Chapter 5: A Promise Across Continents
As evening fell over the mountain city, Adrian found himself alone in his room, the day's strategic planning complete. But as the adrenaline of discovery and planning began to fade, his mind drifted to something that had been nagging at him all day.
The ring. This impossible, ancient artifact that had somehow granted him extraordinary abilities. How? Why? His thoughts inevitably turned to the frail old grandmother who had sold it to him at the Panjiayuan antique market.
Her weathered face floated in his memory—those sad, knowing eyes that seemed to carry the weight of untold sorrows. And little Mengmeng, with her innocent smile and shabby clothes, clutching that worn cloth doll like it was her most precious treasure.
Adrian reached for his phone and opened his photo gallery, scrolling back to his Beijing trip. There it was—the photo he'd taken at the antique market. His heart clenched as he looked at the image of himself crouched down beside tiny Mengmeng, both of them smiling at the camera.
The little girl looked so small and fragile, her round face lit up with pure joy despite their obvious poverty. Her pigtails were tied with simple rubber bands, and her chubby cheeks made her look like a little angel. In the background, he could see the grandmother watching them with a gentle, almost melancholic smile.
"Mengmeng," Adrian whispered, his thumb gently tracing the child's image on the screen. A sudden, overwhelming concern washed over him. Where were they now? Were they still sitting in that same corner of the market? Was the little girl getting enough to eat? The hundred yuan he'd given them would only last so long.
The contrast struck him like a physical blow. Here he was, fighting for control of a business worth hundreds of billions of rupiah, while a child who had briefly touched his heart was probably still struggling just to have milk and bread.
Without hesitation, Adrian scrolled through his contacts and found Mr. Qiao's number. Despite the late hour, he knew his father's old friend would answer.
The phone rang twice before a familiar voice answered in Mandarin. "Adrian? Is everything alright? It's quite late."
"Uncle Qiao," Adrian said, switching to Mandarin as well. "I'm sorry to call so late, but I couldn't sleep. There's something I need to tell you about."
"What's troubling you, boy? You sound... different."
Adrian took a deep breath. "Uncle, you know how on my last day in Beijing, I said I was going to visit Panjiayuan market?"
"Yes, you mentioned you like antiques and old things. Did you find something interesting?"
"I found something more than interesting, Uncle. I found... well, I met an elderly grandmother there. She was sitting in a quiet corner with a little girl, maybe four years old. Her granddaughter, Mengmeng."
Mr. Qiao's voice grew attentive. "Go on."
"Uncle, they were so poor. The grandmother was trying to sell just a few worthless items—some rusty coins, a cracked bracelet. The little girl was wearing shabby clothes, playing with an old cloth doll. But when I approached them..." Adrian's voice softened. "Mengmeng had the most innocent smile I've ever seen."
"You helped them?"
"I bought something from the grandmother and tried to give her extra money, but she was so proud. She insisted on giving me correct change until I convinced her it was for Mengmeng's milk and bread." Adrian paused. "I took a photo with the little girl, Uncle. She was so shy but so sweet."
There was a gentle silence on the other end before Mr. Qiao spoke. "This child has touched your heart."
"I can't stop thinking about them. It's been days now, and I keep wondering... are they still sitting in that same corner? Is Mengmeng hungry tonight? The money I gave them wouldn't last long."
"Adrian, what are you asking me to do?"
"I need you to find them, Uncle." The words came out in a rush. "I know Beijing is huge, I know it sounds impossible, but—"
"Slow down, boy," Mr. Qiao's voice was calm but understanding. "You want me to find one elderly woman and a child in a city of twenty-three million people?"
"I know how it sounds," Adrian said desperately. "But Uncle, you have resources I don't have. Connections, people who know the streets, the markets. If anyone can do this, it's you."
Mr. Qiao was quiet for a long moment. "This is really important to you, isn't it?"
"More important than any business deal I've ever made," Adrian admitted. "Uncle, I've been blessed with so much—this company, this wealth, opportunities. But that little girl has nothing except a worn cloth doll and a grandmother who's struggling just to feed her. I can't just forget about them."
"Your father would be proud to hear you talk like this," Mr. Qiao said softly. "He always said true wealth isn't what you accumulate, it's what you're willing to share."
"So you'll help me?"
Another pause, then Mr. Qiao's voice came back with quiet resolve. "Adrian, I've built my business by believing that nothing is impossible if you're willing to pay the price and put in the work. Finding two people in Beijing? That's just another business problem to solve."
Adrian felt hope flooding through him. "Uncle—"
"Listen to me," Mr. Qiao continued, his voice gaining strength and determination. "I have distributors in every district of this city. I have drivers who know every street corner, security teams who've worked every market. But for this, Adrian, I'm going to do something I've never done before."
