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"What do you know?!" Yingying waved her hand dismissively, her expression somewhat crazed. "If I just wanted to live a normal, comfortable life, why would I leave Xiaodong... leave Xiaodong... sob, I left the man I love most."

Yingying suddenly began to sob, her face softening with despair and guilt, no longer as ferocious as before. However, it was only for a moment. Her expression froze, and a strange smile crept onto her lips: "What I want is to officially step into that unattainable high society, and to stand at its top forever."

"Hey, you understand?" Yingying smiled at Jialan, a bright and radiant smile, yet it seemed to possess a chilling quality, whether from her dazed eyes or her smudged makeup. "Let me give you an example. Working in Xu Tian, no matter how hard I try, I'll only ever be a small regional manager. But if I marry Xu Lie, then the entire Xu Tian will be mine. That's the allure of high society. The closer you get to it, the more addicted you become. Power and wealth too—if you haven't had them, that's one thing, but once you have them in your hands, how can you let go? Heh... What is Li Mao? What is a small company like Honghai? They're just stepping stones for me to enter that society!"

"So, to get this stepping stone, you killed Li Mao's wife and daughter?"

"Hahahaha..." Yingying laughed maniacally, her eyes turning bloodshot, clearly having lost her mind. "Who told them to block my way?! Li Mao actually said that for his daughter's sake, he couldn't divorce his wife, with whom he had no feelings! If I don't divorce her, what will I get? If I don't divorce her, what am I doing with this old man in his forties? So, hehe, I had someone stage a little accident. Hmm... you know, a seemingly accidental traffic accident is enough. When that idiot Li Mao was crying in my arms, how could he have imagined that I was the one who killed his wife and daughter!"

Xu Lie finally helped the tearful, sobbing Galan out of Fan Yingying's house. Behind them, sharp, maniacal laughter echoed, a hysterical murmur tinged with some unknown pain. She was nothing more than a pathetic and laughable woman. Yet, this woman, who cared only for profit, had destroyed their marriage… their marriage.

Chapter 2 Layout

layout

Following the timeline of the previous chapter: June 2008.

After leaving Longjing Garden and turning two corners, a tall, standing man came into Xu Lie's view. He was a slightly thin man, and because he was thin, his height of only 178 cm appeared tall from a distance. His open, thin trench coat billowed slightly in the wind, and from this angle, he looked both elegant and ethereal.

His hair was rather long, hanging over his forehead and partially obscuring his eyebrows and eyes. His skin was an almost translucent white, and his long, slender fingers were shielding him from the wind as he casually lit a cigarette from his lips. The wisps of smoke slowly brushed against his more handsome features, creating a soft, almost ethereal beauty, yet the thought of the cold, piercing light in his brown eyes was unsettling…

Xu Lie had always known that the reawakened Nie Yufei was an unfathomable man, a man whose inner turmoil inspired awe. His gentle gaze, once filled with doting affection, would become as unfathomable as a whirlpool in the vast ocean the moment he left Jialan. It wasn't coldness, nor evil, but an unchanging warmth, yet also an unchanging indifference, devoid of heart or emotion.

Such a man, such a... love rival!

Xu Lie smiled unconsciously, his hand tightening around Jialan's waist without his realizing it. So what? So what if there's a formidable rival? Would he let go? No! Absolutely not!

He had been searching for this woman for half a year, as if she were a wife he had been searching for his whole life; he would never let her go!

“Xu Lie, you can let go now.” Jia Lan turned her head to look at him, tears still clinging to her face. Her dark eyes were bright from being washed, but suddenly lost their previous crystal clarity, like a luminous pearl deliberately covered in dust, making it impossible to discern its value or brilliance.

Xu Lie felt a pang of sadness, a bitter smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips, which he forced away. Yes! He wasn't afraid of anyone's provocation, he wasn't worried about any competition, but only her! Only the indifference from his beloved wife left him unable to force her, unable to push her, and even unable to express his feelings.

"All done?" Yufei had looked up at them at some point, a cigarette between his long middle and index fingers, the butt glowing red and a wisp of smoke rising from it.

“Of course.” Galan smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes. “Acting is really tiring. However, without your love potion, no matter how good my acting is, Yingying would not have been able to confess what she did so readily.”

Galan took the necklace off her neck and tossed it to Yufei: "The confession is all in there. Add to that the evidence Xu Lie collected, and it's enough to sentence her to twenty or thirty years."

