Jiang Shuqin's eyes brimmed with tenderness.
Indeed, Li'er resembled her son far more than Lin Xuan ever did.
The mention of Lin Xuan made Jiang Shuqin recall Lin Li's earlier hesitation, and her expression darkened abruptly.
She clenched her fists.
It had to be Lin Xuan’s fault!
Their family had been perfectly fine before—until Lin Xuan came along, that jinx. It was because of him that Lin Chang had strayed.
She truly regretted giving birth to Lin Xuan.
And worse, she shouldn’t have been soft-hearted and merely abandoned him—she should have strangled him at birth!
---
Su Corporation.
Though Shen Qianqian’s people had been staking out the place, Su Hua had no trouble slipping into the company without their knowledge.
She had already been coming to work for two days, yet Shen Qianqian’s men remained oblivious.
"President Su." Jiang Qing knocked and entered the office. "Young Master Lin has sent people to tail Shen Qianqian."
Su Hua frowned. "What is A-Xuan planning?"
Jiang Qing replied, "President Su, don’t worry. There’s no way Young Master Lin would have any interest in Shen Qianqian. If he’s having her followed, it must be for some other purpose."
Worried that Su Hua might misunderstand Lin Xuan, Jiang Qing launched into a frantic explanation.
"If Young Master Lin wanted anything to do with Shen Qianqian, he wouldn’t need to go to such lengths. She’s utterly obsessed with him—just a flick of his finger, and she’d come running. There’d be no need for all this trouble."
Su Hua’s red lips parted slightly. "I trust A-Xuan."
A woman like Shen Qianqin could never catch A-Xuan’s eye.
The only reason Su Hua disliked her was because of that ridiculous childhood marriage pact—and the fact that Shen Qianqian dared to covet her A-Xuan.
"However," Su Hua’s gaze turned icy as she narrowed her beautiful eyes at Jiang Qing, "Secretary Jiang, you seem awfully trusting of A-Xuan. You’re always speaking up for him."
Alarm bells rang in Jiang Qing’s mind.
Oh no, the President sounds jealous. She might even suspect I secretly have feelings for Young Master Lin!
I’m innocent! I’m thirty years old—what would I want with a young man?
Besides, the only reason I defend him is to keep the President from losing her temper over his affairs. If she gets angry, we subordinates are the ones who’ll suffer!
Jiang Qing carefully weighed her words.
For the sake of her own survival, she had to answer perfectly.
"President Su, it’s not that I trust Young Master Lin—it’s just that he’s utterly devoted to you." Jiang Qing smiled. "His eyes see no one else. How could he possibly spare a glance for another woman?"
Su Hua’s expression softened with satisfaction.
"Double bonus this month."
"Thank you, President Su!" Jiang Qing beamed.
As expected, clinging to Young Master Lin’s coattails never fails.
Honestly, those coattails are ridiculously thick.
"Oh, President Su, what should we do about Young Master Lin having Shen Qianqian followed?" Jiang Qing asked.
"Leave it be."
Su Hua paused. "But report any developments immediately."
"Yes, President Su."
Jiang Qing nodded, though inwardly she sighed.
Even though Su Hua chose to trust Lin Xuan now, those two years of his desperate escape—and the betrayals of everyone else around her in the past—had left a lingering unease.
A fear that losing him might mean this happiness was nothing but a fleeting illusion, like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon cast upon water.
So Su Hua still wanted to know everything Lin Xuan did.
He was like a kite, free to soar the skies, but she was the one holding the string, keeping him firmly within her grasp.
No matter how high he flew, he could never escape her control.
Jiang Qing could only hope that one day, Lin Xuan would dispel the last traces of Su Hua’s insecurity.
---
Meanwhile, Lin Li left the Lin residence under the pretense of school business and headed straight for the detention center.
Wang Yajun had confessed to plotting Du Hui’s murder and would soon be sentenced.
"Li'er!"
The moment Wang Yajun saw Lin Li, she became visibly agitated.
"Stay calm," a guard barked.
Wang Yajun shot a cautious glance at the officer and forced herself to sit still, picking up the phone.
"Li'er, it was all Lin Xuan’s doing." Wang Yajun’s eyes burned with hatred. "If not for him, my affair with Lin Chang would never have been exposed. And the car accident—I could’ve gotten away with it!"
"Li'er, you have to help me."
Help me get revenge.
Wang Yajun mouthed the last words silently, not daring to be too obvious under the guard’s watchful gaze.
"Mom?"
The guard’s ears perked up.
He recognized Lin Li—his scandalous exposure at the birthday banquet, where footage of his affair went viral, had been juicy gossip for weeks.
But wasn’t Lin Li the son of Lin Chang and Jiang Shuqin?
Why was he calling this mistress Mom?
Did that mean the mistress’s son had been planted in the legal wife’s household and raised as her own?
Now that’s some explosive tea!
The guard’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Lin Li’s voice was low but firm. "Mom, don’t worry. I won’t let him get away with this."
Lin Xuan had ruined him—he’d make sure to repay the favor.
"Li'er, it’s not just Lin Xuan. Jiang Shuqin, her three daughters—none of them deserve mercy!"
Wang Yajun’s face twisted with venom. "They stole my happiness! I should’ve been Lin Chang’s rightful wife, not reduced to this!"
Lin Li nodded. "I know."
"Li'er..." Wang Yajun’s eyes reddened. "Without me by your side, you must be careful at Starlight Group. Don’t let them suspect anything, or they’ll destroy you."
"Time’s up. Hang up now," the guard said flatly.
Wang Yajun begged, "Just a little longer, please!"
She turned back to Lin Li. "To avoid raising suspicions, don’t visit me again until you’ve taken control of Starlight Group."
With great reluctance, she set the phone down.
As she was led away, she kept looking back at Lin Li.
Li'er…
My happiness depends on you now.
You must—you absolutely must—seize Starlight Group.
---
Lin Li stepped out of the detention center, lifting his face to the glaring sun.
A steely resolve flashed in his eyes.
He wouldn’t admit defeat.
Lin Xuan, just you wait.
---
That night, Shen Qianqian and Zhang Li partied late at a bar.
By the time they left, the streets were nearly empty.
Shen Qianqian had deployed all her men to surveil Su Hua or stake out Su Corporation, leaving her without a single bodyguard.
While waiting for her driver outside the bar, a black car suddenly pulled up in front of them.
Two men in black suits, their faces hidden behind masks and sunglasses, stepped out.
iving with nine beautiful women. [Ding! Welcome back to the Joyous Sect, Host…] Lin Yu: ??? I’m clearly in a shared rental, but you’re saying I’m in the Joyous Sect? Watering plants is now [Tending to Spiritual Flora]? Cooking becomes [Researching Elixirs]? Making the bed turns into [Setting Up Formations]? A gentle and innocent auntie, twin classmates, a mysterious hacker girl on leave, a severely socially anxious artist, an elementary school Chinese teacher, a community hospital nurse, a pet shop owner, an antique clock restorer… This system… is kinda interesting.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
