milan.

From now on, he can freely pursue any assets that require his personal visibility, any investments that will bring his name to the Forbes, the Financial Times, or the Wall Street Journal.

He can live more without any worries.

He is now more focused on the goals set by the memo and his own heart from the day he was reborn.

In this life, live the life you most desire to live.

Live the freest, most powerful, and most authentic life...

protagonist.

"baby."

Just as Han Yi was feeling excited, the bathroom door clicked open, and Barbara's gentle call came through.

Han Yi turned his head to the left, his gaze passing over the separate dressing room in the suite, and looked at Barbara standing at the bathroom door.

She was wrapped in a bath towel, her hair still wet, and her exposed skin glistened with water droplets, like a forest sprite just emerging from the morning mist. The steam around her made her look exquisitely charming. The towel outlined the graceful curves of her body, those familiar undulations that made his already erratic breathing even more disordered.

“I’m done washing.” Barbara dried her hair with another small towel and gave him a sweet smile. “You can go wash now.”

Han Yi did not speak immediately.

He simply looked at her quietly and nodded.

Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, all that remained in them was a burning determination that could scorch a person.

He suddenly stood up from the edge of the bed, not even bothering to put on his slippers, and walked barefoot across the carpet to Barbara.

He approached Barbara, so close that he could smell the fragrance of her shower gel mixed with her own scent, and so close that he could see the tiny water droplets still clinging to her eyelashes.

"Do you mind..." Han Yi asked in a low voice, his voice carrying a dangerous huskiness and magnetism, "taking another shower?"

"Hmm?" Barbara blinked in confusion. "Why?"

The next second, Han Yi's lips curled into a wicked smile, and his hand was already around her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin through the bath towel: "Because I suddenly feel less pain in my body."

He paused, staring intently into her eyes, and said, word by word, "I want to continue training with you... in the bathroom."

Barbara was stunned for two seconds before she understood the true meaning of the "training" he was talking about.

With a soft gasp of surprise and delight, Han Yi had already wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's slender waist and lifted her up in his arms.

Barbara instinctively wrapped her legs around his strong waist and her arms around his neck.

Han Yi steadily supported her and strode into the bathroom.

"I thought you really couldn't move at all today."

Barbara smiled sweetly and nibbled on her boyfriend's ear, her voice tinged with a hint of coquettishness.

"Some things..."

Han Yi lowered his head and lightly pecked her lips, a sly glint in his eyes.

"It's worth it, no matter how painful it is."

boom--

The bathroom door closed behind them.

All tenderness was confined to this private space.

Outside, the Parisian morning light, shrouded in mist, streamed into the bedroom through the French windows, bathing everything in a hazy, golden glow.

A few minutes later, the sound of water gurgling up again, a mixture of gentleness and unrestrained passion, began the first movement of this beautiful morning.

(End of this chapter)