Adrian felt hope flooding through him. "What do you mean, Uncle?"
"I'm going to turn this entire city upside down. Every single street, every alley, every market stall, every corner where people gather—nothing will be left unchecked. I'll mobilize not just my business network, but every contact I've made in thirty years of building my empire."
Mr. Qiao's voice grew more intense. "I'll put a thousand men on the streets if I have to. I'll contact every police station, every neighborhood committee, every social worker in Beijing. I'll put up reward posters in every hutong, every subway station, every place where people might see them."
"Uncle, that sounds like—"
"Like I'm declaring war on this city to find two people?" Mr. Qiao's voice carried a fierce determination. "That's exactly what I'm doing, Adrian. I'll shut down my factories if necessary to redirect every worker to this search. I'll use my entire trucking fleet to canvas every district systematically."
Adrian was stunned by the scope of commitment in Mr. Qiao's voice.
"But why would you go that far, Uncle?"
"Because when your father helped me thirty years ago, he didn't just give me a business opportunity—he gave me a chance at life itself. Now you're showing me that same spirit, that same heart that sees beyond wealth to human suffering. If turning Beijing upside down is what it takes to find that grandmother and little Mengmeng, then that's exactly what we'll do."
Mr. Qiao paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was like steel. "Adrian, I'm going to mobilize resources that most people can't even imagine. Private investigators, security firms, street informants, even my connections in local government. If that old woman and her granddaughter are anywhere in this city—if they're sleeping under bridges, in shelters, in abandoned buildings, or still working the markets—we will find them."
"This is... incredible, Uncle."
"No, this is necessary," Mr. Qiao corrected firmly. "Tomorrow morning, I'm calling an emergency meeting with all my department heads. By noon, every single one of my employees will have that photo of Mengmeng. My delivery trucks will be showing her picture to people on every route. My warehouse workers will be asking questions in every neighborhood they live in."
Adrian felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of what Mr. Qiao was proposing.
"And if the markets don't yield results," Mr. Qiao continued, "I'll expand to the train stations, the bus terminals, anywhere people might go when they're struggling to survive. I'll contact homeless shelters, orphanages, hospitals—anywhere a grandmother might take a sick child."
"Uncle, the cost of all this—"
"Money?" Mr. Qiao's laugh was sharp. "Adrian, what good is wealth if we can't use it to find one hungry child? I'll spend a million yuan, ten million yuan if necessary. I'll hire every private detective in Beijing. I'll rent billboards if that's what it takes."
"I don't know what to say..."
"Say nothing. Just send me that photo and every detail you can remember. What they were wearing, exactly where you found them, what the grandmother looked like, anything the child said. In my experience, it's the small details that crack these kinds of cases."
"I'll send everything right now."
"Good. And Adrian? This search starts at sunrise tomorrow. I'm going to mobilize my entire network. Within 48 hours, we'll have teams covering every market, every street where an elderly woman might take a child to earn a few yuan. If they're still in Beijing, we'll find them."
Adrian felt his throat tighten with emotion. "Uncle, why are you willing to do this for me?"
Mr. Qiao's voice became warm and paternal. "Because thirty years ago, I was a desperate young man in a foreign city with nothing but hope and determination. Your father didn't just give me business opportunities—he showed me kindness when I needed it most. Now I see that same spirit in you. That little girl Mengmeng doesn't know it yet, but she's about to discover what it means to have someone with resources who truly cares about her welfare."
"What do you need from me?"
"Send me that photo again, and any other details you remember. The location where you met them, what they were wearing, anything the grandmother said. Every detail could be crucial."
"I'll send everything right now," Adrian said, already working on his phone.
"Good. And Adrian?" Mr. Qiao's voice carried the weight of absolute certainty. "This isn't just a search—this is a full-scale mobilization. At sunrise tomorrow, Beijing will witness the largest civilian search operation it has ever seen."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that by 6 AM tomorrow, I'll have coordinators in every major district of the city. By 8 AM, search teams will be deployed to every market, every street corner where the elderly might try to earn money. By noon, reward notices with Mengmeng's photo will be posted in every shop, every restaurant, every place where people gather."
Adrian felt his breath catch. "Uncle, that's—"
"That's what it means to turn a city upside down," Mr. Qiao finished. "Within 48 hours, there won't be a single person in Beijing who hasn't seen that little girl's face. Every taxi driver, every street vendor, every security guard—they'll all be looking for Mengmeng and her grandmother."
"The scope of this operation is incredible."
"It has to be. Beijing is massive, but so is my determination. I'll coordinate with local authorities, social services, even hospital networks. If that grandmother is ill, if Mengmeng needs medical attention, if they're staying in any kind of shelter or facility—we'll know about it."
