Debra looked sideways at Marion. "What''s wrong? You seem kind of tense."

    "It''s nothing." Marion kept his eyes on the road.

    After a long pause, he asked, "Is Robert going too?"

    "Probably. He is Theda''s bodyguard."

    "Then I''ll go too."

    Debra put her phone down and raised an eyebrow.

    "Why? You''re not worried I''ll find out about your embarrassing childhood stories

    from Robert, are you?"

    "I don''t have any embarrassing stories."

    "Right. You still haven''t told me anything about your childhood. I only know you

    went overseas, worked for Shawn, and teamed up with Drake and Robert. What

    about before that?"

    Suddenly, Marion mmed on the brakes.

    Debra almost bumped her head, but luckily Marion was quick to reach out and

    stop her from hitting the dashboard.

    Her heart skipped a beat, and when she looked up, she saw the worried

    expression on Marion''s face.

    "Are you all right?" He checked her forehead.

    Debra shook her head. "I''m fine. Just that stray cat darted out of nowhere at the

    wrong time."

    Marion patted her head. "Let''s go."

    ...

    The night grew darker, and the living room was dimly lit by a smallmp.

    Marion leaned back on the couch. The cigarette butts in the ashtray had long

    burned out.

    In his memories, even the operating room light was brighter than this.

    Standing outside was Caleb, looking worried. When the doctor came out, he

    immediately asked, "What''s wrong with the kid? Can he be treated?"

    The doctor shook his head. "It''s a

    congenital emotional defect. His

    brain is missing part of the neural

    system, meaning he can''t perceive

    emotions. I''m sorry. There is nothing

    we can do."

    His mother cried at the news,

    leaning into his father''s arms.

    Marion didn''t understand why she

    was crying, and neither could he

    Born with defects, he couldn''t feel fear, anger, or sadness. His emotions never

    fluctuated.

    The upside was, he could focus and

    learn faster than others. While his

    peers were chasing and ying, he

    didn''t feel the urge to do the same.

    Even when his parents died in that

    car ident, he didn''t shed a tear.

    Caleb kicked him out of the house and demanded, "From now on, you''ll learn how

    to live like a normal person."

    He had to learn about human emotions and expressions. He learned quickly and

    started making expressions in response to different situations.

    But he still didn''t understand why this world existed or the meaning of life.

    One day, his grandfather stood in front of the study window, facing away from him.

    Caleb said, "If you can''t find the meaning of life, then make revenge your purpose.

    Find the person who killed your parents."