Beat him up

Lin Xingmo hurried through the door and took his brother's arm, trying to soothe him through his inexplicable fit. "Come on, if you really don't want to join the company, just go have fun. I can handle things here!"

[You alone won't be enough. Just wait. Your brother's going to take care of that scumbag for you.]

Lin Xingmo: ?

Had his brother just said something?

"Xingmo, I'm going to meet Little Li first."

[Wait here. I'm going to beat that little bastard up first.]

Lin Xingmo: ???

Wait, who was he going to beat up?

Wearing a thoroughly amiable smile, Lin Xingye greeted the man in the reception room. "Hello, Little Li."

There it was, the face that made him want to hack its owner into a thousand pieces, complete with a smile the man clearly thought was devastatingly handsome. The sight made him sick.

The man wore a fake smile as he asked with affected politeness, "You're here, Mr. Lin. I hope I haven't disturbed you?"

Behind his back, Lin Xingye's hands were already clenched tight, veins bulging, his nails digging so deeply into his palms that beads of blood seeped out.

He stared fixedly at the man.

The person before him looked gentle, courteous, and refined, nothing like the foul-mouthed man in his memories.

Back then, he could never have imagined that someone who seemed so dependable would become so vile, the murderer who destroyed his entire family.

Forcing down the fury churning inside him, he mustered a smile. "Sorry to have kept you waiting, Little Li. Let's go to the meeting room."

As he spoke, he slowly rose and elegantly gestured for the other man to go ahead.

Then the two headed toward the meeting room together. Walking behind him, Lin Xingye lowered his head, carefully concealing the complicated emotions in his eyes.

The dark thoughts deep inside him were threatening to fill his mind. This man had played him for so long. Now it was his turn.

He felt as though something about him had changed, but that hardly mattered, and he didn't care.

At that thought, the corners of his mouth lifted into an almost imperceptible smile.

Lin Xingmo had meant to follow, but his brother seemed fine.

He had initially wondered whether he was hearing things, only to freeze in place when he heard a string of horrifying statements about "killing their entire family" and more.

And as his brother walked farther away, the voice grew fainter before disappearing.

He began to wonder whether something was wrong with his mind. No, he had to follow and listen again!

Inside the meeting room.

"Your recent success in securing your company's brand planning partnership for H City certainly turned heads, Little Li. Very impressive."

After sitting down in the meeting room, Lin Xingye leisurely lifted an exquisite teacup and took a small sip.

The delicate fragrance of tea spread through the air, refreshing and soothing.

The corners of his mouth lifted into a faint smile as he looked at the man opposite him and teased, "These are excellent tea leaves. Try some, Little Li. See whether they suit your taste."

"After all, who knows whether you'll still consider our humble little offering worth your time... in the future?" With that, he chuckled softly.

[You clown. You think you're the only one who can serve up sweet little barbs?]

At that time, Li Hanwen was a rising star in the business world, someone many people thought highly of and hoped to work with.

Even so, when he had married Lin Xingye, he had been marrying above his station.

Although the Lin family lacked the deep roots and vast wealth of the Four Great Families, they had spent years making their way in those circles through their own efforts, building connections and resources until they had secured a firm foothold.

By now, the Lin family was well respected in those circles. Their business holdings might not have been enormous, but they were certainly beyond what an ordinary minor family could match.

They were established veterans, after all. How could a newcomer like him compare?

Those words rattled Li Hanwen a little, and he hastily put on an ingratiating smile. "Of course not, of course not. You flatter me by calling me Little Li. You're the truly impressive one, Mr. Lin-young, talented, and successful. I admire you a great deal!"

As he spoke, he flashed another oily smile.

Lin Xingye had heard all of this in his previous life. Next, the man would pretend to understand him deeply, talking at length about his preferences to win his affection and give himself an opening.

Just as he expected, Li Hanwen began discussing the books Lin Xingye liked, the games that interested him, and his hobbies, exactly as he had in their previous life.

