Something Even More Ridiculous Than Bullshit (Middle)

Lin Xue lowered her head and gently rubbed the diamond ring on her finger. "Sister Hong, may I speak with Su Bai alone?"

"Of course. You have plenty of time."

Sister Hong gave Su Bai a long look, then smiled and left.

Just then, a waitress in a baseball cap came over, pushing a cart laden with drinks. "Would either of you like a drink?"

"Lin Xue, I know what you want to say."

Su Bai casually picked up a glass of white wine from the cart and took a sip. "It's something like, 'I only accepted because I didn't want to embarrass you,' or, 'I like Shen Fei, but he treated me like that, so I accepted in a fit of anger,' right?"

Lin Xue froze.

Su Bai gazed into Lin Xue's eyes and said:

"What I want to say is, none of what happened today was arranged by me. I never intended to embarrass anyone in front of a crowd. I do like you, but I've never treated my feelings for you as a joke. Yet today, I realized that you seem to have treated them as one."

Lin Xue started to speak, but in the end, she said nothing.

Su Bai drained the half glass of wine he had left and smiled.

"The director who raised me once said, 'Little Su Bai, your greatest strength is that you're smart, and your greatest weakness is that you're too smart.' I never used to understand why the director said that, but later I understood.

"A fool can live a whole life easily and happily, while a smart person has to play dumb to fit in with the crowd. But that's a painful thing to do.

"Take right now, for example. If the Su Bai standing before you played dumb and acted a little more flattered, kindhearted Lin Xue wouldn't have the heart to reveal the truth to lovestruck Su Bai. Then, through a strange combination of circumstances, Lin Xue and Su Bai would end up together, and perhaps... they'd even have a relatively happy ending.

"But that kind of ending only happens in fucking TV dramas. Life is real. Life has never been a fucking TV drama or an idol show! The real ending is that we both have to accept the fact that the people we like don't like us."

If real life could follow a script, episode after episode, like a TV drama, then what was the point of TV dramas? And what was the point of life?

After a long silence.

Lin Xue finally raised her tear-filled eyes and said softly, her voice choked with sobs, "I'm sorry."

Su Bai slowly set the empty wineglass on the table. "Those words shouldn't come from you. They should come from the people trying to arrange our lives."

"Arrange?"

Lin Xue repeated the word.

She hadn't understood the meaning hidden in Su Bai's words.

Su Bai picked up a tissue from the table and gently wiped the tearstains from Lin Xue's face. "If I've done anything to make you sad, then... I'm sorry."

With that, Su Bai turned and left.

Lin Xue stood by the pool, watching Su Bai's retreating figure.

She suddenly realized that she seemed never to have truly known Su Bai.

It was as though a sheep that had always been gentle and mild had suddenly shed its sheepskin, revealing a ferocious face.

It was a wolf, a savage wolf.

Su Bai walked out of the hotel and hurriedly glanced around. He saw an unlicensed car parked by the roadside not far away.

The car was pitch-black from end to end, as if it meant to blend into the night.

Beside it stood a thin, frail-looking man in sunglasses, motionless and silent.

When he saw Su Bai come out of the hotel, he strode over and reached out to block his path. "Mr. Lin wants to see you."

Su Bai grinned and feigned confusion. "Mr. Lin of Heavenly River International, or Mr. Lin of the Hunter Guild?"

The man in sunglasses said calmly, "Mr. Lin, Miss Lin Xue's biological father."

"Oh, that Mr. Lin." Su Bai nodded. "Then I should call him uncle."

The man in sunglasses stepped aside. "This way, please."

Before long, Su Bai reached the car. Through the window, he could see a middle-aged man with a stern, imposing face sitting in the back.

The boss behind Heavenly River International, the true helmsman of the Hunter Guild, a Suzhou local power with connections reaching to the heavens, and Lin Xue's biological father: Lin Yue.

The man in sunglasses opened the car door. "Please get in."

Su Bai didn't stand on ceremony. He sat down beside Lin Yue.

As the car door closed.

Lin Yue spoke. "Young man, you're quite impressive."