Mr. Qiao's voice grew even more intense. "And if they're still on the streets, still trying to survive by selling things at markets, my teams will find them. Because I'm not just sending people to look—I'm creating a network so comprehensive that nothing will slip through."
After hanging up, Adrian immediately began typing out a detailed message to accompany the photo. He described the grandmother's brown clothing, Mengmeng's cloth doll, the rusty coins and cracked wooden bracelet they'd been trying to sell. Even the way the old woman had insisted on giving him correct change, refusing to accept extra money until he'd convinced her it was for Mengmeng's milk and bread.
He wrote about Mengmeng's shy giggle when he gave her candy, how she had clutched her doll protectively but still smiled for the camera. He described the exact corner of the market where he'd found them, the time of day, even the weather conditions.
As he finished typing out the details, Adrian realized something profound had changed within him today. Yes, he had awakened to new power and steely determination in dealing with his enemies. But he had also awakened to something else—a deeper understanding of what truly mattered.
His family wanted to destroy him out of greed. But somewhere in Beijing, a little girl who had nothing still smiled with innocent joy, and an old woman struggled to care for her with dignity despite their poverty.
The ring pulsed with gentle warmth on his finger, and suddenly Adrian felt something extraordinary happening. His consciousness seemed to expand, and in his mind's eye, he could see... space. An impossible, vast space that somehow existed within the ring itself.
Adrian gasped, his eyes widening in shock. Before him stretched what appeared to be an enormous empty warehouse, its dimensions seemingly stretching a thousand meters in every direction. The space was illuminated by a soft, ethereal light with no visible source, creating an almost heavenly atmosphere.
This can't be real, Adrian thought, but somehow he knew it was. The ring wasn't just granting him telepathic abilities—it contained an entire dimensional space within it.
Tentatively, Adrian picked up a pen from his desk. Focusing on the ring, he imagined placing the pen into that vast space. To his amazement, the pen vanished from his hand, and when he concentrated on the dimensional space again, he could see it floating in the endless expanse.
His heart racing, Adrian focused on retrieving the pen, and it instantly reappeared in his palm. But as he stared at it, something even more incredible happened—another identical pen materialized beside the first one in the dimensional space.
"Duplication," Adrian whispered in awe. The ring could not only store unlimited items in its dimensional space, but it could also create perfect copies of anything placed within it.
His mind reeled with the staggering possibilities before him. An infinite warehouse at his fingertips. The ability to multiply any object without end. Every necessity of life—sustenance, shelter, comfort—could now be provided in abundance to those who needed it most.
Adrian made a silent vow, his voice filled with newfound determination. Whatever battles he had to fight, whatever enemies he had to face, he would never forget the faces of those who truly needed help. He would use this incredible power not just to protect what was his, but to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
He looked at the photo one more time before sending the message to Mr. Qiao. Mengmeng's innocent eyes seemed to look directly at him from the screen, as if the little girl could somehow sense across time and distance that someone was thinking of her.
"I won't forget you," Adrian whispered to the image. "Uncle Qiao will find you, and when he does, you'll never have to be hungry again. I can make sure you have everything you need—forever."
Tomorrow, the war with his family would begin in earnest. But tonight, in the darkness of his room, Adrian Bong felt more powerful than he had ever imagined possible. The ring on his finger wasn't just about reading minds or gaining strategic advantages—it was about having unlimited resources to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
With a dimensional space of unimaginable size and the ability to duplicate anything endlessly, Adrian realized he held power that could reshape the world. Food for the hungry, medicine for the sick, resources for the poor—all could be provided without limit.
Outside, storm clouds continued to gather over the mountain city, but for the first time in days, Adrian felt genuinely invincible. In Beijing, a search was about to begin that would span the entire city. And somewhere in that vast metropolis, a little girl with a cloth doll was about to discover that true miracles still existed in this world.
The ring's warmth spread through Adrian's hand as he experimented further with its abilities. He took a bottle of expensive mineral water from his mini-fridge and placed it into the dimensional space. Instantly, dozens of identical bottles appeared floating in that endless expanse, all perfect copies of the original.
"Unlimited resources," he murmured, his mind already racing with possibilities. Mengmeng would never be hungry again. Her grandmother would never have to sell worthless trinkets just to survive. And his enemies? They had no idea what they were truly up against.
As he finally closed his eyes, Adrian's dreams were filled not with whispers of power or visions of conquest, but with images of a little girl's face lighting up with joy when she realized she would never have to worry about tomorrow again. The ring had given him the power of gods, and he intended to use it like one—protecting the innocent and punishing those who preyed upon them.