The Endurance of the Conjugal Dependent

The Lin family banquet was halfway through.

Glasses clinked, and the atmosphere was lively.

The shrewd businessmen surrounded Shen Fei, talking and laughing cheerfully, chatting about everything from real estate to new energy, from cross-border e-commerce to artificial intelligence.

Sitting in the seat of honor, Shen Fei occasionally chimed in with a word or two, but spent most of his time drinking tea.

His attention wasn't on these people.

He was watching Lin Tian.

Lin Tian had been busy in the corner the whole time.

Serving plates, pouring water, clearing the bone plates from the table, and wiping spilled wine stains off the tablecloth.

He was quick and skilled; it was clear this wasn't his first time doing this kind of work.

Three years.

He had been a servant in the Lin family for three years.

Doing these things every single day.

Being ordered around like a dog every single day.

Yet, his true identity was the Asura Dragon King, commander of a hundred thousand retired elites.

The depth of this forbearance made even Shen Fei look at him with a hint of respect.

Ye Chen could never do something like this.

A guy like Ye Chen would glare if someone spoke harshly to him, and throw punches if someone shoved him.

But Lin Tian was different.

He wouldn't even frown if he was slapped in the face.

Because he was playing a much bigger game in his mind.

Every act of endurance had a purpose; every time he bowed his head, it was so he could hold it even higher in the future.

Just as he was thinking this, a commotion broke out across the hall.

It was Lin Hao again.

The playboy young master of the Lin family's second branch had drunk quite a bit. His face was as red as a baboon's ass, and he was swaying as he walked.

He staggered over to Lin Tian, snatched the tray right out of his hands, and smashed it onto the floor with a loud crash.

Cups and plates shattered all over the ground.

The entire hall fell silent for a moment.

"Brother-in-law! Come, come, come, let me toast you!"

Lin Hao held up his wine glass, laughing boisterously.

"It's been three years, and I've always wanted to ask you a question!"

He slung an arm around Lin Tian's shoulder and leaned close to his face.

"Tell me, as a grown man, you eat your wife's food, live in your wife's house, and wear clothes bought by your wife. Don't you feel ashamed?"

His voice was loud, deliberately projecting so the entire room could hear.

Among the guests, some shook their heads and sighed, some looked embarrassed, but most simply watched coldly.

No one stepped forward to stop him.

Because this was the Lin family's private matter.

And to be honest, the majority of the people present looked down on Lin Tian.

A live-in son-in-law being publicly mocked by a younger member of the family wasn't exactly a novelty in Jinling's wealthy circles.

Lin Ruobing's phone lay on the table; the screen lit up for a second and then went dark.

She never once looked up.

It wasn't that she didn't see it.

It was just that she had seen it too many times and had grown numb to it.

Lin Tian stood where he was, his head lowered.

"Young Master Hao has had too much to drink. Let me help you back to rest."

His voice was calm, even carrying a hint of gentleness.

"I haven't had too much!"

Lin Hao violently shook off Lin Tian's hand.

"Don't change the subject! I'm going to get a clear answer in front of everyone today!"

He took a step back and threw his arms wide open, as if announcing it to an audience.

"Everyone! Look at my good brother-in-law! He's been married into our family for three years, hasn't earned a single cent, and spends every day doing laundry, cooking, and serving tea! For an outstanding woman like my sister to marry such a piece of trash, it's truly eight lifetimes of bad luck!"

Roars of laughter erupted from several corners of the room.

Although most people maintained a veneer of politeness and didn't laugh out loud, the contempt and mockery in their eyes couldn't be hidden.

Lin Tian kept his head down, not saying a word.

His hands hung by his sides.

He looked very docile.

Very cowardly.

Very useless.

But Shen Fei noticed a detail.

The index and middle fingers of Lin Tian's right hand, hanging by his side, were trembling ever so slightly.

Not out of anger.

But from suppressing his killing intent.

Shen Fei had seen that exact frequency and amplitude of trembling on Ling Shuang.

