Departure for the Capital

The Shen family villa.

In the early morning after the rain, the air was cold and damp.

The entire mountain was shrouded in a faint morning mist, and the villa's minimalist black, white, and gray architectural style appeared exceptionally cold and rigid in the fog.

In the high-ceilinged living room on the first floor, it was so quiet that only the faint boiling sound from the water kettle could be heard.

In front of the massive floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lin Ruobing sat on a single sofa.

She had taken off her beige trench coat, revealing a pure white silk shirt underneath.

Her hair was neatly tied up; she wore no makeup, nor did she wear any jewelry.

This was the day after she had signed her divorce agreement.

Logically speaking, a woman who had just ended a terrible marriage should be hiding in some unknown place licking her wounds, or getting completely drunk with her best friends.

But Lin Ruobing did not.

She came straight to the Shen family.

She had no reason to be here, but she knew she had to come.

Because here was the man who had pulled her out of the mud.

"The water is boiling."

Su Qingxue, sitting opposite her, spoke faintly.

She was wearing a dark gray cashmere loungewear set, holding a purple clay tea pet in her hand.

Her movements were elegant, revealing a composure cultivated from years of running the Su Group.

Su Qingxue lifted the kettle, skillfully washed and brewed the tea, then poured a cup of Da Hong Pao and pushed it in front of Lin Ruobing.

"Thank you."

Lin Ruobing picked up the teacup with both hands.

The two women just sat face to face, separated by a mahogany coffee table.

This was not their first time meeting.

Over the past year, everyone in the Jinling business world knew that the female CEO of the Su Group and the female CEO of the Lin Group were incompatible rivals.

To protect the Lin family and to clean up Lin Tian's messes, Lin Ruobing had constantly fought with Su Qingxue in the business arena.

But now.

The strong women who were once queens of their respective domains were sitting under the same roof in an extremely delicate capacity.

There was no arguing.

There were no declarations of sovereignty.

There wasn't even a single probing sentence.

Because they were both extremely smart women.

They both knew all too well what kind of man they were dealing with.

A man like Shen Fei was not someone any single woman could monopolize.

Trying to bind him using foolish tactics like "jealousy" or "vying for favor" would only result in being ruthlessly thrown out of the game.

Su Qingxue took a sip of tea, her gaze falling on Lin Ruobing's bare left hand.

There used to be a very cheap ring there.

Now, only a very faint indentation remained.

"Divorced?" Su Qingxue's voice was very soft.

"Divorced," Lin Ruobing answered decisively.

"No loose ends?"

"All assets have been severed. I had people notarize and sell off the nominal properties in Jinling that he had previously hidden overnight, and the money was transferred to his overseas account. From legalities to debts, it's cut completely clean."

Lin Ruobing's tone was calm, as if she were reporting the progress of an acquisition.

Su Qingxue nodded.

This was Lin Ruobing; she never dragged her feet when doing things. As long as she made up her mind, she could be ruthless to the end.

"Very good."

Su Qingxue put down her teacup. "What are your plans for the future?"

Lin Ruobing did not answer immediately.

She turned her head, looking at the morning mist outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, and remained silent for a long time.

"I don't know."

She laughed self-deprecatingly. "For the past twenty-plus years, it seems I've always been living for others. For the family business, for my grandfather's dying wish, for cleaning up the messes left behind by a man who was always causing trouble."

"Now the burden is lifted."

"And yet, I don't know what Lin Ruobing can do besides being the CEO of the Lin family and Lin Tian's wife."

She turned her head, looking at Su Qingxue with an open and candid gaze.

"But I do know one thing."

"I want to stay by his side."

She said this without a trace of coyness, as straightforward as a knife.

Su Qingxue's hand paused slightly.

But she wasn't angry.

She just looked at Lin Ruobing quietly, and deep in her eyes, there was even a very faint hint of approval.

"In what capacity?" Su Qingxue asked.

"I don't need a capacity."

Lin Ruobing looked directly into Su Qingxue's eyes.

"I don't want anything. I don't want a title, I don't want the Shen family's resources, and I don't even need him to make me any promises."

"I only know that when I was at my most desperate and disgusted, he was the one who handed me a knife and let me personally sever that dead knot."

"My life, my entire being, belongs to him from now on."

Lin Ruobing picked up the slightly cooled tea and drank it in one gulp.

"I won't fight you for anything."

"I don't have the right to fight you either."

"I just came to let you know. Rest assured, I won't become Shen Fei's weakness, nor will I become a problem for you."

The living room fell into silence once again.

The clash between two top-tier women had no smoke or fire, but it was sharper than any business war.

Su Qingxue looked at Lin Ruobing's firm gaze.

A moment later, she picked up the kettle again and refilled Lin Ruobing's empty teacup.

"Cold tea hurts the stomach; drink it hot."

This was Su Qingxue's attitude.

A kind of tacit consent, and also an acceptance.

In this dog-eat-dog world, only the strong deserved mutual respect. Lin Ruobing had the right to sit at the same table and drink tea with her.

"Click."

The faint sound of the electronic lock unlocking came from the villa's front door.

The door opened.

Shen Fei, carrying a faint chill and the smell of blood, walked in.

Even though he hadn't slept all night, his eyes were still sharp enough to pierce through anything.

He took off his black suit jacket and casually handed it to Ling Xue, who had come up to greet him.

Shen Fei walked into the living room and looked at the two women sitting across from each other on the sofas.

He didn't feel surprised.

After seeing the video of Lin Ruobing signing the papers, he knew this woman would definitely come.

"Young Master."

Su Qingxue stood up, her voice gentle.

Lin Ruobing also stood up.

She looked at Shen Fei, her lips moving, but she didn't know what to call him.

