At Lin Mo's home.
Early that morning, Lin Mo slipped quietly out of the double bed.
On the bed, a slender figure stirred slowly.
"Getting up already? Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"
A voice sounded behind him.
He turned back and smiled.
"I'm fine. What about you? Don't you want more sleep?"
Le Shuya shook her head.
"Now that you're up, I can't sleep."
Lin Mo smiled, sat on the edge of the bed, and drew Le Shuya into his arms, saying softly,
"Get some more rest. You'll have plenty to keep you busy before long."
Then he gently kissed her forehead and stood up.
"Rest a little longer. I've already arranged breakfast, so remember to get up and eat it later. Also, you don't need to come to the office today. There's nothing to do anyway."
He straightened his suit, then turned to Le Shuya.
"Well then, my dear wife, I'm off."
Le Shuya nodded.
"All right. Have a safe trip."
Hearing the door close, Le Shuya flopped heavily onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
The twenty-odd days since she had married Lin Mo had been the happiest time she had known since her parents passed away.
Her heart was a tangled mess. Was she really going to destroy this happiness with her own hands soon?
Lin Mo sat in the car with his eyes closed, resting. He checked the system panel in his mind. The quest was still there, which meant Mr. You was still in Jiangcheng.
But how was he supposed to complete it?
Just then, his phone rang. Lin Mo answered, and his female secretary's voice came through.
"Mr. Lin, Miss Tang is here to see you. She says she has something important to discuss."
Lin Mo frowned.
"What's she doing here? Didn't I tell her not to come looking for me unless it was something serious?"
The secretary continued,
"Miss Tang said she needs to tell you in person. I've asked her to wait in your office."
Lin Mo said,
"All right. Keep an eye on her until I get there."
After hanging up, an exquisite face surfaced in Lin Mo's mind.
Tang Tang had originally been a young singer who had just entered show business. A year ago, however, she had come to Jiangcheng for a concert, and he had taken a fancy to her at first sight.
Thanks to his maneuvering, she had finally become popular. She was also one of the few women with whom he had a physical relationship.
At that thought, Lin Mo felt a faint sense of unease.
At the Lin Group.
Lin Mo pushed open his office door. A curvaceous woman walked toward him, wearing oversized sunglasses, chestnut-colored waves, a tight red office miniskirt, black stockings, and red heels.
Lin Mo glanced at his secretary and said,
"Go get back to work."
The secretary took the hint and closed the door behind her on her way out.
The woman immediately wrapped her arms around Lin Mo's neck and parted her red lips.
"Mo, it's been so long. I missed you so much."
Lin Mo's hands began to wander as he said,
"It's only been a month. That's hardly long."
With a seductive smile, the woman swatted his wandering hands away.
"But I missed you."
Lin Mo stopped groping her and looked at her instead.
"Didn't you say last month that you'd landed an acting role? How do you have time to come here?"
Tang Tang sat on the sofa and gave Lin Mo a reproachful look.
"So the reason you were wilder than usual last month was because you were getting married."
Lin Mo laughed awkwardly. Indeed, the day before his wedding to Le Shuya, he had gone to Tang Tang's place under the pretext of making wedding arrangements.
"Don't worry. I'll treat you even better than before."
Looking at Tang Tang, Lin Mo felt that she was just like her name: a sweet poison.
His firm resolve was as flimsy as paper in front of her.
Tang Tang folded her arms and said resentfully,
"No matter how well you treat me, I'm still just your secret mistress."
Lin Mo understood perfectly what she wanted. He sat beside Tang Tang, put an arm around her shoulders, and smiled.
"Don't put it like that. Don't worry. Apart from marriage, I can give you anything."
Tang Tang continued,
"But marriage is exactly what I want."
Though Lin Mo was still smiling, a hint of warning entered his voice.
"Be good. The Tang Tang I love best is the gentle, sweet one. You're putting me in a difficult position, and that hurts."
A woman as shrewd as Tang Tang could hardly miss the warning in Lin Mo's words.
On the verge of tears, she said,
"I know. I know all that. I've never asked you to marry me, but our baby can't grow up without a father."
Lin Mo sprang to his feet and stared fixedly at Tang Tang.
"You mean... you're...!"
Tang Tang nodded.
"It probably happened one of the last few times you came to my place."
As she spoke, she took out a little white stick and handed it to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo stared at the two lines on the white stick, frozen in place.
He was a father. He was going to be a father! Wild joy surged through his heart.
But then he calmed down.
"Tang Tang, I'm sorry. I still can't marry you."
Tang Tang cried even harder.
"All right. I'll get an abortion. Mo, we shouldn't see each other anymore."
She picked up her bag and wiped away her tears, preparing to leave.
Seeing this, Lin Mo grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, scolding her softly.
"When did I tell you to abort the baby? I'll fulfill my responsibilities as a father."
At that, he sighed.
"Shuya has been with me for three years, and she's helped my career enormously. I can't betray her. Besides, we only just got married. How could I divorce her so soon?"