It was a micro-expression that only an assassin restraining their instinct to strike would exhibit.

Right now, Lin Tian wanted to kill Lin Hao.

Very badly.

But he held it in.

"Alright, alright, Hao'er, stop making a scene."

Old Madam Lin finally spoke up, her tone indifferent.

She glanced at Lin Tian and waved her hand with a frown.

"Little Tian, go to the kitchen and see what dishes haven't been served yet. Don't just stand here."

Even Old Madam Lin called him "Little Tian."

Like she was calling an errand boy.

"Yes, Old Madam."

Lin Tian nodded, bent down to clean up the broken plates on the floor, and walked toward the kitchen with the tray.

As he passed the main table, the distance between him and Shen Fei was less than a meter.

Shen Fei didn't look at him.

But his Eye of Fortune remained open.

The golden pillar of light above Lin Tian's head was as stable as ever, without the slightest fluctuation.

Despite being publicly humiliated, his fortune value didn't drop; instead, it was as steady as Mount Tai.

What did this mean?

It meant these humiliations couldn't damage Lin Tian's Dao heart at all.

Because his Dao heart wasn't built on "face."

He didn't care about face.

He only cared about one thing.

Timing.

When the time came, everyone would kneel before him.

At that time, he would make every single person who laughed at him today pay the price.

This was Lin Tian's conviction.

As hard as steel.

Shen Fei watched his back disappear at the end of the corridor, deep in thought.

This prey was indeed tricky.

Direct provocation was useless, verbal humiliation was useless, and even physical blows might not shake his Dao heart.

To dismantle this soldier-like will, he had to target the things he cared about most.

Lin Ruobing.

And his "comeback script."

He had to make his script completely fail.

Make his three years of forbearance turn into a joke.

Make him realize that all his endurance was for nothing.

That was the only thing that could truly shatter his Dao heart.

...

Kitchen.

Lin Tian threw the broken plates into the trash can, turned on the faucet, and washed his hands.

The water was cold.

He lowered his head, watching the water flow through his fingers.

Then he turned off the tap and pulled a phone out of his pocket.

It wasn't the cheap one the Lin family had given him.

It was another one.

An encrypted communication phone.

He dialed a number.

It connected in a second.

There was no greeting on the other end, just a deep, respectful voice.

"Your Majesty, Dragon King."

Lin Tian straightened up.

In that instant, his entire demeanor changed.

His hunched back straightened.

His slouched shoulders opened up.

His lowered gaze lifted.

His eyes went from submissive to commanding.

Like a dragon that had lain dormant for three years, finally opening its eyes.

His voice changed too.

He was no longer the submissive live-in son-in-law from the living room.

Instead, it was an icy, unquestionable voice of an emperor accustomed to giving orders.

"Are the Four Great Heavenly Kings in position?"

"To answer the Dragon King, the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise have all arrived in Jinling, scattered and lying low in the four corners of the city. One hundred thousand soldiers are on standby, ready to assemble at any time."

"Are the overseas funds in place?"

"The first batch of 20 billion has been transferred domestically through offshore accounts, distributed under 37 shell companies. The second batch of 30 billion is being processed and is expected to arrive within a week."

"Very good."

Lin Tian glanced at the kitchen door to ensure no one was eavesdropping.

"In three days, I want everyone in the Lin family to know exactly who they've been keeping these past three years."

"Those who mocked me, humiliated me, and looked down on me—not a single one will escape."

"They will kneel before me and beg for my forgiveness."

"But I will not forgive them."

The other end of the line fell silent for a second.

"Your Majesty the Dragon King, what about Miss Lin Ruobing..."

Lin Tian's expression shifted slightly.

A fleeting, deeply hidden trace of softness pierced through his sinister, icy demeanor.

It vanished in a flash.

"She is my woman."

"For the three years of grievances she has suffered, I will compensate her tenfold."

"She will finally know exactly what kind of man she married."

"When that time comes, she won't look at me with those eyes anymore."

That look.

Disappointed, cold, treating him as if he didn't exist.