Calling him President Shen felt too distant, but calling him Shen Fei felt like overstepping.

Shen Fei walked over to the coffee table and looked at the two purple clay cups on the table.

He didn't sit down.

"Lin Tian is dead."

Shen Fei's tone was flat, as if he were remarking that the weather was nice today.

Lin Ruobing's body stiffened abruptly.

But only for a split second.

She didn't scream, she didn't question, and she didn't even shed a single tear.

After a brief moment of shock, her eyes quickly returned to a dead-water-like calmness.

"I understand."

Lin Ruobing slightly lowered her head.

She had long anticipated this outcome.

From the moment Shen Fei made a move against Lin Tian, it was impossible for Lin Tian to leave Jinling alive.

This was a past that had been completely erased.

Shen Fei looked at her reaction, and a trace of fluctuation finally appeared in the depths of his eyes.

A very smart woman.

Compared to those heroines who would constantly make a scene over life and death or use moral kidnapping, Lin Ruobing's ruthlessness and rationality were truly worthy of the word "valuable."

"You signed the papers," Shen Fei asked.

"I signed them. All severance procedures have taken effect," Lin Ruobing answered.

Shen Fei nodded.

He walked up to Lin Ruobing and looked down at her from above.

"From today onward, the Jinling Lin Group will be merged under the Shen family's name. You will still be your CEO, but you will report directly to Qingxue."

This was the arrangement for Lin Ruobing.

It was also the mark of completely integrating her into the Shen family's territory.

Lin Ruobing suddenly raised her head.

She looked at Shen Fei's face, which was so close to hers, and her eyes suddenly grew red.

It wasn't out of grievance, but rather a sense of grounded relief, as if the dust had finally settled.

She finally, completely, belonged to him.

"Yes." Lin Ruobing nodded heavily.

She took a deep breath, mustering the courage to say what had been pent up in her heart:

"Shen Fei, from now on, I am no longer anyone's wife, nor am I a bargaining chip for the Lin family. I am just myself."

"But if you need me."

"No matter what it is, I will always be there."

It was an unreserved pledge of loyalty, and the most resolute confession of love.

Su Qingxue stood to the side, watching the scene. She said nothing, merely lifting her teacup to take another sip.

Shen Fei did not respond to this confession.

He didn't need to.

All he wanted were results and value.

Right at that moment, a piercing telephone ring suddenly shattered the tranquility of the living room.

It wasn't a cell phone.

It was the highly classified red landline sitting in the corner of the living room—one with no rotary dial, only a receiver.

The red phone.

This was the Shen family's encrypted direct line to the central authority in the capital.

This phone would only ring in the event of a major crisis concerning the survival of the family.

Ling Shuang and Ling Xue's expressions instantly turned grave.

Su Qingxue and Lin Ruobing also held their breath.

Shen Fei turned around, strode to the corner, and picked up the receiver.

"Hello."

From the other end of the line came an elderly yet highly penetrating voice.

It exuded an imposing aura without any trace of anger.

It was the true master of the Shen family, Shen Fei's grandfather, Shen Wanjun.

"Xiao Fei."

The old man's voice was steady, but his speaking pace was a fraction faster than usual.

"Grandpa," Shen Fei replied in a deep voice.

"Your uncle told me everything. Has the situation in Jinling been cleaned up?"

Shen Fei fell silent for a moment before speaking.

"It's handled. The targets are dead, and their territories have been taken over. No loose ends were left," Shen Fei reported briefly.

"Good."

On the other end, Shen Wanjun paused for two seconds.

"Then pack your things. Return to the capital by this afternoon at the latest."

Shen Fei raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Did something happen at home?"

"...Your second uncle hasn't been very well-behaved lately. Taking advantage of your time in Jinling, he has been roping in some of the old-timers from the third and fourth branches within the group, planning to pull a stunt at next week's board meeting."

Shen Wanjun sneered.

"I'm old, so some dogs think they can jump onto the table and start biting."

"The family needs you back to hold the fort."

"Understood. I will head back today." Shen Fei's tone didn't fluctuate in the slightest.

The second branch's restlessness was well within his expectations.

"There's one more thing."

Shen Wanjun's voice suddenly lowered.

"Recently, a few strange things have happened in the capital."

"Several prominent figures in the capital have died, and the Shen family has been implicated. The situation is very tricky. It can't be handled through normal means. I even had people from the Garrison Command take a look, but they couldn't find anything. The state of the bodies is extremely bizarre."

"I can't explain the details clearly over the phone."

"Come straight to the ancestral mansion to see me after you return."

"Alright."

Shen Fei hung up the phone.

He placed the red receiver back in its cradle.

Shen Fei turned around and looked at everyone in the living room.

In an instant, his gaze became incredibly ruthless.

It was like a peerless, deadly blade that had been nurtured in its sheath for a long time, finally about to be drawn to draw blood.

"Ling Shuang, Ling Xue."

"Here."

"Notify the airport. Prepare for takeoff."

Shen Fei walked back to the center of the living room and grabbed the suit jacket he had taken off earlier.

"Qingxue, hand over the business operations here in Jinling to your subordinates. You're coming with me."

"Ruobing, you stay in Jinling. Secure our base here."

Shen Fei's orders were brief and absolute.

No one questioned them; there was only absolute obedience.

Half an hour later, three black, bulletproof Maybachs drove out of the Purple Mountain villa district.

Rain washed over the car windows.

Shen Fei sat in the backseat, watching the scenery recede outside the window.

Jinling had officially come to an end for now.

However, many things had happened in the capital. To those who dared to provoke the Shen family...

You certainly are bold.

The capital.

I, Shen Fei, am returning!