"Is that a reprimand, Uncle Lin?"

"It's a compliment." Lin Yue tapped the bottom of his cane against the floor and continued:

"Joining the Grave Keepers at such a young age shows potential. Stealing company documents by hacking into the network shows ability. Daring to force your way into Heavenly River International with a ninth-tier bloodline shows nerve.

"Demanding fifty million in cash and bloodline resources from A Cheng in the interrogation room shows ambition. Coming to the banquet alone, knowing full well that Fanghua Hotel belongs to the Lin family, shows mettle. Sitting in this car with your life entirely in my hands, yet not so much as changing expression, shows composure.

"I've never seen so many qualities of a formidable leader in someone not yet twenty. You were born to be one, and you have more tricks up your sleeve than I did at your age. If you're given enough time to grow, I believe little Suzhou will never be able to contain you."

Su Bai pondered the meaning of those words and asked without betraying his thoughts, "What are you getting at, Uncle Lin?"

Lin Yue smiled and pointed his cane toward Fanghua Hotel. "I hear you like my daughter."

Su Bai narrowed his eyes slightly.

Lin Yue continued, "I'm old. My ambition can no longer keep up with my abilities, and the Hunter Guild's development has gradually fallen short of expectations over the years. If the Lin family's son-in-law were a young man with more ambition and ability than me, I'd be very pleased."

Su Bai sneered.

"So you let tonight's events happen. You intend to use Lin Xue to tie me to the Lin family's leaky ship, and you've decided to trade your daughter's happiness for the list and financial records in my hands... Uncle Lin, you really have grown old."

Fanghua Hotel belonged to the Lin family, so naturally, the stage built inside it and all the equipment installed on it couldn't have escaped Lin Yue's notice.

Since Lin Yue hadn't stopped any of it, he had tacitly permitted it, perhaps even supported it.

When Su Bai saw the stage curtain fall, he knew Lin Yue would come to him in person. What Su Bai hadn't expected was that Lin Yue would be even more cold-blooded than he had imagined.

In Lin Yue's eyes, Lin Xue was no different from a chip on a gambling table, a slightly larger chip at most.

All of it filled Su Bai with profound sorrow. The last shred of expectation he had held for Lin Yue vanished into dust at that moment.

Lin Yue said unhurriedly, "Business, you know, has to be negotiated slowly."

"If this is business," Su Bai said slowly, clenching his fist, "I think it's time for me to leave. Of course... if I can't leave, what you want from me will soon be delivered to the Grave Keepers' headquarters. When that happens, it won't just be the Suzhou Grave Keepers coming after you."

Lin Yue gave Su Bai a long look. "In the past twenty years, not one person who dared threaten me has lived longer than three days."

Su Bai met Lin Yue's gaze calmly. "In the past eighteen years, not one person I've threatened has dared defy my wishes. Uncle Lin, you're not the first, and you won't be the last."

Their words were like blades, their chill piercing to the eye.

Now this was business.

Lin Yue took a bank card from inside his clothes and handed it to Su Bai. "There's fifty million in this account," he said indifferently. "The funds passed through more than a dozen countries before finally being deposited in Switzerland. You can withdraw cash anywhere in Great Xia. You'll have to find your own way to account for the source of the funds."

After accepting the card, Su Bai took a slip of paper from inside his clothes. "Guanyin Road, Summer Hotel, room 1307. All the data I stole is on the computer in that room. It's all in its original form, stored on the hard drive, and none of it has been backed up. You can check using network technology."

Lin Yue took the slip and handed it to the man in sunglasses outside the window. "Once all the data has been destroyed, the bloodline resources I promised you will be shipped to you. They've been inspected by customs and are all legal goods."

Su Bai nodded slowly. "Once I see the goods, I'll write a report for the archives confirming that Heavenly River International has no connection to the Hunter Guild. You can remain behind the scenes, Uncle Lin, and I'll still be the Suzhou Grave Keeper in the public eye."

The two shook hands, each wearing a cold, hypocritical, and cunning smile.

"Pleasure doing business."