Yufei stubbed out his cigarette against the wall, then raised the necklace to nose level, raising an eyebrow. A sudden gust of wind ruffled his hair, revealing delicate brows and gentle eyes. He smiled softly. As the smile touched his lips, the gentleness in his brown eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, indifferent glint: "Who said I was going to hand it over to the police?"

Coming to his senses, Yufei noticed the slightly puzzled look in Galan's eyes. He tossed the necklace in his hand into the air, caught it, put it in his pocket, and said with a faint smile, "I ran into Xiaodong a few days ago."

Yu Fei paused, then turned his deep gaze to Xu Lie: "Or, we should now call him Xia Yan."

"Xia Yan?" Jia Lan was stunned for a moment, then looked at Xu Lie, "That idol superstar who became famous throughout Asia in just half a year is Xiao Dong?"

When Galan looked up to ask, her expression was a mixture of doubt, disbelief, and astonishment, along with a slightly dazed and blank look. Her delicate face was flushed with a faint rosy glow and vitality, like a small, unripe fruit that suddenly evoked a desire to pick it.

Xu Lie affectionately reached out and stroked her slightly curly hair, smiling as he said, "Yes, he is Xiaodong."

Galan frowned, deep in thought, before finally whispering, "Yufei, are you going to join forces with Xiaodong? Is it really a case of ruthless extermination..."

“No buts. I will not leave any room for these two people.” Yu Fei’s voice was neither loud nor soft. In fact, the gentle tone made his otherwise ordinary voice sound pleasant and magnetic. “Galan, back then I knew the pain and humiliation you suffered, but I was powerless to help you. You will never understand how much I hated… my powerlessness.”

When gentle warmth is mixed with coldness, when pleasant sounds are laced with sharp hatred, the man, who should have been just handsome, is instantly shrouded in a captivating indifference, and even the air seems unable to withstand such a taint, becoming suffocating.

“I’m not the only one with this idea of ruthless extermination. Am I right?” Yu Fei looked up at Xu Lie and smiled leisurely, “President Xu, who is cultivating Xia Yan.”

August 2008, Shanghuai City.

The left side of the sofa dipped slightly, and Xu Lie snapped back to reality, only to find Yu Fei already sitting beside him. Yu Fei wore his ever-present faint smile, his gentle voice suggesting they were kindred spirits: "Sniper lock-on complete. Now it's your turn."

Xu Lie nodded, then crossed his arms and glanced at him sideways: "Someone who grew up in the era of cold weapons has computer skills that surpass those of the IT experts in my company. Why should I trust you?"

"What does it matter to me whether you believe it or not?" Yu Fei brushed the hair from his forehead that was covering his eyes, revealing his handsome features. His smile was like the rippling surface of water. "You just need to remember the ultimate purpose of our cooperation."

Upon hearing this, Xu Lie's eyes flashed with a cold light, and a sneer appeared on his lips: "Don't worry! Shao Feng is about to collapse. Either the dynasty will completely fall, or he will hand over Shao Junyi. I believe that old fox Shao Feng knows very well what to do. After all, Shao Junyi is not his biological son."

"Don't be careless. Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a person." Yu Fei smiled at Xu Lie, his light-colored eyes appearing peaceful yet cold in the sunlight: "I will never let anyone who hurt her get away with it, whether intentionally or unintentionally, including you. Xu Lie, you better remember that!"

Despite issuing this warning, Yu Fei still wore a faint smile. He didn't look at Xu Lie again, stood up, casually grabbed his coat from the hanger and put it on. He tossed and caught the keys that were in his hand, his expression softening instantly: "I'll pick her up from school and take her back before ten o'clock. You should finalize the acquisition of the Royal Dynasty Hotel as soon as possible."

Xu Lie watched him leave, then touched his forehead with his slender fingers and smiled silently.

Han Zimo, what kind of person are you? What kind of accumulated feelings made you willing to give so selflessly for Jialan? Xu Lie knew clearly that he could probably not do such selfless protection and devotion.

His smile vanished, Xu Lie closed his eyes and leaned back on the sofa, his tilted head clearly revealing his physical and mental exhaustion and fear.

Feng Yihan, what kind of person are you? What kind of... person...?

Chapter 3 Lost

stray

"I'm warning you, don't follow me anymore!"

"I'm sorry, young madam, it's my duty to protect you."

"Shut up! Who is your young mistress?"

"yes."

"Alright, you can go now."

"The young master instructed that we must never leave the young mistress's side."

When Yufei arrived at the place where he had arranged to meet Galan, he saw a petite woman arguing with a tall giant.