Every time Lin Ruobing looked at him that way, it felt like a blunt knife dragging back and forth across his heart.

But he endured it.

He had endured it for three years.

Now, there were only three days left.

In three days, everything would be different.

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter to report."

"Speak."

"Someone showed up at the Lin family banquet tonight. Shen Fei from the Shen family. Our brothers outside caught his car on camera."

Lin Tian's brow twitched slightly.

"Shen Fei? The Crown Prince of the Shen family?"

"Yes. According to our intelligence, Shen Fei has been extremely active in Jinling over the past month. You've probably heard about what happened between him and Ye Chen. Ye Chen has now completely vanished from Jinling, and rumor has it that Shen Fei is behind it."

Lin Tian fell silent for a couple of seconds.

"Vanished?"

"Yes. Without a single trace, as if he evaporated from the face of the earth."

The corner of Lin Tian's mouth curled up into a smirk.

He had heard of that idiot, Ye Chen.

A rogue doctor who came down from the mountains, causing trouble and showing off everywhere, only to end up being played to death by Shen Fei.

In Lin Tian's eyes, Ye Chen was nothing but a joke.

An idiot who didn't even know his own place.

But the fact that Shen Fei could dispose of Ye Chen so cleanly proved that he was not a simple man.

"Keep a close eye on Shen Fei."

Lin Tian's voice turned ice-cold.

"He didn't come to the Lin family tonight just to have a meal."

"Understood!"

He hung up the phone.

Lin Tian put his phone away.

He stood in the kitchen for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and then hunched over again, pulling his shoulders in and completely withdrawing his imposing aura.

Going from the Dragon King back to a useless live-in son-in-law.

It only took a single second.

He picked up a plate of freshly made pastries, pushed open the kitchen door, and walked back into the banquet hall with his head bowed.

"Here we go! Distinguished guests, please have a taste. These are the pastries my brother-in-law made. I have to say, they actually taste pretty good."

Lin Hao had wandered off to some unknown table, still shouting at the top of his lungs.

No one paid any attention to Lin Tian.

He placed the pastries on the table and silently retreated to a corner.

Like an invisible man.

But on the other side of the banquet hall, Shen Fei was holding a teacup, casually glancing in the direction where Lin Tian had disappeared and reappeared.

A new prompt flashed across his system panel.

[Eye of Destiny has detected that the Son of Destiny, Lin Tian, engaged in an encrypted communication. Target: Core member of the Dragon King Palace. Duration: 2 minutes and 17 seconds.]

[Lin Tian's Destiny Points have slightly increased due to his mobilization efforts: +200]

[Current Destiny Points for Lin Tian: 15200 -> 15400]

Shen Fei set down his teacup.

It was rising.

This dragon was gathering its strength.

Three days.

Lin Tian said he would make his triumphant return in three days.

Then, within these three days, Shen Fei would rewrite Lin Tian's comeback script from beginning to end.

He would turn the Dragon King's shocking counterattack into a self-directed joke.

He would turn three years of patient endurance into three years of suffering for absolutely nothing.

Shen Fei stood up and gave a slight nod to Old Madam Lin.

"Old Madam, the food today was excellent. I'll have to invite you over to my place sometime."

Old Madam Lin was incredibly flattered and agreed repeatedly.

Shen Fei turned and left the banquet hall.

As he walked past Lin Tian, he paused for a moment.

Lin Tian lowered his head out of pure reflex.

Shen Fei spoke softly.

At a volume only the two of them could hear.

"The pastries aren't bad."

And with that, he walked away.

Lin Tian froze for a second.

He raised his head and stared at Shen Fei's departing back.

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hidden meaning behind those words.

But he couldn't figure out what it was.

Lin Tian withdrew his gaze, lowered his head again, and went back to playing the invisible man.

What he didn't know was that, starting tonight, everything he had so carefully orchestrated was completely exposed to someone else's eyes.

He thought he was the chess player.

But in reality, he was nothing more than a pawn.