He looked at Tang Tang and said softly,
"Don't worry. Whether it's a boy or a girl, I promise you the child will get half of the Lin Group."
Only then did Tang Tang stop crying. Nestling against Lin Mo's chest, she said,
"You're so good to me, Mo. I don't mind, but the baby is innocent. As long as you let me have this child, I'll be happy."
Lin Mo chuckled softly as well.
"Silly girl. It's my own child. How could I not care?"
Holding Tang Tang, Lin Mo felt his desire rising.
He gently pushed her away and looked at her with burning eyes.
"It should be all right today, shouldn't it?"
Blushing, Tang Tang rolled her eyes at him, then shook her head.
Delighted, Lin Mo began undoing his shirt buttons...
(Pay to view what happened next.) ๑乛◡乛๑
While Le Shuya was eating breakfast, a message arrived on her phone.
It was from Lin Mo's female secretary.
"Sister Ya, a celebrity named Tang Tang came to see Mr. Lin this morning. After he arrived, he asked me to leave the office. That woman only came out quite a while later. Sister Ya, you should keep an eye on things."
Le Shuya replied,
"All right, thank you. There are a few promising projects this year. I'll take you along so you can gain some experience."
Indeed, over the past three years, Lin Mo had rarely bothered with company affairs. Le Shuya had essentially been the one keeping the Lin Group's business running all that time. Even Lin Mo's secretary had been promoted by Le Shuya.
That was precisely why Cheng Yu had gone to such lengths to turn this woman against him.
Expressionless, Le Shuya set down her phone and continued eating breakfast. But as she ate, tears began streaming down her face.
I actually let myself harbor hopes about him. I really had this coming, Le Shuya thought.
At Cheng Yu's home.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You can survive the calamities heaven sends, but when you bring ruin on yourself, there's no saving you."
Cheng Yu sighed in wonder.
Copying Yog, he crossed his legs, lifted his teacup, took a sip, and continued,
"That Le Shuya is ruthless too. She even married that asshole Lin Mo. What a pity. What a pity."
The system chimed in just then.
"What, are you interested in her?"
Cheng Yu shook his head.
(How could I be? Even setting aside whether I'm interested, would the Big Shot bring her along to travel between worlds with us if I were?)
(Besides, Brother Yu's creed is: no woman in your heart, and your blade becomes divine. I'm a man determined to wield Mad Song in one hand and unleash the Infinite Technique with the other. Women would only slow down my sword draw and my casting.)
"So you've noticed something." („ಡωಡ„)
Cheng Yu curled his lip.
(No shit. Of the discounted items you recommended to me those three times, apart from the Carbon-Based Virus, both Mad Song and the Infinite Technique are things whose side effects I can ignore, with ridiculously good value for money. How could I not notice? →_→)
"Hehe, but I haven't rigged anything behind the scenes. Maybe these are goals the Big Shot set for you."
(Ah, poor Lin Mo. Like a plump little butterfly, he's fallen into the web of this venomous spider, Brother Yu, as my prey. How pitiful, System. How pitiful. ＜(￣︶￣)＞)
"Heh. A venomous spider? More like a scheming bastard. (¬◡¬)✧"
As far as Cheng Yu was concerned, it didn't know a damn thing.
(I quite agree with you. On the road called life, you arrive alone and leave alone. There's no need to force anything. Of course, I'm expressing that agreement as my former self.)
Looking at Yog in front of him, Cheng Yu inwardly grumbled, Big Shot, you aren't even hiding the fact that you can peek at my conversations with the system anymore?
Yog smiled without answering.
Then something happened that shattered Cheng Yu's composure.
(I also agree with your view, Your Highness the Apostle. Emotions are stumbling blocks on the path to strength. Only power is eternal. Emotions are unnecessary garbage.)
A warm female voice spoke in Cheng Yu's mind.
Cheng Yu nearly dropped his teacup. He looked at Miss Puppet in astonishment and asked tentatively,
"Ma'am, was that you speaking just now?"
Miss Puppet nodded.
"Yes, Your Highness the Apostle."
Yes, her tone was just as gentle.
Fuck. The Big Shot was one thing, but now she was joining in too? Were they throwing a party inside my head?
(╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴
(You misunderstand. Your thoughts are so active that I can easily pick up your emotional signals. If you dislike it, I can stop.)
Cheng Yu froze for a moment, then said,
"Please do." ("▔□▔)/\
Yog spoke just then.
"You can get some proper rest now. Before long, come with me to witness the end of his road."
Cheng Yu was somewhat surprised.
"So soon?"
Yog nodded.
"Yes."
Yog spoke again.
"Here, take this. Practice with it over the next few days and prepare to leave this world."
Yog suddenly produced a sheet of yellowed parchment and handed it to Cheng Yu.
The corner of Cheng Yu's mouth twitched. Big Shot, you make it sound like I'm about to die.
Still, he took the yellowed parchment.
Cheng Yu frowned. What's this?
Before you continue