Lin Xingye sneered inwardly, listening to him drone on about all his favorite things as though he were watching a clown perform.

Listening outside, Lin Xingmo was even more shocked. This bastard was trying to hit on his brother? No, wait-that wasn't the point. Everything Li Hanwen said matched exactly what the voice had told him!

It seemed... he could hear his brother's thoughts?

Meanwhile, Lin Xingye remained completely unaware, still recalling his previous life.

In that life, Li Hanwen had used their family to enter high society. After Qin Ke appeared, his ugly true colors had been laid bare.

"What accident? You really are stupid. I was the one who drugged you. That's why, after you'd been drinking... Heh, you still don't know, do you? The person with you that night wasn't me at all!"

The man's crazed, triumphant expression had cut him deeply, but he hadn't stopped there. "I only wanted you for your looks. I only used your family as a stepping stone. You should be grateful I even chose you!"

"What good did your parents' objections do? I was the one who spread the rumor that you'd slept around while drunk. Otherwise, how would a devoted son like you ever have agreed to marry me?"

"You were already damaged goods, and who knows who'd used you, yet you still wouldn't sleep with me. Pah! Filthy!"

The disgust on Li Hanwen's face after he dropped the act in their previous life remained vividly etched in Lin Xingye's mind.

He would never forget it as long as he lived.

Li Hanwen usually behaved like a perfect gentleman, tactful and respectful of boundaries, never overstepping in the slightest. Thinking back now, he really had been quite the actor.

"Are you finished?"

Caught off guard by the interruption, Li Hanwen looked at Lin Xingye's indifferent expression and began to wonder whether the research he had ordered his subordinates to do had been wrong.

The corners of Lin Xingye's mouth lifted, and he gave two scornful chuckles, his eyes openly mocking.

"Excuse me, are you here for a matchmaking date?"

His tone carried a hint of disdain. "So this is how the renowned Little Li secured his previous partnerships?"

The other man's face instantly flushed red, clearly stung by his words.

During their years of marriage, Lin Xingye had discovered more than once that whenever Li Hanwen was unsure of securing a deal, or his prospective business partner was particularly attractive, he would flirt with them, openly or otherwise.

Unfortunately for him, some people disliked that behavior. After their marriage, he had been turned away several times, yet he had actually blamed those failures on Lin Xingye.

By stating the truth, Lin Xingye had struck a sore spot. Li Hanwen was bound to lash out in humiliation.

Sure enough, his face scarlet, he slammed a hand on the table and stood, craning his neck as he shouted, "Mr. Lin! That was incredibly rude! I came here in good faith!"

Li Hanwen was still young at this point, and his control over his emotions was nowhere near as airtight as it would become.

Otherwise, he would never have managed to fool everyone and keep up the appearance of being a good man even at the very end.

Lin Xingye wasn't annoyed even as Li Hanwen pointed at him and shouted. Catching sight of employees outside craning their necks to watch, his smile only deepened.

There was a reason Li Hanwen had been drawn to his face. For a man, his features were unusually delicate and finely sculpted, like an exquisitely crafted work of art.

His features were distinctive, with a unique charm all their own.

His eyes, in particular, were the finishing touch. Their upturned corners were like hooks; a single meeting of gazes could send someone's blood rushing and heart racing.

His beauty blurred the line between masculine and feminine, leaving an unforgettable impression.

He smiled gently at Li Hanwen, his gaze seeming to hold an elusive hint of intimacy. Even in his anger, Li Hanwen couldn't help swallowing.

His smile was soft and gentle, but the words leaving his mouth were vicious enough to have been steeped in poison. "So you know I'm doing you a favor by calling you Little Li, yet you still dare shout at me?"

[Just because the tiger hasn't bared its teeth, you take me for a sickly cat?]

Outside, Lin Xingmo had grown angrier the longer he listened, though he still retained his reason. At those words, he sensed trouble and hurriedly pulled the door open, shouting, "Wait!"

Unfortunately, his brother had already thrown a punch.